Governor Perdue Announces Executive Appointments

ATLANTA - Governor Sonny Perdue announced today the following appointments to The Georgia Driver's Education Commission. It was created by Senate Bill 226. The commission may recommend to the Governor and the General Assembly changes in state programs, statutes, policies, budgets and standards relating to the provision of driver education and training.  The Georgia Drivers Education Commission consists of eight members:

• One appointed by the State Board of Education;
• One appointed by the Governor's Office of Highway Safety
• Two appointed by the Department of Driver Services
• Four members of the commission shall be appointed by the Governor - two public driver education providers and two private driver education providers

Georgia Driver's Education Commission

Trace Lee Overton, 43, Newnan , GA , Public Provider Member - Overton is a driver's education instructor at East Coweta High School where he also serves as a teacher, head track coach and quarterbacks coach.  Previously, he taught at Newnan High School where he coached football and track and served as the head of the physical education department.  He is a member of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Committee and a member of the Georgia High School Association.  Overton earned his bachelor's degree in physical education, heath and driver's education from the University of Tennessee at Martin.  He has one child.

James Bryce Robinson, 31, Hamilton , GA , Public Provider Member - Robinson is a driver's education instructor at Harris County High School where he also serves as the defensive coordinator for the football team and head wrestling coach.  He is a member of the Harris County Board of Education and previously served on the Thomaston-Upson Board of Education for seven years.  He is a member of the Georgia Athletic Coaches Association and the Professional Association of Georgia Educators.  Robinson earned a bachelor's degree in education from Valdosta State University and a master's degree in education from Columbus State University . 

Beth G. Bridges, 57, Douglas , GA , Private Provider Member - Bridges has owned and operated Douglas Area Driver Improvement Services since 1992 where she incorporates the National Safety Council curriculum and Prime for Life in the Risk Reduction Program.  Previously, she worked as a drug and alcohol prevention educator for the Coffee County School System.  She is the secretary/treasurer for GARDE, the membership advocacy group for defensive driving educators, and a member of the Douglas-Coffee County Chamber of Commerce.  Bridges attended South Georgia College .  She has one daughter.

Charles Halfen, 50, Alpharetta , GA ,  Private Provider Member - Halfen has been with UPS for 27 years and has held management positions in operations, human relations and safety with a primary focus on auto safety for the last 15 years.  He is a board member of the Network of Employees for Traffic Safety (NETS), the only organization dedicated exclusively to traffic safety in the workplace.  UPS worked with NETS to create a Novice Driver Kit to provide parents with a training guide for their teens. UPS has developed its own comprehensive defensive driving course and has partnered with the Governor's Office of Highway Safety to address local driving issues. Halfen attended the University of Texas at Arlington .  He and his wife, Amanda, have one child.