Deal appoints 33 to boards

Gilbert Barrett, Board of Community Affairs (reappointment)
Barrett operates a beef and poultry farm and serves as the president and CEO of Farmers Exchange. He sits on the boards of the Habersham County Farm Bureau and North Georgia Technical College. Barrett is also a soil and water supervisor with the Upper Chattahoochee River Soil and Water District. He attended Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College. Barrett and his wife, Donna, have three children and reside in Demorest.

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

Mayor Boyd L. Austin Jr., Board of Community Affairs
Austin is serving his sixth term as the mayor of Dallas. He sits on the boards of the Georgia Environmental Finance Authority, the Metropolitan North Georgia Water Planning District and the Northwest Georgia Regional Commission. Austin is a former president of the Georgia Municipal Association and currently serves on its executive committee. He earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Georgia. Austin teaches Sunday school at the First Baptist Church of Dallas and resides in Dallas.

Audrey King, Board of Community Affairs (reappointment)
King is the regional director for Georgia Power. She serves as honorary commander at Moody Air Force Base. King is a former president of the Valdosta North Rotary Club and a former member of the Education Reform Commission. She is a graduate of Leadership Georgia and earned a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Troy University. King has two children and lives in Valdosta.​

Chip Mitchell, Board of Community Affairs (reappointment)
Mitchell is a realtor and a managing partner of Elevation Realty. He was previously a senior project manager for the Georgia Department of Economic Development. Mitchell is the chairman of the City of Grayson Downtown Development Authority and a member of the Georgia Association of Realtors. He earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Georgia. Mitchell and his wife, Katie, have one child and reside in Grayson.​

Mayor Vince R. Williams, Board of Community Affairs
Williams is serving his second term as the mayor of Union City. He previously served two terms on the city council of Union City. Williams is the second vice president of the Georgia Municipal Association and sits on the board of directors of the National League of Cities. He is an associate pastor at iTHRIVE Christian Church. Williams earned a bachelor’s degree from Lemoyne-Owen College. He and his wife, Sharon, have one child and live in Union City.

Ron H. Freeman, Criminal Justice Coordinating Council
Freeman is the sheriff of Forsyth County and has more than three decades of law enforcement experience. He was previously the deputy chief of police for the Brookhaven Police Department. Freeman is a former president and a member of the Georgia FBI National Academy Associates. He sits on the advisory board for CASA of Forsyth County, the board of directors for Lanier Extended Area Drivers Education Resource and the public safety advisory boards for Lanier Technical College and Reinhardt University. Freeman previously sat on the board of directors of the Georgia Law Enforcement Executive Development Association. He is a member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police, the Georgia Sheriffs’ Association, the National Sheriffs’ Association and the Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police. Freeman earned a bachelor’s degree in Organizational and Public Safety Leadership and a master’s degree in Public Administration from Reinhardt University. He and his wife, Dana, have two children and reside in Cumming.​

John E. Delzell Jr., M.D., MSPH, Georgia Board for Physicians Workforce
Delzell is the vice president for Medical Education and the designated institutional officer for the Northeast Georgia Health System. He is a board-certified family physician, a fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians and a member of the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine. Delzell previously served as chairman of the admissions committee at the Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine at Florida International University and as chairman of the admissions committee at the University of Kansas School of Medicine. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Baylor University, as well as a master’s degree in Public Health and a medical degree from the University of Missouri at Columbia. Delzell and his wife, Dr. Heidi Chumley, have five children and live in Gainesville.

