McCleskey to Serve as Chief Operating Officer for Teachers Retirement System of Georgia

Ezell Reappointed Executive Director, Boyers to Serve as Chief Financial Officer

ATLANTA – Governor Sonny Perdue announced today that David McCleskey will serve as the chief operating officer for the Teachers Retirement System of Georgia (TRS). McCleskey has been on loan from Gwinnett County Public Schools since November 2004 as the staff coordinator for the Governor’s Education Finance Task Force.

“David’s career speaks volumes about his love for education and his desire to improve the lives of young people in Georgia,” said Governor Sonny Perdue. “I deeply appreciate his passion for education, and I look forward to his success as the chief operating officer for the Teachers Retirement System.”

Governor Perdue also announced the reappointment of Jeff Ezell as executive director of TRS and the appointment of Steve Boyers as chief financial officer.

“Jeff Ezell’s leadership of the Teachers Retirement System, and Steve Boyers’ sound financial insight, are critical to the program’s continued success,” said Governor Perdue.

TRS serves as the pension fund for more than 330,000 current and retired Georgia educators. TRS retiree payroll is in excess of 1.8 billion dollars per year. For more information, please visit www.trsga.com.

Brief biographies are provided below:

Roy David McCleskey, 57, Lawrenceville, Georgia – McCleskey has served as the staff coordinator for the Governor’s Education Finance Task Force since November 2004. He has almost 30 years of service to education, having worked with the Gwinnett County School System for all but two years while he served as executive director of the State Board of Education. In Gwinnett County, McCleskey began in 1976 as a classroom teacher instructing students in social studies, language arts and business education. He later joined the Gwinnett County Superintendent’s Office where he primarily served as the coordinator of governmental relations, grants and business programs from 1991 to 2004. McCleskey earned a bachelor’s degree in English from Mercer University and master’s degree in education from Clark Atlanta University. He and his wife Peggy have one daughter, Rebecca, who attends Georgia Perimeter College.

Jeffrey (Jeff) L. Ezell, 49, Acworth, Georgia – Ezell has served as the executive director of the Teachers Retirement System of Georgia (TRS) since January 2000. Prior to becoming executive director, he served as deputy executive director from 1994 to 2000 and as controller from 1986 to 1994. Ezell serves on the executive committee of the National Council on Teacher Retirement, an organization dedicated to safeguarding the integrity of public retirement systems for educators. He earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting and a master’s degree in business from the University of West Florida in Pensacola, Florida. Ezell and his wife Kristi have two daughters who attend Cobb County Public Schools.

Stephen (Steve) J. Boyers, 52, Roswell, Georgia – Boyers was named chief financial officer effective November 1, 2005. Prior to becoming CFO, he served as the TRS controller from 1994 to November 1, 2005. Boyers is a Certified Public Accountant and is a member of the American Society of CPA’s, Government Finance Officers Association and the Georgia Fiscal Management Council. He and his wife Martha have two children, a son who attends Georgia Tech and a daughter who is a senior at Roswell High School.