Governor Perdue Announces Executive Appointments

Governor Sonny Perdue announced on January 6 the following executive appointments. Brief biographies are provided below:

9-1-1 Advisory Committee

Linda M. Tanner, 59, Pearson, County Representative – Tanner is chairman of the Atkinson County Board of Commissioners. She previously served as executive director of the Georgia Insurance Agents Alliance and as an aide to the Georgia House of Representatives Insurance Committee. Tanner earned a bachelor’s degree from Valdosta State College. She and her husband, Clark, have two grown children.

Professional Standards Commission

Joy Hawkins, 48, Atlanta – Hawkins is VP Regional Education with the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce. Hawkins previously served as deputy chief operating officer in the Office of Governor Perdue. She is a member of the State Bar of Georgia and has served three terms as a school council member in her children’s public school. She was recently appointed to the DeKalb County Public Schools Foundation Board and is serving her second term on the Georgia Commission for Child Support. Hawkins earned a bachelor’s degree and a law degree from Georgia State University. She has two children.

Stephanie L. Haynes, 41, Macon – Haynes is an academic math coach at Clifton Ridge Middle School. She is a Master Teacher and a member of the Georgia Association of Educators and the Georgia Council of Supervisors of Mathematics. She serves on the advisory panel of the Professional Standards Commission and as an advisory board member of BRIDGE. Haynes earned a bachelor’s degree from Mercer University and is pursuing a master’s degree from Walden University. She has one child.

Edwin D. Smith, Ed.D., 52, LaGrange – Smith is superintendent of Troup County Schools. He serves on the board of directors for LaGrange Development Authority, Communities-In-Schools of Troup County, United Way of West Georgia and West Georgia Technical College. He is a member of the Professional Association of Georgia Educators, the Georgia Association of Educational Leadership, and the National Association of Curriculum Development. Smith earned a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree from Auburn University and a doctoral degree from the University of West Georgia. He and his wife, Deborah, have three children.

State Board of Education

Elizabeth J. Ragsdale, Ed.D., 68, Albany, Second Congressional District Representative - Ragsdale retired from Darton College as chair of both the division of humanities and the division of learning support and has experience teaching kindergarten, middle school, high school and post-secondary levels. She is a member of Delta Kappa Gamma Society International and a former member of the Board of Early Care and Learning. She volunteers at Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital and is a graduate of Leadership Albany. Ragsdale earned a bachelor's degree from Huntingdon College, a master's degree from Georgia State University and a doctoral degree from Florida State University. She and her husband, Tom, have three children and seven grandchildren.

Allen C. Rice, 63, Vidalia, Twelfth Congressional District Representative – Rice is president of Savannah Luggage Works. He served in the United States Army Active Reserve for five and a half years. He serves on the board of directors of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce, is a former member of the State Board of the Technical College System of Georgia and is an active Rotarian. Rice earned a bachelor’s degree from Auburn University. He and his wife, Nancy, have two grown children.

Linda M. Zechmann, 56, Waycross, First Congressional District Representative (Reappointment) – Zechmann is a team leader for Work Ready Ware, Governor’s Certified Work Ready Community Initiative, chairman of the State Board of Education Charter Schools Committee and a member of the Joint Education Boards Liaison Committee. She is a member and former president of the Okefenokee Toastmasters. Zechmann is involved with the Angel Food Ministries of Satilla and is a graduate of Leadership Waycross. She attended the University of Minnesota. She and her husband, John, have two children.

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Governor Perdue Announces Staff Appointments

Governor Sonny Perdue announced today the following staff appointments for the Office of the Governor – Nels Peterson, Deputy Executive Counsel; and Emily Campbell, Director of Executive Appointments.

Brief biographies are provided below:

Nels Peterson, Atlanta, GA – Peterson practiced at King & Spalding LLP, where his practice focused on securities litigation, corporate governance litigation, corporate takeover litigation and appellate litigation. Peterson also served as a law clerk to the Honorable William H. Pryor Jr. of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. He serves on the board of directors of the Kennesaw State University Alumni Association and is an appointee of Governor Perdue on the Board of Commissioners of the Superior Court Clerk's Retirement Fund of Georgia. Peterson received a bachelor’s degree from Kennesaw State University and a J.D. from Harvard Law School. Peterson and his wife Jennifer have one son and are members of Johnson Ferry Baptist Church in Marietta.

Emily Campbell, Atlanta, GA – Campbell replaces Frances Gatewood as the Director of Executive Appointments for Governor Perdue. Campbell has served as the executive appointments liaison for Governor Perdue since May 2007 and previously served as deputy scheduler. She also served in the Governor’s Fellowship program. Raised in Richmond, Virginia, Campbell attended Auburn University, earning a bachelor’s degree in political science. She is an alumna member of Sigma Kappa Sorority and the Auburn University Alumni Association. Campbell currently resides in Atlanta.

