Governor Perdue Announces Executive Appointments

ATLANTA, GA - Governor Sonny Perdue announced today the following executive appointments:
Criminal Justice Coordinating Council

John Wesley Harden, 38, Sandersville, GA, Police Chief Representative - Harden serves as the chief of police for the city of Sandersville.  He previously served as deputy sheriff for the Washington County Sheriff's Office and the Richmond County Sheriff's Department. Harden has logged more than 1,000 hours of advanced law enforcement training. He is an elected representative in the Georgia Chiefs Association, serves on the Public Safety Committee of the Georgia Municipal Association and is an appointee to the GEMA Regional All Hazards Council. Harden received his bachelor's degree in psychology from Presbyterian College. Harden and his wife, Erica, have one child.

Board of Community Health

Mark D. Oshnock, 49, Atlanta, GA, Member - Oshnock serves as the chief executive officer for Visiting Nurse Health System. He served previously as CEO of TealStone LLC, a healthcare consulting practice, and is the former Managing Director for the U.S. Commercial Healthcare Division of BearingPoint, Inc.  He is a member of the Healthcare Financial Management Association and the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society. Oshnock is a certified healthcare financial professional and a certified public accountant. He graduated magna cum laude from Michigan State University with a bachelor's degree in finance and accounting. Oshnock and his wife, Susan, have one child. 

Children and Youth Coordinating Council

Jack F. Williams, 44, Atlanta, GA, At Large Member - Williams is a professor at the Georgia State University College of Law and a legal commentator. He also serves as a special advisor on threat assessment and terrorism studies for the MITRE Corporation in support of various federal agencies tasked with homeland security and counter-terrorism. Williams is a member of the Coast Guard Auxiliary, the Federalist Society, the American Statistical Association, the American College of Bankruptcy, the American Bankruptcy Institute and various youth sports programs in his community. He has authored four books and over one hundred articles and papers.  He received his bachelor's degree from the University of Oklahoma and his Juris Doctor from George Washington University School of Law. Williams and his wife, Pamela, have four children.

State Board of Examiners of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology

Lori M. Smith, 34, Atlanta, GA, Audiologist - Smith is an audiologist with Audiological Consultants of Atlanta. She is a founding board member of the Georgia Academy of Audiology, and presently serves as a regional representative for the Academy. Smith is a member of the Garden Hills Garden Club and the Garden Hills Pools and Parks Association.  She received a bachelor's degree in communicative disorders from the University of Florida, a master's degree in audiology from the University of North Texas and doctor of audiology degree from the University of Florida. Smith and her husband, Richard, have three children.

Georgia Student Finance Commission

Patricia A. Burd, 64, Gainesville, GA, Tenth Congressional District Representative -Burd recently retired as a middle school counselor for the Hall County School System.  She previously served as a high school counselor for the Gainesville City School System. Burd is a member of the Greenville College Board of Trustees. Burd has served as a member of the Family Relations Program board of directors, the Quinlan Art Center 's Education Committee, and both the board of directors and advisory board of Northeast Georgia Girls, Inc. She was awarded the Brenau University Distinguished Service Award and the Greenville College Distinguished Alumnus Award.  She received her bachelor's degree from Greenville College in Illinois, her master's degree in education from Butler University and her doctorate degree from St. Louis University. Burd and her husband, John, have two children and five grandchildren.