Deal appoints 27 to boards

 

Russell is president of H.J. Russell & Co. and Russell New Urban Development, LLC. He serves on the boards of Citizens Trust Bank, H.J. Russell & Co., Concessions International, the Metro Atlanta YMCA, the American Kidney Fund, Central Atlanta Progress and the Georgia Department of Economic Development. He is a member of the Urban Land Institute, Atlanta Rotary, Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, the Young President Organization and the 100 Black Men of Atlanta. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and Management from Georgia State University. He and his wife, Stephanie, have four children. They reside in Atlanta.

 

Johnson is president of Hussey, Gay, Bell & DeYoung International, Inc., an architectural and engineering firm. He serves on the board of directors of the Georgia Department of Economic Development, the Savannah Economic Development Authority, and Union Mission. In addition, he serves on the Georgia Regents University’s Planning and Development Committee, the Armstrong Atlantic State University Foundation, the Georgia Cities Foundation and as chairman of the board of the new World Trade Center Savannah. He served 17 years in the Georgia General Assembly in both the House of Representatives and Senate. He was the Senate Republican Leader for four years and president pro tem of the state Senate for six years. Johnson received a master’s in Architecture from Tulane University. He and his wife, Kathryn, have two children. They reside Savannah. 

 

Wood serves as president and chief executive officer of Georgia Electric Membership Corp. He has served in numerous leadership roles in the rural electric industry on both  state and national levels. He serves on the board of directors of the Georgia Department of Economic Development, the board of governors for the Georgia Chamber of Commerce, as chairman of the Georgia Corporation for Economic Development and the Go Build Georgia Foundation. He is a member of St. Jude’s Episcopal Church in Marietta. Wood earned a bachelor’s degree from Northwestern Louisiana State University. He has two children and one grandchild. He resides in Atlanta. 

 

Pate is president and chief executive officer of the Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau. He previously served as president of Career & Sports Entertainment and chief marketing officer of BellSouth. He serves on the board of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, College Football Hall of Fame, Commerce Club, Metro Atlanta Chamber, Chick-fil-A Bowl, and the Carter Presidential Center Board of Councilors. He was most recently named to the Woodruff Arts Center’s Board of Trustees. Pate received a bachelor’s and master’s degree from Georgia State University. He and his wife, Judy, have three children. They reside in Atlanta. 

 

Jones has been director of the Athens Convention and Visitors Bureau since 1996. He is a 31-year hospitality/tourism industry veteran, having initially worked for the Alabama Tourism Department before transitioning to destination marketing organization work with the Jekyll Island Convention and Visitors Bureau. He has served on numerous boards throughout his career, including the Georgia Association of Convention and Visitors Bureaus, where he was president from 2004-2005 and the Tourism Development Alliance of Georgia, where he was chair in 2008. Jones earned a bachelor’s degree from Auburn University. He and his wife, Dorothy, have two children. They reside in Athens. 

 

Sowell is the executive director of the Milledgeville-Baldwin City Convention and Visitors Bureau. She currently serves as president of the Georgia Association of Convention & Visitors Bureaus and sits on the board of trustees for Georgia’s Lake Country. She is past president of Georgia’s Historic Heartland Travel Association, Georgia’s Antebellum Trail Association, the 441 Heritage Highway Association and the Balls Ferry Historical Park Association. Jane served on the Advisory Board for the J. Bunting School of Business at Georgia College and State University and the Georgia Military College Foundation. Sowell is a 2005 graduate of Leadership Georgia and received the Larry Allen Award from the state of Georgia for Excellence in Tourism. Jane and her husband, Ed, have three children and six grandchildren. They reside in Milledgeville. 

 

Karatassos is director of operations for the Buckhead Life Restaurant Group. He serves on the board of directors of the Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau and is chairman emeritus of the Georgia Restaurant Association where he served three years as the board chairman. He is a member of the Rotary Club of Atlanta. Karatassos earned a bachelor’s degree from Florida International University. He and his wife, Bronni, have two children. They reside in Atlanta.   

 

Patel is the operations manager and general contractor for Asha Management, LLC. He currently serves as the North Georgia Regional Director for the Asian-American Hotel Owners Association. He previously served on the advisory council for Red Roof, as an AAHOA Ambassador. Patel earned a bachelor’s degree in Economics from Emory University and a master’s degree in Finance from Georgia State University. He and his wife, Jaya, have two children. They reside in Jonesboro.  

