Deal appoints 12 to boards
Kevin Little, Board of the Georgia County Leadership Academy
Little is the chair of the Walton County Board of Commissioners. He previously worked with the Georgia Department of Transportation and Walton County. Little was previously the president of the Association of County Commissioners of Georgia and was the chairman of the Northeast Georgia Regional Commission. He serves on the Board of Community Supervision. Little earned bachelor’s degree in Public Administration and Political Science from Georgia College & State University. He and his wife, Wendy, have four children. They reside in Monroe.
Dale Provenzano, Board of the Georgia County Leadership Academy
Provenzano is member of the Glynn County Board of Commissioners. Before his retirement, he worked in senior management for Six Flags and Marriott Hotels. Provenzano served as the president of the Colonial Coast Travel Association and the vice president and at-large director of the Georgia Hospitality Travel Association. He has also served as the chairman and vice chairman of the Glynn County Board of Commissioners and the Joint Water Sewer Commission. Provenzano earned a bachelor’s degree in Industrial Management from Georgia Tech. He and his wife, Ellen, have two children and two grandchildren. They reside in St. Simons.
Chase Daughtrey, Board of Commissioners of the Judges of the Probate Court Retirement Fund of Georgia
Daughtrey is the judge of the Probate Court of Cook County. He was previously a field representative to U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson and the deputy chief of staff to Majority Leader Jerry Keen. Daughtrey sits on the board of trustees for Cook Medical Center and was previously the president of the Council of Probate Court Judges. He and his wife, Kendal, have two children. They reside in Lenox.
Bonita Barker, Georgia Composite Board of Professional Counselors, Social Workers & Marriage and Family Therapists
Barker is a licensed professional counselor. She is a member of the Licensed Profession al Counselors Association of Georgia and served as legislative chair for the association. Barker is the vice chair of the Forsyth Convention & Visitors Bureau and chair of the Forsyth Main Street & Downtown Development Authority. She earned a bachelor’s degrees in Dental Hygiene and Secondary Education from Ohio State University, a master’s degree in Health Occupations from the University of Georgia and a master’s degree in Community Counseling from Georgia State University. Barker and her husband, David, have two children and seven grandchildren. They reside in Forsyth.
Jackie Gibbs, Georgia Firefighter Standards and Training Council (reappointment)
Gibbs is the fire chief of Marietta. He sits on the board of directors of the Georgia Association of Fire Chiefs, a former board member of the International Association of Fire Chiefs and a former member of the Cobb County Commission on Children and Youth. He has received the Fire Chief of the Year Award, the Governor’s Public Safety Award and the International Code Council Fire Service Award. Gibbs earned an associate’s degree in Fire Science Technology and a bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering Technology from Southern Polytechnic State University. He and his wife, Barbara, have one child and one grandchild. They reside in Marietta.
Randy Toms, Georgia Firefighter Standards and Training Council
Toms is the mayor of Warner Robins. He retired as a lieutenant after 27 years of service with the Warner Robins Fire Departmen. Toms is a member of the Houston County Board of Health and the 21st Century Partnership Executive Committee. He earned an associate’s degree from Georgia Military College. Toms and his wife, Jane, have two children and five grandchildren. They reside in Warner Robins.
Steven Wirth, Georgia Firefighter Standards and Training Council (reappointment)
Wirth is the fire chief and EMA director of Heard County Fire & Emergency Services. He was previously the fire chief of the Paris Fire Department in Paris, Illinois. Wirth sits on the Heard County Hospital Authority Board, the advisory board for the Fire Science Degree and Emergency Medical Services Program at West Georgia Technical College and the Region 4 EMS Advisory Committee. He earned an associate’s degree in Fire Science from John Woods Community College and a bachelor’s degree in Fire Service Management from Southern Illinois University. Wirth and his wife, Mary, have two children and four grandchildren. They reside in Franklin.
Paul Brower, Georgia Real Estate Commission (reappointment)
Brower is an associate broker at Harry Norman Realtors. He was previously the Vice President of Corporate Relations for Gold Kist Inc. He is a member of the Atlanta Board of Realtors and the Association of Real Estate License Law Officials. Brower was the chairman of the board of governors of the Georgia Public Policy Foundation, the board of trustees of the Farm Foundation and the Georgia Agribusiness Council. He is the director of the Georgia Association of Realtors and past director of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce and the Georgia Council on Economic Education. He and his wife, Sheila, reside in Marietta.
Jodie Shepard, Georgia Real Estate Commission
Shepard is a retired registered nurse and is currently a licensed realtor and associate broker. Shepard sits on the board of directors of the Newnan Coweta Board of Realtors, the Georgia State Golf Association and the Coweta Sports Hall of Fame. She is a state director for the Georgia Association of Realtors and a member of the National Association of Realtors. Shepard was named the 2015 Realtor of the Year and a Life Member of the Million Dollar Club by the Newnan Coweta Board of Realtors. She and her husband, Neal, have three children and three grandchildren. They reside in Newnan.
Mike Long, State Board of Education (reappointment)
Long is the owner of the Michael Long Insurance Agency. He is a past chair of the Wayne County Chamber of Commerce, the Franklin D. Roosevelt Warm Springs Memorial Advisory Committee and the Georgia Rehabilitation Association. He served on the Jesup Elementary School Council and works with several Junior Achievement programs in the Wayne County School System. Long earned a bachelor’s degree in Human Services from Wingate University. He and his wife, Jeannie, have two children. They reside in Jesup.
Nancy Kennedy, State Board of Funeral Service (reappointment)
Kennedy is a retired educator. She is a member of the Hancock County Farm Bureau, the Georgia Retired Educators Association and Devereux United Methodist Church. She earned a bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in English and History from Georgia College and State University. Kennedy and her husband, Jimmy, have two children and three grandchildren. They reside in Devereux.
Robert Pollard, State Forestry Commission (reappointment)
Pollard is the president of Pollard Lumber Co., Inc. and Pollard Land Co., Inc. He is the chairman of the Southeastern Bank Financial Corporation and the vice chairman of the Georgia Bank & Trust Co. Pollard sits on the boards of the Southeastern Lumber Manufacturers Association and the Georgia Forestry Association. He is a deacon at Kiokee Baptist Church. Pollard earned a bachelor’s degree in Forest Resources from the University of Georgia. He and his wife, Tricia, have three children and six grandchildren. They reside in Appling.