State Senators

  • Georgia State Sen. Elena Parent (D-Downtown)

    State Senator Elena Parent w as elected to the State Senate in 2014. She represents District 42, which includes portions of central and north DeKalb County. Sen. Parent is the Vice Chair of the Special Judiciary Committee and a member of the Education and Youth, Judiciary and Rules Committees. She has also been appointed to serve on the Georgia Code Revision Commission, the Georgia Public Defender Standards Council, and the Public Defender Council Legislative Oversight Committee. Sen. Parent formerly served as the Vice Chair of Campaigns and Fundraising for the Senate Democratic Caucus and currently serves as Chairwoman for the Senate Democratic Caucus, as well as a member of the Senate DeKalb Delegation and of the Working Families Legislative Caucus. Senator Parent previously served as the State Representative for District 81 in DeKalb County in 2011 and 2012. Senator Parent then continued her public service as the Executive Director of Georgia Watch, the state’s leading consumer rights non-profit. Senator Parent began her career as a litigation attorney at Eversheds Sutherland LLP and she is active in her community. Currently, she serves on the Advisory Board for Olmsted Linear Park Association and was appointed in 2020 to serve as an Emory Ambassador, having previously served on the Board of Visitors for Emory University. She is a proud graduate of the University of Virginia and the University of Virginia School of Law. Senator Parent’s awards and recognitions include: Atlanta Business Chronicle’s “Who’s Who Sustainability” feature for her leadership on energy and environmental policy issues; the Fulton County Daily Report’s “On the Rise”; the Atlanta Business Chronicle’s “40 Under 40”; ACCG’s Legislative Service Award; and the Georgia Association of Women Lawyers’ “Leading Lady”. In 2019, Senator Parent and her husband were recipients of the Clarence Seeliger Champions for Change Award from the Women’s Resource Center to End Domestic Violence. Senator Parent traces her core beliefs – the importance of family and making the community a better place for all – to her upbringing in the shadow of the U.S. Capitol where her parents stressed the importance of faith and public service. Senator Parent is married to Briley Brisendine and they are the proud parents of two sons: Brooks, 10, and Reid, 8. They are members of All Saints’ Episcopal Church in Atlanta.

  • Georgia State Sen. Ben Watson (R-Downtown)

    Senator Ben Watson M.D., a Republican, w as elected to the State Senate in 2014. He represents District 1 which includes portions of Chatham and Liberty Counties and all of Bryan County. Sen. Watson is chairman of the Senate Health and Human Services Committee. He also serves as a member of the Appropriations, Public Safety and Transportation Committees, as well as an ex officio on the Insurance and Labor Committee, and the Veterans, Military and Homeland Security Committee. In 2010, Sen. Watson was elected to represent the islands district of Savannah in the Georgia House of Representatives. While in the House, he served as the Vice-Chairman of the Health and Human Services Committee, Secretary of the Science and Technology Committee and a member of the Higher Education Committee. In his last two years as a Representative, he served on the Appropriations Committee and Health Subcommittee. During his four years in the House, Sen. Watson was proud to be the only medical doctor to serve in the Georgia House of Representatives. Sen. Watson has served as a primary care physician in Savannah since 1988. He practices internal medicine with a specialty in geriatrics. He is a native of Twin City, Georgia and is a graduate of Emanuel County Institute and the University of Georgia. He earned his medical degree from the Medical College of Georgia. Sen. Watson and his wife, Bernice, a Savannah-Chatham Public School teacher, live on Isle of Hope. They have three sons.

  • Georgia State Sen. Jason Anavitarte (R-Downtown)

    Senator Jason Anavitarte w as elected to the Georgia State Senate to serve Senate District 31 in November of 2020. A Republican from Dallas, Georgia, Senator Anavitarte’s District covers Haralson and Polk counties, as well as portions of Paulding County. His Republican colleagues elected him to serve as Caucus Chairman for the Senate Majority for the 2022-2023 Legislative Session. Before starting an extensive career in public service and community development, Senator Anavitarte received his undergraduate degree from Georgia State University. He then went onto receive his M.S. in Public Policy from the Georgia Institute of Technology. In 2003, Senator Anavitarte became the youngest Hispanic elected in Georgia through his election to the Doraville City Council. During his time serving on the City Council, Senator Anavitarte also became the youngest to serve as Mayor Pro-Tempore in metro Atlanta. Senator Anavitarte served as a key player in the establishment of the City of Dunwoody, and continued his involvement with the city through spearheading economic development initiatives and leading support efforts for local law enforcement agencies. Currently, Senator Anavitarte serves as the Commissioner for the Commission on Equal Opportunity, a position that he was appointed to by former Governor Nathan Deal. Senator Anavitarte remains an active member of the Paulding County community through various leadership roles and civic organizations. Senator Anavitarte’s service in the community includes serving as the Vice Chairman for Chattahoochee Technical College’s Board of Trustees and as a member of the Paulding County Drug Court’s Executive Committee. Additionally, Senator Anavitarte serves on the boards of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce, Cobb County Chamber of Commerce, Fellowship of Christian Athletes and the Faith and Freedom Coalition. A resident of Dallas, Georgia, Senator Anavitarte and his wife, Jennifer have two daughters and are active members of North Metro Church.

  • Georgia State Sen. Jason Esteves (D-Atlanta)

    Senator Jason Esteves is the Georgia State Senator for Georgia’s 6th Senate District, which includes portions of Fulton and Cobb Counties. Sen. Esteves was first elected on November 8, 2022, and he serves on the following Senate Committees: Agriculture and Consumer Affairs, Children and Families, Finance, Interstate Cooperation, and State and Local Governmental Operations. Sen. Esteves currently serves as Vice President-Legal at Equifax Inc. Previously, he was a litigation associate at McKenna Long & Aldridge LLP (now Dentons US LLP). Additionally, Sen. Esteves is a former at-large representative and Board Chair of the Atlanta Public Schools Board of Education, where he became the first Latino elected to a school board in Georgia in 2013. He attended the University of Miami before attending Emory University School of Law. Sen. Esteves is involved in his community and with many non-profit organizations. He currently serves as Treasurer of the Democratic Party of Georgia as well as a board member of GALEO and the Children’s Museum of Atlanta. He is a previous member of LEAD Atlanta (2012), Leadership Georgia (2015), and Outstanding Atlanta (2020), and is in the Leadership Atlanta Class of 2022. Jason Esteves is married to Ariel, a nurse and founder of WestsideMed. They have two children, Jaeden and Zoe.