Deal appoints three to boards

Emily Brantley, Division of Family and Children Services State Advisory Board
Brantley was elected to the Gwinnett County State Court bench in 2012 and oversees its DUI Accountability Court. Brantley sits on the board of directors of the Gwinnett Coalition and the Women’s Advisory Board for Gwinnett Medical Center. She is a member of the Rotary Club of Gwinnett County and the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce. Brantley and her husband received the Community Foundation for Northeast Georgia’s 2014 Philanthropic Leadership Award and she was named the 2015 Citizen of the Year by the Northeast Georgia Council of the Boy Scouts of America. Brantley earned a bachelor’s degree from Pfeiffer University and a law degree from Georgia State University. She and her husband, Frank, have three children. They reside in Suwanee.

Barbara Sims, Division of Family and Children Services State Advisory Board
Sims represents the 123rd District in the Georgia General Assembly and chairs the State Properties House Committee. Previously, she was an educator and a commissioner for Augusta-Richmond County. Sims is active in the Medical College of Georgia Foundation and the CSRA Alliance for Fort Gordon. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Education from the University of Georgia and is a trustee at Augusta University. Sims has two children and four grandchildren. She lives in Augusta. 

Paul Freeman, Sexual Offender Registration Review Board (reappointment)
Freeman retired as a Victim Specialist with the FBI Atlanta Field Office and is a licensed professional counselor. He previously sat on the board of directors for the National Organization for Victim Assistance and the Georgia Council on Elder Abuse. He was also a member of the National Victim Assistance Standards Review Consortium. Freeman earned a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in Counseling and Human Services from Florida State University. He and his wife, Vikki, live in Atlanta.