Governor Perdue Swears in Military Affairs Coordinating Committee

Atlanta - Governor Sonny Perdue today swore in members of the Georgia Military Affairs Coordinating Committee. The committee is a reconstituted, statewide version of the committee that played a key role in the 1995 round of Military Base Closures and Realignments.

An additional round of base closures has been approved by the federal government for Fiscal Year 2005, and Governor Perdue wants to ensure that Georgia's military installations remain prepared. Georgia has thirteen bases that impact over half a million jobs and have an overall economic impact of about $25 billion.

"We take Base Closure and Realignment very seriously because our bases serve as cornerstones for the local economy of several Georgia cities and even entire regions of the state, but this is one case where dollars are not the bottom line," Perdue stated in his remarks. "All Georgians want to continue supporting our troops and our communities. Every person I have asked to serve on this Committee is committed to that mission and I thank them for their service."

The Committee will achieve their mission by attaining the following goals and objectives:

• Improve the mission value of the 13 military installations/bases in Georgia and the quality of life of the people who live and work there.
• Develop and execute a strategy to reduce or eliminate excess capacity found on Georgia installations/bases.
• Develop an early plan for economic redevelopment if needed.
• Retain and recruit defense industry for Georgia.

Honorary Chairmen of the Committee are Senator Sam Nunn and Senator Mack Mattingly. The Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Georgia Military Affairs Coordinating Committee is Mr. James "Micky" Blackwell, formerly Executive Vice President, Aeronautical Systems, for Lockheed Martin Corporation. The Committee is comprised of representatives from the communities adjacent to the State's military installations.

Brief biographies of committee members are provided below.

Honorary Chairmen

Sam Nunn, Atlanta, GA - Nunn is a former U.S. Senator and is a senior partner in the law firm of King & Spalding. He holds a J.D. and B.A., both from Emory University. During his term in the U.S. Senate, Nunn served as Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee and drafted the Department of Defense Reorganization Act with the late Senator Barry Goldwater.

Mack Mattingly, St. Simons, GA - Mattingly is a former U.S. Senator, where he served as Chair of the Military Construction Appropriations Subcommittee, the Legislative Branch Subcommittee, and the Congressional Operations and Oversight Committee. Mattingly holds a B.S. in Marketing from the University of Indiana. He served four years in the United States Air Force during the Korean War and was stationed at Hunter Air Field in Savannah.

Board of Directors

James R. Balkcom, Jr., Atlanta, GA - Balkcom has served as the Civilian Aide to the Secretary of the Army for Georgia since 2002. He holds an MBA from Harvard Business School, majored in Engineering at the U.S. Military Academy and graduated from West Point as a Cadet Captain. Balkcom has received medals for his service in Germany and Vietnam.

Judge Griffin B. Bell, Atlanta, GA - Judge Bell is a senior partner in the law firm of King & Spalding. He attended Georgia Southwestern College and served in the U.S. Army from 1941 to 1946. In 1948, he graduated from Mercer University Law School in Macon with an LL.B. degree.

James "Micky" Blackwell, Marietta, GA (Chairman) - Blackwell has been a consultant to Lockheed Martin Corporation and Emergent Corporation since 2000 and was previously Executive Vice President, Aeronautical Systems, of the Lockheed Martin Corporation. Blackwell has a B.S. in Aeronautical Engineering from the University of Alabama and an M.S. in the same field from the University of Virginia. He also completed the Advanced Management Program at Harvard and received an honorary Doctor of Laws from Mercer University.

General Edwin Hess Burba, Jr., McDonough, GA - General Burba served as Commander in Chief of U.S. Forces Command from September 1989 until his retirement in April 1993. He holds an M.S. in International Affairs from George Washington University and a B.S. from the U.S. Military Academy. General Burba has served in Airborne, Air Assault, Light Infantry, Special Forces, and others.

