Governor Perdue Announces Executive Appointments

ATLANTA – Governor Sonny Perdue announced today the following executive appointments.  Brief biographies are provided below:

Board of Community Health

Sidney Kirschner, 74, Atlanta – Kirschner is the Head of School at Alfred & Adele Davis Academy. He is the former chairman and chief executive officer of Northside Hospital. Kirschner serves on the Board of Directors of Crown Crafts, Inc., Cleveland Group, Inc., GetProof, Inc., Superior Uniform Co. Inc, Zyvax Corporation, Inc; Atlanta Jewish Federation, William Breman Jewish Home, Jewish Family & Career Services and the Andrew Young School of Public Policy at Georgia State University. He is the Executive in Residence at the Michael J. Coles College of Business at Kennesaw State University. Kirschner earned a bachelor’s degree from the New Mexico School of Mines. He and his wife, Carole, have three children and five grandchildren.

GeorgiaPortsAuthority

Roy H. Fickling, 44, Macon – Fickling is the owner and president of Fickling and Company, Inc. He serves as director of Oxigene, Inc. and Piedmont Community Bank, as well as president of Riverside Ford, Inc. and Riverside Automotive, Inc. Fickling is on the Board of Directors of the Macon Economic Development Commission, Education First, and the Shield Club, and is a member of the Young Presidents Organization, and the Commission on Macon/Atlanta Rail. He is a former member of the Georgia Technology Authority and the Macon/Bibb County Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors.  Fickling earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Georgia. He and his wife, Teresa, have two children.

Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia

Frederick E. Cooper, 67, Atlanta, Fifth Congressional District Representative – Cooper is Chairman of Cooper Capital, LLC, a private investment firm, which he founded in 1998.  Prior to forming Cooper Capital, he served as Vice Chairman and President of Flowers Industries Inc., a Fortune 500 baked foods company, and as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer and the majority shareholder of CooperSmith, Inc., an Atlanta based company which produced and distributed a variety of baked foods, primarily under the trademark Sunbeam.  Cooper is a member of the Boards of Trustees of the Georgia Research Alliance, Washington and Lee University, and the University of Georgia Arch Foundation. He served as Chairman of the G8 Summit Host Committee for the G8 Summit held in 2004 in Sea Island, GA and has served on the Boards of the Georgia State Chamber of Commerce and the Metropolitan Atlanta Chamber.  Cooper earned a bachelor’s degree from Washington & Lee University and a law degree from the University of Georgia. He and his wife, Helen, have two sons and five grandchildren.

Larry R. Ellis, 63, Atlanta, At-Large Member – Ellis is chief executive officer of ESSE. He served in the United States Army for more than 35 years before retiring as a 4-Star General.  He served as Commander of the United States Army Forces Command from 2001 until 2004, following his assignment as the Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations.  Ellis was awarded the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, the Army Distinguished Service Medal, the Combat Infantryman Badge and the Bronze Star Medal. He serves as a director on the Boards of SRA International, the Armed Forces Benefit Association and the Board of Visitors for the National Defense University. Ellis earned a bachelor’s degree from Morgan State University and a master’s degree from Indiana University. He and his wife, Jean, have two daughters.

Larry Walker, 67, Perry, At-Large Member – Walker is an attorney with Walker, Hulbert, Gray & Byrd.  He served in the Georgia General Assembly for more than 30 years, where he served as Administration Floor Leader for Governor Joe Frank Harris and as Majority Leader of the Georgia House of Representatives from 1986-2002.  Walker also served as Chairman of the State Legislative Leaders Foundation for four years and was named one of “The 100 Most Powerful and Influential People in Georgia” by Georgia Trend for twelve straight years.  Most recently, he served on the Georgia Department of Transportation Board, representing the Eighth Congressional District. Walker earned a bachelor’s degree and a law degree from the University of Georgia. He and his wife, Janice, have four children and eight grandchildren.

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