Deal appoints 17 to boards

Avery D. Niles, Georgia State Council for Interstate Juvenile Supervision

Niles currently serves as commissioner of the Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice. He is a former warden of the Hall County Correctional Institute and commander of the Hall County Detention Center. Niles earned a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice from Columbus State University. He is a graduate of the FBI National Academy, Georgia Law Enforcement Command College and Georgia Police Academy. He and his wife, Charlene, reside in Gainesville with their daughter and god-daughter. 

Phyllis M. Hall, Georgia State Council for Interstate Juvenile Supervision

Hall is currently the deputy compact administrator with the Georgia Interstate Compact Office. She has been employed with the state of Georgia for more than 28 years at the Department of Juvenile Justice. Hall earned a bachelor’s degree from Morris Brown College. She currently resides in Austell.

Jordan Greenbaum, Georgia State Council for Interstate Juvenile Supervision

Greenbaum is the medical director of the Stephanie Blank Center for Safe and Healthy Children at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. She works in the field of child maltreatment, providing medical evaluations at Children’s Healthcare and conducting trainings locally and abroad. She is a past-president of the American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children. Greenbaum earned a medical degree from Yale Medical School and is board-certified in Anatomic and Forensic Pathology. She and her husband, Laurence, reside in Atlanta.

Martha T. Nesbitt, Nonpublic Postsecondary Education Commission

Nesbitt retired as president of Gainesville State College in 2012. She serves on the board of directors of the Northeast Georgia Health System, the Elachee Nature-Science Center and Lakeview Academy. She is active with the Greater Hall Chamber of Commerce and is a past-president of the Gainesville Rotary Club. In 2006 she was named President of the Year by the American Association for Women in Community Colleges and in 2009 she received the Turknett Leadership Character Award in Education. Nesbitt earned a bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Duke University and a Ph.D. from Georgia State University. She and her husband, Pete, have two children and three grandchildren. They reside in Gainesville.

Thomas P. Godfrey, Georgia Board of Dentistry (reappointment)

Godfrey maintains a private practice in the Buckhead community of Atlanta. He attended Emory University and received a dental degree from the Medical College of Georgia. Godfrey is a dental testing examiner and holds memberships in many professional organizations. He and his wife, Kelly, have two children. They reside in Atlanta.

Hany Y. Atallah, Joint Study Committee on Violence against Health Care Workers

Atallah is chief and medical director of Emergency Medicine for Grady Health System. He is an assistant professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine at Emory University School of Medicine. He is a member of the Eastern Association for Surgery of Trauma, the American College of Physician Executives and is a fellow of the American College Emergency Physicians. He was the recipient of the 2013 Physician of the Year award by the Georgia Association of Physician Assistants. Attallah earned a medical degree from New York Medical College. He and his wife, Louise, have two children. They reside in Marietta.

Anita L. Echols, Joint Study Committee on Violence against Health Care Workers

Echols is currently the director of the Emergency Department, Primecare and Respiratory Services at Habersham Medical Center. Her nursing background includes experience in critical and emergency care, departmental management and administration. Echols holds a bachelor’s degree in Nursing. She and her husband, Brian, have two children. They reside in Clarkesville.

Versie E. Davis, Joint Study Committee on Violence against Health Care Workers

Davis is the director of Crisis Stabilization programs and the Addictive Disease Residential program at View Point Health. She is a clinical nurse specialist. Davis earned a master’s degree in Nursing from Lehman College. She her husband, Jimmy, have two children. They reside in Lawrenceville.

Quentin L. Jude, Joint Study Committee on Violence against Health Care Workers

Jude is chief of police for the Medical Center of Central Georgia Police Department. He serves on the Criminal Justice Advisory Board for Central Georgia Technical College and is a board member for CGR Credit Union. Jude is P.O.S.T certified and holds a Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police Executive Certificate. He and his wife, Jackie, have one son and one daughter. They reside in Macon.

