| State Representative David Jenkins represents the citizens of House District 136, which includes
portions of Coweta, Meriwether and Troup counties. He was elected to the Georgia House of
Representatives in 2020 and is currently serving his third two-year term in office.
Rep. Jenkins's parents divorced when he was very young, and he grew up with a single-mom
who demonstrated a strong work ethic and focus on family values. He worked on family farm
property that raised several generations before him in Fayette County. From the Creek Indian
Wars through the Civil War and beyond, Rep. Jenkins's ancestors were farmers and soldiers.
Being part of this rural community gave him a sense of belonging that he remains connected to
as he continues to build his future.
After graduating high school, Rep. Jenkins enlisted in the U.S. Army. During a brief break from
duty, he served as a Clayton County policeman where he had his first experience with the
process of local government. He saw first-hand the challenges of his community and gained a
sense of how local government can play a helpful role as well as the importance of government
limitation.
In 2000, Rep. Jenkins was accepted into the Warrant Officer Flight Training Program with the
Army, after completing training, he was deployed as a Chinook helicopter pilot with the 101st
Airborne Division to Kuwait for the invasion of Iraq. Over the next 14 years, he served in
combat missions in Iraq and Afghanistan, and as the invasion turned to mission-building, he
worked to improve Air Force operations and help Afghan soldiers improve their interface with
American forces. While in service, Rep. Jenkins graduated Magna Cum Laude with a bachelor's
degree from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University. During this time, Rep. Jenkins also met his
wife, Cat while they were both stationed at Fort Campbell. Cat served three combat tours during
her career as well as working with the Kentucky Agricultural Development team, helping to
improve the Afghan economy through farming practices. Rep. Jenkins and his wife were married
in 2012.
Rep. Jenkins attended Officer Candidate School, airborne school, air assault school and the
Captain's Career Course and ultimately retired as a Captain from the Army in 2015. As he and
Cat began the process of coming home, he discovered that Fayette County was no longer the rural farm community that he grew up in. Rep. Jenkins and Cat decided to settle in Meriwether
County, where they established Jenkins Farms in Grantville and became a full-time farmer and a
part-time pilot for the Coweta County Sheriff's Office. He then transitioned to full-time
employment as a helicopter pilot with the Georgia Forestry Commission fighting wildland fires
and then as an Air Ambulance Helicopter pilot, serving Coweta, Meriwether and Troup
Counties.
Rep. Jenkins and Cat continue to build their farm from the ground up, and they are both focused
on service to their community. He is a Past Master of Tyrone Lodge #644, and is an active
member of the American Legion in Greenville. He is also a member of the Meriwether County
Airport Authority. |