Deal appoints 15 to boards

Harry S. Strothers, Special Advisory Commission on Mandated Health Insurance Benefits
Strothers is a chairman and a professor in the department of Family Medicine at Morehouse School of Medicine. He received his medical degree from the University Of Maryland School Of Medicine in 1982. He is board certified in family medicine, has a certificate of added qualifications in geriatrics and a certificate in medical management from the American College of Physician Executives and Tulane University. Strothers is also a past president of the Georgia Academy of Family Physicians. He also served two years as the secretary-treasurer of the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine and two years on the Advisory Committee on Training in Primary Care Medicine and Dentistry for the Department of Health and Human Services. He and his wife, Karen, reside in Smyrna.

James D. Fortenberry, Special Advisory Commission on Mandated Health Insurance Benefits
Fortenberry is pediatrician in chief at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and professor of Pediatric Critical Care in the Department of Pediatrics at Emory University School of Medicine. He previously served as division director of Critical Care Medicine, president of CHOA’s medical staff and medical director of pediatric Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation. Fortenberry currently chairs CHOA's Community Physician Advisory Council. He has written or co-written more than 100 journal articles, reviews, editorials and book chapters and has been an internationally invited speaker in pediatric critical care. He attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and received his medical degree from the Medical College of Georgia. Fortenberry and his wife, Janet, have three children. They reside in Atlanta.

R. Charles “Randy” Daniel, Special Advisory Commission on Mandated Health Insurance Benefits
Daniel has been a private practice dentist in Stockbridge since 1984. He is a member of the medical staff of Henry Medical Center. Daniel is also a member of the American Dental Association, where he was made an honorable fellow and a recipient of the President’s Award from the Northern District Dental Society. Daniel earned a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree from the College of William and Mary and a dental degree from the Medical College of Virginia. He and his wife, Marcia, have two daughters. They reside in Stockbridge.

Stephen Gray, Special Advisory Commission on Mandated Health Insurance Benefits
Gray is executive vice president of logistics, research and development for Fieldale Farms. In his role, he leads the transportation, supply chain management and research functions, as well as providing functional leadership for operations and marketing. He has more than 30 years of food industry experience. Gray received a bachelor’s degree in Public Administration from the University of Arkansas. He and his wife, Jill, live in Baldwin and have two children and one grandchild.

Albert C. Ertel, Special Advisory Commission on Mandated Health Insurance Benefits
Ertel is the chief operating officer at Alliant Health Plans. He served on the governor’s committee for Health Insurance Exchanges and currently serves on the Healthcare Policy and Small Business committees with the Georgia Chamber of Commerce. He is an active member of the National Association of Health Underwriters and the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisers. Ertel received his bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Western New England University. He lives in Atlanta with his wife, Emma.

J. Myron Faircloth, Special Advisory Commission on Mandated Health Insurance Benefits
Faircloth is a faculty member at the School of Nursing at Valdosta State University and practices rural family medicine at G&G Family Medicine in Valdosta. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Nursing from Valdosta State University, a master’s degree in Nursing with a family nurse practitioner concentration from Brenau University, and in 2011, he earned his doctor of Nursing Practice from Georgia Southern University. Faircloth is nationally certified by the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners and board certified by the American Nurses Credentialing Center. He is a member of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners, Golden Key International Honour Society and the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculty. He resides in Hahira.

Frederick Lambert Hooper, III, Special Advisory Commission on Mandated Health Insurance Benefits
Hooper is chief counsel for Shaw Industries Group, Inc. where he directs the legal and corporate compliance departments. He is currently chair of the Dalton/Whitfield County Archway Partnership with the University System of Georgia. He earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Georgia and a law degree from the Walter F. George School of Law at Mercer University. Hooper and his wife, Sandee, have three children. They reside in Dalton.

Steven M. Wilson, Special Advisory Commission on Mandated Health Insurance Benefits
Wilson currently practices optometry in Valdosta. Prior to opening the practice, he worked at Cambodian refugee camps in Thailand. He currently serves on the board at Valwood School and Temple Israel and is a member of the American Optometric Associations. Wilson attended Valdosta State University, the University of Georgia and the University of Alabama Birmingham School of Optometry. He and his wife, Patricia, have two children. They reside in Valdosta.

