Jefferson County honors Georgia Washington Brennan for 30 years at Family Court

At a May meeting, the Jefferson County Commission presented a resolution honoring Georgia Washington Brennan, principal probation officer at Jefferson County Family Court, for 30 years of public service and noting her retirement effective June 29, 2025.

The resolution — read aloud at the meeting — cites Brennan’s start in family court in June 1995 as a juvenile probation officer, her promotion to senior probation officer and later principal probation officer in 2018, and leadership on intake neutrality and language access. The text also lists Brennan’s degrees: a 1991 bachelor of arts in studio art from Millsaps College and a 1995 bachelor of science in social work from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

“Thank you, and I’m very grateful. It’s been a long time,” Georgia Washington Brennan said after the commission presented the resolution.

Commissioners at the meeting praised Brennan’s work in probation and intake, noting the difficulties probation staff face such as high caseloads and paperwork. The resolution remarks that Brennan protected the autonomy of intake officers and advocated for language access to ensure court services for people with limited English proficiency.

The commission said the resolution will be signed and delivered; a date for signature was not specified at the meeting.

Background material read into the record notes Brennan’s career path from the Bessemer office to Birmingham, her work in daytime intake beginning in 1998, and her promotion timeline. The resolution text included biographical details about Brennan’s family and education and described her retirement date as June 29, 2025.

The presentation was made during the commission’s May session as a ceremonial recognition; no policy action or budgetary allocation was tied to the resolution at the meeting.