 

Manley is co-founder and operator of the Rock Ranch, a 1,500-acre working farm located in Upson County. He is the founding and current president of the Georgia Agritourism Association. He serves on the University of Georgia’s College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences Advisory Council, the Gordon State College Foundation Board, Southern Crescent Technical College’s Board of Directors, the United Bank Advisory Board, and the Barnesville/Lamar Community Foundation, where he serves as current chair. Manley earned a bachelor’s degree from Berry College. He and his wife, Haley, have three children. They reside in Upson County. 

 

Stephens currently serves as a state representative for the 164th District in the state House. He has been a pharmacist for 35 years. He is chairman of the House Economic Development & Tourism Committee. He is a recipient of the 2012 Chairman’s Award from the Charitable Care Network, 2012 Shooting Star Award from Georgia Production Partnership, and the 2008 Legislator of the Year award by the Governor’s Tourism Conference. Stephens is a graduate from Armstrong State University and Mercer University. He and his wife, Janice, have two children and one grandchild. They reside in Savannah. 

 

Schrenk is president and owner of Taggart’s Driving School. He serves on the executive committee of the Atlanta Opera Board of Directors and on the Flannery O’Connor-Andalusia Foundation Board of Directors, and chairs the Community Engagement Committee for the Atlanta Opera. He is a board member of the Atlanta Opera Guild and the Georgia Communities for Growth, and is the Southeast regional director of the Metropolitan Opera National Council for Membership and Finance. Previously, he served on the M.O.N.C. board of national advisers. Schrenk graduated with a degree in Commerce from Rider University, where he later received the Distinguished Alumni Award. He and his wife, Anita, have two children and three grandchildren. They reside in Tucker.

 

White is senior consultant with the Coca-Cola Co., having retired from the company in 2000 after 34 years of service. At the time of his retirement he was assistant vice president of governmental relations, a position he had held since 1993. From 1981 to 1993 he served as executive assistant to the president of the company. He is a member of the board and executive committee of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, a member of the board of the Atlanta Education Television Collaborative, and the Board of Visitors of the Sanford School of Public Policy at Duke University. He and his wife, Anna Marie, have two children and two grandchildren. They reside in Decatur. 

 

Wyant has served as the executive director and development director for the Arts Council, Inc. of Hall County for 29 years. She has completed numerous professional development workshops through Americans for the Arts, the Georgia Assembly of Community Arts Agency, Georgia Arts Network, Southern Arts Federation, Governor’s Tourism Conference and Georgia Main Street Programs. She is involved in community arts education and theater initiatives, including Gainesville Children’s Theatre, Arts in Schools and the Lanier Symphony Orchestra League. She has served on boards of two local convention and visitors bureaus. Wyant studied at Kennesaw State University and Brenau University. She and her husband, Joseph, have two children and four grandchildren. They reside in Gainesville. 

 

De Bode Olivié is chairperson of the Columbus State University “Friends of Art.” She serves on the board of the Columbus Museum, chairs the annual “Artbeat, Celebrating the Arts in Columbus” and the Cultural Arts and Design Taskforce of the Greater Columbus Chamber of Commerce. She recently worked as the director of education, marketing and development at the Royal Museum of Fine Arts in Antwerp, Belguim. De Bode Olivié earned a bachelor’s and master’s degree in Applied Economic Sciences from the University of Antwerp. She and her husband, Marc, have four children. They reside in Columbus. 

 

Jones is the finance director for U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson’s campaign committee, as well as president of Campaign Consulting Group, LLC. She began her work for Isakson in Washington as a member of his U.S. House staff in 1999. Previously, Jones worked for Jerry Pair and Associates as a sales representative. She is a member of the National Society of Colonial Dames and is a former member of the Junior League of Atlanta. In 2006, she was named as one of the “40 under 40” by Georgia Trend Magazine. Jones earned a bachelor’s degree from Auburn University. She resides in Atlanta. 

 

Mayo currently serves as a state representative for 84th District. He is a residential real estate broker and small business owner. He is board chairman of the Cedar Grove High School Career Technology Advisory Council and is a board member of Arthink DeKalb. He is a member of Ray of Hope Christian Church. Mayo earned a bachelor’s degree from Howard University. He resides in Decatur. 

 

Mullis currently serves as a state senator representing the 53rd District. He works to promote economic development in northwest Georgia. He is chairman of the Senate Rules Committee, the Senate Music Committee and the Halls of Fame Joint Committee. He is a recipient of the Champion of Georgia Cities award from the Georgia Municipal Association, Legislative Service Award from the Association County Commissioners of Georgia, and the Zell Miller Public Policy Leadership Award from the Georgia Economic Development Association. He and his wife, Teresa, have three children. They reside in Chickamauga. 

