Former U.S. Senator Mack Mattingly to Serve on Georgia Ports Authority Board

Atlanta - Governor Sonny Perdue today announced the appointment of Senator Mack Mattingly to the Board of Directors of the Georgia Ports Authority (GPA). The Board is responsible for GPA's policy guidance and fiscal oversight. It is comprised of 12 at-large members appointed by the Governor to four year terms and the Director of the Office of Planning and Budget serves as an ex-oficio member.

"Senator Mattingly has dedicated his life to serving the people of Georgia. I am pleased to call upon him to continue serving his state with the Georgia Ports Authority," said Governor Sonny Perdue. "We must continue to promote Georgia's vibrant and prosperous ports to attract new business, create jobs, and improve our economy."

The mission of GPA is to promote the agricultural, industrial and natural resources of the State of Georgia by bringing new and greater economic benefits for the people, communities and businesses of Georgia through the development and operation of coastal and river ports while maintaining the natural quality of Georgia's coastal and river environment. For more information, please visit www.gaports.com.

A brief biography is provided below.

Mack Mattingly was elected to the United States Senate in 1980. While in the Senate, he was Chairman of the Military Construction Appropriations Subcommittee, the Legislative Branch Subcommittee and the Congressional Operations and Oversight Subcommittee, as well as a member of the Appropriations Committee, the Banking and Housing Committee, the Governmental Affairs Committee and the Joint Economic Committee. In 1987, President Ronald Reagan appointed him Assistant Secretary General for Defense Support for NATO in Brussels, Belgium. Mattingly served four years in the United States Air Force during the Korean War and was stationed for a time at Hunter Air Field in Savannah. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Marketing from Indiana University in 1957. Afterwards, he worked twenty years for the IBM Corporation in Georgia, and later operated his own business, M's Inc. He currently resides in St. Simons, Georgia. He is married to the former Leslie Davisson and has two daughters and five grandchildren.