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Commissioner Nancy A. Boxill

August 2006

Nancy A. Boxill is the Fulton County Commissioner representing District 6, which consists of portions of the central and eastern sections of the city of Atlanta.

Commissioner Boxill is the first woman to serve on the seven-member Fulton County Board of Commissioners. In 1987, she was appointed interim commissioner for District 6 by then-Governor Joe Frank Harris. Commissioner Boxill won an election in June 1988 for the remaining two years of that unexpired term, and was re-elected by constituents in November 1990, 1994, 1998 and 2002. Commissioner Boxill ran unopposed for her 5th full term in 2006.

Commissioner Boxill is also the first woman to serve as chair and vice-chair. In 1993, she was selected by her Commission colleagues to serve as chair when the designated chair resigned. She served in that capacity from October through November. In January 1997, Commissioner Boxill’s colleagues then voted her to a full two-year term as vice-chair.

Commissioner Boxill’s major interests parallel her professional endeavors as a psychologist, focusing on issues that affect women, children and the homeless population. She has been a tireless champion for the arts, serving on boards of arts organizations starting with the Carl Ratcliff Dance Theatre. She has served as a member of the National Black Arts Festival Board of Directors since its inception. Commissioner Boxill played a lead role in the creation of the West End Performing Arts Center, which is located in the space formerly occupied by the West End Library. Commissioner Boxill currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Atlanta Opera and the Herndon Foundation Board of Trustees.

Born in New York City, Commissioner Boxill has lived in Atlanta since 1971. She graduated from the High School of Performing Arts in New York City, and earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh. Dr. Boxill earned a master’s degree from the New School for Social Research in New York City and a doctorate from Union Graduate School in Cincinnati. She completed post-graduate study at the Merrill-Palmer Institute in Detroit.

Commissioner Boxill is a part-time faculty member of The Union Institute and University in Cincinnati. She is a consultant for psychological services, program design and assessment to groups and individuals. She has written extensively about social issues.

Commissioner Boxill is married to Mr. Dennis W. Thompson.

Work proudest of:

• Support for small arts organizations and individual artists provided by the Board of Commissioners via the Fulton County Arts Council
• National Black Arts Festival Educational Program
• Atlanta Opera Education Outreach Program
• National Black Arts Festival Audience Diversification Plan
• Establishment of the West End Performing Arts Center.