Lieutenant General Thomas N. Burnette, Jr., Savannah, GA - Lt. General Burnette serves as a consultant to the Office of Homeland Security and is a senior mentor in support of the United States Joint Forces Command's Joint Warfighting Center. General Burnette has a Masters degree in Operations Research from Georgia Tech. Before retiring from the U.S. Army, General Burnette served in numerous command positions including Deputy Commander in Chief.

Howard "Bo" H. Callaway, Pine Mountain, GA - Callaway is president, CEO, and Chairman of the board of both Callaway Gardens in Georgia and Crested Butte Mountain Resort in Colorado. Callaway holds a B.S. in Military Engineering from West Point. Some of his past achievements include the Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation and the Medal of Distinguished Public Service given by the Department of Defense.

Duke Doubleday, Atlanta, GA - Doubleday currently serves as Civilian Aide to the Secretary of the Army for Georgia and is an office property broker at Charles W. Doubleday Company. He holds a B.A. in Political Science from UGA. Doubleday served as a U.S. Army Officer in Vietnam from 1968 to 1969.

Charles Braselton Gillespie, M.D., Albany, GA - Gillespie is an orthopedic surgeon who began practicing in Albany in 1966 and retired in 1997. He holds an M.D. and a B.A. from Emory University. Some of Gillespie's activities include the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons and International College of Surgeons. He is also the recipient of the Medical Association of Georgia Hardman Cup.

Major General Richard N. Goddard, Warner Robins, GA - Major General Goddard is Vice President of technology and public policy at Mercer University and former commander of the Warner Robins Air Logistics Center at Robins Air Force Base, GA, which is Georgia's largest industrial complex. He holds an M.S. in Business Administration from Central Michigan University, a B.S. in Political Science from the University of Utah, and attended the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

W. Parker Greene, Valdosta, GA - Greene has served as executive director of the Moody Support Committee in Valdosta since 1991. Greene attended Georgia Tech and continued his studies at the University of Georgia with a major in Business Administration. Some of Greene's activities include serving as first Squadron Commander of the "White Knuckle" Squadron and as a member of the Air Combat Command Commander's Air Support Group.

George M. Israel, III, Macon, GA - Israel is president and CEO of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce and served as Mayor of the City of Macon from 1979 until 1987. Israel attended Middle Georgia College as well as the University of Georgia. Some of his activities include serving as a member of the board of directors for YKK (USA), Inc. and as past chair of the Macon Chamber of Commerce.

Sheila M. McNeill, Saint Marys, GA - McNeill currently serves as the National Vice President for Legislative Affairs and Development, Navy League of the United States. She is also a national director for the U.S. Naval Sea Cadet Corps and serves as a trustee for the Navy League's National Scholarship Fund. McNeill is a member of the board for the Chambers of Commerce in Glynn and Camden Counties.

Major General David Poythress, Atlanta, GA - - Major General Poythress is the Adjutant General of Georgia which heads the Georgia Department of Defense and commands the 12,000 strong Georgia National Guard and State Defense Force. General Poythress holds a law degree from Emory University. After retiring from the Air Force Reserve in 1998, he served as Deputy State Revenue Commissioner, Secretary of State and Commissioner of Labor.

Vice Admiral John Scott Redd, Marietta, GA - Vice Admiral (VADM) Redd retired from active military service on September 1, 1998. During his 36 years of active service, he commanded eight organizations, founded the Navy's FIFTH fleet, and served in several senior policy positions in the Pentagon. VADM Redd graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1966 and conducted his graduate studies in Uruguay on the Fulbright Scholarship.

William Weiller, Atlanta, GA - Weiller is CEO and chair of Purafil, Inc., the world's leading provider of gas-phase air filtration systems. He is a graduate of Columbia University in New York. In August 2002, Weiller was one of 200 business leaders who participated in President Bush's Economic Summit in Waco, Texas.

