Deal appoints 19 to boards

Jones is president and chief executive officer of Jones Petroleum Co. in Jackson, a fuel distributing business with service to convenience stores located in Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina. He is a former Butts County school superintendent and a former Georgia state representative. He is a member of the Georgia State Bar Association and the American Bar Association. He and his wife, Martha, have three children and four grandchildren. They reside in Jackson. 

 

Porter is presently a senior judge of the Superior Courts of Georgia. He served many years as the solicitor of the State Court of Grady County. In 1996, he was elected as a Superior Court judge in the South Georgia Judicial Circuit, serving 12 years until he accepted senior judge status in 2009. He practiced law in Cairo from 1964 to 1996 before becoming a Superior Court judge. Porter earned his bachelor’s degree and law degree from Mercer University. He and his wife, Sonya, have three children and six grandchildren. They reside in Cairo.

 

Williams is vice president of corporate and external affairs at GreyStone Power Corp. in Douglasville. He also serves as vice chairman of the board of directors of the GEMC Federal Credit Union in Tucker. He previously served as chairman of the Douglas County Public Education Trust and also as board chairman of the South Fulton Chamber of Commerce. Williams earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Alabama in 1982. He and his wife, Nancy, have two children. They reside in Douglasville. 

 

Lenkeit works as a senior finance operations manager for Cisco Systems, Inc. She has been with Cisco for seven years and has spent the majority of her professional career in various finance and consulting roles with companies including MCI Telecommunications and Arthur Andersen. Lenkeit earned a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Florida State University and a master’s degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance from the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. She has two children who attend the World Language Academy, a Hall County Charter School. They reside in Flowery Branch.

 

Kropp is an associate professor in the School of Human Ecology and the College of Health and Human Sciences at Georgia Southern University. She currently serves on the Gulf South Summit Executive Committee and has served as vice president of programs and professional development on the Georgia Association on Young Children Advisory Board for the past 10 years. Kropp earned a doctorate degree in Child and Family Development from the University of Georgia in 1981. She and her husband, Joe, have two sons. They reside in Statesboro. 

 

Harper is a retired library media specialist for the Dougherty County Public Schools. Prior to that, she was the media specialist and technology coordinator at Warren T. Jackson Elementary School. She is actively involved in the Albany community currently serving as the board president of the Thronateeska Heritage Foundation, past president of the Suburban Woman’s Club, incoming president of Palmyra Heights Garden Club, and a member of Albany First Baptist Church. Harper earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Georgia, a master’s degree from the Georgia State University, a specialist’s degree from the University of Georgia and a certificate in instructional technology from Darton College. She and her husband, Carroll, have two children and three grandchildren. They reside in Albany. 

 

Murphy is a faculty member of Gwinnett Technical College’s Early Childhood Care and Education Program. She is a member of the National Association for the Education of Young Children, the Georgia Association on Young Children, and the Southern Early Childhood Association. Murphy earned a bachelor’s degree from Clark Atlanta University and a master’s degree from New York University. She resides in Lawrenceville. 

 

Henderson is the chief writer and web content coordinator for Memorial Health in Savannah. Henderson’s children attended Georgia Pre-K where she was actively involved as a parent volunteer. In 2012, she participated in a parent/stakeholder task force providing input to the Bright from the Start program under DECAL Commissioner Bobby Cagle. Henderson earned a degree in Journalism from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and has received numerous accolades for her work in communications. She and her husband, Colin, have three children. They reside in Marietta.  

 

Addison is a certified public accountant in the financial reporting and assurance division with Bennett Thrasher PC. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and a master’s degree in Accounting from Georgia Southern University. Addison and her husband, Trip, are members at Peachtree Road United Methodist Church. They reside in Brookhaven. 

 

Howard is chairman and chief executive officer of Bank of North Georgia. He also serves as the Synovus regional chief executive officer for the Atlanta market and Synovus Bank of Florida in the Tampa market. He currently serves as a member of the board of trustees at Georgia Southern University, secretary/treasurer of the North Fulton Community Improvement District, chairman of the Roswell Convention & Visitors Bureau Board, and as a member of the Roswell Rotary Club and Greater North Fulton Chamber of Commerce. Howard earned a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Georgia Southern University. Howard and his wife, Teri, have three children and five grandchildren. They reside in Canton. 

