Deal appoints 25 to boards

Anna Chafin, Board of Community Affairs
Chafin is the CEO of the Development Authority of Bryan County. She represents the 1st Congressional District on the Georgia Student Finance Commission Board of Commissioners. Chafin is the immediate past chair of the Georgia Economic Developers Association and a former chair of the Leadership Southeast Georgia Alumni Association. She is a member of the Rotary Club of Richmond Hill and sits on the board for the Middle Coastal Unified Development Authority. Chafin is a graduate of the Georgia Academy for Economic Development, Leadership Georgia, Leadership Southeast Georgia and Leadership Bryan. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Communication with minors in Business Administration and English from Mercer University. Chafin and her husband, Justin, have one child and reside in Richmond Hill.

Sonja Fillingame, Board of Community Supervision (reappointment)
Fillingame is the city manager of Union City. She was previously the director of operations for Union City and a grants administrator for the City of Sandy Springs. Fillingame is a member of the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council and Deal’s Law Enforcement Task Force. She helped to establish the Georgia Victim Assistance Academy to provide crime victim advocates with professional skills and learning opportunities. Fillingame earned a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree from Georgia State University. She and her husband, Edward, have two children and live in Dallas.

Steve Queen, Board of Community Supervision
Queen is the director of field services for CSRA Probations Services, Inc. He began his career as a probation officer with the Georgia Department of Corrections in 1990 and has more than 25 years of experience as a probation state director. Queen is the president of the Community Corrections Association of Georgia. He is a member of the Georgia Professional Association of Community Supervision, the Community Corrections Association of Georgia, the Georgia Council of Court Administrators, the National Association of Probation Executives and the American Probation and Parole Association. Queen is a P.O.S.T. certified probation officer. He earned an associate degree in Political Science from the University of North Georgia and a bachelor’s degree from Georgia State University. Queen has three children and resides in Cartersville.

Sandy Adams, Georgia Vocational Rehabilitation Services Board (reappointment)
Adams retired as an adapted physical education teacher and physical education department chair for the Elbert County School District. She is the founding president of Friends Helping Friends Club, Inc. Adams also spent three summers as a fitness instructor for the Governor's Honors Program at Valdosta State University. She is a National Board Certified Teacher and was the first teacher in Elbert County to obtain the Georgia Master Teacher Certification. Adams earned an associate degree from Emmanuel College, a master’s degree in Education from the University of Georgia and an education specialist degree in Curriculum and Instruction from Piedmont College. She and her husband, Jeff, live in Elberton.

Craig Camuso, Georgia Vocational Rehabilitation Services Board
Camuso is the regional vice president for state government affairs at CSX Transportation in Atlanta. He sits on the board of governors for the Georgia Chamber of Commerce, the board of directors for the Georgia Railroad Association and the honorary board for Special Olympics Georgia. Camuso is a graduate of Leadership Georgia. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Journalism from the University of Georgia. Camuso and his wife, Kim, have two children and reside in Lawrenceville.

Thomas W. “Tom” Wilson, Georgia Vocational Rehabilitation Services Board (reappointment)
Wilson is serving his third term on the Franklin Springs City Council. He retired as the manager of the Athens Unit of the Vocational Rehabilitation Program for the Georgia Department of Labor. Wilson has more than two decades of experience as a rehabilitation counselor. He previously served as president of the Georgia Chapter of the National Rehabilitation Counseling Association, the Georgia Rehabilitation Association and the National Rehabilitation Association. Wilson is a fellow of the National Rehabilitation Counseling Association. He received the 2001 Georgia Rehabilitation Association Professional Achievement Award and the 2004 Georgia Rehabilitation Association Citation Award. Wilson earned an associate degree from Emmanuel College, a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Georgia College and a master’s degree in Rehabilitation Counseling from the University of Georgia. He and his wife, Cathie, have two children and four grandchildren. They live in Franklin Springs.​

Leslie Abernathy-Maddox, State Commission on Family Violence
Abernathy-Maddox is a state court judge in Forsyth County. She was previously the solicitor general for the State Court of Forsyth County. Abernathy-Maddox is the chairperson of the Forsyth County Domestic Violence Task Force Annual Forum on Domestic Violence. She earned an undergraduate degree from the University of North Georgia and a law degree from John Marshall Law School. Abernathy-Maddox is a member of First Baptist Cumming and teaches Sunday school. She and her husband, Stephen, have five children and one grandchild. They reside in Cumming.​

