Governor Perdue Announces Executive Appointments

Thursday, October 1, 2009

Contact: Office of Communications 404-651-7774

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

 

Advisory Council for Public Health

Thomas H. Callaway, M.D., 49, Atlanta – Callaway is a founding partner of Georgia Venture Partners, chief executive officer of AerovectRx, and founder and president of executive search firm, Life Science Partner.  He serves as vice chairman of GeorgiaBIO and serves on the boards of Atlanta Venture Forum, Southeast BIO, and the BIO 2009 Executive Committee.  In addition, he serves on the company boards of Aruna Biomedical, Arterain, AerovectRX, and Neurop.  Callaway earned a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree from Duke University and a medical degree from Vanderbilt University School of Medicine.  He and his wife, Susan, have two children.

 

Behavioral Health Coordinating Council

Stanley S. Jones, Jr., 60, Atlanta – Jones is a partner of Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough, LLP. He serves on the Executive Committee of the Dean’s Council for the Emory University School of Public Health, as a member of the board of directors and executive committee of Georgia Health Decisions and as chairman of the board of Visiting Nurse Health Systems, Inc. He is a founding member of the Atlanta Community Court Foundation and served as founding president of Project Interconnections. He previously served as chairman of the Georgia Commission on Mental Health, Mental Retardation and Substance Abuse Service Delivery, and as vice president for Public Policy of the National Mental Health Association.  Jones earned a bachelor’s degree from Harvard College, a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree from Oxford University, and a law degree from the University of Georgia School of Law. He and his wife, Barbara, have three children.

 

Board of Commissioners of the Superior Court Clerks’ Retirement Fund of Georgia

Pamela L. Pharris, Smyrna, Governor’s Designee – Pharris is the executive director of the Employees’ Retirement System of Georgia. In addition, she serves as the State’s Social Security Administrator.  She was appointed to this position after a 20 year career in the private industry. Prior to her appointment, she was a Benefits Plan Consultant with Hewitt, a global HR consulting firm.  She is a member of the National Association of State Retirement Administrators, the National Association of Governmental Defined Contribution Administrators, and serves on the Georgia Leadership Advisory Council. Pharris earned a bachelor’s degree from Clayton State College and University. 

 

Board of Early Care and Learning

Philip D. Davis, 58, Stone Mountain, Seventh Congressional District Representative – Davis is the senior manager of Demand Response Solutions for Schneider Electric.  Most recently he served as senior vice president, chief operating officer, and board secretary of Allied Utility Network and Subsidiaries.  He is board treasurer of Dream House for Medically Fragile Children and the chairman emeritus of the finance committee for Mountain Park United Methodist Church. Davis earned two bachelor’s degrees from Macalester College.  He and his wife, Anresa, have two children. 

 

Board of Human Services

Jack F. Williams, 48, Atlanta – Williams is a professor at Georgia State University College of Law/Middle East Institute and national director of special situations for BDO Consulting.  He is a member of the American Institute of Archaeology, the Native American Bar Association, and the Coast Guard Auxiliary.  Williams previously served as a member of the Children and Youth Coordinating Council.  He earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Oklahoma and a law degree from George Washington University School of Law.  He and his wife, Pamela, have four children. 

 

Board of Natural Resources

Dwight J. Davis, 56, Atlanta, Fourth Congressional District Representative – Davis is a senior partner in the Litigation Practice Group at King & Spalding. He is a Fellow in the American College of Trial Lawyers and is listed in The Best Lawyers in America, Georgia Super Lawyers and Georgia’s Legal Elite.  He serves on the board of trustees of Mercer University as well as the board of legal advisors to the Southeastern Legal Foundation and works with the American Diabetes Association.  Davis earned a bachelor’s degree from The Citadel and a law degree from Mercer University School of Law.  He and his wife, Brenda, have two children.

