About Terry

Attorney and retired federal law enforcement officerTerry Alexis Cummings is a member of the Mableton community of South Cobb. Terry grew up with her two sisters, in Teaneck, New Jersey. Her father, Rudy Collins, was a well-known jazz drummer bypassed college to focus on his passion. Her mother, Dr.  Mattie Collins taught pediatric clinical nursing. Dr. Collins was one of the first black nurses with the Visiting Nurses Service in NY.  Terry’s family home was a place where a diverse group of musicians and neighbors spent a lot of time.

The importance of community involvement and giving back to others was instilled in Terry at an early age by her devoted parents. Terry met her husband John, a Marine veteran, while both were working at the United States Penitentiary (USP) in Atlanta. Terry and John moved with their son, Kenan, to Mableton to be closer to Terry’s mother who suffered from Alzheimer’s. Following retirement from her law enforcement career, Terry’s mother moved in with them and Terry became her primary caretaker until her transition. 

A woman shaking hands with a man at a professional event or conference; she is smiling and wearing glasses, and there are many people in the background.
A woman speaking at a podium with microphones, surrounded by five other people, in a formal setting resembling a courtroom or official government chamber.
Two women standing side by side in front of a beige wall, with the Georgia state seal above them and flags of the United States and Georgia on either side.
Two women in professional attire smiling in a wood-paneled room with desks and nameplates, one standing and the other sitting.
A woman with glasses, wearing a dark blazer and a patterned blouse, speaking into a microphone at a wooden podium in a courtroom or legislative chamber.
Three people are engaged in conversation inside a wood-paneled room filled with seated attendees; one woman is wearing a pink coat and scarf, another woman is wearing a patterned blazer with glasses, and a man is seated wearing a suit and glasses.
A woman standing and speaking into a microphone in a legislative chamber filled with people, some seated and some working on laptops.

Education & Early Leadership

  • Earned a B.A. in Political Science from Rutgers University.

  • Served as President of the Douglass Black Student Congress.

  • Initiated into Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.

  • Congressional Intern for U.S. Senator Bill Bradley (New Jersey).

Legal Education & Foundation

  • Attended Georgetown University Law Center (evening program) while working full-time.

  • Courtroom Clerk, District of Columbia Superior Court (Washington, D.C.).

  • Active member, Black Law Students Association.

  • Member, Ethics Law Journal.

  • Participated in the Tenant and Landlord Legal Clinic.

  • Interned with the D.C. Public Defender’s Office.

  • Worked for the late R. Kenneth Mundy, Esq., assisting in the defense of former D.C. Mayor Marion S. Barry Jr.

  • Judicial Clerk to the Honorable Harold Cushenberry.

  • Selected for the highly competitive U.S. Department of Justice Honors Attorney Program.

Federal Legal Career

  • Served in the Legislative and Correctional Issues Branch, Washington, D.C.

  • First attorney assigned to the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Chicago, Illinois.

  • Promoted to Supervisory Attorney at USP Atlanta.

  • Senior Litigation Counsel, Atlanta Regional Office.

  • Associate Professor at Colorado Technical University (since 2005), teaching legal and criminal justice courses.

Major Case Experience & Recognition

  • Represented the Federal Bureau of Prisons during post-trial hearings of the El Rukn gang trial (largest gang trial in Chicago history).

  • Represented the agency in Georgia’s first federal death penalty case involving the murder of a correctional officer at USP Atlanta.

  • Served as a neutral with the Department of Justice.

  • Recipient of numerous honors and recognitions, including Attorney of the Year.

  • Known for balanced temperament, tenacity, creative problem-solving, and ability to bridge divergent interests.

Community Leadership & Advocacy

  • Conceived and coordinated Returning Citizen (Ex-Offender) Job Fairs at Clayton State University.

  • Partnered with the Georgia Justice Project on record expungement seminars.

  • Participated in seminars on federal sentencing guidelines, mass incarceration, and the school-to-prison pipeline.

  • Coordinated the job fair portion of Cobb Restore 360, the first Record Restriction and job fair for returning citizens in Cobb County (February 2020).

Civic & Professional Memberships

  • Member, inaugural class of Cobb 101 Citizens Academy.

  • Lifetime Member, National Association of Blacks in Criminal Justice (NABCJ).

  • Member, Mableton Improvement Coalition.

  • Member, National Association of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE).

  • Member, American Bar Association.

  • Member, National Bar Association.

  • Member, Georgia Association of Black Women Attorneys (GABWA).

  • Member, NAACP.

  • Member, SCLC.

  • Member, Austell Community Task Force.

  • HOA Board Member.

  • Cobb Democrat Post Seat Holder.

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