Governor Perdue Announces Executive Appointments

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

Board of Natural Resources

Warren Candler Budd, Jr., 63, Newnan, GA, Eighth Congressional District Representative -Budd is an agent for the New York Life Insurance Company . He is a  thirty-nine year  member of the Million Dollar Round Table, a Chartered Life Underwriter , and  a member of the Nautilus Grou p. He is a member of the board of Good News, a United Methodist Renewal Group . He previously served on the General Board of Global Ministries of the United Methodist  Church as well as  the United Methodist Committee on Relie f. He is a former board member  of the Heritage School, the American Brahm an  Breeders Association and the Georgia Council on Moral and Civic Concerns.  Budd also mentors a child one hour weekly as part of the Coweta County School Mentoring Program.  He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Georgia. Budd and his wife, Courtenay, survive one son and have four other children.

Jekyll Island State Park Authority

Michael D. Hodges, 51, St. Simons Island, GA,  At Large Member  -Hodges currently serves as director, president and chief executive officer of the First Bank of Brunswick. He  also serves as president  of Golden Isles Financial Holdings Inc  and senior vice president of  the  First Bank of Brunswick . He worked previously at  Georgia Federal Bank, First Federal Savings Bank, Southeast Bank N.A., First Georgia Bank and Trust Company Bank. Hodges serves as Chairman of the Brunswick-Golden Isles Chamber of Commerce and chairs the Finance Committee of the Glynn Brunswick Memorial Hospital Authority. He is the past president of the Brunswick Kiwanis Club and former director of the Boys Club of Glynn County. Hodges is a graduate of the Leadership Glynn and Leadership Georgia programs. He graduated with a bachelor's of business administration in banking and finance from the University of Georgia. Hodges and his wife, Dana, have two children.

Board of Trustees of the Georgia Firefighters Pension Fund

Allen Abe Conger,  Sr.,  60, Fitzgerald, GA,  Active Member  -Conger currently serves as president and chief operations officer  of  American Blanching Company. He has forty years of agribusiness experience, including twenty years as president and manager of Southern Roasted Nuts. Other previous employment includes Seabrook Blanching Corporation in Sylvester, Georgia, Duda & Sons in Belle Glade, Florida, and Gratz and Utter Farms in Goshen, New York. Conger is a member of the Ben Hill  County / Fitzgerald  Chamber of Commerce and volunteers with the Ben Hill Fire Department. Conger and his wife, Carolyn, have two children and  five grandchildren.

State Forestry Commission

Charles Frederick Warnell, Jr., 56, Richmond Hill, GA, Landowner Representative - Warnell currently serves as a consultant for Warn ell  Consulting. He is a registered forester in both Georgia and South Carolin a. He previously  served as forester and assistant chief  of natural resources at Fort Stewart .  Warnell is a member of the Society of American Foresters ,  the Georgia Forestry Association , and  the Forest Landowners Association . He graduated from Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College and  received a bachelor's degree from the University of Georgia. Warnell and his wife, Kay, have two children.

Board of Human Resources

Lawrence E. Cooper, MD, 63, Atlanta, GA, Fifth Congressional District Representative - Cooper serves as president and chief executive officer of Bentley Investments, Inc. He has served as president of OnCare, Inc. and as president of Medical Oncology Hematology Group, P.C. He is the president of the Medical Association of Atlanta, a member of the American Medical Association, a member of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, and a member of the Medical Association of Georgia. Cooper serves as chairman of the State of Israel Bonds, president of the American Israeli Economic Institute, and chairman of the American-Israel Chamber of Commerce Executive Committee. He graduated with a doctoral degree from Emory University School of Medicine. Cooper and his wife, Carol, have four children.

Georgia Aviation Hall of Fame Board

Elton D. "Don" Brooks, Jr., 54, Douglas, GA, Ninth Aviation District - Brooks currently serves as chairman and chief executive officer of Brooks Auto Parts, Inc. He is founder and chairman of the Board of Douglas National Bank ,  founder and president of the Liberty Foundation,  and has served as president of the Douglas/Coffee County Chamber of Commerce. Brooks is a member of the Douglas Airport Commission,  the  executive board of the Boy Scouts of America , the Industrial Authority and the Douglas City Commission. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in business administration from Northwood College. Brooks and his wife, Donnell, have one child.