Governor Perdue Announces Executive Appointments

Thursday, January 28, 2010

Contact: Office of Communications 404-651-7774

ATLANTA – Governor Sonny Perdue announced today the following executive appointments.  Brief biographies are provided below:

Board of Commissioners of the Peace Officers’ Annuity and Benefit Fund

P. Homer Bryson, 50, Flowery Branch, State Peace Officer Representative – Bryson is the Colonel and acting Chief of Law Enforcement with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Wildlife Resources Division. He is also a specialized Peace Officers Standards and Training Instructor. He is the legislative chair and past president of the Peace Officers Association of Georgia. He was the state coordinator for water security for the 2004 Group of Eight Economic Summit in Sea Island. He has received numerous honors such as the DNR Law Enforcement Supervisor of the Year and the Coastal Conservation Association of Georgia Law Enforcement Officer of the Year. He earned an associate’s degree from Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College, a bachelor’s degree from Valdosta State College and a master’s degree from Columbus State University. He is married to Lisa Casey Bryson and has two children, and one stepchild.

 

Council on Aging

Kenneth P. Brooks, 57, Cochran – Brooks is an associate pastor at First Baptist Church of Cochran. He is the co-director of Pulaski-Bleckley Associational Senior Adult Ministries, and is the volunteer ombudsperson with Heart of Georgia. He is a Georgia Baptist Disaster Relief team member and serves on the Unit 1-F Rehoboth Association where he is a certified leader/director of the feeding unit. He is a trustee and vice chairman of the executive committee of Baptist Village Retirement Communities. Brooks earned an associate’s degree from Brewton Parker College, a bachelor’s degree from Georgia Southwestern College, and a master’s degree from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. He and his wife, Rebecca, have two children.

 

Victoria L. Collier, 39, Scottdale – Collier is an attorney and the owner of The Elder and Disability Law Firm of Victoria L. Collier, PC. She has been admitted to the United States Supreme Court and to the United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims. She served as vice chair of the State Bar of Georgia’s elder law section, and as both the chair and vice chair of the Atlanta Bar Association’s elder law committee. She is a member of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA) and a member of the Georgia Chapter of NAELA, of which she was also the chair. Collier earned an associate’s degree from Georgia Military College, a bachelor’s degree from Valdosta State University, and a law degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln College of Law.

 

Maria “Mimi” D. Dennis, 62, Eastman – Dennis is the director of student services for the Dodge County Board of Education. She is a member of Delta Kappa Gamma International Honor Society and is a National Beta Club Council Member. She is president-elect of the Dodge Retired Educators Association and serves on the Eastman-Dodge County Chamber of Commerce board of directors, the Dodge County Hospital Foundation Board, and the Ocmulgee Regional Library Board. She is on the board of directors of the Student Assistance Professionals of Georgia (SAPA), of which she is also past president. Dennis earned an associate’s degree from Middle Georgia College, and a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree from the University of Georgia. She and her husband, Gene, have two children and seven grandchildren.

 

L. Bruce Nance, 82, Chickamauga, Consumer Representative – Nance is the owner of Nance Jewelry. He is a member of the Chickamauga Lions Club and the American Legion of Chickamauga and he is involved with the Crawfish Springs Masonic Order and the Royal Arch Masons. Nance is a graduate of the School of Horology. He and his wife, Elma, have one child and one grandchild.

 

Criminal Justice Coordinating Council

Kenneth “Ken” M. Smith, Sr., 70, LaGrange, County Representative – Smith serves on the Troup County Board of Commissioners. He is active with Troup Family Connection Authority and serves on the board of directors. He is a member of the LaGrange Shrine Club and is involved with Troup County Crime-Stoppers. Smith worked in construction for forty years prior to his retirement. He and his wife, Velna, have three children.

 

Georgia Athletic and Entertainment Commission

Donald “Don” P. Geary, 53, Lawrenceville – Geary is chief assistant district attorney in the DeKalb County District Attorney’s office. Prior to his legal career, he served as a pilot and flight instructor in the United States Marine Corps. He retired as a Lieutenant Colonel from the USMC. Geary earned two bachelor’s degrees from East Carolina University, a master’s degree from National University, and a law degree from Georgia State University. He and his wife, Robin, have five children and two grandchildren.

 

Ben L. Kiker, 62, Dalton – Kiker is a karate instructor and director of United Karate Studio. He is a seventh degree black belt in United Karate and has hosted over sixty karate tournaments and a number of full contact fights. He has served as an ISKA Southeast Representative at numerous officiating clinics and has assisted ISKA in developing rules for competition. He also served as an assistant football coach at Haralson County High School. Kiker earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Georgia. He and his wife, Vicki, have one child.

