Deal appoints 12 to boards

Thomas C. Rawlings, Georgia’s Child Advocate
Rawlings is the managing partner of McMillan & Rawlings, LLP. He previously served in the Office of the Child Advocate from July 2007 to January 2010. Rawlings received a bachelor’s degree from Duke University and law degree from the University of Georgia School of Law. He and his wife, Kay, have three children and reside in Sandersville.

Chad Barrow, Board of Community Affairs
Barrow is the founder of the Coastal Logistics Group, Inc. He is involved in the logistics and supply chain industries. Barrow earned a bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of Georgia. He and his wife, Jan, have three children and reside in Savannah.

Audrey King, Board of Community Affairs
King is the Statesboro area manager for the Georgia Power Company. She is a past president of the Valdosta North Rotary Club and was previously a member of the Education Reform Commission. King is a graduate of Leadership Georgia and earned a bachelor's degree in Business Administration from Troy State University. She has two children and lives in Statesboro.

Walt Farrell, Board of Directors of the Georgia Lottery Corporation
Farrell is a senior project manager for community and economic development with the Georgia Power Company. He was previously the director of the advanced manufacturing team with the Georgia Department of Economic Development. Farrell is the business recruitment chair for the Georgia Economic Developers Association and a graduate of Leadership Georgia. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Marketing from Clemson University and a master’s degree in Business Administration from Auburn University. Farrell and his wife, Emily, have one child and live in Atlanta.

Richard Hawk, Child Fatality Review Panel
Hawk is the coroner of Coweta County. He is a member of the Coweta County Child Fatality Committee and has more than 20 years of experience as a paramedic and flight paramedic. Hawk and his wife, Donna, have two children and reside in Sharpsburg.

William Kemp, Georgia Board for Physician Workforce (reappointment)
Kemp is a commercial lender with Renasant Bank. He sits on the board of directors for Leadership Lowndes and the Boys and Girls Club of Valdosta. Kemp is a past president and an active member of both the Azalea Kiwanis Club and Leadership Lowndes. He is also a graduate of Leadership Georgia. Kemp earned a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Valdosta State University. He and his wife, Carol, have three children and live in Valdosta.

Antonio Rios, M.D., Georgia Board for Physician Workforce (reappointment)
Rios is the chief physician executive for the Northeast Georgia Physicians Group and owns a private internal medicine practice. He is a past chief of medicine at Northeast Georgia Medical Center (NGMC) and a co-chair of the Continuing Medical Education Committee at NGMC. Rios sits on the board of directors for the Good News Clinic. He earned a medical degree from the Universidad La Salle in Mexico City. Rios and his wife, Margaret, have three children and reside in Gainesville.

Mike Cheokas, State Board of Education, 2nd Congressional District
Cheokas is the president of Cheokas and Cheokas, Inc. and is a former member of the Georgia State House of Representatives. He sits on the board of directors for the South Georgia Technical College Foundation. Cheokas is a co-chairman of the Rosalynn Carter Institute and a member of the Americus Kiwanis Club. He is a graduate of the Georgia Legislative Leadership Institute and the Advance Health Policy Institute. Cheokas studied Philosophy at Emory University and continued his studies at Pierce College in Athens, Greece. He and his wife, Gaynor, have three children. They reside in Americus.

Lee Anne Cowart, State Board of Education, 10th Congressional District
Cowart is the owner of Lee Anne Cowart Interiors, Inc. She has been active with the Thomson Historic Commission, the Thomson Downtown Development Authority and Camellia Partners. Cowart also sat on the advisory board for Interior Design studies at Valdosta State University and the board of trustees for Thomson First United Methodist Church. She and her husband, Jeff, have four sons, two daughters-in-law and one grandchild. They reside in Thomson. 

Philip Chase, Statewide Independent Living Council (reappointment)
Chase is a faculty member with the Institute on Human Development and Disability at the University of Georgia. He is the president of Georgia chapter of the Association of People Supporting Employment First. Chase earned a bachelor’s degree from Wake Forest University, a master’s degree in Education from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and a master’s degree in Public Administration from Georgia State University. He and his wife, Suzy, have two children and six grandchildren. They live in Athens.

Marian McCormick, Statewide Independent Living Council (reappointment)
McCormick is the principal chief of the Lower Muskogee Creek Tribe and a rehabilitation counselor for Muskogee Vocational Rehabilitation. She earned a doctoral degree in Theology from Oval Bible College. McCormick and her husband, Nealie, have two children and four grandchildren. They reside in Pelham.
 
Deborah McDonald, Statewide Independent Living Council (reappointment) 
McDonald is the founder and executive director of Limb Support, Inc. She is a member of the Albany Transit Paratransit Advisory Group, the Lifelink of Georgia Advocacy Group, the SOWEGA Council on Aging, the Aging and Disability Resource Connection Advisory Council and the Albany Lions Club. McDonald is also an accredited heart patient visitor for the Mended Hearts Chapter 165 at Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital. She lives in Albany.