MEET JAHA
Jaha's personal mission statement is to "Love God and Love People. For Real". This guiding principle shapes his priorities and drives him as a small business owner, community servant, and employer. State Senate District 35 includes parts of Fulton and Cobb counties. It is unique to Jaha because it is where he grew up, raised his family, and built his small business dental practice!
Jaha and his family moved to Atlanta in 1990. His dynamic educators and peers at West Manor Elementary, Southwest Middle and Benjamin E. Mays High School shaped his life. Eventually launching him to Howard University where Dr. Howard earned both his B.S. in Chemistry and Doctorate of Dental Surgery with high honors at Howard University. He later earned his specialty certificate in Pediatric Dentistry and Master’s in Oral Sciences at the University of Illinois at Chicago in 2009.
Jaha married the love of his life, Vanessa and they eagerly moved back to Georgia where he has worked collaboratively with solution-oriented parents, educators, and policy makers to help address some of his community’s biggest challenges. Dr. Howard served 4 years as an elected member on the Board of Education for Cobb County Schools, the second largest school district in Georgia. His passionate response to his policy work was fueled by meaning input from the relationships with everyday people. Afterwards, Jaha was appointed to Cobb's Transit Advisory Board. In 2024, Jaha was the Democratic Nominee in the election for Cobb's Commission District 2.
As a Board Certified Pediatric Dentist and owner of A+ Pediatric Dentistry of Atlanta, he and his exceptional team have worked for over 14 years to improve the oral health and overall quality of life of children. Over those years, the practice has served over 10,000 patients from a variety of family backgrounds and has created jobs in the community.
In 2013, Dr. Howard co-founded the Wave of Excellence group. Wave of Excellence works to connect families in a local community, encouraging them to play an active role in their neighborhood schools. As a response to the murder of Ahmaud Arbery in the spring of 2020, he co-founded Families Against Racism, a non-profit organization that creates space for families to learn and work against systemic racism.
He now lives in Smyrna with his wife of over 17 years and their three children. They worship at Renaissance Church of Christ in South Fulton where Dr. Howard serves as a church deacon and teacher for young adults. He is currently a member of several professional organizations and currently serves on the Howard University College of Dentistry Board of Visitors.