 

Bowen is director of U.S. transaction taxes for Hewlett-Packard, a global technology company. Prior to this, he was a partner with the Atlanta-based accounting firm of Bennett Thrasher PC and was previously with PriceWaterhouseCoopers LLP serving in various senior capacities. Bowen, an attorney and certified public accountant, earned bachelor’s degrees from the University of South Florida and St. Leo College in Tampa and a law degree from Georgia State University. He and his wife, Janine, have one son, Jackson. They reside in Stone Mountain. 

 

Williamson is the executive director of the Mediation Center in Savannah. She has been a member of the State Bar of Georgia since 1985 and has mediated civil, domestic and domestic violence cases since 1986. She is a registered mediator with the Georgia Office of Dispute Resolution, and as an advanced practitioner in the mediation field, she is approved as a trainer of civil, domestic and domestic violence mediators. She is currently the president-elect of the Savannah Bar Association. Williamson earned a bachelor’s degree and law degree from the University of Georgia. She and her husband, Reid, have four children. They reside in Savannah. 

 

Connell is a partner at Boyd Collar Nolen & Tuggle, the largest family law firm in the Southeast. She is actively involved in several community and trade organizations, including Visions Anew, All Saints Episcopal Church, the State Bar of Georgia, the Charles Longstreet Weltner Family Law Inn of Court, the Lawyers Club of Atlanta, and the Georgia Association of Women Lawyers. She serves as a guardian ad litem, providing pro bono legal services to children involved in contentious family law matters. Connell earned a bachelor’s and master’s degree from Auburn University and a law degree from Mercer University. She and her husband, Justin, have one son, Beecher. They reside in Atlanta. 

 

Knowles is a nationally certified and licensed massage therapist. He is the lead instructor at Gwinnett College-Rising Spirit Institute as well as an NCB approved provider for Continuing Education with 17 years of massage experience. He became a nationally certified massage therapist in 2000 and a Georgia licensed massage therapist in 2007. Knowles currently serves on the Ethics Committee, Exam Development Committee, as a Government Relations Georgia Representative, and as chair of the School Outreach Program for the National Certification Board of Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork. He and his wife, Amanda, have one son, Chase. They reside in Snellville. 

 

Taylor is the owner and integrated healthcare director of Coastal Integrated Health & Wellness on St. Simons Island. She is a professional member of the American Massage Therapy Association. She is certified in a multitude of specialties in her field and is currently integrating medical massage into physicians’ offices. Taylor received her national certification as a massage therapist in 1999 with a certification in neuromuscular therapy. She and her husband, Kenneth, have one child, Kameron. They reside in St. Simons.

 

Lawson is currently a partner of Carr, Lawson, Cantrell & Associates, Inc., a real estate appraisal and consulting firm with offices in Atlanta and Gainesville. He holds the commercial and residential designations offered by the Appraisal Institute and served as chapter president in 2002 for the Atlanta area. He is an approved faculty member through the Appraisal Institute and the state of Georgia, and is co-author of an appraisal textbook. Lawson earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Kentucky in 1983 and was a four-year member of the university’s golf team. He and his wife, Amy, have three children. They reside in Gainesville.

 

Stone is currently employed with the Secretary of State where he works in the corporation division. He serves as Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle’s appointment to the Southern Georgia Regional Council. Stone and his wife, Cheryl, have two daughters, Emilee and Karla. They reside in Nashville.  

 

Danese is a retired professional engineer. He has been active in community service since 1990, serving on the DeKalb Planning Commission and numerous ad hoc committees providing recommendations to the DeKalb County government. Danese earned a bachelor’s degree in Engineering from the University of Florida and a master’s degree in Business Administration from Florida International. He has three children and four grandchildren and resides in Brookhaven.

 

Neighbors currently serves as the project manager for JUSTGeorgia, a statewide juvenile justice coalition. Previously, she worked as a senior attorney with the Fulton County Child Attorney Office and as the executive director of Fulton County Court Appointed Special Advocates, Inc. She currently serves on the board of directors for Georgia CASA, the Council of Intown Neighborhood Schools and the Historic District Development Corp. Neighbors earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan and a law degree from Emory University. She and her husband, Ken, live in Atlanta with their two sons, Kenneth and Kaden.