This month, we mourn the loss of Georgia Sales, a pioneer in the Information and Referral field whose work transformed how people access help across North America.
In 1981, InfoLine of Los Angeles, which became 211 LA, hired Georgia to oversee the organization’s resource information center, managing referral data from Los Angeles County that existed across a disparate number of sources. What began as an effort to organize information became a career-defining mission.
As the architect of the 211 Human Service Indexing System (211HSIS), Georgia created a shared language that connected countless individuals to essential services. Her dedication, intellect, and mentorship shaped our field for more than four decades.
I love helping people, mastering a skill, and then applying it. I loved working on the database, making tools, and then applying them so people can live better lives.
— Georgia Sales
A Southern California native, Georgia grew up in Sierra Madre and Santa Monica. Her father worked at the Santa Anita Race Track in Arcadia, and Pacific Ocean Park in Santa Monica, which sparked her interest in all things equestrian. Georgia’s earliest roles reflected her Southern California roots: from Disneyland’s Main Street tobacco shop, to Dodger Stadium, where she ushered alongside the late legendary sports commentator Vin Scully as he delivered his famous announcements.
Throughout the pioneer’s life, she embraced all that life had to offer. Her love for movies was evident in her vast movie collection, which she curated to include everything from dramas, BBC series, and animal-themed films, to Hallmark romances. Georgia’s appreciation for the arts also extended to folk music, especially Kate Wolf, and suspense, thriller, and science fiction books by Dean Koontz and Stephen King. Art from around the world adorned her home, many of which were collected whilst traveling with her late husband, Brad, who was a professor at a "Semester at Sea" school program that took place on a cruise ship.
With a deep interest in animal rights, Georgia regularly supported the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA). Her love of huskies in particular grew from her bond with her own beloved husky, Nicky.
Georgia Sales poses in front of her cherished physical media collection with her 2024 Lifetime Achievement Award from Inform USA.
Over 42 years with 211 LA, Georgia received numerous awards for her work, including the AIRS Distinguished Service Award in 2001 and special recognition from NASUA’s National Aging I&R Support Center during the general session at the AIRS Annual Conference in 2002. In 2024, she received Inform USA’s Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of her extraordinary impact and leadership in the field.
Georgia Sales’ legacy lives on through the many professionals throughout the Information and Referral field who apply the database standards and organization tools Georgia championed in developing. The systems she built and the mentorship she provided to many professionals continue to guide social service databases, connecting people to the resources they need.
Georgia's generosity, depth of knowledge, and careful stewardship of the 211HSIS taxonomy remain at the heart of the work of 211 LA and other organizations. In addition to authoring database standards and the 211HSIS Taxonomy, Georgia leaves behind a 200-page Taxonomy Maintenance manual. Fondly referred to as "The Book of Georgia" by Nichole Bonilla, 211 LA Database Curator and Taxonomy Editor, this impeccably detailed document will ensure that Georgia Sales’ influence will continue to shape the professionals who carry her work forward.
Rest in peace, Georgia. Your work and your spirit endure.
