Steven Sainz, 28
CEO, State Representative
Business/Employer: Camden Connection, Georgia General Assembly
Lives in: Kingsland
Professional responsibilities:
State Legislature: Represent all of Camden County and south Glynn County in the Georgia House of Representatives, serving more than 60,000 constituents. Appointed chairman of the Special Rules standing committee and serve on committee leadership for the House Committee on Economic Development and Tourism. Appointed the chairman of the 2nd Amendment Public Safety Subcommittee and Vice-Chairman - General Government Subcommittee. Serve as a member on the following committees: Chairman - 2A Public Safety Subcommittee, vice chairman - General Government Subcommittee.
Camden Connection: Oversee a community development firm comprising three project managers and two support staff. Lead our local government consultation division to increase out-of-area funding for special projects dealing with health and human services. Oversee compliance of all contracts and responsible for achieving the annual performance and revenue targets set by a seven-member Board of Directors.
Accomplishments/Honors:
• Authored HB 188 "Mariams Law" in the 2023 legislative session that was signed into law. It increased penalties and sentencing for Dangerous Sexual Predators, the most high-risk sex offenders as classified by the state of Georgia's Risk and Review board.
• Lead in securing over $18 million in special project funds for youth development and human service projects in the coastal Georgia region.
• Lead in developing a Camden COVID-19 Human Services Steering committee, which raised over $90,000 in funds that were then given to direct service non-profits to aid in pandemic relief activity.
• 2015 Georgia Center for Non-Profits 30 Under 30 Leaders
Community Involvement:
St. Marys Salvation Army – Community Advisory Board; Woodbine Lions Club – member; Camden County Chamber of Commerce – member;
GA Prevention Professionals Creditionaling Board – board member;
OLSS Catholic Church – member.
Why did you go into your particular field? We are all called to love our neighbors as we are loved by Christ. I think this can look different for each of us, but I interpret it as finding a way to serve my neighbors. I try to measure each opportunity on whether or not it presents a unique opportunity for me to serve and better the lives of those around me.
As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up? Law enforcement. As a kid, I would help my dad put his police duty belt on early in the morning. It was my first example of what a public servant looked like.
What was your first job? At 15, a summer laborer with the U.S. Park Services on Cumberland Island. We spend most of the summer cutting palmetto branches off the sides of the main trail from Sea Camp to Dungeness.
What is the best advice you've ever received? Professionally there's a quote that has stuck with me; it's translated from Spanish by my grandfather on my mother's side, Carlos Quiros. Business is a contact sport, so you better make sure to make meaningful contacts.
What's your favorite thing about your job? Getting to work on projects that will have a meaningful impact on people's lives decades down the road.
What do you know now that you wish you had known when you first started your career? Spend time growing a team around you, not just on the task at hand.
Who do you consider to be your greatest mentor and why? Rachel Baldwin, Ed.S; a retired high school educator that took the time to sit with me and give me about every background story she had involving Camden County when I was just starting out in the workforce. She is passionate about bettering our community because she loves it through the people she has taught and worked with.
When you're not at work, what do you do to relax? Nothing is better than a slow drive with the windows down.
What is something about you that most people don't know? My first language was Spanish. My family moved back to the U.S. when I was a small kid from Costa Rica.
How do you hope to grow in your career? I don’t think growth comes from bigger titles, it comes from new opportunities to serve others. I’m open to whatever that looks like.
If you couldn't do what you're doing now, what would you be doing? A high school civics teacher.