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Editor’s Note: This feature originally ran on February 26, 2025 in the 2025 Progress edition (Chambers County Is…). The Progress edition is a publication produced annually by the Valley Times News. If you would like to pick up a copy of the 2025 Progress edition, please visit our office at 4002 20th Ave Suite E in Valley.

Born and raised in Lanett, Deborah Gilbert is a Panther through and through. She even lives in the house her parents brought her home to when she was born. 

“We purchased the house from my parents years ago. And so I’m a lifelong resident of Lanett, and I guess that’s why I love Lanett so much,” Gilbert said. “I’ve had opportunities to move to other places. I never wanted to go anywhere else.”

Located on the eastern state line of Alabama, directly on the banks of the Chattahoochee River, the city of Lanett has had a colorful history. With a population of just over 6,000, Lanett has been home to economy-boosting mills, record-breaking athletes and recently, a brand-new municipal airport.

“It is just home. And I can say things have changed a little bit. But years ago, everybody knew everybody,” Gilbert recalled. 

The small town atmosphere that Lanett offers was something that she couldn’t compromise on. Gilbert also pointed out that the city is situated right between several bigger cities like Auburn, Opelika, LaGrange and Columbus — so its citizens don’t have to compromise on “big city” perks either. 

“But you always got home to come back to where it’s just where I feel safe,” Gilbert said. “… I feel safe and loved and anything I need, I feel like it’s right here.”

For many years now, Gilbert has served the city of Lanett, first in Accounts Payable and later as the city clerk. Hers is often the first face to welcome folks into the city hall. 

“I’m at retirement age, and I could retire, but I just love what I do. I love the people that I work with,” Gilbert said. 

She added that it’s always been important to her to make sure customers feel welcome when they step through the doors. 

“Like I tell my staff all the time, nothing feels better to me than to go into a business or restaurant or somewhere local, and just be greeted and feel welcome. And I want them to do the same [here]. I think I’ve got it out here where, when people come in, you know, they feel welcome.”

Gilbert began her career as a coupon operator at Charter Communications in 1989.

“I was the first African American to work there, and I was the youngest person in the office,” Gilbert recalled. 

When the company decided to modernize, Gilbert’s manager started asking the staff who would volunteer to learn the new software program that they would be using. But no one wanted to learn it. That is, no one except for Gilbert. 

She spent a lot of late nights away from her family learning the program so that she could teach it to the others.

“I missed a lot of stuff going on with my family, but I wanted to learn,” Gilbert remembered. “I’ve always been a person that maybe not so much now, but then I wanted to learn everything. If I saw somebody doing something, I wanted [them to] show me how to do that. I wanted to know how to do it.”

After she learned the program, her manager promoted her to office manager and that’s where she remained for the next 26 years. 

“And when I left there, I had 11 systems all over the state of Alabama and Georgia — Columbus, Carrollton — places that I was responsible for,” she said.  

After the company was bought, layoffs came and Gilbert found herself at home for the first time in decades. Of course, unable to sit still for too long, she began looking for the next chapter in her journey. 

“Losing that job ended up being a blessing here, because it’s so much better for me,” Gilbert said. 

Over the years of serving Lanett, Gilbert has been a part of many civic organizations and community groups. From Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority to Qui Vie Civic Club, she has taken on leadership roles in some of the most prominent organizations in the area. 

The Qui Vive Civic Club hosts events and fundraisers to raise money for scholarships for local students, much like the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority. Panthers with Passion, for which Gilbert serves as treasurer, supports Lanett City Schools with things like uniforms, school supplies and snacks for students. 

This year, Gilbert said, the AKA Sorority has raised more money than ever in history, which goes toward scholarships. She said her chapter just recently voted to increase the amount of scholarships they will give. 

If there’s one thing she could impress upon the younger generation, Gilbert said it would be “the importance of giving back.” 

“We don’t have to be unkind to each other, you know,” Gilbert said. “There’s enough room for everybody. There’s enough resources for everybody. If not, then we are a town that will pull it together and help get those resources.”

If she were showing a visitor around Lanett for the day, Gilbert said one of her first stop would be to the city’s new airport

“I am so proud of our airport and the involvement of some younger people,” Gilbert said. This year, a new program invites local students to visit the airport and take a ride in a real airplane. “Some of them may not ever ride in an airplane, but that’s the opportunity that’s there now,” she said.

At city hall, Gilbert said she would like to introduce newcomers to Mayor Jamie Heard, a Lanett native himself. Gilbert said she has worked under three different mayors and in that time, Heard is the first one to always have an open door policy. 

The next stop would be to visit the city’s fire department. The department has undergone some leadership changes. Before his unexpected and deeply felt passing, the city’s long-running fire chief, Johnny Allen, built a solid foundation for the department. It now runs as a well-oiled machine under the interim leadership of fire deputy Jamie Heard.

In the next five years, Gilbert said she hopes to see more expansion on Highway 29 that runs parallel to the Chattahoochee River in Lanett. A new grant in the works will help the city make improvements to homes where homeowners make less than $70,000 a year, and that’s just the beginning. 

“You know, downtown is looking good, but we can always use some new businesses,” Gilbert said. 

When asked what advice she would give to younger generations, Gilbert said, “Come back when you go away and get your degree. Come back and see what you can do for Lanett.”

She gave similar advice to her daughter who attended Auburn University. After she graduated, she came home and became the assistant principal at W.O. Lance Elementary School.

As the daughter of a Baptist preacher, her other advice is to “get grounded in a church.”