Deal appoints 18 to boards

J. Mike Greene, State Commission on Family Violence

Greene is the Jones County Probate Court chief magistrate. He is on the board of trustees of the Probate Judges Retirement Fund of Georgia and the executive committees of the Council of Probate Court Judges and the Council of Magistrate Court Judges. Greene is also a member of the National College of Probate Court Judges. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Georgia College and State University. He and his wife, Julie, have one child and one grandchild. They reside in Gray.

David Sweat, State Commission on Family Violence

Sweat is the Western Judicial Circuit chief judge and presides over the Western Circuit Treatment and Accountability Mental Health Court. He is the chair of the Uniform Rules Committee of the Council of Superior Court Judges. Sweat earned a bachelor’s degree from Augusta College and a law degree from the University of Georgia. He and his wife, Kay, have two children. They reside in Athens.

Joe C. Bishop, State Commission on Family Violence

Bishop is the Pataula Judicial Circuit chief judge. He is a past president of the Council of Superior Court Judges. Bishop was a panelist on the Morehouse College Town Meeting “Engaging Men in Stopping Violence Against Women” in 2011. He also volunteers as a counselor at the American Legion Georgia Boys State and Boys Nation programs. Bishop earned a bachelor’s degree from Valdosta State University and a law degree from the University of Georgia. He and his wife, Carol, have three children and one grandchild. They reside in Terrell County.

Katherine Lumsden, State Commission on Family Violence

Lumsden is a Houston Superior Court judge. She oversees the Day Reporting Center-Lite program for substance abuse offenders and is working to implement a mental health court in the Houston County Circuit. Lumsden earned a bachelor’s degree from Florida State University and a law degree from Mercer University. She and her husband, Derek, have two children. They reside in Perry.

Jessica Nunan, State Commission on Family Violence

Nunan is the executive director of Caminar Latino. She previously worked on the Georgia Latino Complete Count Committee for the U.S. Census and is a member of the Casa de Esperanza National Policy Advisory Council. Nunan earned a bachelor's degree in Psychology from Berry College and a master’s degree in Social Work from Georgia State University. She and her husband, Dmitri, have one son. They reside in Tucker.

Jeffrey Kight, State Commission on Family Violence

Kight is a Waycross Judicial Circuit Superior Court judge. He is the chairman of the Waycross Judicial Circuit Domestic Violence Task Force and is a member and past president of the board of directors of Kids’ Chance of Georgia, Inc. Kight earned a bachelor’s degree and law degree from Mercer University. He and his wife, Walda, have two children. They reside in in Douglas.

Jeannette Lewis Little, State Commission on Family Violence

Little is a Troup County State Court judge. She is a past president of the Council of State Court Judges and has served as a member of Judicial Council. Little received the annual Ogden Dorcmus Award from the Council of State Court Judges in 2003 and was awarded a Distinguished Service Award from the Council in 2011. She earned a law degree from Mercer University. Little and her husband, Randy, have two children. They reside in LaGrange.

Steven E. Hatfield, State Commission on Family Violence

Hatfield is the deputy director for the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council. He is a member of the National Criminal Justice Association and is on the Georgia Interstate Commission for Adult Offender Supervision. Hatfield earned a bachelor’s degree in Accounting from the University of West Georgia. He and his wife, Marla, have two children. They reside in Cumming.

Melanie S. McNeil, State Commission on Family Violence

McNeil is the Georgia State Long-Term Care Ombudsman. She previously was the manager of Medicaid and Special Populations for Kaiser Permanente in Georgia and the director of Public Policy for the National Association of State Unite on Aging in Washington, D.C. McNeil has also served on the Georgia Council on Aging. She earned a bachelor’s degree from Western Illinois University and a law degree from Georgia State University. McNeil and her husband, Douglas, have two children. They reside in Marietta.

Thomas Smiley, Georgia Aviation Hall of Fame Board

Smiley is the senior pastor for Lakewood Baptist Church. He is on the board of directors of McKibbon Hotel Group and previously served on the Hall County Board of Education’s Sex Education Curriculum Review Committee and the Gainesville Airport Authority. Smiley is a member of Chapter 611 of the Experimental Aircraft Association and Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association. He earned an associate’s degree from Brewton Parker College, a bachelor’s degree from Blue Mountain College, a master’s degree in Divinity from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and a doctorate in Ministry from Columbia Theological Seminary. He and his wife, Terri, have two children and three grandchildren. They reside in Gainesville.