Community Action Group Leaders

Colonel Don Beaver, Acworth, GA - - Colonel Beaver is Senior Vice President of economic development at the Cobb County Chamber of Commerce. He attended the Marine Corps' Amphibious Warfare School, Command and Staff College, and the U.S. Army War College. Colonel Beaver served twenty-seven years in the Marine Corps, holding various executive and commanding positions.

R. Mitchell Bush, Savannah, GA - Bush is president of R.M. Bush & Company, a Nationwide Insurance & Financial Representative in Savannah. He received a B.S. in Education in Social Sciences from Georgia Southern College in 1982. Bush served in the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary as Public Affairs officer and chaired the Savannah Area Chamber of Commerce Military Affairs Council.

Timothy H. Carroll, Valdosta, GA - Carroll is store manager for Farmers Furniture Co. He holds a degree in the Arts from Darton College in Albany. Carroll has served as Chairman of the Strategic Planning Committee for the Chamber as well as the Military Affairs Committee for the Chamber.

Larry DeMeyers, Augusta, GA - DeMeyers served as president, COO, and director of Southtrust Bank before retiring in 1998. He holds a B.B.A. in Economics from Augusta State University. DeMeyers has served as past president of the Augusta Kiwanis Club and the Augusta Country Club.

James L. LaBoon, Jr., Athens, GA - LaBoon is the chair of the board for the Athens First Bank & Trust company and is regional CEO of Synovus Financial Corp. He holds a B.B.A. in Accounting from the University of Georgia. LaBoon served as Captain in the U.S. Army Reserves, Armor from 1958 to 1965.

Joey Loudermilk, Columbus, GA - Loudermilk is Executive Vice President of AFLAC, Inc. He received his J.D. from the University of Georgia School of Law and a B.S. from Georgia State University. Loudermilk is a member of the State Bar of Georgia and past president of the Rotary Club of Columbus.

Thomas J. Ratcliffe, Jr., Atlanta, GA - Ratcliffe is currently a partner in Ratcliffe and Smith, P.C., Attorney-at-Law. Ratcliffe holds a Bachelor of Laws Degree, LLB, from the Walter F. George School of Law at Mercer University. He is a graduate of the Officer Training School at Lackland Air Force Base and served in the 117th Tactical Air Force Control Squadron of the Georgia Air National Guard before being honorably discharged as Captain.

Avery Tom Salter, Jr., Jonesboro, GA - Salter is currently a sole practitioner and was previously an attorney and full partner in the law firm of Crews, Salter & Gisler, P.C. He holds a Doctor of Jurisprudence from John Marshall Law School and majored in Business Administration at the University of Tampa. Salter was Commander of the Southeastern United States Army Explosive Ordinance Disposal Control Center in his final tour of duty.

Jeff Bodine Sinyard, Albany, GA - Sinyard is the owner and president of Adams Exterminators in Albany, Georgia. He holds a degree in Marketing from Georgia Southwestern College and is a graduate of the Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College in Tifton. Sinyard is a member of the board of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce.

Major General Rondal H. Smith, Warner Robins, GA - Before retiring in 1998, Major General Smith was Commander of the Warner Robins Air Logistics Center, Robins Air Force Base; since then he has operated a consulting firm in Warner Robins. Major General Smith holds an M.S. in Logistics Management from the Air Force Institute of Technology and attended the Senior Managers in Government Program of the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard.

James L. Wells, Saint Marys, GA - Wells is Vice President of the Coastal Bank of Georgia and is Co-Chairman of the Military-Community Council of the Camden-Kings Bay Area Chamber of Commerce. He holds a B.S. in Civil Engineering from the University of Iowa. Wells retired from the Navy in December 1998 as Captain (O-6), Civil Engineer Corps.

Edward J. Wiggins, Warner Robins, GA - Wiggins is the owner of Wiggins' Automotive Group with several dealerships around the state of Georgia. He graduated from the University of Georgia with a degree in Business Management. Wiggins has been an avid supporter of Robins Air Force Base and the military community in Georgia.