Governor Perdue Announces Executive Appointments
| Thursday, April 15, 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 Economic Development
Wayne F. Christian, 69, Dublin, At-Large Member – Christian is a partner in Christian Family, LLLP, a family timber farm. He retired from Christian, Kelly, Thigpen, PC, a certified public accounting firm, after 47 years. He is vice president, director and part owner of Wheeler County State Bank and has been a director of the Georgia Agribusiness Council since 1989. He is also vice chairman and director of AgriTrust of Georgia and serves on the Governor’s Center of Innovation for AgriBusiness Board. He is the director of the Dublin-Laurens County Chamber of Commerce, past president of the Georgia Peanut Producers Association and past advisory board member of the Georgia Peanut Commission. Christian earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Georgia. He and his wife, Ann, have three children and eight grandchildren.
Board of the Georgia County Leadership Academy
Jack R. Smith, 60, Fayetteville – Smith is chairman of the Fayette County Board of Commissioners and is an Advanced Certified County Commissioner. He is co-founder and partner of Smith, Conley and Associates, PC, an accounting firm. He is the treasurer and past president of the Fayetteville Rotary Club, vice chairman of the Fayette County Public Facilities Authority, and a board member of the Atlanta Regional Commission, Griffin Technical School Foundation, the Bank of Georgia and the Joseph Sams School, Inc. He was a member of the Governor’s Water Contingency Planning Task Force and the Metropolitan North Georgia Water District Planning Board. Smith earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Georgia. He and his wife, Lael, have two children.
Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia
C. Thomas Hopkins, Jr., MD, 55, Griffin, 3rd Congressional District – Dr. Hopkins is board certified in orthopaedic surgery and orthpaedic sports medicine, engaged in private practice in Griffin. He served in the Air Force as a flight surgeon and orthopaedic surgeon. He is past president of the Griffin Rotary Club, Georgia Orthopaedic Society, medical staff of Spalding Regional Hospital and serves on the board of United Bank. He has served on the Georgia Health Strategies Council, Governor’s Physician Partnership, and is a member of the Gridiron Secret Society. Hopkins earned a bachelor’s degree from Valdosta State University, attended the University of Georgia, and completed his medical degree and residency at Emory University. He and his wife, Sara, have two children.
Franklin D. Roosevelt Warm Springs Memorial Advisory Committee
J. David Allen, D.D.S., 65, Atlanta – Allen is founder and chairman emeritus of Oral Surgery Associates and founder of Dr. J. David Allen and Associates. He is the past president of the Georgia Dental Association, the DeKalb unit of the American Cancer Society, the Southeastern Society of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons and the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. He is a member of the Atlanta Rotary Club and was the chairman of the board of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce in 2007. Allen serves on the boards of Emory University, Emory Healthcare, The Emory Children’s Center, Woodruff Health Sciences Center, the Emory Clinic and Zoo Atlanta. He was a member of the Board of Natural Resources from 2007-2009. He is a Life Sponsor for Ducks Unlimited and is a member of the Camo Coalition, the National Wild Turkey Federation and the Georgia Wildlife Federation. Allen earned a dental degree from Emory University School of Dentistry and did his internship and residencies at Grady Memorial Hospital. He and his wife, Beverly, have three children.
Randy Hayes, 63, Fayetteville – Hayes is president of Hayes Development Corporation. He is chairman of the Fayette County Development Authority and the Atlanta Regional Workforce Development Committee. He is a member of the Clayton State University Foundation and the Griffin Tech College Foundation. He is also the past president of the Flint River Council Boy Scouts of America. Hayes attended Lipscomb University. He and his wife, Anne, have two children and four grandchildren.
A. Kathryn “Katie” Kirkpatrick, 36, Atlanta – Kirkpatrick is vice president of environmental affairs for the Metro Atlanta Chamber. She is chairman of the board of the Institute for Georgia Environmental Leadership, of which she is also a graduate. She is a graduate of the Regional Leadership Institute and serves on the board of the Metropolitan North Georgia Water Planning District. She is director of the Georgia Water Alliance and a designee on the Georgia Water Council. She is also past chairman of the board of the Georgia Industry Environmental Coalition. Kirkpatrick earned a bachelor’s degree from Auburn University. She and her husband, Dow, have two children.