Eric L. Barnum, Georgia Government Transparency and Campaign Finance Commission
Barnum is a partner in the Atlanta office of BakerHostetlerLLP and leads the employment and labor law practice group. He sits on the board of directors of the National Employment Law Council and is a co-chair of the American Bar Association’s 12th Annual Labor and Employment Law Conference. Barnum is a member of the American Employment Law Council. He is a graduate of Leadership Atlanta and serves on the organization’s board of trustees. Barnum is the board secretary for Just the Beginning – A Pipeline Organization and is a former board chairman of Future Foundation, Inc. He is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. and 100 Black Men of Atlanta, Inc. Barnum earned a bachelor’s degree in History from the University of California, Los Angeles and a law degree from the McGeorge School of Law at the University of the Pacific. He and his wife, Daisy, have one child and reside in Acworth.​

Ben H. Hall Jr., Georgia Ports Authority (reappointment)
Hall is chairman of Dublin Construction Co., Inc. and B.H. Hall Ready Mixed Concrete, Inc. He previously sat on the boards of Associated General Contractors of Georgia, the Georgia Chamber of Commerce and the Georgia Department of Economic Development. Hall is a former president of the Rotary Club of Dublin, a former chairman of the Dublin-Laurens County Development Authority and a former director of Morris Bank. He is a graduate of Southern Polytechnic State University and the University of Georgia. Hall and his wife, Cailie, have two children and four grandchildren. They live in Dublin.

William D. McKnight, Georgia Ports Authority (reappointment)
McKnight is the president of McKnight Construction Company. He sits on the board of directors of State Bank of Georgia. McKnight is a former president of the Augusta Country Club and the Augusta Golf Association. McKnight previously sat on the boards of the Associated General Contractors of Georgia, Augusta Ballet, the First Tee and Tuttle-Newton. He is a member of the Exchange Club of Augusta and Trinity on the Hill United Methodist Church. McKnight earned a bachelor’s degree from Georgia Tech. He and his wife, Janet, have four children and three grandchildren. They reside in Augusta.

Joel O. Wooten, Georgia Ports Authority (reappointment)
Wooten is an attorney and a managing partner of Butler Wooten & Peak LLP. He is a former chairman and member of the University System of Georgia Board of Regents. Wooten has been recognized as one of Georgia Trend’s “100 Most Influential Georgians” and has been selected as a Georgia Super Lawyer multiple times. He received the State Bar of Georgia’s Tradition of Excellence Award in 2000 and the UGA Law School Distinguished Service Scroll in 2012. Wooten earned a bachelor’s degree and a law degree from the University of Georgia. He and his wife, Sybrina, have five children and four grandchildren. They live in Columbus.

William Murray, Georgia Real Estate Appraisers Board
Murray is a certified general real property appraiser and a licensed real estate broker. He is a senior member of the National Society of Real Estate Appraisers. Murray sits on the boards of directors of the National Society of Real Estate Appraisers, the National Association of Real Estate Brokers and the Empire Board of Realtists. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics from Florida A&M University. Murray and his wife, Liz, have one child and reside in Atlanta.

Ben Copeland Jr., Georgia Seed Development Commission (reappointment)
Copeland is the chief operating officer of Patten Seed Company/Super-Sod. He is a member of the Georgia Sod Producers Association and the Georgia Crop Improvement Association. Copeland is an elder of Perry Presbyterian Church. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Agriculture from the University of Georgia. Copeland and his wife, Kelly, have five children and live in Fort Valley.

Kent Fountain, Georgia Seed Development Commission (reappointment)
Fountain is the president and CEO of Southeastern Gin & Peanut. He is also the chairman of Premium Peanut, LLC. Fountain is the president of the Southern Cotton Ginners Association and a vice president of the National Cotton Council of America. He is a former chairman of the Wayne County Board of Education and the National Cotton Ginners Association. Fountain earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Georgia. He and his wife, Missi, have two children and reside in Screven.​

Darryl Bentley, Georgia State Board of Funeral Services
Bentley is a fourth-generation funeral director and embalmer, and he owns Bentley-Montford Mortuary, LLC. He is the chairman of the Georgia Funeral Services Practitioners Association third district. Bentley was named “Funeral Director of the Year” in 2012 by the Georgia Funeral Directors Association. He is a graduate of the Georgia Academy for Economic Development for Region 8, a former member of the CTAE Advisory Committee at Taylor County High School and a former board member of the Taylor County Chamber of Commerce. Bentley and his wife, Patty, have five children and two grandchildren. They live in Lizella.

