Governor Perdue Announces Executive Appointments

ATLANTA, GA - Governor Sonny Perdue announced today the following executive appointments:

Board of Trustees of the Teachers Retirement System of Georgia

Paul E. DeMersseman, 50, Athens, Georgia, At Large- DeMersseman is the Senior Vice President of Peachtree Planning Corporation.  He is a member of the Athens Chamber of Commerce and the Atlanta Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors.  DeMersseman serves as a member of the Cornerstone Society, the Athens Estate Planning Network, and the University of Georgia Heritage Society.  He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Georgia.  DeMersseman and his wife, Sue, have four children.

Georgia Board of Real Estate Appraisers

D. Scott Murphy, 40, Suwanee, Georgia, Appraiser Representative- Murphy is Principal of D.S. Murphy & Associates.  He is currently participating in Estate Valuation with John Adams at Emory University and completed the John Adams Real Estate Investors Institute.  Murphy is a member of the Northeast Metro Atlanta Board of Realtors, the Appraisal Institute, the National Associates of Realtors, and the Georgia Real Estate Fraud Prevention and Awareness Coalition.  He received his undergraduate degree from the Rochester Institute of Technology in small business management.  Murphy and his wife, Glen, have two children.

State Board of Registration for Foresters

Fred W. Greer, Jr., 65, Mansfield, Georgia, At Large- Greer is the former President of the Georgia Agribusiness Council, the former Vice Chairman of the Georgia 4-H Foundation, and the former Director and Treasurer of the Georgia Forestry Association.  He was inducted in the Hall of Fame in 1997 by the Agricultural Alumni Association of the University of Georgia.  Greer was named Cattleman of the Year by the Piedmont Cattlemen's Association and Soil and Water Conservationist of the Year by the Upper Ocmulgee River District.  He received his graduate degree from the University of Georgia in agricultural economics and general economics.  Greer and his wife, Peggy, have two children.

State Board of Optometry

R. Whitman "Whit" Lord, 52, Statesboro , Georgia , Optometrist Representative (REAPPOINTMENT)- Lord is owner of Lord Eye Center based in Statesboro, Georgia.  He is a member of the American Optometric Association, the Georgia Optometric Association, and the First District Optometric Association.  He also serves on the Vision Enhancement Council and is the present Vice President of the Georgia Board of Examiners in optometry.  Lord received his undergraduate degree from the University of Georgia and his graduate degree from the Southern College of Optometry.  He and his wife, Lurue, reside in Statesboro. 

State Board of Physical Therapy

Patricia H. Willis, 50, Stone Mountain, Georgia, Physical Therapist Representative (REAPPOINTMENT)- Willis is a professional contract Physical Therapist for Caduceus Occupational Medicine.  She was previously Adjunct Professor of physical therapy at North Georgia College and University and served as Director of the physical therapy department of Douglas General Hospital.  Willis is a member of the Physical Therapy Association of Georgia, the American Physical Therapy Association, and the Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy.  She earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Physical Therapy from the Medical College of Georgia, and her Master of Science degree in Health Professions Management from Georgia State University.  Willis and her husband, James, have five children.