Governor Perdue Announces Executive Appointments

Tuesday, May 30, 2006

Contact: Office of Communications 404-651-7774

Governor Perdue Announces Executive Appointments

ATLANTA - Governor Sonny Perdue announced today the following executive appointments.:

State Commission on Family Violence
James F. Bass, Jr., 55, Savannah, GA, Judicial District One Representative (REAPPOINTMENT) — Bass serves as a superior court judge for the Eastern Judicial District. He serves on the Georgia Supreme Court Commission on Equality and he created and presides over the Chatham County Drug Court. Bass received a bachelor’s degree from Rider University, and a law degree from Cornell University. He and his wife, Janice, have one child.

Joe C. Bishop, 49, Albany, GA, Judicial District Two Representative — Bishop is the Chief superior court judge for the Pataula Judicial Circuit. He is a member of the Judicial Council of Georgia and served as president of the Dawson Rotary Club, the Terrell County Chamber of Commerce and the Terrell County Heart Association. Bishop received a bachelor’s degree from Valdosta State University and a law degree from the University of Georgia. He and his wife, Carol, have three children.

Kevin Batye, 50, Snellville, GA, Probation System Representative — Batye serves as the chief probation officer for the DeKalb County State Court Probation Department. He is a member of the DeKalb County Domestic Violence Task Force, Inc., the Georgia Correctional Association and the Georgia Probation Association. Batye received a bachelor’s degree from Georgia State University. He and his wife, Angie, have two children.

T. Scott Chitwood, 50, Dalton, GA, Georgia Sheriffs’ Association Representative — Chitwood is the Whitfield County Sheriff. He previously served the Whitfield County Sheriff’s Office as deputy sheriff, security director and chief deputy. He is currently serving his second term on the Board of Trustees of the Sheriffs’ Retirement Fund of Georgia. Chitwood received a bachelor’s degree from Dalton College.

Cynthia H. Clanton, 44, Atlanta, GA, Administrative Office of the Courts Representative — Clanton is the general counsel and associate director for the Administrative Office of the Courts. She serves on the boards of Girls on the Run of Atlanta, Inc. and the Atlanta Women’s Alliance. Clanton is the immediate past president of the Junior League of Atlanta, Inc. and a member of the 2006 class of Leadership Georgia. She received a bachelor’s degree from the University of the South, and a law degree from Mercer Law School. She is married to Vince Clanton.

Denise D. Fachini, 48, Cordele, GA, District Attorneys’ Association of Georgia Representative — Fachini is the district attorney for the Cordele Circuit. She serves on the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council and is the immediate past president of the Georgia District Attorneys’ Association. Fachini received a bachelor’s degree and law degree from the University of Memphis. She has three children.

Bryan A. Golden, 42, Tifton, GA, Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police Representative — Golden serves as director of public safety and chief of police for Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College. He is the president of the Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police and a member of the Georgia Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators. Golden received a bachelor’s degree from North Georgia College and a master’s degree from Columbus State University. He and his wife, Cathy, have two children.

Garland R. Hunt, 46, Alpharetta, GA, State Board of Pardons and Paroles Representative — Hunt serves as vice-chairman and is chairman-elect for the State Board of Pardons and Paroles. Hunt is also vice president of Wellington Boone Ministries. He is a member of the 2006 class of Leadership Georgia and is past president of the 2004 class of the Coverdell Leadership Institute and the Network of Politically Active Christians. Hunt received a bachelor’s degree and law degree from Howard University. Hunt and his wife, Eileen, have three children.

R. Michael Key, 56, LaGrange, GA, Judicial District Six Representative — Key is a partner in the law firm Key and Gordy, P.C., and serves as a part-time juvenile court judge for Troup County. He is a member of the Georgia Child Support Commission, co-chairman of the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges and is a past president of the Georgia Council of Juvenile Court Judges. Key received a bachelor’s degree from Troy State University, a master’s degree from Auburn University and a law degree from Emory University. He and his wife, Melanie, have two children.

Elizabeth E. Long, 69, Atlanta, GA, Judicial District Five Representative — Long is a senior judge for the Superior Court of Fulton County. She is a member of the Atlanta Bar Association, the Atlanta Lawyers’ Club and the Atlanta Rotary Club. Long received a bachelor’s degree from the University of California Berkeley, a graduate degree from the London School of Economics and a law degree from Emory University. She and her husband, Clay, have one child, survive one child and have two grandchildren.

Peggy H. Walker, 53, Douglasville, GA, Member with expertise in family violence involving children — Walker serves as a juvenile court judge for Douglas County. She is chairman of the Georgia Alliance for Drug Endangered Children and a member of the board of trustees for the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges. Walker received a bachelor’s degree from Georgia College and State University and a master’s and law degree from Georgia State University. Walker has one child.

Duncan D. Wheale, 59, Augusta, GA, Judicial District Ten Representative (REAPPOINTMENT) — Wheale serves as a superior court judge in the Augusta Judicial Circuit. Wheale is a recipient of the 2006 Martin Luther King Lifetime Legacy Award and the 2002 Georgia Child Advocate Award. Wheale received a bachelor’s degree from the Citadel and a law degree from John Marshall Law School. He and his wife, Carolyn, have two children.

###