Robin Blount, Statewide Independent Living Council

Blount is the disability community liaison for the Georgia Vocational Rehabilitation Agency. She is a board member for the Association for Persons with Severe Handicaps. Blount is a scout committee chair for the Boy Scouts of America Cub and Scout Troup’s 44. She earned a bachelor’s degree from Brandeis University and a law degree from the University of Georgia. She and her husband, Daryl, have five children. They reside in College Park.

LaJune Elder Oliver, Bariatric Surgery Pilot Program Review Panel

Oliver is the ambulatory medicine assistant program director for quality at the Southeast Permanente Medical Group. She is the lead physician for the comprehensive weight management program at Kaiser Permanente Georgia. Oliver is a member of the Georgia Academy of Family Physicians, Medical Association of Georgia and the Obesity Society. She earned a bachelor’s degree from Emory University and a medical degree from the Medical College of Georgia. Oliver has two children and resides in Atlanta.

Harold L. Kent, Bariatric Surgery Pilot Program Review Panel

Kent is a past president of the Georgia Society of General Surgeons and the Georgia Society of the American College of Surgeons. He is an American College of Surgeons’ Georgia governor and fellow and is the president-elect of the American Society of General Surgeons. Kent serves on the boards of the Georgia Society of the American College of Surgeons, the American Society of General Surgeons, Southeast Georgia Physicians and Premier Surgery Center in Brunswick. He received a bachelor’s degree in Biology from Pittsburg State University in Pittsburg, Kan., and a medical degree from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. Kent completed his postgraduate training in general surgery at the Naval Hospital in San Diego and retired as a Navy Medical Corps Reserve Captain. He and his wife, Hilary, reside on St. Simons Island.

Gerri Ann Robbins, Georgia Composite Board of Professional Counselors, Social Workers & Marriage and Family Therapists

Robbins is the assistant executive director of Union Mission, Inc. She is a clinical member of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapists and is chair of the Coastal Chapter of the Georgia Association for Marriage and Family Therapy. Robbins is an adjunct professor at Columbia College and South University. Robbins earned a bachelor’s degree, a master’s degree and a doctorate from Mercer University. She and her husband, Kris, reside in Pooler.

Mike Yeager, Board of Community Supervision

Yeager is the sheriff of Coweta County. He is the chairman of the Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Council. Yeager is a past president of the Georgia Sheriffs’ Association and the Georgia Sheriff’s Youth Homes. He is also a past recipient of the Georgia Sheriff of the Year award and received the Governor's Public Safety Award for Outstanding Contribution to Profession in 2006. Yeager studied Criminal Justice at West Georgia College and Brenau College. He is a graduate of the Clayton Regional Law Enforcement Academy, the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Law Enforcement Executive Development Program, the National Sheriffs’ Institute, the U.S. Secret Service DPS School and the Georgia Police Academy. He and his wife, Bev, have two children. They reside in Moreland.

Kevin Little, Board of Community Supervision

Little has chaired of the Walton County Commission for the past 15 years. He previously worked with the Georgia Department of Transportation as a traffic and safety engineer in Walton County. Little earned a bachelor’s degree in Public Administration and Political Science from Georgia College and State University. He and his wife, Wendy, have four children. They reside in Monroe.

Sonja Fillingame, Board of Community Supervision

Fillingame is the city manager for Union City. She previously worked as the grants administrator for the City of Sandy Springs, as program director for the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council and as a compliance manager for Gov. Zell Miller. Fillingame also helped establish Georgia’s first Victim Assistance Academy. She earned a bachelor’s degree and master’s degree from Georgia State University. Fillingame and her husband, Edward, have two children. They reside in Dallas.

Ron Mullins, Board of Trustees of the Judicial Retirement System of Georgia

Mullins is a Chattahoochee Judicial Circuit superior court judge. He is a member of the State Bar of Georgia and the Columbus Inns of Court. Mullins is a member and past president of the Columbus Bar Association and is the past president of the Columbus Rotary Club. He earned a bachelor’s degree and law degree from the University of Georgia. He and his wife, Mary, have two grown children. They reside in Midland.