Nancy Coggins Seymour
Director
Nancy Coggins Seymour earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Georgia in Political Science in 1975. Mrs. Seymour retired in 2024 where she had been employed with her local hospital, Elbert Memorial Hospital in Elberton, Georgia for over 25 years where she had served as Chief Development Officer and Executive Director of the Elbert Memorial Hospital Foundation and Auxiliary Liaison. She also served as Director of Marketing and Public Relations and Patient Advocate for twenty-two years. She has spent over 25 years in the family businesses, primarily granite (quarrying, monumental, and building) and real estate, and served as President of Coggins Industries, Inc.
Mrs. Seymour has a breadth of experience in government at the state and national levels. She served as field staff for the Jimmy Carter Presidential Campaign in 1976 and worked in the Georgia Office for the Carter-Mondale Inaugural Committee. She received a Presidential Appointment as staff assistant, Department of Interior, and later served as staff assistant for U. S. Senator Herman E. Talmadge, followed by White House Advance Person for First Lady Rosalynn Carter.
Mrs. Seymour has been most active in her local community. She is a member and past President of the Elberton Rotary Club, and former Assistant Governor of Region 7. She served as Chair of the Elbert County Chamber of Commerce (1995-1996) and former President of the Elberton Civic League. Ms. Seymour is a graduate of Leadership Georgia (1981), Leadership Elberton, and the Georgia Academy for Economic Development. She served as a volunteer during the 1996 Olympic Games in Athens, Georgia. In addition, she served as coordinator of the very first Elbert County Mentor Program and as secretary of the Elberton Sister City Committee. She has served as Senior Warden and now Treasurer at St. Alban’s Episcopal Church in Elberton, Georgia, and attends St. Richard’s of Chichester Episcopal Church in Brunswick, GA when she is on Jekyll Island.
Ms. Seymour was married to Joel Seymour for over 21 years until his untimely death, and together they had three sons and a daughter, five grandchildren, and one great-granddaughter.
She and Joel had made their second home at The Cottages at Jekyll Island and visit Jekyll as often as they can. A Jekyll sunrise with a cup of coffee and a morning walk on the beach is a memory not to be forgotten. She enjoys counting the turtle nests on the beach, seeing a turtle lay her eggs and two months later watching them hatch! Of course, nothing beats seeing a “turtle boil” one early morning with the Sea Turtle Dawn Patrol!
In June 2024, Ms. Nancy Seymour and her family dedicated a bench and plaque near the Georgia Sea Turtle Center. The bench, which Ms. Seymour had purchased in 2023 prior to Joel’s passing, bears the inscription:
Sit a while, enjoy, and share the beauty of Jekyll Island.
A gift from Nancy and Joel Seymour, 2023.
Conserve. Preserve. Educate.
Ms. Nancy Seymour’s greatest joy is “giving back to her community,” and she has certainly done that on Jekyll Island. Her dedication is evident through numerous projects focused on conservation, environmental stewardship, and historical preservation. She has contributed to the planting of wildflowers along the causeway, supported restoration efforts at the Chichota Mansion Ruins, and helped install a bioswale along Beachview Drive. Drawing on her love for wildlife, Nancy helped enhance the habitats at Captain Wylly Pond and continues to be a strong supporter of the Georgia Sea Turtle Center. These efforts reflect her deep love for the island and her commitment to preserving its natural and cultural beauty for future generations.
