Governor Perdue Announces Executive Appointments

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

Board of Community Affairs

Frank Turner, Jr., 35, Covington, GA, 13th District Member—Turner is a partner at Greer, Stansfield & Turner, LLP. He was previously the in-house counsel for Hull/Storey Development, LLC. Turner is a member of the Newton County Industrial Development Authority, chairperson of the Newton County Land Trust Alliance, Inc., and president of the Fowler Street Redevelopment Company, Inc. He is also director and development chair of the Covington YMCA, trustee of the Newton County Historical Society, Inc., and director of Trees Covington, Inc. Turner has served as secretary-treasurer of the Newton County Bar Association, president of Covington Kiwanis Club, Inc, and chairperson of the Newton County Chamber of Commerce's Governmental Affairs Committee. He received his undergraduate degree from Washington and Lee University and a Juris Doctorate from Mercer University's Walter F. George School of Law. He is a graduate of Leadership Georgia. Turner and his wife, Loy, have two children.

Georgia Development Authority

Jeff Brown, 38, Homerville, GA, Public Member—Brown is part owner of Lutz, Brown, Peagler & Manley Insurance agency. He was previously senior vice president of Empire Banking Company. Brown is a member of the Clinch County Development Authority and the Homerville Downtown Development Authority. He serves as president of the Clinch County Chamber of Commerce and as director of the Farmers and Merchants Bank. Brown is past president of the Clinch County Lions Club and a graduate of Leadership Georgia. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Georgia and is a graduate of Kennesaw State College Community Bankers Association’s Graduate School of Banking. Brown and his wife, Susan, have two children.

State Board of Accountancy

J. Sam Johnson, 51, Clarkesville, GA, CPA Member—Johnson is president and owner of J. Sam Johnson, CPA, PC, in Toccoa. He has served as both president and vice president of the Georgia Society of CPAs, and is a two-time recipient of the Georgia Society’s distinguished member award. Johnson is also past president of the Educational Foundation of the Georgia Society of CPAs, and served four years as a member of the governing council of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. He is a member of the Toccoa Stephens County Chamber of Commerce. Johnson received his undergraduate degree from the University of Georgia in accounting.

T. Farrell Nichols, 52, Dublin, GA, CPA Member—Nichols serves as the managing partner of Nichols, Cauley & Associates, LLC, a certified public accounting firm with offices in Atlanta, Clarkesville, Dublin and Warner Robins. He is a certified public accountant, a certified financial planner, a certified professional coder, an investment advisor representative and a registered securities principal. Nichols is a member of both the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Georgia Society of Certified Public Accountants, and was the charter president of the Heart of Georgia Chapter of the Georgia Society of CPAs. He is treasurer of the Laurens County Volunteers in Medicine, and is past president of the Dublin Rotary Club and past chairman of the Dublin-Laurens County Chamber of Commerce. Nichols received his undergraduate degree from the University of Georgia. He and his wife, Alice, have three children and six grandchildren.

Carl Benton "Ben" Hill, 59, Trenton, GA, RPA Member—Hill has been a self-employed accountant since 1973. He served in the Tennessee National Guard from 1965-1971. Hill is a registered public accountant and an enrolled agent of the Internal Revenue Service. He is a member of the National Society of Accountants and has served as both director and president of the Georgia Association of Public Accountants. Hill is a member of the Dade County Industrial Development Board and the Dade County Primary Health Care Board. He is currently serving as secretary of the Dade County Lions Club. Hill received his undergraduate degree from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in business administration. He and his wife, Judy, have two children.