Abit Massey, 82, Gainesville (Reappointment) - Massey is president emeritus of the Georgia Poultry Federation. He is a director of the University of Georgia Research Foundation, director and secretary of the UGA Real Estate Foundation and is past president of the UGA Alumni Association. He is also on the board of trustees for Georgia Women of Achievement, is past president of the Georgia Society of Association Executives and is past chairman of the American Society of Association Executives. Massey earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Georgia and a law degree from Emory University. He and his wife, Kayanne, have two children and four grandchildren.
Andrew J. Morrow, DVM, 64, Columbus (Reappointment) – Morrow is the president of The Morrow Company, a residential and commercial real-estate firm. He is a member of the local and national Veterinary Medicine Association and is a district 3 representative to the GVMA. He is a member of Friends of the “Little White House” Warm Springs, Georgia. Morrow earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Alabama and a doctorate of veterinary medicine from Auburn University. He and his wife, Eileen, have three children and three grandchildren.
A. Paul Wood, 66, Atlanta (Reappointment) – Wood is president and chief executive officer of Georgia Electric Membership Corporation. He serves on the Georgia Board of Economic Development, Inc, the board of directors of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce, and the 4-H Foundation Board of Trustees. He previously served as president of the Rural Electric Statewide Managers’ Association, co-chairman of the Governor’s Conference on Tourism, and chair of the Commission for a New Georgia’s Service Delivery Task Force. He also served on the Governor’s Water Advisory Committee. Wood earned a bachelor’s degree from Northwestern Louisiana State University. He and his late wife have two children and one grandchild.
Georgia Board of Landscape Architects
Gregg W. Hudspeth, 50, Atlanta – Hudspeth is currently a freelance landscape architect. He is a registered landscape architect in Georgia as well as several other states. He is a LEED accredited professional and is a member and past president of the American Society of Landscape Architects. He is also a member of the American Planning Association, Congress for New Urbanism, and the Council of Landscape Architectural Registration Boards. Hudspeth earned a bachelor’s degree from Texas Tech University and currently serves as president of the Atlanta chapter of the alumni association.
GeorgiaFirefighters Standards and Training Council
T. Larry Brown, 53, Abbeville, Fire Chief – Brown serves as fire prevention specialist and deputy director of fire services for the Georgia Department of Corrections Fire Services. He is also the chief of Abbeville Fire/Rescue, deputy coroner of Wilcox County, and Wilcox County emergency management director. Brown serves as the District 8 representative for the Georgia State Firefighters Association. He is a former chairman of the Wilcox County Board of Commissioners and former Abbeville city councilman. He and his wife, Janice, have one child and one grandchild.
C. Gordon Henderson, 59, Rome, Training Officer – Henderson is the fire chief for the City of Rome/Floyd County Fire Department. He is a member and past president of the Georgia State Firefighters Association and a member of the Georgia Association of Fire Chiefs, the International Association of Fire Safety Officers and the National Fire Protection Association. He is also a member and past chairman of the joint legislative committee for GSFA & GAFC. He was a charter member and chairman of the Georgia Fire and Emergency Services Joint Council. Henderson attended West Georgia College and earned a bachelor’s degree from Columbia Southern University. He and his wife, Dawn, have two children and three grandchildren.
James “Ray” R. Saunders, 71, Doerun, County Government – Saunders is a county commissioner in Colquitt County and is the owner and operator of Saunders Brothers Farms. He graduated from Doerun High School. He and his wife, Marie, have two children.
GeorgiaHumanities Council
Keith S. Bohannon, Ph.D., 42, Carrollton – Bohannon is an associate professor of history at the University of West Georgia. He has published numerous scholarly works and presented at many conferences. He previously tutored at The McCallie School in Chattanooga, Tennessee and has conducted historical research at Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park, Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park, and Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park. Bohannon earned a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree from the University of Georgia, and a doctoral degree from Pennsylvania State University. He and his wife, Cyle, have three children.
Nicklaus E. Hogan, 37, Savannah – Hogan is a former associate buyer for Citi Trends and former senior assistant buyer for Cato Corp. She is a member of the Junior League of Savannah, where she serves on the Oatland Island Project Committee and the Young Professionals of Savannah. Hogan earned a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree from Georgia Southern University.
