Deal appoints five to boards

Richard S. Ambrose, Department of Juvenile Justice

Before retirement, Ambrose was a member of the U.S. Army for more than 20 years and taught ROTC at Dooly County High School for 13 years. He is a graduate of the University of Georgia with a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and also a graduate of Western Kentucky University with a master’s degree in Professional Studies. Ambrose’s other education includes the infantry officer’s basic course, the advanced infantry officer’s course, the armed forces staff college and airborne/ranger school. He served overseas in Germany and two tours of duty in Vietnam. He resides in Vienna.

Norma C. Banks, State Board of Cosmetology (reappointment)

Banks worked as a registered nurse at Coliseum Medical Center in Macon before her retirement. She is active with the Salvation Army Auxiliary, 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 10 grandchildren. They reside in Macon.

R. Foster Rhodes, Georgia Agricultural Exposition Authority (reappointment)

Rhodes has worked at Walker-Rhodes Tractor Company for more than 30 years. He previously worked for the University of Georgia Co-op Extension Service. Rhodes received his undergraduate and master's degrees from the University of Georgia. He and his wife, Martha Ann, have three children. They reside in Perry.

Ralph T. Jackson, Jr., State Board of Hearing Aid Dealers and Dispensers (reappointment)

Jackson has been a licensed hearing aid professional for more than 29 years. He has served for the past nine years on the Board of Georgia Society of Hearing Professionals and is the immediate past president. Jackson also serves on an advisory board for Lee County YMCA and is a member at Lakeside Baptist Church. He and his wife, Cathy, reside in Leesburg.

Richard Royal, Jekyll Island State Park Authority (reappointment)

Royal is president and owner of Royal Investments, Inc. and is retired from the Georgia House of Representatives. He is a past president of the Camilla Chamber of Commerce and the Camilla Rotary Club and served 10 years on the City Council of Camilla. He has received numerous awards such as the Georgia Chamber of Commerce’s Lifetime Achievement Award, the Georgia Forestry Commission’s Legislator of the Year Award and the Georgia Farm Bureau Commodity Award. Royal earned a bachelor’s degree from the Georgia Institute of Technology. He and his wife, Marilyn, have five grown children and nine grandchildren. They reside in Camilla.