Catalina Alvarez, State Commission on Family Violence
Alvarez is a staff attorney for the Georgia Legal Services Program. She is a member of the Georgia Bar Association and the Gainesville-Northeastern Bar Association. Alvarez earned an associate degree in Psychology from the University of North Georgia, a bachelor’s degree from the University of North Georgia and a law degree from the University of Georgia School of Law. She and her husband, Jorge, have two children and live in Flowery Branch.​

Berryl A. Anderson, State Commission on Family Violence
Anderson is the chief judge of the DeKalb County Magistrate Court. She was previously an attorney with the Atlanta Legal Aid Society. Anderson is the chair of the Family Violence and Domestic Relations Advisory Committee for the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges (NCJFCJ). She has also served on the faculty of NCJFCJ for 11 years, training judges, attorneys, advocates, court personnel and law enforcement on issues related to family violence, stalking, elder abuse and supervised visitation. Anderson earned a bachelor’s degree from Hampton University and a law degree from the University of Akron School of Law. She resides in Decatur.​

Thomas C. Barnard, State Commission on Family Violence
Barnard is the field operations major for the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Law Enforcement Division. He has more than 25 years of natural resources law enforcement experience and supervises the DNR Investigative Unit as well as collateral duties including the PEER Support Unit, Chaplain Program and the Ranger Advisory Council. Barnard graduated from the National Association of Conservation Law Enforcement Chief’s Leadership Academy and was selected to attend the FBI National Academy starting July 2018. Barnard and his wife, Kim, have one child and live in Rutledge.​

Michele L. Bedingfield, State Commission on Family Violence
Bedingfield is the executive director of Harmony House. She was previously a probation supervisor for the State Court of Troup County and a contractor with the Georgia Department of Family and Children Services. Bedingfield is the chair of the Troup Family Connection Authority. She sits on the boards of directors for New Ventures and the Center for Healing and Attachment. Bedingfield earned an associate degree from Reinhardt University and a bachelor’s degree from LaGrange College. She and her husband, Lee, have three children and reside in LaGrange.

Jacqueline F. Bunn, State Commission on Family Violence
Bunn is an attorney and sits on the State Board of Pardons and Paroles. She was selected for the Henry Toll Fellowship Program. Bunn earned a bachelor’s degree in Journalism and a law degree from the University of Georgia. Bunn has one child and lives in Decatur.

Joon Choi, State Commission on Family Violence
Choi is an associate professor and Ph.D. program director for the School of Social Work at the University of Georgia. She is a faculty fellow with the Center for Social Justice, Human and Civil Rights and a faculty affiliate of the Violence Work Group for the Owens Institute for Behavioral Research at UGA. Choi sits on the board of directors of the Acceptance Recovery Center and the SBIRT Committee of the Gwinnett Coalition for Health and Human Services. She is also a member of the Society for Social Work and Research, the Council on Social Work Education and the National Association of Social Workers. Choi earned a master’s degree from the University of Michigan and a doctoral degree from Virginia Commonwealth University. She and her husband, Tony, have one child and reside in Athens.

James Tony Hightower, State Commission on Family Violence
Hightower is the deputy director of the Georgia Public Safety Training Center in Forsyth. He served as a trooper in various divisions with the Georgia State Patrol for more than 20 years. Hightower earned a bachelor's degree in Marketing from Jacksonville State University. He and his wife, Lisa, live in Carrollton.

Christine Hudson, State Commission on Family Violence
Hudson is the chief of police for the City of Clarkston. She began her career in law enforcement with the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office. Hudson previously trained Iraqi Police in Baghdad, where she became a team leader for American contractors. She is the president of the DeKalb Chiefs Association. Hudson was named the 1991 “Officer of the Year for DeKalb County” by the Georgia Bar Association. She has one child and resides in Loganville.

Jeff Johnson, State Commission on Family Violence
Johnson is the sheriff of Dawson County. He has more than 25 years of experience in law enforcement, including service with the Hall County Sheriff’s Office and the Gainesville Police Department. Johnson earned an associate degree in Political Science from the University of North Georgia. He and his wife, Lisa, have two children and live in Dawsonville.

