Deal appoints 25 to boards

Sarah-Elizabeth Reed, Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia
Reed is the First Lady of Atlanta. She sits on the boards for the Children’s Museum of Atlanta and the Georgia Early Education Alliance for Ready Students. Reed was awarded the Early Childhood Champion Award from Sheltering Arms Early Education and Childhood Center and was recognized among the 2016 Women of Achievement by Greater Atlanta YWCA. She earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan and a law degree from Howard University. Reed and her husband, Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed, have one child and reside in Atlanta. 

Neil L. Pruitt Jr., Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia (reappointment)
Neil L. Pruitt is the chairman and CEO of PruittHealth, Inc. He is a past chairman of the Georgia Health Care Association and the Board of Governors of the American Health Care Association. In February 2013, Pruitt received a Congressional appointment to the Commission for Long-Term Care. He is a past chairman of the board of trustees for the University System of Georgia Foundation. Pruitt sits on the board of the Augusta University Health System. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of the South in Tennessee and master’s degrees in Business Administration and Health Administration from Georgia State University. Pruitt and his wife, Mebane, have three children and live in Atlanta.

Meagan Hanson, Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Overview Committee
Hanson represents the 80th District in the Georgia House of Representatives and is an attorney with Boyd Collar Nolen & Tuggle. She serves on the Judiciary, Special Rules and Transportation committees. Hanson earned a bachelor’s degree and a law degree from the University of Alabama. She and her husband, David, reside in Brookhaven. 

Shuntel Beach, REACH Foundation Board
Beach is the community network specialist in the marketing and admissions department at King’s Ridge Christian School. She is a member of the Cherokee Education Foundation and the Alpharetta Parks and Recreation Commission. Beach earned a bachelor’s degree from Louisiana State University and a master’s degree in Business Administration from Kennesaw State University. She and her husband, Brandon, have two children and live in Alpharetta. 

Robert Schuetze, REACH Foundation Board
Schuetze is the vice president and commercial relationship manager at BB&T in Gainesville. He is a member of the Gainesville Kiwanis Club and sits on the board directors for the Boys and Girls Club of Hall County. Schuetze earned a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from North Georgia College and graduated from the Graduate School of Banking South at Louisiana State University. He and his wife, Karen, have one child and reside in Gainesville. 

David Barbee, Board of Human Services 
Barbee retired from HRP Nursing Service, Inc. and is a vice chairman of the Augusta-Richmond County Historic Preservation Commission. He is a former assistant secretary of the Georgia Republican Party. Barbee is a past chairman of the Augusta-Richmond County Human Relations Commission and a former member of the Augusta-Richmond County Housing Authority. He is a graduate of the Coverdell Leadership Institute and Leadership Augusta. Barbee and his wife, Debbie, have three children and seven grandchildren. They live in Augusta. 

Jim Thornton, Criminal Justice Coordinating Council
Thornton is the mayor of LaGrange and an attorney with Thornton & Graham, P.C. He is the chairman of the Municipal Government Policy Committee for the Georgia Municipal Association. Thornton is a graduate of Leadership Georgia and sits on the board of trustees for the North Georgia Conference of the United Methodist Church. He earned a bachelor’s degree from LaGrange College and a law degree from Emory University. Thornton and his wife, Corinne, reside in LaGrange. 

Barby Simmons, D.O., Georgia Composite Medical Board
Simmons is a primary care physician for Kaiser Permanente of Georgia and the Southeast Permanente Medical Group. She is a member of Kaiser Permanente’s telemedicine team. Simmons has served as team leader of adult medicine and as the physician director of coding and documentation. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Chemistry from Mississippi State University and a medical degree from Nova Southeastern College of Osteopathic Medicine. Simmons and her husband, Tommy, live in McDonough. 

Terrance “Terry” Harvin, Georgia Sports Hall of Fame Authority
Harvin is a sports broadcaster for Learfield Sports and a football radio commentator for Georgia Southern University. He was previously vice president of strategic initiatives for Kimco and senior vice president of sales and marketing for Professional Systems. Harvin earned a bachelor’s degree in Communications from Georgia Southern University. He and his wife, Lori, have three children and reside in Macon. 

William “Bill” Gross, Jekyll Island State Park Authority (reappointment)
Gross is the owner of W.H. Gross Construction. He serves on the Southeast Georgia Health System Foundation. Gross earned a bachelor’s degree in Finance from the University of North Florida. He and his wife, Renee, have two children and live in Kingsland.

Mike Hodges, Jekyll Island State Park Authority (reappointment)
Hodges is the president of Ameris Bank in Brunswick. He is a member of the Glynn-Brunswick Memorial Hospital Authority and the College of Coastal Georgia Foundation. Hodges sits on the board of directors for the Georgia Chamber of Commerce and is a former chairman of the Brunswick-Golden Isles Chamber of Commerce. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Finance from the University of Georgia and a master’s degree from the University of Delaware. Hodges and his wife, Dana, have two children and reside in St. Simons.

Joe Wilkinson, Jekyll Island State Park Authority
Wilkinson is retired from The Coca-Cola Company and the United States Naval Reserve. He served in the Georgia House of Representatives for 16 years. Wilkinson sits on the advisory board of the Jekyll Island Foundation. He earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Georgia. Wilkinson and his wife, Pat, have two children and three grandchildren. They live in Atlanta. 

