Before Jimmy Carter became President, he was a leader in his home State of Georgia. He served two terms in the Georgia Legislature as a State Senator from 1963 to 1967. He was later elected Governor of the State of Georgia and served in that capacity from 1971-1975. Jimmy Carter focused on education and diversity during his terms. He had always had an interest in education. He had been on the Sumpter County School Board when he lived in Plains and was later the Chair of the Georgia Senate Education Committee during his time in the State Legislature. He called for merging and reorganizing Georgia schools to discourage segregation and declared that "the time for racial discrimination is over" during his inaugural address as Governor. According to the New Georgia Encyclopedia, as Governor, Jimmy Carter "appointed more women and minorities to his own staff, to major state policy boards and agencies, and to the judiciary, than all of his predecessors combined."
Jimmy Carter was a pioneer for Georgia in other ways too. He established the Georgia Film Office in 1973 to encourage the making of films in Georgia to bring revenue to the State. His vision was to create The Hollywood of the South.
Jimmy Carter Article from New Georgia Encyclopedia
Jimmy Carter National Governor's Association Profile
Jimmy Carter Governor's Inauguration