 

GeorgiaHigher Education Facilities Authority

Kevin O. Clark, 55, Braselton – Clark serves as the deputy chief operating officer and the deputy executive counsel to Governor Perdue.  Clark began his career as a superintendent for a major local developer in Gwinnett County. He has risen through the ranks of the local construction industry and state government as an estimator, project manager, administrator and senior level manager contributing to a diverse portfolio of successful projects including the Georgia Dome, Centennial Olympic Park, the Georgia World Congress Center Expansions, and Phillips Arena.  Clark earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of North Carolina at Asheville and a law degree from John Marshall Law School.  He and his wife, Cheryl, have one child.

 

GeorgiaSuperior Court Clerks Cooperative Authority

Connie H. Cheatham, 61, Thomson, Superior Court Clerk Representative – Cheatham is the superior court clerk of McDuffie County.  She is co-chair of the conference committee for the Superior Court Clerks’ Association of Georgia and co-chair of the reference manual committee and past president of the Council of Superior Court Clerks. She serves as president of the Kiwanis Club of Thomson and received the Stetson F. Bennett Clerk of the Year Award in 2003.  Cheatham earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Georgia.  She and her husband, Jackson, have two children.

 

State Board of Nursing Home Administrators

Pamela C. Griffin, 60, Hawkinsville, Public Member – Griffin is a part-time speech pathologist with the Dodge County Board of Education. She is a member of the Georgia Council of Administrators of Special Education (G-CASE), and the G-CASE Speech-Language Task Force. Griffin is also a SACS Peer Review Team Member and School Chair. Griffin earned a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree from the University of Georgia, and a master’s degree from Valdosta State University. She and her husband, Ben, have two children and one grandchild.

 

State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors

Lanny S. Thomas, 57, Rome, Electrical Engineer Representative – Thomas is president of Allison-Smith Company LLC. He is a registered engineer in Georgia and Florida, and holds professional contracting licenses in Georgia, Florida, and North Carolina. Thomas is a member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers, a Trustee for the IBEW Local 613 Health and Welfare Fund and Pension Fund, and vice president, District 3 of the National Electrical Contractors Association. Thomas earned a bachelor’s degree from the Georgia Institute of Technology.  He and his wife, Susan, have two children.

 

State Ethics Commission

Kent B. Alexander, 50, Atlanta – Alexander serves as senior vice president and general counsel of Emory University.  Prior to Emory, he was a partner with King & Spalding and served three years as United States Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia.  He serves on numerous boards and councils including the Georgia Building Authority, the State Properties Commission, the Corporate Counsel Section of the State Bar of Georgia Executive Committee, and the American Jewish Committee - Atlanta Chapter.  Alexander also serves on the advisory board and is a co-founder of Hands On Atlanta, Inc. and participates on various Emory boards and councils.  Alexander earned a bachelor’s degree from Tufts University and a law degree from the University of Virginia School of Law.  He and his wife, Diane, have two children.

 

State Licensing Board for Residential and General Contractors

T. Andrew “Andy” Cooper, 51, Albany, Residential Contractor Representative – Cooper is the president and owner of Gary Cooper & Sons, Inc. He is a member and past president of the Home Builders Association of Albany and Southwest Georgia, and is a member of the Albany Rotary Club. Cooper earned a bachelor’s degree from the Georgia Institute of Technology. He has three children.

 

State Properties Commission

Michael J. Mandl, 46, Atlanta – Mandl is the executive vice president for finance and administration at Emory University.  He serves on several University committees, including the President’s Cabinet, President’s Administrative Council, University Ways and Means Committee, Strategic Planning Steering Committee, and the Sustainability Committee. He also serves on the boards of the Metro Atlanta YMCA, The Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce Transportation Committee and Executive Committee of the Midtown Alliance Board of Directors, chairs the EmTech Incubator board and serves on the Emory Healthcare and Clifton Casualty Insurance Company boards.  Mandl earned a bachelor’s degree from George Washington University and a master’s degree from Duke University.  He and his wife, Nancy, have two children. 

 

 

 

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