M E E T C R A I G

Chaplain Craig Topple is a healthcare chaplain, community leader, and longtime Athens resident.

He remains active in the Association of Professional Chaplains, the Interfaith Clergy Partnership of Greater Athens, the Presbytery of Northeast Georgia, and the Athens YMCA.

Topple holds a Master of Divinity from Columbia Theological Seminary and an Industrial Engineering degree from the Georgia Institute of Technology. He is a Board Certified Chaplain and is bilingual in English and Spanish, having lived four years in Latin America.

He lives in District 5 with his wife Trasie and their two daughters.

Se habla español.

Athens: From Temporary Stop to Permanent Home

Craig Topple and his wife, Dr. Trasie Topple, moved to Athens in 2013 with two young children so Trasie could pursue her Ph.D. in Social Work at the University of Georgia. What was meant to be a temporary stop quickly became a cherished life in a city they came to love.

"Where do I even begin with all we love about Athens?" said Topple. "When we moved here, our children were in preschool. There were so many great opportunities for us—day-to-day things like exploring greenspaces and local restaurants, the gymnastics program at Bishop Park and soccer at Holland Park for our children." He mentioned what became yearly traditions: "We'd bike downtown for festivals like AthFest and LatinxFest, and participate in service opportunities like MLK Day." For Topple, most importantly, "we've made so many great friends and launched our careers here." His wife began a private practice serving the mental health needs of infants and young children.

"Athens chose us," he said. "This is where community feels real, neighbors feel close, and opportunity feels possible."

A Foundation of Service

Topple's passion for civic service began long before Athens. Born and raised in DeKalb County, he learned the importance of serving others through scouting and church youth group. Over the years, this foundation led to work in tutoring programs, environmental cleanup projects, prison ministries, and sustained care for those experiencing homelessness.

For the past decade, Topple has worked as a healthcare chaplain, primarily serving seniors in long-term care at St. Mary's Highland Hills Village. His work has built a deep understanding of community health challenges—from navigating healthcare systems to securing social services for families in crisis and advocating for those too often unheard.

Beyond healthcare, Topple has served in pastoral roles at four area congregations and manages a family business with his father, strengthening his skills in budgeting and relationship-driven leadership. His civic impact includes serving a five-year term as an original commissioner on the Athens in Motion Commission, shaping mobility and transportation solutions for the region.

Ready to Lead District 5

"I wasn't seeking this opportunity," Topple said. "But when neighbors and community leaders began encouraging me to run, asking for someone who would listen and work collaboratively, I felt called to serve in a new way."

"District 5 deserves a commissioner who understands the challenges our families face, who has experience bringing people together to solve problems, and who will work to ensure our neighborhoods thrive."

"As a chaplain, my job is to listen to people," Topple said. "Not to fix everything immediately or have all the answers, but to understand what matters most. From my work as a chaplain, I've learned that listening—truly listening—is the first step to understanding, and understanding is the first step to real solutions. Too often in politics, people talk past each other. I've spent a decade listening to people in their most vulnerable moments. That's the approach I'll bring to the Commission—listening to our neighbors, understanding their needs, and working tirelessly to deliver results for District 5."