Deal appoints 22 to boards

Bob Pierce, Board of Driver Services
Pierce is the public relations and special projects coordinator for the Cobb County Superior Court. He previously served with the Cobb County and Fulton County Public Safety Departments. Pierce is the founder and president of the Cobb Police Foundation and sat on the executive board of the Cobb County Fraternal Order of Police for more than 20 years. He is an honorary member of the Cobb County Bar Association. Pierce received the Distinguished Service Award from the Cobb County Chamber of Commerce in 2012. He and has two children and six grandchildren and resides in Marietta.

David Allen, D.D.S., Board of Governors of the George L. Smith II Georgia World Congress Center Authority
Allen is the founder and retired CEO of Oral Surgery Associates. He is the founding chairman and chairman emeritus of the Georgia Natural Resources Foundation. Allen sits on the board of trustees of Emory University and the board of directors of Emory Healthcare. He is a member of the Atlanta Rotary Club. Allen is a past president of the Georgia Dental Association, the American Board of Oral Surgery and the Southeastern Society of Oral Surgeons. He served as a Medical Officer with the U.S. Marine Corps. Allen earned a doctoral degree in Dental Surgery from Emory University. He has three children and two grandchildren and lives in Social Circle.

Ellen Golden, Board of Trustees of the Judicial Retirement System of Georgia
Golden is a state court judge in Lowndes County. She previously practiced law as a partner of Ryan & Golden, LLC. Golden is a member of the Legislative and Accountability Court committees of the Council of State Court Judges and sits on the board of directors for the Walter F. George School of Law Alumni Association. She is a past chair of the board of directors for the Children’s Advocacy Center of Lowndes County and previously sat on the board of directors for the Children’s Advocacy Centers of Georgia. She earned a bachelor’s degree from Valdosta State University and a law degree from Mercer University. Golden and her husband, Tim, have one child and reside in Valdosta.

David Botts, Criminal Justice Reform Council
Botts is a criminal defense lawyer. He is a member of the Georgia Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. Botts is also a member of the Atlanta Bar Association, the Georgia Bar Association and the American Bar Association. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Finance and a law degree from the University of Georgia. Botts and his wife, Betty, have two children. They live in Atlanta.

David Dunn, Criminal Justice Reform Council
Dunn is the public defender for the Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit. He was previously the secretary of the Georgia Public Defender Standards Council (GPDSC) and the chief assistant district attorney for the Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit. Dunn was awarded the GPDSC Gideon Award for outstanding achievement in indigent defense. He earned a bachelor’s degree and a law degree from the University of Georgia. Dunn and his wife, Melanie, have two children. They reside in Ringgold. 

George Hartwig, Criminal Justice Reform Council
Hartwig is the district attorney for the Houston County Judicial Circuit. He is a member of the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council and the District Attorneys’ Association of Georgia. Hartwig earned a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice from the University of Florida and a law degree from Mercer University. He and his wife, Margaret, have two children. They live in Centerville. 

Carey Miller, Criminal Justice Reform Council
Miller is the deputy executive counsel and public safety policy advisor in the Office of the Governor. He was previously the senior managing editor of the Georgia Journal of International and Comparative Law and president of the Student Bar Association at the University of Georgia School of Law. Miller earned a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and a law degree from the University of Georgia. He resides in Decatur. 

Leon Grant, Professional Standards Commission
Grant is a pre-engineering teacher at Marietta High School and a U.S. Marine Corps veteran. He was named the 2016 Employee of the Year by Marietta City Schools and received a 2015 Educator Award from DiscoverE Education. Grant earned a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering and a master’s degree in Christian Education and Biblical Studies from Dallas Theological Seminary. Grant and his wife, Vickie, have three children and one grandchild. They live in Acworth.

David Scheible, REACH Foundation Board
Scheible is an advising partner for Clayton Dubilier and Rice, LLC. He was previously the CEO and board chairman of Graphic Packaging Holding. Scheible was named the 2015 Papermaker of the Year by PaperAge Magazine. He sits on the boards of directors for Benchmark Electronics, Inc., the Cancer Treatment Centers of America and the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce. Scheible is a past chairman of the American Forest and Paper Association. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry and a master’s degree in Business Administration from Purdue University. Scheible and his wife, Mary Ruth, have three children and reside in Atlanta. 

Lillie Crowe, State Board for the Certification of Librarians (reappointment)
Crowe is the director of the Bartram Trail Regional Library System. She is a member of the Central Savannah River Area Regional Educational Service Agency. Crowe earned a bachelor’s degree from Georgia College and State University and a master’s degree in Library and Information Science from the University of South Carolina. She and her husband, Donald, have two children and four grandchildren. They live in Greensboro. 

Judy Dyer, State Board for the Certification of Librarians (reappointment)
Dyer is a retired research librarian with more than 20 years of experience in corporate, academic, public and nonprofit libraries. She is currently employed in the Office of the Governor. Dyer is the author of “Vegetarianism: An Annotated Bibliography,” which was named to the Library Journal’s “Sci-Tech Books of 1982: 100 Outstanding Titles” list and Choice Magazine’s “Outstanding Academic Books of 1982-1983” list. She earned a bachelor’s degree in English and a master’s degree in Library and Information Science from the University of Tennessee. Dyer and her husband, Dan, have two children. They reside in Peachtree Corners.

