Deal appoints 26 to boards

Chris Clark, Board of Corrections
Clark is the sales manager for Stephens Industries LP. He sits on the boards of directors for the Georgia Construction Aggregate Association and the Georgia Utility Contractors Association Inc. Clark earned a bachelor’s degree from Ohio Wesleyan University. He and his wife, Julie, have two children and live in Cumming.

Mike Coggins, Board of Corrections
Coggins is the director of Agriculture for Generation Farms and the owner of Blackwater Cattle Company. He previously sat on the board of directors for the Alapaha District of the Soil and Water Conservation Commission. Coggins earned an associate degree in Agriculture from Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College. He and his wife, Penny, have two children and reside in Lake Park. 

Dale Mayfield, Board of Dentistry (reappointment)
Mayfield is an executive dental officer for Kool Smiles. He previously spent 10 years in a private dental practice in Decatur. Mayfield is a member of the Academy of General Dentistry, the American Dental Association and the Georgia Dental Association. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Exercise Physiology from Brigham Young University and a dental degree from the Medical College of Georgia. Mayfield has four children and lives in Fayetteville.

Penny Penn, Board of Juvenile Justice
Penn is the district attorney for the Bell-Forsyth Judicial Circuit. She has previous experience with the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office and the Fulton County Public Defender’s Office. Penn earned a bachelor’s degree from Wheaton College and a law degree from Emory University. She resides in Cumming.

Richard Taylor, Board of Trustees of the Public School Employees’ Retirement System (reappointment)
Taylor is a shareholder and an international practice leader with HLB Gross Collins, PC. He is also the owner and president of AVID Wealth Management Group LLC. Taylor sits on the board of directors for HLB-USA and the French American Chamber of Commerce. He also sits on the board of trustees of Andrew College, the board of advisors of the University of Georgia Athletic Association and the board of advisors for the School of Accountancy at Kennesaw State University. Taylor previously sat on the board of directors for North Cobb Christian School and the University of Georgia Alumni Association. He and his wife, Sherrie, have one child and live in Kennesaw.

John “Bart” Mitcham, Georgia Board of Private Detective and Security Agencies (reappointment)
Mitcham is a licensed private detective and the president and owner of the Action Detective Agency. He is a retired naval intelligence and designated flight officer with more than 25 years of service.Mitcham is also a licensed state instructor for private investigators and firearm use. He earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Central Oklahoma and graduated with honors from the Naval Intelligence School. Mitcham and his wife, Mary Diane, reside in Cartersville.

J. Tripp Mitchell, Georgia Board of Private Detective and Security Agencies (reappointment)
Mitchell is a private detective and an adjunct criminal justice instructor. He was previously the chief investigator for the State Court Prosecutor’s Office. Mitchell is a past president of the Georgia Association of Professional Private Investigators. He is a member of the Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police, the Association of Threat Assessment Professionals and the American Society for Industrial Security. Mitchell earned a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice from Mercer University and a master’s degree in Public Administration from Columbus State University. He and his wife, Trish, have one child and live in Villa Rica.

John Villines, Georgia Board of Private Detectives and Security Agencies (reappointment)
Villines is the founder of John C. Villines LLC. He is a member of the American Academy of Criminology, the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences, the International Association of Crime Analysts, the Justice Research Association, the International Society of Crime Prevention Practitioners and the Association of Threat Assessment Professionals. Villines earned a bachelor’s degree in Urban Studies from Georgia State University, a master’s degree in Security Management from Bellevue University and completed post-master’s work in Statistics at Harvard University. He and his wife, Cathy, have one child and one grandchild. They reside in Cleveland.

Timothy Williams, Georgia Board of Private Detectives and Security Agencies
Williams is the director of public safety for Emory Healthcare. He has previous law enforcement experience as a patrol officer and as a criminal investigator. Williams is a member of Atlanta Metropol, the Atlanta Security Council and the Fulton County Public Safety Training Center. He is the technical chair for SkillsUSA Georgia and previously sat on the board of directors for the International Association of Healthcare Safety and Security. Williams earned a bachelor’s degree from Morris Brown College and a master’s degree in Criminal Justice from Troy University. He and his wife, Sabrina, have one child. They live in Fayetteville.

Kathleen Bennett, Georgia Child Fatality Review Panel (reappointment)
Bennett retired as a disabilities and mental health specialist with the Central Savannah River Area Economic Opportunity Authority’s Head Start program. She is an usher, a Eucharistic minister, a lector and a member of the Consolation Ministry at St. Mary on the Hill Catholic Church. Bennett earned a bachelor’s degree in Home Economics from Georgia Southern University and resides in Augusta.

C. LaTain Kell, Georgia Child Fatality Review Panel (reappointment)
Kell is a Superior Court judge in Cobb County. He sits on the board of directors of the Cobb Chamber of Commerce and the Georgia Council on Criminal Justice Reform’s Sentencing subcommittee. Kell sat as a justice-designate on the Supreme Court of Georgia in 2011. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Journalism and a law degree from the University of Georgia. Kell and his wife, Sheri, have one child and live in Marietta.

Paula Sparks, Georgia Child Fatality Review Panel (reappointment)
Sparks is an investigator with the Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Council. She was previously the assistant director of the SafePath Children’s Advocacy Center and served as a major in the Cobb County Police Department. Sparks earned a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice from the University of South Carolina and a master’s degree in Public Administration from Columbus State University. She resides in Kennesaw. 

