Dr. Sylvia Martin was born in 1954 in Augusta, Georgia. She is a lifelong resident of Grovetown and has watched it transform from a small town of about 1,000 to the growing city that it is today. Sylvia is an experienced educator, having taught for 40 years, 33 of which were spent teaching for the Columbia County Board of Education. While teaching at Grovetown Elementary, she was twice selected as Teacher of the Year. She also received the honor of Georgia Science Teacher of the Year. In addition, she wrote and received numerous grants and served in many leadership positions during her tenure as a public school teacher. She attended Grovetown Elementary as a child and graduated from Harlem High School. Sylvia received her BA in Elementary Education from Augusta College, her master’s degree in Natural Science from the University of South Carolina, her specialist degree in Teaching and Learning from Augusta State University, and her doctorate in Curriculum and Instruction from Liberty University. In recent years, she has taught part-time for USC Aiken and Augusta University. She is currently teaching Math and Science for the junior and senior block of teacher candidates at Augusta University. Sylvia published research in Proquest titled, “Increasing Parental Involvement in a Title One School, a Phenomenological Case Study.” She has been married to her husband, Robert, for over 40 years. They have three adult children, Bradley, Brian, and Beth, and 5 grandchildren. Her hobbies include reading and spending time with family and friends. Robert and Sylvia are members of Woodlawn Baptist Church where she is the AWANA director, works with the children’s choir, and serves on the finance committee. She was elected to the City Council in 2013 and took office in January 2014.
