Some officials in Gilmer County aren’t just local leaders, they’re leading the entire state of Georgia as three individuals make their mark as president of their discipline’s organization.
Sheriff Stacy Nicholson serves as the president of the Constitutional Officers’ Association of Georgia (COAG), Probate Judge Scott Chastain is the Council of Probate Court Judges of Georgia’s president and Chief Tax Appraiser Theresa Gooch is president of the Georgia Association of Assessing Officials (GAAO).
“It’s a testament to the quality of leadership that’s coming out of Gilmer County,” Nicholson said. “It is unusual to have three local officials that are president of their discipline’s statewide organization.”
COAG is made up of 636 members, four constitutional officers from each county. Its mission is to promote collaboration between sheriffs, probate judges, tax commissioners and court clerks, to work with state lawmakers on legislation that impacts their roles.
“They’re passing bills every year, and a lot of those are good, and a lot of those are not so good,” Nicholson said. “We, as locally elected officials, know the ramifications that some bills may have that the state legislature is not really keying in on, and we voice our opinion.”
Nicholson became president in November 2024. He also served as the president of the Georgia Sheriff’s Association from 2018 to 2019, where he first started getting involved with COAG.
“I’ve been a member for years, but I’ve never really been that active in COAG duties because I’ve concentrated everything solely on being a sheriff,” he added. “COAG broadened that into looking at things from an aspect of all the constitutional officers.”
So far as president, Nicholson is proud of the work he’s done to get sheriffs across the state more involved in the organization, increasing collaborative efforts among all officers.
Chastain took office May 1 as the 40th president of the Council of Probate Court Judges, which aims to train and educate nearly 160 judges across the state. He’s served as Gilmer County’s probate judge since 2017.
“It’s such a great honor that the Gilmer County Probate Judge was recognized and noticed for such an important role, to be the voice of 159 counties while sitting up here in Ellijay,” Chastain said. “I personally thought this will make the county proud.”
Chastain has previously served as the council’s vice president, chair of the council’s technology committee and as a member of the council’s legislative committee. Last year, he was chosen by his colleagues as the Outstanding Probate Judge of the Year.
As president, Chastain hopes to adequately prepare judges to allow citizens to electronically file their petitions instead of having to visit the office in person, and develop a good e-filing platform.
“My main goal would be to find innovative ways to make our class of court more accessible and responsive to the citizens that we serve,” he added.
GAAO President Gooch oversees the organization of 1,600 assessors and appraisers statewide, dedicated to public service. Its goal is to promote integrity, professionalism and assessment administration through education, leadership and cooperation, she noted.
“I’m humbled to not only serve as president for this organization, but to represent Gilmer County in this industry,” Gooch said. “Being able to show that we are “Gilmer Strong,” I think that’s a great accomplishment.”
Gooch joined the GAAO executive board in 2021 as a representative for the north district, which is made up of 35 counties. From there, she was elected to serve as president from October 2024 to October 2025.
Legislation changes have caused her to focus on promoting education during her presidency, by increasing seminars and conferences for tax assessors and appraisers statewide, and making sure everyone stays well-informed.
“Some accomplishments so far include strengthening our networking and making sure every county is involved, represented and has a voice within the organization,” she added.
All three Gilmer representatives, Gooch, Chastain and Nicholson, are the first from the county to hold the title of president for their disciplines’ statewide organizations.
“We’re stronger in our endeavors to keep local government headed in the right direction, headed in a positive and accountable direction,” Nicholson said.