Kay Hall, Joint Study Committee on Violence against Health Care Workers

Hall has been an emergency department nurse for more than 33 years. She currently serves as the emergency department operations manager for the North Georgia Health System. She is chair of the Lanier Tech Advisory Committee and has held several offices in the Metro Atlanta Chapter of the Emergency Nurses Association. She is the recipient of the 2014 AJC Excellence in Nursing Award. Hall earned a bachelor’s degree in Nursing and a master’s degree in Healthcare Administration from Brenau University. She has two adult children and resides in Hall county.

Patricia S. King, Joint Study Committee on Emergency Relocation of Abused Adults

King is the team leader for the Department of Human Services Division of Aging Services, Forensic Special Investigation Unit. She is a P.O.S.T. certified forensic nurse with expertise in the area of the abuse of at-risk adults to include suspicious deaths. She is co-facilitator of the GBI At-Risk Adult Abuse Working Group and the facilitator for the Georgia Multi-Departmental Abuse, Neglect & Exploitation Workgroup. King is a member of the International Association of Forensic Nurses. She has authored many articles related to issues of at-risk adult abuse and has presented locally and nationally on the topic. She and her husband, Mark, reside in Duluth.

Barbara J. Baxter, Joint Study Committee on Emergency Relocation of Abused Adults

Baxter has been a licensed nursing home administrator for more than 30 years. She currently serves as the nursing home administrator for Woodstock Nursing & Rehabilitation Center. She serves on the Georgia Health Care Association Board. Baxter earned a bachelor’s degree from Covenant College. She and her husband, Helmut, have one son.  

Greg Tanner, Joint Study Committee on Emergency Relocation of Abused Adults

Tanner currently serves as the state director of AARP Georgia. For the past 13 years, he has lead efforts at AARP in various leadership roles in Pennsylvania and most recently in Georgia in the areas of consumer protection, multiculturalism and utilities. He has worked with the North Carolina Attorney General’s office and the North Carolina Secretary of State’s office to educate North Carolinians on identity theft and investment fraud. He also served on the boards of AT&T and United Way. He is a native of Durham, North Carolina and attended North Carolina Central University. He resides in Cobb County.  

Terrell L. West, Employee Benefit Plan Council

West is a 29-year employee with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources and currently serves as the director of Administrative Services. He is a lifetime member of the Peace Officers Association of Georgia and is an appointed member of the U.S. Coast Guard National Boating Safety Advisory Council. West earned a bachelor’s degree in Accounting from Oglethorpe University and a master’s degree in Public Administration from Columbus State University. He and his wife, Cheryl, have six children and one grandson. 

John C. Bostwick , IV, Georgia Firefighter Standards and Training Council

Bostwick is currently serving his fourth term as Mayor of Bostwick. He is the owner of five nationally-branded franchise restaurants and farms land located in Morgan County. Bostwick earned a bachelor's degree in Agricultural Economics from the University of Georgia. He and his wife, Tricia, have two children. They reside in Bostwick.

L. Allyn Stockton, Jr., Mountain Circuit Public Defender Supervisory Council

Stockton is a practicing attorney in Clayton. He has served as county attorney for Rabun County since 2000, is past-president of the Mountain Judicial Circuit Bar Association and is a past-class member, program chair and board of trustees member for Leadership Georgia. Stockton earned a bachelor's degree from Southern Tech in Civil Engineering and a law degree from John Marshall Law School. He has one son and one daughter. They reside in Clayton.

Eric W. Norris, Western Circuit Public Defender Supervisory Council

Norris has served as Oconee’s county administrator since 2000 and as chief magistrate judge since 2005. He recently began his 29th year of service with the Georgia Army National Guard, where he holds the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and is assigned to the Office of the Inspector General. He is past-president of the Western Circuit Bar Association and currently serves on the 10th Judicial District Alternative Dispute Resolution board and the Chief Justice’s Judicial Workload Assignments Committee. Norris earned a bachelor’s degree from North Georgia College and a law degree from Regent University. He and his wife, Jennifer, have two children. They reside in Watkinsville.