Christine Branche, Sexual Offender Registration Review Board
Branche is a mental health counselor at the Gwinnett County Detention Center and a behavioral health assessment clinician at ViewPoint Health. She is a licensed professional counselor and a trained post-conviction sex-offender polygraph examiner. Branche earned a bachelor’s degree in Social Work from California State University and master’s degrees in Forensic Psychology and Counseling from Argosy University. She is also certified as a Master Addiction Counselor and a Sex Offender Treatment Specialist. Branche and her husband, Roger, have one child and reside in Lilburn.​

Douglas Silvia, Sexual Offender Registration Review Board
Silvia is a retired Georgia Department of Corrections officer, probation officer and sex offender officer. He retired from the U.S. Army after 20 years of service. Silvia earned a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice from Georgia College. He and his wife, Genevieve, have one child and live in Rydal.​

Carrie T. Ashbee, State Board of Pharmacy
Ashbee is the executive director of the Georgia Foundation for Early Care and Learning. She was previously a deputy chief of staff for Gov. Deal. Ashbee earned a bachelor’s degree in Communications and Information Sciences from the University of Alabama. She and her husband, Blake, have one child and reside in Atlanta.​

Michael Brinson, State Board of Pharmacy
Brinson is the director of pharmacy at Central State Hospital. He is a member of the Georgia Society of Health-System Pharmacists and the Georgia Pharmaceutical Association. Brinson is also the pharmacy representative for Georgia on the Minnesota Multistate Contracting Alliance for Pharmacy. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Pharmacy from the University of Georgia. Brinson and his wife, Frieda, have one child and one grandchild. They live in Wrightsville.​

Hal Henderson, State Board of Pharmacy
Henderson is a strategic account executive for Omnicare. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Pharmacy from Mercer University. Henderson and his wife, Debi, have four children and four grandchildren. They reside in Flowery Branch.​

Douglas Carter, Technical College System of Georgia Board (reappointment)
Carter is the president of Don Carter Realty Co. He is the chairman of the Planning and Appeals Board of the City of Gainesville and a former chairman of Northeast Georgia Medical Center in Gainesville. Carter is a member of the Economic Development Council of Hall County, the Redevelopment Authority of Gainesville and the Rotary Club of Gainesville. He is also a former chairman of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce, Leadership Georgia, the Greater Hall Chamber of Commerce, the North Georgia Community Foundation and the Quinlan Visual Arts Center. Carter earned a bachelor’s degree from Wake Forest University. He and his wife, Sandy, have one child and live in Gainesville.

James “Jay” G. Cunningham, Technical College System of Georgia Board (reappointment)
Cunningham is a licensed master plumber and the owner of Superior Plumbing Services, Inc. He sits on the State Workforce Development Board, the Cobb County Plumbing Advisory Board, the board of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, the Cobb County School Board Superintendent’s Business and Community Advisory Board and the board of trustees of the Earl Smith Strand Theatre. Cunningham is a member of the Cobb Chamber Workforce Development Committee, the Facilities and Technology Citizens Oversight Committee and the One Percent SPLOST Citizens Oversight Committee. He has seven children and six grandchildren. Cunningham resides in Kennesaw.​

Tommy David, Technical College System of Georgia Board (reappointment)
David retired after 38 years in banking. He is a former member and chairman of the board of Ogeechee Technical College. David was instrumental in establishing the Technical College Foundation Association for the Ogeechee Technical College Foundation, Inc. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Georgia. David and his wife, Karen, have two children and four grandchildren. They live in Statesboro.​

Charles Randall Fox, Technical College System of Georgia Board (reappointment)
Fox is the president of Fox Systems, Inc. He is the chairman of the board of directors of Gordon County College and Career Academy. Fox also serves as chairman of the Calhoun Gordon County Development Authority and is a former chairman of the Georgia Northwestern Technical College Board. He has two children and two grandchildren. Fox resides in Calhoun.​

Frank Seay “Chunk” Newman, Technical College System of Georgia (reappointment)
Newman is a project executive with Batson-Cook Company. He sits on the State Workforce Development Board and the board of Twin Cedars Youth and Family Services. Newnan is a member of the Rotary Club of LaGrange. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Building Construction from Georgia Tech. Newnan and his wife, Leigh, have five children and live in LaGrange.

