Sonya Halpern
{{Short description|American politician and marketing executive}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Sonya Halpern
| state_senate = Georgia
| district = 39th
| term_start = January 11, 2021
| term_end =
| predecessor = Nikema Williams
| successor =
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1967|10|11}}
| birth_place =
| death_date =
| death_place =
| party = Democratic
| spouse = Daniel
| children = 3
| education = University of Massachusetts, Amherst (BA)
University of Hartford (MBA)
}}
Sonya McLaughlin Halpern (born October 11, 1967) is an American politician and former marketing executive who is a member of the Georgia State Senate representing the 39th district. Elected in December 2020 in a special Democratic primary election, she is currently serving in her third term.
Education
Halpern earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in mass communication from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Hartford.{{Cite web|title=Sonya Halpern|url=https://gawinlist.com/sonya-halpern/|access-date=2021-01-04|website=Georgia WIN List|language=en-US}}
Career
Halpern’s sales/business development career began in New York City while working at the Institute of International Education. From there she moved into advertising sales where she has over a decade of experience in cable television, print and digital media at some of the country’s largest media organizations including The Walt Disney Company, ESPN, and Cox Enterprises. She decided to leave corporate America at the birth of her first child where she evolved her career to focus on her passion for the arts, education and politics.
She has been an active member of her community through various boards and non-profits. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for the YMCA of Metro Atlanta, is a member of the Board of Regents at the University of Hartford, and is an advisory board member for the DeVos Institute of Arts Management. She is a former Chair of the Board of Directors for The Children’s School as well as the National Black Arts Festival. {{Cite web|last=Ruch|first=John|date=2020-10-02|title=Voters Guide: Sonya Halpern|url=http://reporternewspapers.net/2020/10/02/voters-guide-sonya-halpern/|access-date=2022-01-01|website=Reporter Newspapers & Atlanta Intown|language=en-US}}
In 2011, President Barack Obama appointed her to the President’s Advisory Committee on the Arts at the John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts in Washington DC. Three years later when he appointed her as Chair, she became the first African-American and first person from Georgia to serve in this role since PACA’s inception in the 1950s.{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=Sonya M. Halpern|url=https://www.kennedy-center.org/artists/h/ha-hn/sonya-halpern/|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2021-01-04|website=www.kennedy-center.org}}
In 2017, she became a member of the Women’s Leadership Forum of the DNC. During that time, she also co-founded the Electing Women Alliance Atlanta.
In 2018 Halpern founded Whiskey in a Teacup ("WIAT") Consulting, a global arts and culture consultancy focused on democratizing art and empowering creatives and communities.
After Nikema Williams was selected to replace John Lewis on the November ballot for Georgia's 5th congressional district, Halpern announced her candidacy for the special election to succeed her in the Georgia State Senate. She placed first in the special Democratic primary and defeated Linda Pritchett in the Democratic runoff.{{Cite web|title=Sonya Halpern|url=https://ballotpedia.org/Sonya_Halpern|access-date=2021-01-04|website=Ballotpedia|language=en}} {{Cite web|title=Sonya Halpern wins race for State Senate District 39|url=https://www.11alive.com/article/news/politics/elections/sonya-halpern-georgia-state-senate-district-39/85-bc437d69-49ed-4208-9be2-1dd5576b61a1|access-date=2021-01-04|website=11Alive.com|date=2 December 2020 |language=en-US}}
Halpern was sworn in on January 11, 2021. She currently serves on Appropriations, the Banking and Financial Institutions Committee, the Education and Youth Committee, the Health and Human Services Committee, the Public Safety Committee and is Vice Chair of the Urban Affairs Committee.{{Cite web|title=Georgia General Assembly|url=https://www.legis.ga.gov/members/senate/4985?session=1029|access-date=2022-01-01|website=www.legis.ga.gov}}
In 2025, Halpern crossed party lines to vote in favor of a bill banning gender affirming surgery for transgender prisoners in Georgia state prisons.{{Cite web |title=Georgia Senate advances bills to restrict gender-affirming care with some Democratic support |url=https://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory/georgia-senate-advances-bills-restrict-gender-affirming-care-119409663 |access-date=2025-03-11 |website=ABC News |language=en}}
Personal life
Sonya was raised in upstate New York. She moved to Atlanta in 1998 where she currently resides with her husband, Daniel, and three children.
Halpern's husband is the co-founder and CEO of Jackmont Hospitality, a minority-owned foodservice management company based in the Atlanta metropolitan area.{{Cite web|last=SHA|first=Cornell|title=Speaker: Daniel Halpern, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder|url=https://sha.cornell.edu/admissions-programs/undergraduate/student-experience/hotelie-credentials/ddls/speaker-daniel-halpern-chief-executive-officer-and-co-founder/|access-date=2021-01-04|website=Cornell SHA|language=en-US}}
References
External links
- [https://www.legis.ga.gov/members/senate/4985 Profile] at the Georgia State Senate
{{Georgia State Senators}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Halpern, Sonya}}
Category:21st-century African-American politicians
Category:21st-century African-American women politicians
Category:21st-century American businesswomen
Category:21st-century American women politicians
Category:21st-century members of the Georgia General Assembly
Category:African-American state legislators in Georgia (U.S. state)
Category:Businesspeople from Atlanta
Category:Democratic Party Georgia (U.S. state) state senators
Category:Politicians from Atlanta
Category:University of Hartford alumni
Category:University of Massachusetts Amherst College of Social and Behavioral Sciences alumni