Phillip R. Smith, 41, Atlanta – Smith is the national political director of the nonpartisan Concord Coalition and the immediate past president of the downtown Atlanta Kiwanis Club. He previously served on the Washington, DC staff of former U.S. Representative Doug Barnard of Augusta. In 2005, the Atlanta Business Chronicle presented Smith with the Up & Comers “40 Under 40” award. He is a 2006 graduate and current program chairman for Leadership Georgia. Smith earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Georgia.
Ellen K. Thompson, Ph.D., 62, Cohutta – Thompson is the principal of Varnell Elementary School in Whitfield County. She is a member of the National Association of Elementary School Principals and the Georgia Association of Elementary School Principals, president of the Whitfield-Murray Historical Society and a trustee of the Dalton Little Theatre. She is a member and past president of the Whitfield County Principals Association. Thompson earned a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree from the University of Tennessee and a doctoral degree from Georgia State University. She and her husband, Art, have three children.
Larry E. Rivers, Ph.D., 59, Fort Valley - Rivers is the eighth president of Fort Valley State University. He is a respected author, historian, and scholar and has been named to Georgia Trend magazine’s list of “100 Most Influential Georgians”. He previously served as the dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Florida A&M University. Rivers earned a bachelor’s degree from Fort Valley State University and a master’s degree from Villanova University. He also earned doctorate degrees from Carnegie-Mellon University and the University of London. He and his wife, Betty, have two children.
Georgia Real Estate Appraisers Board
Marilyn F. Watts, Fayetteville – Watts is an appraiser and owner of Watts Appraisal Group. She is a member of Business and Professional Women, Fayetteville Main Street Merchants Association, and the Fayette County Board of Elections and Voter Registration. Watts attended Georgia State University. She and her late husband, Robert, have one child.
Governor’s Agricultural Advisory Commission
Shay Bentley-Griffin, Cedartown – Griffin is the president and chief executive officer of the Chez Group/Chez Casting Inc. She is a film producer and three time Emmy nominated casting director. She serves as vice-chair of the Governor’s Film Advisory and was instrumental in passing the Georgia film tax credit. She is a member and founding president of the Georgia Production Partnership. She is also a member of Women in Film in Los Angeles, the Advisory Board for Women in Film Atlanta and the National Academy of Arts and Sciences. She is a timber farmer in north Georgia and is a member of the Georgia Farm Bureau and the Georgia Cattlemen’s Association. Griffin is a graduate of Bauder College and Clayton College.
State Board of Cosmetology
Norma C. Banks, 73, Macon, Consumer Member – Banks worked as a Registered Nurse at Coliseum Medical Center in Macon before her retirement. She is active with the Salvation Army Auxillary, the United Daughters of the Confederacy, and First Baptist Church of Christ. Banks earned a nursing degree from Macon Hospital School of Nursing. She and her husband, Donald, have four children and ten grandchildren.
Veronica Younger-Bivins, 57, College Park, Cosmetologist – Younger-Bivins is a stylist and owner of The Beauty Company in East Point. She is a member of the National Cosmetology Association, the National Association of Negro Business and Professional Women’s Club, Inc. She is also a member of the Southwest Atlanta Youth Business Organization Parents and Adults Lending Support (SWAYBO PALS) and Reaching Out to Senior Adults (ROSA). Younger-Bivins received her formal cosmetology training at La Parisenne Cosmetology School in Boston, Massachusetts. She continued her studies at Arnold Padrick University of Cosmetology in Forest Park, GA and Atlanta Technical Institute. She and her husband, Dwight, have five children and twelve grandchildren.
State Board of Nursing Home Administrators
H. Scott Kroell, Jr., 60, Midway, Hospital Administrator – Kroell is the chief executive officer of Liberty Regional Medical Center in Hinesville. He is a fellow at the American College of Healthcare Executives and is a member of the Liberty County Board of Health. He is also a board member for The Heritage Bank. Kroell earned a bachelor’s degree from the Georgia Institute of Technology and a master’s degree from Georgia State University. He and his wife, Diane, have two children.
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