Michael V. Kraft, State Commission on Family Violence (reappointment)
Kraft is the director of field services for the Georgia Department of Community Supervision. He has 28 years of experience in community corrections including serving as the director of probation for the Georgia Department of Corrections and as the chief probation officer for the Alcovy Judicial Circuit and the Western Judicial Circuit. Kraft is a member of the American Probation and Parole Association and was elected to serve as a regional representative for Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina. He is a member of the Georgia Professional Association of Community Supervision and a former president of the Georgia Probation Association. Kraft sits on the board of directors for the Georgia Balance of State Continuum of Care. He is a graduate of the Georgia Law Enforcement Command College. Kraft earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Georgia and a master’s degree in Public Administration from Columbus State University. He and his wife, Maureen, have two children and reside in Watkinsville.

Maxine C. “Cindy” Morris, State Commission on Family Violence
Morris is a superior court judge for the Conasauga Judicial. She is also the presiding judge of the Conasauga Judicial Circuit Domestic Violence Accountability Court. Morris is a member of the Georgia Commission on Dispute Resolution, the board of trustees for Mercer University and the board for the Dalton-Whitfield County Library. She earned a bachelor’s degree from Mercer University and a law degree from the Walter F. Georgia School of Law at Mercer University. Morris is a member of Rock Bridge Community Church and lives in Dalton. 

Kathryn L. Powers, State Commission on Family Violence
Powers currently is a judge with the Clayton County Superior Court. She served on the Clayton County State Court as the presiding judge of the Driving Under the Influence Accountability Court and as the executive assistant district attorney and the head of the major felony division in Jonesboro. Powers is an attorney-coach for the mock trial team at Jonesboro High School. She earned a bachelor's degree in Political Science from Georgia State University and a law degree from the Walter F. Georgia School of Law at Mercer University with an advanced certificate in legal writing. Powers and her wife, Stephanie, reside in Jonesboro.

D. Victor “Vic” Reynolds, State Commission on Family Violence (reappointment)
Reynolds is the district attorney of Cobb County. He sits on the advisory board of WellStar Kennestone Hospital. Reynolds is a former chairman of the Cobb Elder Abuse Task Force and a member of the Kiwanis Club of Marietta. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Georgia Southern University and a law degree from the Georgia State University School of Law. Reynolds and his wife, Holly, have two children and live in Marietta.

Chastity D. Rogers, State Commission on Family Violence
Rogers is the director of the Victim-Witness Assistance Program with the Office of the DeKalb County District Attorney’s Office. She is a former co-chair of the DeKalb County Domestic Violence Task Force and previously served on the Fulton County Fatality Review Committee. She helped to develop Fulton County’s Safe Families Office. She has two children and resides in Stone Mountain.

April Ross, State Commission on Family Violence
Ross is a senior assistant district attorney with the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office. She was previously a volunteer peer support mentor for patients at the Shepherd Center. Ross earned a bachelor’s degree in Business and a master’s degree from Florida A&M University and a law degree from the Emory University School of Law. She lives in Fayetteville.

Charles Sperling, State Commission on Family Violence
Sperling is the founder and director of STAND, Inc., a non-profit organization that provides behavioral health services in Metro Atlanta. He is a board-certified addiction counselor and a clinical supervisor. He earned a master’s degree from National-Louis University’s College of Management and Business. Sperling and his wife, Maria, have one daughter and reside in Decatur.

Paige R. Whitaker, State Commission on Family Violence
Whitaker is a judge for the Superior Court of Fulton County. She was previously a deputy district attorney in the Fulton County District Attorney's Office and a senior assistant attorney general in the Criminal Justice Division of the Georgia Department of Law. Whitaker serves as a delegate to the board of governors for the State Bar of Georgia and sits on the board of advisors for the Atlanta Lawyers Division of the Federalist Society. She is a former fellow of the Atlanta YWCA’s Georgia Women’s Policy Institute and a member of the Junior League of Atlanta. Whitaker earned a bachelor's degree from the College of Charleston and a law degree from Duke University School of Law. She and her husband, Frank, have two children and live in Atlanta.

Stephanie Woodard, State Commission on Family Violence (reappointment)
Woodard is the solicitor-general of Hall County. She has prosecuted domestic violence cases with the DeKalb County Solicitor’s Office, the Fulton District Attorney’s Office and the Carroll County District Attorney’s Office. Woodard has held leadership positions with the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council of Georgia and the Georgia Association of Solicitors-General. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Economics from Georgia State University and a law degree from the Georgia State University College of Law. She has two children and resides in Gainesville.