Deal appoints eight to boards

Beth English, Disability Services Ombudsman Nominating Committee
English is the executive director of Easter Seals Southern Georgia. She was president of the Georgia Municipal Association, and she is a former member of the Governor’s Council on Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities and Substance Abuse. English is a member of the Vienna City Council and serves as mayor pro tem. She earned an associate’s degree from Abraham Baldwin College and a bachelor’s and master’s degree from Valdosta State University. English and her husband, Steven, have one child and two grandchildren. They reside in Vienna.

Eve Byrd, Disability Services Ombudsman Nominating Committee
Byrd is on the Emory School of Nursing faculty and is the executive director of the Fuqua Center for Late-Life Depression at Emory University School of Medicine, Division of Geriatric Psychiatry. She is a family nurse practitioner and psychiatric clinical nurse specialist. Byrd is on the board of directors for Community Friendship, Inc. and the American Association of Geriatric Psychiatry. She was on the board of directors for the Georgia Supportive Housing Association and Mental Health America of Georgia. Byrd earned bachelor’s degrees in Psychology and Nursing from Florida State University, a master’s degree in Psychosocial Nursing from Florida State University and a master’s degree in Public Health from Emory University. She and her husband, Eugene, have two children. They reside in Decatur.

Vernon Keenan, Disability Services Ombudsman Nominating Committee
Keenan is the director of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. He is a member of the Private Detective and Security Agencies Board and the executive committee of the International Association of Chiefs of Police. Keenan earned a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice from Valdosta State University and a master’s degree in Public Administration from Columbus State University. He and his wife, Joan, have two sons. They reside in Ball Ground.

Emile Risby, Disability Services Ombudsman Nominating Committee
Risby is the medical director at the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities and a colonel in the U.S. Army Reserves Medical Corps. He previously held positions with Georgia Regional Hospital at Atlanta, Grady Memorial Hospital, DeKalb County Crisis Services and the DeKalb County Jail. Risby earned a medical degree from Emory University. He and his wife, Joanne, have four children. They reside in Lithonia. 

Lon Kemeness, Department of Community Supervision Advisory Board
Kemeness is a criminal defense attorney in South Georgia. He is a member of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, the Georgia Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and was president of the Tifton Bar Association. Kemeness is also a high school coach for the State Bar’s Mock Trial program. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Ohio Wesleyan University and a law degree from John Marshall Law School. Kemeness and his wife, Paula, have two children. They reside in Tifton.

Steve Page, Department of Community Supervision Advisory Board
Page is the chief executive officer of Georgia Probation Management. He is a former member of the County and Municipal Probation Advisory Council. Page earned bachelors’ degrees in Criminal Justice and Public Administration from Brenau University. He and his wife, Leslie, have three children. They reside in Cumming.

Michael Terrell, Department of Community Supervision Advisory Board
Terrell is the chief state court probation officer for Coweta County. He is a member of the Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police, the American Probation and Parole Association and the Georgia Probation Association. He previously served on the County and Municipal Probation Advisory Council. Terrell earned a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice from the University of West Georgia. He and his wife, Elizabeth, have two children. They reside in Newnan.

Lee Tucker, Board of Commissioners of the Georgia Student Finance Commission
Tucker is a partner at Mahaffey Pickens Tucker, LLP. He is a member of the State Bar of Georgia and serves on the board of directors for several business and community organizations. Tucker earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Georgia and a law degree from Georgia State University. Tucker and his wife, Stanna, have three children. They reside in Peachtree Corners.