Smyrna parent Otha Thornton was selected as president-elect of the National PTA at the organization's annual convention in Orlando earlier this month. Thornton becomes the group's first African-American male president-elect. The retired U.S. Army Lt. Col. and his wife have a daughter attending Spelman College and a son at Morehouse College.

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Julian Conley listens during opening statements in his trial at Fulton County Superior Court in Atlanta on Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2025. The 25-year-old is accused of fatally shooting 8-year-old Secoriea Turner in July 2020. (Abbey Cutrer/AJC)

Credit: abbey.cutrer@ajc.com