William Bagwell, North Georgia Mountains Authority (reappointment)
Bagwell is a managing member of Homestead Investments LLC. He is a member of the Gainesville and Hall County Development Authority and the Gainesville and Hall County Economic Development Council. Bagwell sits on the Board of Natural Resources and the board of trustees for the Northeast Georgia Medical Center Foundation. He was previously the vice president of economic development, existing industry and government affairs for the Greater Hall Chamber of Commerce. Bagwell serves as a deacon at First Baptist Church of Gainesville. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Presbyterian College. He and his wife, Jennifer, have two children and reside in Alto.

Dwight Davis, North Georgia Mountains Authority (reappointment)
Davis retired as a senior partner at King & Spalding and was previously an adjunct professor at the Walter F. George School of Law. He served as an Airborne Ranger in the U.S. Army and owns a pecan farm in Middle Georgia. Davis earned a bachelor’s degree from The Citadel and a law degree from the Walter F. George School of Law at Mercer University. Davis and his wife, Brenda, have two children and three grandchildren. They live in Atlanta.

Anna “Miki” Thomaston, North Georgia Mountains Authority
Thomaston is the manager of technical marketing for Rayonier Advanced Materials. She is a graduate of Leadership Georgia and was named to Georgia Trend’s 2014 “40 Under 40” list. Thomaston is a former chair of the Boys and Girls Club of the Altamaha Area and teaches Sunday school at First Baptist Church of Jesup. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from Georgia Tech. Thomaston and her husband, Jody, have two children and reside in Jesup.

Delos Yancey III, North Georgia Mountains Authority (reappointment)
Yancey is chairman, president and CEO of State Mutual Insurance Co. of Rome. He sits on the boards of directors for the Georgia Life & Health Insurance Guaranty Association, the Georgia Association of Life Insurance Companies, Insurance Administrative Services, Cancer Navigators and the United Community Bank of Rome. Yancey and his wife, Molly, have three children and live in Rome.

Scott Murphy, Georgia Real Estate Appraisers Board (reappointment)
Murphy is the principal of D.S. Murphy & Associates. He is a member of the Georgia Real Estate Fraud Prevention and Awareness Coalition and the Atlanta Area Chapter of the Appraisal Institute. Murphy sits on the board of directors for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of Georgia. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Small Business Management from the Rochester Institute of Technology. Murphy and his wife, Glenn, have two children and reside in Suwanee. 

Clayton Foster, Georgia Real Estate Commission (reappointment)
Foster is the president of Foster Commercial Real Estate Services. He is a member of the Georgia Association of Realtors and the National Association of Realtors. Foster is a member of the Atlanta Commercial Board of Realtors and received the organization’s Phoenix Award. He earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Georgia. He and his wife, Kimberly, have two children and live in Flowery Branch. 

Scott Kroell, State Board of Nursing Home Administrators
Kroell is the administrator of Pelham Parkway Nursing Home. He retired from the U.S. Navy Reserve after 28 years of service. Kroell sits on the board of the Healthcare of Georgia Foundation. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering from Georgia Tech and a master’s degree in Health Administration from Georgia State University. Kroell and his wife, Diane, have two children and reside in Thomasville. 

Spencer Moore, State Employee Benefit Council
Moore is the Commissioner of the Department of Driver Services. His 20-year career in state government includes 14 years with the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety, where he served as the deputy director of the agency for six years. Moore started his state career as a parole officer with the State Board of Pardons and Paroles. He is a member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police, the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives, the Georgia Sheriffs’ Association and Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police. Moore also serves as a national highway safety expert for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Morehouse College. Moore and his wife, Ava, have one child and live in Snellville. 

Kacy Cronan, Board of Public Safety (reappointment)
Cronan is the marketing and sales manager of Ag Green, co-owner of Buy the Yard and a certified operator of Gainesville Waste & Recycling. He and his wife, Amanda, have two children and reside in Clermont. 

Joey Terrell, Board of Public Safety (reappointment)
Terrell is the sheriff of Habersham County. He sits on the Appalachian Drug Task Force advisory board and the board of advisors for the criminal justice program at North Georgia Technical College. Terrell is a member of the Georgia Sheriffs’ Association, the National Sheriffs’ Association and the International Association of Chiefs of Police. He and his wife, Darlene, have two children and live in Clarkesville. 

Craig Tully, Board of Public Safety (reappointment)
Tully is the fire chief of the Colquitt-Miller Fire Department. He is a past president and current co-chaplain of the Georgia Association of Fire Chiefs. Tully is a deacon at Colquitt Freewill Baptist Church. He and his wife, Cindy, have three children and reside in Colquitt. 

Ellis Wood, Board of Public Safety (reappointment)
Wood is the board chairman of Ellis Wood Contracting, Inc. He is the chairman of the Statesboro-Bulloch County Airport Committee. Wood earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Georgia. He and his wife, Kathy, have two children and four grandchildren. They live in Statesboro.

Randy Beall, State Workforce Development Board 
Beall is the business manager of the North Georgia Building & Construction Trades Council. He was previously a business representative for the Sheet Metal, Air, Rail, and Transportation Workers Local Union 85. Beall is a deacon at the Way of the Cross Baptist Church in McDonough. He and his wife, Melissa, have one child and reside in McDonough.