 

Waldrop retired from the U.S. Army after 20 years of active duty as a lieutenant colonel in 1980. He is a former public safety director and city manager for the City of Rockmart. He currently serves on the Rockmart Development Authority. Previously, he served as president of the Butts County Chamber, Rockmart Chamber, Rockmart-Polk County Rotary Club, as charter president of the Jackson-Butts County Rotary Club, as a member of the Georgia Board of Corrections and the North Georgia College Alumni Committee. Waldrop earned a bachelor’s degree from North Georgia College, a master’s degree from Michigan State University, and is a graduate of the FBI National Academy. He and his wife, Barbara, have two children and four grandchildren. They reside in Rockmart. 

 

Golden began his law enforcement career in 1987 and has served as chief of police for Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College since 1992. He is a member of the Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police, the Georgia Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators, and the Georgia State Intelligence Network. Golden earned a bachelor’s degree in History from North Georgia College and a master’s degree in Public Administration from Columbus State University. He is a graduate of Columbus State University’s Georgia Law Enforcement Command College. He and his wife, Cathy, have two children. They reside in Tifton. 

 

Hyman is currently the training coordinator with the Tifton Police Department. He has served in various capacities including patrol officer, deputy sheriff, detective and field training officers’ supervisor with the department during his 30-year career. He is chairman of the Tift County Recreation Department Advisory Committee and president of the Georgia Crime Prevention Association. He was honored as Police Officer of the Year in 1990, 1996 and 2000. He earned an associate’s degree from Abraham Baldwin Agriculture College and is a graduate of the FBI National Academy and Georgia Command College. He has two children and resides in Tifton. 

 

Johnson has been employed with the Atlanta Police Department for the past 28 years and is currently assigned as the unit commander of the K9/EOD Unit at Hartsfield Jackson International Airport. She is a former member of the Atlanta Police Department SWAT team, where she served 21 years. She is a master instructor (firearms, shotgun and DT instructor) for the police department as well as a master TASER instructor and bomb technician. Johnson earned a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice from Georgia State University and a master’s degree in Business and Public Administration from the University of Phoenix. She has one son and resides in Ellenwood. 

 

Greenlea Taylor has practiced dentistry in both the public and private sectors for the past 22 years. She currently has a private practice in Union City. She has served as speaker of the house for the National Dental Association and is a past president of the North Georgia Dental Society. She is a member of the Georgia Dental Society, the American Dental Association, the Georgia Dental Association, the American Association of Public Health Dentistry and the Georgia Public Health Association. She has served as a consultant to the Department of Health and Human Services. Greenlea Taylor earned a bachelor’s degree from Prairie View A&M University, a Dental degree from the University of Iowa and completed her residency at Emory University. She resides in Atlanta.

 

Tully serves as fire chief of the Colquitt Miller Fire EMS Department, where he has been the chief for 31 years. He is a past president of the Georgia Association of Fire Chiefs and currently serves as secretary. Tully is a deacon at Colquitt Freewill Baptist Church. He and his wife, Cindy, have three children. They reside in Colquitt. 

 

Revenew is chief of police for the City of Pooler. He is a U.S. Army veteran and served as a military policeman at Hunter Army AirField in Savannah. He currently serves as chairman of the Savannah Technical College Police Academy Advisory Board and the Savannah-Chatham 911 Advisory Board. Revenew earned a bachelor’s degree in Criminology from Saint Leo University and a master’s degree in Public Administration from the Georgia Southern University. He is a graduate of the 166th Session of the FBI National Academy. He and his wife, Kathleen, have two children. They reside in Pooler. 

 

Talton retired as the intake coordinator for the South Metro Psychological Education Program with the Clayton County Board of Education after 35 years of service. She earned both a bachelor’s and master’s degree from the University of Georgia, and a specialist's degree in Leadership and Learning Disabilities from West Georgia University. She resides in Decatur. 

 

Austin has chaired the Paulding County Commission since January of 2009. He is vice chairman of the Northwest Georgia Regional Commission and the Cobb-Marietta Water Authority, and he serves on the board of the Association County Commissioners of Georgia, ACCG-IRMA Board, Paulding County Chamber of Commerce, Paulding County Hospital Authority, Paulding County Airport Authority, and the Paulding County Industrial Building Authority. He is a graduate of West Georgia College, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in Marketing and Management. He and his wife, Jane, have one child and two grandchildren. They reside in Dallas. 

 

Dover is the owner of Avanti Salon in Alto. She has been a master cosmetologist for 13 years. She is a certified color educator and has taught in a classroom setting for more than seven years. She and her husband, Casey, have two children. They reside in Habersham County.