Howard Clifford “Trey” Sheppard III, Technical College System of Georgia Board (reappointment)
Sheppard is the vice president of Howard Sheppard, Inc., a family-owned trucking company. He is the vice chairman of the Citizens Bank of Washington County. Sheppard sits on the boards of directors of the Georgia Southern University Athletic Foundation and the Georgia Motor Trucking Association. He is also a member of the Development Authority of Washington County. Sheppard is a graduate of Leadership Georgia and earned a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Georgia Southern University. He and his wife, Emily, have four children and reside in Sandersville.

Shirley Smith, Technical College System of Georgia Board (reappointment)
Smith is the executive director of Catoosa Citizens for Literacy, a certified community literacy program. She previously worked with a Pre-K program for eight years. Smith is a former chair of the Catoosa County Planning Commission. She was named “Ambassador of the Year” and “Citizen of the Year” by the Catoosa County Chamber of Commerce. Smith received the Liberty Bell Award in 2001 and the Georgia Press Award in 2007. She and her husband, Wesley, have three children and six grandchildren. They live in Ringgold.

Michael L. “Sully” Sullivan, Technical College System of Georgia Board (reappointment)
Sullivan is the president and CEO of the American Council of Engineering Companies of Georgia. He is chairman of the Gwinnett County Water and Sewerage Authority. Sullivan sits on the board of governors of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce. He also sits on the board of directors for the Georgia Transportation Alliance and the Council for Quality Growth. Sullivan earned a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and a law degree from the University of Georgia. He and his wife, Rebecca, have two children and reside in Snellville.

Phil Sutton, Technical College System of Georgia Board (reappointment)
Sutton is the vice president and chief administrative officer for Kubota Manufacturing of America in Gainesville and Kubota Industrial Equipment in Jefferson. He previously served for 20 years in the U.S. Air Force. Sutton is a graduate of the 187th session of the FBI National Academy. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Wayland Baptist University and a master’s degree in Public Administration from Troy University. He and his wife, Sue, have two children and two grandchildren.

Dinah C. Wayne, Technical College System of Georgia (reappointment)
Wayne led the effort to rehabilitate the historic Flowery Branch Depot with the help of others. She also led efforts to ratify the Historic Preservation Ordinance and to obtain the city’s Better Hometown Community designation, of which she served as director. Wayne sits on the boards of the Lanier Technical College Foundation, Flowery Branch Better Hometown, Inc. and Friends of the Depot, Inc. She is also a member of the Flowery Branch Historic Preservation Commission, the Flowery Branch Homemakers Club and Flowery Branch United Methodist Church. Wayne is a graduate of Gainesville College and Brenau University. She and her husband, Alan, have two children and six grandchildren. They reside in Flowery Branch.

Tim Williams, Technical College System of Georgia Board (reappointment)
Williams is the vice president of marketing and external affairs at GreyStone Power Corp. He is the vice chairman of the board of directors of the GEMC Federal Credit Union. Williams is a former chairman of the Douglas County Public Education Trust and a former board chairman of the South Fulton Chamber of Commerce. He earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Alabama. Williams and his wife, Nancy, have two children and live in Douglasville.

Joe Yarbrough, Technical College System of Georgia Board (reappointment)
Yarbrough is the president of the Carpet and Rug Institute and has more than 48 years of experience in the flooring industry. He sits on the boards of directors of RossWoods Adult Day Services, the Northwest Georgia Healthcare Partnership and the Greater Dalton Chamber of Commerce. Yarbrough is a member of the Water, Light and Sinking Fund Commission (Dalton Utilities). He is the chairman of Carpet America Recovery Effort (CARE) and a former chairman of Christian Heritage School Endowment Foundation Board. Yarbrough earned a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Auburn University. He and his wife, Nanette, have five children and eight grandchildren. They reside in Rocky Face.