Governor Perdue Announces Executive Appointments

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

Council on Aging

Patricia “Patti” C. Lyons, 51, Savannah – Lyons is the president and chief executive officer of Senior Citizens, Inc. She is a member of the Rotary Club of Downtown Savannah and the Junior League of Savannah, of which she is past president. She is a graduate of Leadership Georgia and of Leadership Savannah, and she is active with the Georgia Gerontology Society and the Girl Scouts of Savannah. She is the chair of the board of St. Mary’s Home for Children, serves on the board of governors of the First City Club, and is also on the board of directors of BB&T Bank. She is involved with the United Way Executive Director Association. She also serves on the Chatham Area Transit Accessible Transportation Task Force and the Georgia Legal Elder Abuse Advisory Council. Lyons earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Tennessee. She is married to Patrick Lyons.

Criminal Justice Coordinating Council

Larry D. Waller, 64, Barnesville, Sheriff Representative – Waller is the Sheriff of Lamar County. He is a Certified Peace Officer and the regional vice president of the Georgia Sheriff’s Association. He is a member of the National Sheriff’s Association, past president of the Georgia Sheriff’s Youth Homes, and a member of the Peace Officers Association of Georgia. He is also a registered Domestic and General Mediator, active with the Pinta Lodge #88 Free and Accepted Masons, and past president of the Barnesville Rotary Club. Waller earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Georgia, a master’s degree from Georgia College and State University, and is currently pursuing a doctor of ministry degree from Covington Theological Seminary. He and his wife, Glenna, have two children and seven grandchildren.

GeorgiaEnvironmental Facilities Authority

G. Scott “Scotty” McCoy, 67, Sandersville – McCoy is a grain merchandising specialist with White Commercial Corporation. He is past president of McCoy Grain Exchange. McCoy earned a bachelor’s degree from the Georgia Institute of Technology. He and his wife, Pendery, have two children and four grandchildren.

E. Gary McCullough, 67, Dahlonega, Municipal Representative – McCullough is the Mayor of Dahlonega. He retired from Georgia Power after a 42 year career, and he served fourteen years on the Dahlonega City Council prior to his election as mayor. He is involved with the Georgia Municipal Association and served as vice president of GMA’s District 2 as well as serving on the board of directors and the legislative policy council of GMA. He is a representative for the National League of Cities’ Small Cities Council and is also a member of the Lumpkin County Water and Sewer Authority, the Lumpkin County Board of Health, and the Dahlonega-Lumpkin County Chamber of Commerce. McCullough is a member of the North Georgia College and State University Saints Club. He and his wife, Charlotte, have three children and eight grandchildren.

Capitol Arts Standards Commission

Gloria Ragland, 74, Perry – Ragland is a watercolor artist, and her paintings have been exhibited with the Southern Watercolor Society in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, The Missouri National Show in Fulton, Missouri, The Georgia Watercolor Members Show and the Coastal National Juried Exhibition in St. Simons Island, Georgia. She has been featured in American Artist Magazine, The Macon Telegraph, and The Houston Magazine. She has also served for 9 years as a board member of the Georgia Council for the Arts and also served as chairman of the Fine Arts Division for the Georgia National Fair in Perry for 18 years.  Ragland studied watercolor at Macon State College. She and her husband, Jack, have one child and two grandchildren.

GeorgiaMedical CenterAuthority

Annie Hunt Burriss, 56, Augusta – Burriss is special assistant to the President of the Medical College of Georgia. She advises the president on mission-centered and market-smart initiatives, optimizing collaborations with strategic partners in academia, business and government. Before joining MCG, she served as the executive director of Governor Perdue’s Commission for a New Georgia, the governor’s deputy chief of staff, and the University System of Georgia’s associate vice chancellor for economic development. She is a past president of the Georgia Economic Developers Association and has been named five times among Georgia Trend Magazine’s 100 most influential Georgians. She earned an associate’s degree from Sullins College, a bachelor’s degree from Stephens College, a master’s degree from the Georgia Institute of Technology and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania. She and her husband, Wood, have two children.

GeorgiaPublic Service Commission Advisory Committee

Timothy “Tim” R. Brown, 44, Fayetteville – Brown is the director of system integrity for AGL Resources with responsibility for operations in Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, Virginia, New Jersey and Maryland. He is a former distribution and design engineer and a former manager of engineering design for Atlanta Gas Light Company. Brown earned a bachelor’s degree from Southern Polytechnic State University and is a registered Professional Engineer. He is married to Mitzi Brown.

Governor’s Office for Children and Families Advisory Board

Susan M. Allison, 43, Atlanta – Allison is principal of The Development Team, a consulting firm designed to provide fundraising and development assistance to non-profit organizatios. She is co-chair of the Junior League of Atlanta’s commercial sexual exploitation of children league initiative committee, a Governor’s Office for Children and Families CSEC Task Force member, and a CSEC Coalition member. She also serves on the board of directors of A Brilliant Life Foundation. She is past vice president of community outreach for the Junior League of Atlanta and previously worked as the director of project transition at Catalyst for CARE. Allison earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of North Carolina. She and her husband, Richard, have two children.

Rachel M. Ewald, 57, Roswell – Ewald is the founder and executive director of Foster Care Support Foundation. She served on the advisory board for one of First Lady Mary Perdue’s Embrace Committees and created the event Prom-A-Palooza as well as the North Georgia Coalition for foster care support. She and her husband, Mark, have four children and six grandchildren and have taken in and cared for over 50 foster children in the last 20 years.

J. Eugene “Gene” Pope, 61, Flovilla – Pope is the Sheriff of Butts County. He is a member of the Georgia Sheriffs’ Association, the National Sheriffs’ Association, and the American Polygraph Association. He is also active with the Butts County Rotary Club and the Jackson High School Booster Club. Pope earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Georgia. He and his wife, Patricia, have three children and two grandchildren.

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