Tim D. Lee, Governor’s Commission on 9-1-1 System Modernization and Balancing Funding Model
Lee was elected chairman of the Cobb County Commission in 2010, having previously served as district commissioner. He has earned advanced certification by the Association of County Commissioners of Georgia and graduated from the Atlanta Regional Commission’s Regional Leadership Institute. Lee serves on the Metropolitan North Georgia Water Planning District; Cobb and Douglas County Public Heath Boards; the North Central Georgia Law Enforcement Academy Board; and the Metro Atlanta Urban Area Security Initiative. He and his wife, Annette, reside in Marietta.

Amelia “Mimi” L. Collins, Board of Community Health
Collins is the chief executive officer of the Longstreet Clinic, a fully integrated, private multispecialty group. She is the past president of the Hall County Chamber of Commerce board of directors and served as chair of the chamber’s healthcare committee. She also serves on the Vision 2030 Board of Directors. Collins is a member of the Gainesville Rotary Club and was the 2011 recipient of the group’s W. Lee Arrendale Award for Vocational Excellence and Community Leadership. In addition, she is a member of Leadership Hall County and an alumni of Leadership Georgia. Collins is a founding board member of Glory, Hope & Life, a nonprofit that works to enrich the lives of cancer patients, survivors and caregivers. She received a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and Psychology from Queens College and a master’s degree in Healthcare Administration from Mercer University. Collins and her husband, Loren, have two children. They live in Gainesville.

Henry Bert Yeargan, Board of Dentistry
Yeargan is a practicing dentist in Brunswick. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree from Auburn University and completed his dental degree at the Medical College of Georgia. He and his wife, Frances, have two sons and four grandchildren. They reside in Jesup.

Lisa Hedenstrom, Georgia Board of Examiners of Licensed Practical Nurses
Hedenstrom is senior vice president/system chief nursing officer of Piedmont Healthcare. She is a member of Sigma Theta Tau Nursing Honor Society, American Organization of Nurse Executives, Georgia Organization of Nurse Leaders, and American College of Healthcare Executives. She has been a registered nurse in the state of Georgia since 1984. Hedenstrom earned a bachelor’s degree in Nursing from Georgia Southern University, a master’s degree in Nursing from Medical College of Georgia and a master’s degree in Business Administration from Brenau University. Currently, she is a PhD nursing student at Georgia State University. Hedenstrom is certified as a nurse executive for Advanced through American Nurses Credentialing Center. She and her husband, Todd, have five children. They reside in Senoia.

Al Trujillo, Board of Directors of the Georgia Lottery Corporation
Trujillo currently assists organizations on operational strategies. He also serves as nonexecutive director of Haverty’s Corp. He is past chairman of the Georgia Tech Alumni Association and is a trustee of the Georgia Tech Foundation. Trujillo earned a bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering from Georgia Tech and a master’s degree in Business Administration from Stanford University. He and his wife, Melba, have two daughters and reside in Atlanta.

Joe W. Yarbrough, Technical College System of Georgia Board
Yarbrough is a senior vice president with Mohawk Industries, Inc. and has been in the flooring industry in various capacities for more than 42 years. He currently serves on the boards of directors for RossWoods Adult Day Services; Northwest Georgia Healthcare Partnership, Water, Light and Sinking Fund Commission; Georgia Northwestern Technical College; Christian Heritage School Endowment Foundation Board; and the Carpet America Recovery Effort. Additionally, he is on the board of directors for the Greater Dalton Chamber of Commerce, where he is past chairman and he currently serves as chairman of the Carpet and Rug Institute Strategic Issues Leadership Council. Yarbrough earned a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Auburn University. He and his wife, Nanette, have five adult children and eight grandchildren. They reside in Dalton.

Ron Garrard, Board of Economic Development
Garrard is currently the president of the Garrard Construction Group in Duluth. He serves on the Executive Board of Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce, the Board of Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful, and Board of Directors for BTCP (Bible Training Center for Pastors). Garrard is a charter trustee of the Georgia Gwinnett College Foundation and a former director of the IMPACT Group, which provides quality housing solutions for the underprivileged in Gwinnett County. He previously served on the board of the Bank of North Georgia, the Lighthouse Ministries, a family retreat for children with cancer, and on the Board of North Fulton Chamber of Commerce. Garrard is a graduate of Auburn University with a bachelor’s degree in Building and Construction. He and his wife, Dana, have one son. They reside in Duluth.