Linda Most, State Board for the Certification of Librarians (reappointment)
Most is an associate professor and head of the Department of Library and Information Studies at Valdosta State University. She was previously a reference librarian at the Enoch Pratt Free Library and a business reference librarian for the Palm Beach County Library System. Most sits on the board of directors of the South Georgia Regional Library System and is a member of the Valdosta Symphony Guild. She earned a bachelor’s degree from Goucher College, a master’s degree in History from Florida Atlantic University and a master’s degree and doctoral degree in Library and Information Science from Florida State University. Most lives in Valdosta. 

Julia Skinner, Ph.D., State Board for the Certification of Librarians 
Skinner is the rare books curator for Kennesaw State University. She is the author of a scholarly book and co-author of 18 scholarly publications. Skinner is a member of the Beta Phi Mu honor society. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and a master’s degree in Library and Information Science from the University of Iowa and a doctoral degree in Information Studies from Florida State University. Skinner resides in Atlanta.

Susan Blank, M.D., State Commission on Narcotic Treatment Programs
Blank is the founder and chief medical officer of the Atlanta Healing Center and president of the Georgia Society of Addiction Medicine. She sits on the boards of directors for the Council on Alcohol and Drugs and Let’s Be Clear Georgia. Blank is a diplomate of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, the American Board of Addiction Medicine and the American Board of Antiaging and Regenerative Medicine. Blank is a fellow of the American Board of Forensic Examiners, the American Psychiatric Association, the American Society of Addiction Medicine and the American Academy of Antiaging and Regenerative Medicine. She earned a medical degree from the Medical College of Georgia. Blank and her husband, Russell, have six children and seven grandchildren. They live in Snellville. 

Jeff Sikes, State Commission on Narcotic Treatment Programs
Sikes is the CEO of 1st America Infusion Services. He is also a co-owner of Treatment Centers of America. Sikes was awarded the Innovative Pharmacy Practice Award by the Georgia Pharmacy Association. He sits on the Lowndes-Valdosta Airport Authority. Sikes earned a bachelor’s degree in Pharmacy from the University of Georgia. He and his wife, Jenny, have two children and two grandchildren. They reside in Valdosta. 

Gary Sisk, State Commission on Narcotic Treatment Programs
Sisk is the sheriff of Catoosa County. He has more than 28 years of experience in public service and was a deputy in the Catoosa County Sheriff’s Office for more than 20 years. Sisk and his wife, Meredith, have two children and live in Ringgold.

Ryan Chandler, State Commission on Petroleum Pipelines
Chandler is the vice president of business development for Colonia Group, Inc. He is the immediate past chairman of Junior Achievement of Georgia’s coastal region and sits on the organization’s board of directors. Chandler also sits on the board of governors for the Bethesda Academy. He is a vestry member and junior warden of Christ Church Episcopal. Chandler earned a bachelor’s degree in Finance, a master’s degree in Business and a law degree from the University of Florida. Chandler and his wife, Victoria, have three children. They reside in Savannah.

Mike Clanton, State Commission on Petroleum Pipelines
Clanton is the vice president of the land department for Georgia Power. He sits on the board of the Georgia Natural Resources Foundation. Clanton previously sat on the boards of directors for the American Red Cross, the United Way, the Georgia Southern University Foundation, the Cherokee Council of the Boy Scouts of America and the Southeast Energy Efficiency Alliance. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Finance from Valdosta State University. Clanton has one child and three grandchildren and lives in Atlanta.

Wade Hall, State Commission on Petroleum Pipelines
Hall is the president and CEO of Stuckey Timberland, Inc. He sits on the boards of the Citizens Corporation, Citizens Bank of Eastman and the Georgia Forestry Association. Hall is a past chairman of the Georgia Forestry Association and the Georgia Forestry Foundation. He earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Georgia. Hall and his wife, Vanessa, have two children and reside in Eastman.

Brian Nipper, State Commission on Petroleum Pipelines
Nipper is the mayor of Odum and president of Nipper Construction Company, Inc. He was previously a member of the Odum City Council for more than ten years. Nipper and his wife, Della, have two children. They live in Odum.

Robert Ramsay, State Commission on Petroleum Pipelines
Ramsay is the president of the Georgia Conservancy. He is a past president of the American Fly Fishing Trade Association and was a development executive for the Nature Conservancy of Georgia. Ramsay is a member of the Institute for Georgia Environmental Leadership and was named one of the 100 Most Influential Georgians by Georgia Trend Magazine. He earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Georgia. Ramsay and his wife, Tami, have two children. They reside in Athens. 

Shan Cooper, Technical College System of Georgia Board
Cooper is the chief supply chain and technology officer of WestRock. She was previously vice president and general manager of Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company. Cooper was named the 2015 Most Respected Business Leader and one of the Most Influential Georgians for five consecutive years by Georgia Trend Magazine. She sits on the boards of the Metro Atlanta Chamber, the Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education and the board of trustees of Emory University. Cooper earned bachelor’s degrees in Biology and Religion and a master’s degree in Business Administration from Emory University. She also earned a master’s degree in Human Resource Management from Rutgers University. Cooper and her husband, Eddie, have one child and one grandchild. They live in Marietta.