A Gwinnett County Public Schools parent mentor who is also a long-time advocate for people with special needs has received statewide recognition for her work.

The Georgia Parent Mentor Partnership picked Jackie McNair as the recipient of the 2017 Phil Pickens Award for her work with the school district, as well as at the regional and state levels in education. The award recognizes a parent mentor in Georgia for their work to help students with disabilities succeed in school by working with parents and special education school staff.