Ashley Wright, Georgia Child Fatality Review Panel (reappointment)
Wright is the district attorney for Augusta-Richmond County and was previously an assistant prosecutor in the county. She sits on the advisory board for the Salvation Army and the Georgia Cancer Center at Augusta University. Wright earned a bachelor’s degree in English from Randolph-Macon College and a law degree from Mercer University. She lives in Augusta.

Glen Whitley, Georgia Development Authority
Whitley is owner of Whitley Stump Grinding and works for Jackson Electric Membership Co. He owns and operates hay and tree farms in Barrow and Elbert County. Whitley previously served as a firefighter and emergency medical technician. Whitley graduated from Lanier Technical College and Gwinnett Technical College and resides in Bethlehem.

Alfred Barber, Georgia Drivers’ Education Commission
Barber is the president of Barber’s Driving School Inc. and Unity Ministry International Inc. He is a member of Phi Kappa Phi, Beta Gamma Sigma and Phi Beta Delta honor societies. Barber earned a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Columbus State University. He and his wife, Reyna, have four children and seven grandchildren. They live in Fortson.

Elizabeth Graham, Georgia Drivers’ Education Commission (reappointment)
Graham is a teacher at Marietta/Cobb Driver’s Education and is the varsity boys’ tennis coach for Marietta High School. She retired from Marietta City Schools after 31 years as a physical education teacher. Graham volunteers for the Atlanta Lawn Tennis Association and sits on the board of directors for the Marietta Museum of History. She earned a bachelor’s degree from Georgia State University. Graham has two children and resides in Marietta.

Liddell Greenway, Georgia Drivers’ Education Commission
Greenway is the vice president for economic development at Wiregrass Georgia Technical College. She is a member of the Douglas-Coffee County Economic Development Authority and the Georgia Economic Developers Association. Greenway is a Certified Economic Developer Trainer through the Technical College System of Georgia’s Quick Start program. She earned a bachelor’s degree from Wesleyan College. Greenway has one child and lives in Douglas.

William Rish, Georgia Drivers’ Education Commission (reappointment)
Rish is the headmaster of Citizens Christian Academy. During his career he been a member of various committees with the Georgia Independent School Association (G.I.S.A.). Rish received the G.I.S.A. Distinguished Service Award in 2011. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Georgia Southern University and a master’s degree from Valdosta State University. Rish and his wife, Linda, have one child and two grandchildren. They reside in Broxton.

Sloane Evans, Georgia Public Telecommunications Commission
Evans is the vice president of human resources for Georgia Power and is a member of the Georgia Power Management Council. She sits on the board of trustees of the Chattahoochee Tech Foundation and the board of directors for the INROADS southeast region. Evans earned a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Georgia and lives in Smyrna. 

Landen Boyd, Stakeholder Advisory Board
Boyd is a senior superintendent at Carroll Daniel Construction Company and has more than 28 years of experience in the construction industry. He is a member of the Associated General Contractors of Georgia and volunteers for the Construction Education Foundation of Georgia. Boyd and his wife, Stacey, have three children and reside in Lawrenceville.

Ashley Addison, State Board of Accountancy (reappointment)
Addison is a CPA in the financial reporting and assurance division at Bennet Thrasher LLP. She is a member and ambassador for the Georgia Society of CPAs and serves on its Leadership Council. Addison is also a member of the American Institute of CPAs. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and a master’s degree in Accountancy at Georgia Southern University. Addison and her husband, Trip, have one child and live in Richmond Hill.

James Martin, State Board of Accountancy (reappointment)
Martin retired as executive director of the Georgia Society of Certified Public Accountants after 35 years of service. He sits on the board of Hart Partners and is a member of the finance committee at the First United Methodist Church in Hartwell. Martin earned a bachelor’s degree in Journalism from the University of Georgia and a law degree from the Woodrow Wilson College of Law. He and his wife, Carolyn, have four children and eight grandchildren. They live in Lavonia.

Craig Smith, State Board of Accountancy
Smith is the founding and managing partner of Smith and Bennett, PC. He is a veteran of the U.S. Army. Smith is a member of the Georgia Society of CPAs. Smith earned a bachelor’s degree in Accounting from North Georgia College. He and his wife, Lola, have two children and reside in Gainesville.

Gerald Prchal, O.D., State Board of Optometry (reappointment)
Prchal is on optometrist with Albany Eye Care. He is a former representative to the Medicaid Advisory Committee and the Medicare Carrier Advisory Committee. Prchal is a past co-chair of the Georgia Optometric Political Action Committee, a past president of the Georgia Optometric Association and a past president of the Flint River Habitat for Humanity board. He earned a doctoral degree in optometry from the Southern College of Optometry. Prchal and his wife, Sue, have two children and three grandchildren. They live in Albany.

Jody Whisenant, O.D., State Board of Optometry (reappointment)
Whisenant is co-owner of EyeCare Associates, PC. He is a member of the American Optometric Association and the Southern Council of Optometrists. He is a past president and a former board chairman of the Georgia Optometric Association. Whisenant earned a doctoral degree in Optometry from the Southern College of Optometry. He and his wife, Gayle, have three children and four grandchildren. They reside in Gainesville.

Scott Woodward, State Board of Registration of Used Car Dealers and Motor Vehicle Parts Dealers
Woodward is an insurance agent for State Farm with more than 15 years of experience. He sits on the board of directors for the Brooks Area Recreation Football League. Woodward earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of West Georgia. He and his wife, Manda, have three children and live in Senoia.