 

Georgia Composite Medical Board

Alice A. House, M.D., 48, Warner Robins – House is an assistant professor of family medicine at Mercer University School of Medicine. She is a board member of the Georgia Medical Directors Association and is past president of the Georgia Academy of Family Physicians. She is active in the Bibb County Medical Society, the American Academy of Family Physicians and the American Medical Directors Association. She is also a member of the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine and is the board president of the Middle Georgia Concert Band in which she plays the flute and piccolo. House earned two undergraduate degrees from Macon State College and a medical degree from Mercer University School of Medicine. She has three children and five grandchildren.

 

GeorgiaPublic Service Commission Advisory Committee

Jeffrey Stair, 56, Atlanta, PSC Representative and Chairman – Stair serves as staff attorney for the Georgia Public Service Commission. He is a member of the State Bar of Georgia and is active with “Everybody Wins!”, a national literacy and mentoring nonprofit oganization. Stair earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois and a law degree from the University of Georgia. He and his wife, Debbie, have two children.

 

Governor’s Office for Children and Families Advisory Board

Brittany D. Jean, 23, Atlanta, Youth Representative – Jean is a student at Georgia State University where she is pursuing a master’s degree. She previously worked as an account executive for the Georgia TeenWork Program in the Department of Human Resources’ Division of Family and Children Services (DFCS). She has interned with the Comprehensive Child and Family Assessment Program (DFCS) as well, and in the office of Congressman John Lewis. She is a youth advocate with Georgia EmpowerMEnt Group and is the founder and past president of Uplifted Hands. Jean earned a bachelor’s degree from Georgia State University. She is married to Moise Jean.

 

Shaquita S. Ogletree, 23, Clarkston, Youth Representative – Ogletree is an after-school counselor with the City of Decatur Children and Youth Services. She is active with Georgia EmpowerMEnt. She is also an AmeriCorps Alum and a Foster Care of America Alum. Ogletree earned a bachelor’s degree from Howard University.

 

W. Duane Whitley, 60, Baxley – Whitley is president and owner of Independent Office Services, Inc. He serves on the board of trustees for the Baxley Wilderness Institute and is an executive board member of its parent company, the Associated Marine Institute. He is also a member of the Workforce Investment Board of Claxton and is former chairman of the Appling County Board of Commissioners. Whitley earned an associate’s degree from South Georgia College.  He is married to Margaret Whitley.

 

Professional Standards Commission

André B. Mountain, 34, Augusta – Mountain is a teacher on special assignment in the Department of Curriculum with the Richmond County School System. He was appointed as a Georgia TAPP Ambassador and was a Richmond County Public School Teacher of the Year finalist. He previously taught reading/language arts at Monte Sano Elementary School. Mountain earned a bachelor’s degree from Georgia Southern University, a master’s degree from Wesleyan College, and a specialist’s degree from Augusta State University. He and his wife, Tanesha, have one child.

 

State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors

Michael “Mike” S. Fletcher, 59, Marietta, Structural Engineer Representative – Fletcher is director of the Atlanta Office of Halvorson and Partners, P.C. He has over 30 years of experience in structural engineering and is licensed as a structural engineer in Illinois, an architect in Texas, and as a professional engineer in Georgia and five other states. He is an active member of the American Society of Civil Engineers, the Structural Engineers Association of Georgia, and the National Council of Structural Engineers Associations. Fletcher earned a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree from the University of Illinois. He and his wife, Linda, have two children.

 

State Board of Registration of Used Car Dealers and Used Motor Vehicle Parts Dealers

Alexander R. Grovenstein, 30, Pembroke, Consumer Representative – Grovenstein is assistant director of alumni relations at Georgia Southern University. He is a member of the Statesboro Kiwanis Club and the Georgia Southern University Alumni Association.  He is also currently a member of the Georgia Southern University Public Relations Advisory Board and a member of the Sons of the American Legion. Grovenstein earned a bachelor’s degree from Georgia Southern University.  He and his wife, Angela, have two children. 

 

J. Michael “Mike” Rosser, 57, Monroe, Salvage Pool Representative – Rosser is the owner of Newton Auto Salvage, Inc. in Covington. He served as secretary/treasurer of Georgia Automotive Recyclers Association. Rosser earned a bachelor’s degree from the Georgia Institute of Technology. He and his wife, Fran, have one child.

 

Jonathan “Jon” W. Shoemaker, 54, McDonough, Consumer Representative – Shoemaker is facilities manager at Eagle’s Landing First Baptist Church. He has over 30 years combined experience in civil engineering and construction consulting and is past president of C.B.S Motorsports, Inc. Shoemaker earned a bachelor’s degree from the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology. He and his wife, Debra, have three children and one grandchild.

 

State Workforce Investment Board

Eunice M. Glover, 64, Atlanta, Business Representative – Glover is the president of the Center for Enhancing Organizational Learning and Development, LLC. She is the president of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) Georgia State Council and is a member of the SHRM Expert Panel on Organizational Development. She is also president of the Audubon Forest Neighborhood Association and the chair of the NPU-I Safety Committee. Glover earned a bachelor’s degree from Georgia State University and a master’s degree from the University of Phoenix. She and her husband, Hamilton, have four children and sixteen grandchildren.

 

 

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