Governor Perdue Announces Executive Appointments

Governor Sonny Perdue announced today the following executive appointments:

Board of Early Care and Learning
Carolyn W. Ormsby, Ed.D., 65, Conyers, Fourth Congressional District Representative —
Ormsby is the principal of Honey Creek Elementary School in Rockdale County. She serves on the Board of Child Development Center of First Baptist Church of Conyers, and is a member of the National Association of Elementary School Principals, the Georgia Association of Educational Leaders, and the Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development. Ormsby earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Tennessee, master’s and specialist’s degrees from Georgia State University, and a doctoral degree from Nova Southeastern University. She and her husband, Ted, have three grown children and nine grandchildren.

Board of Governors of the George L. Smith II Georgia World Congress Center Authority
John H. Downs, Jr., 51, Marietta –- Downs is senior vice president of public affairs and communications for Coca-Cola Enterprises. He serves on numerous boards including The Coca-Cola Foundation, Georgia Chamber of Commerce, Cobb County Chamber of Commerce, Morehouse School of Medicine, Voices for Georgia’s Children, and the Georgia Public Policy Foundation. He was appointed to the Georgia Department of Education’s Parent, Community and Business Advisory Board and the Commission for a New Georgia’s Administrative Services task force by Governor Sonny Perdue. Downs earned a bachelor’s degree from Washington College. He and his wife, Molly, have four children.

Board of Trustees of the Subsequent Injury Trust Fund
John L. Quinn, 59, Avondale Estates, Labor Representative –- Quinn serves as district counsel for Communications Workers of America, where he represents nine Southeastern states. He is currently chair-elect of the Georgia Bar’s Labor and Employment Law Section, along with being a longstanding member of the American Bar Association’s EEO Committee. He is an active member of the AFL-CIO Lawyers Coordinating Committee and has chaired its advisory board. Quinn earned a bachelor’s degree from Wesleyan University and a law degree from the University of Georgia School of Law. He and his wife, Kerry, have five children and four grandchildren.

Georgia Board of Chiropractic Examiners
Kathleen T. Bowen, 29, Decatur, Consumer Representative –- Bowen is special projects coordinator for the Association County Commissioners of Georgia (ACCG) and serves as program director for the Georgia Civic Awareness Program for Students. She is a member of the Georgia Society of Association Executives, the Southern Center for International Studies Young Professionals, the Atlanta Ole Miss Alumni Club and a volunteer with Hands on Atlanta. Bowen earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Mississippi. She is married to Will Bowen.

Georgia Music Hall of Fame Authority
R. Charles “Charlie” Loudermilk, Sr., 80, Atlanta – Loudermilk serves as chairman of Aaron Rents, Inc. He is the founder and past chairman of the Buckhead Coalition and founder and chairman of the Buckhead Community Bank. He served on the board of the Atlanta Rotary Club, Piedmont Hospital Foundation Board, Atlanta Community Food Bank, and served as chairman of the Omni Group and the MARTA Board of Directors. Loudermilk earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of North Carolina. He is married to Courtney Loudermilk and has three children, two stepchildren, and five grandchildren.

State Board of Cosmetology
James S. “Slatz” Gaines, 74, Flowery Branch, Cosmetologist – Gaines has been a professional hairdresser for over forty-seven years and has owned multiple salons around the Atlanta area. He is a member of Blackshear Place Baptist Church and the National Hairdressers Association and a former member of Intercoiffure America-Canada.

State Workforce Investment Board
Edward P. “Phil” Best, Sr., 52, Dublin, Municipal Elected Official – Best is the mayor of the City of Dublin and the chief executive officer of Premier Construction Group, LLC. He serves on the Laurens County Board of Health, Community Mental Health Board and the Solid Waste Management Authority. He is a graduate of Leadership Georgia and served as director of the Dublin-Laurens County Chamber of Commerce. Best attended Floyd Jr. College and DeKalb College. He and his wife, Cile, have two children.

Governor Perdue Announces Executive Appointments

Board of Human Resources
Lisa W. Alexander, 42, Douglasville, Thirteenth Congressional District Representative– Alexander is a fifth grade teacher for the Douglas County Board of Education. She is a member of the West Georgia Board of Realtors and is involved with the Douglas County One to One Mentor Program. She is a member of Elizabeth Baptist Church in Atlanta and serves as a youth ministry teacher. Alexander earned a bachelor’s degree from Georgia State University. She and her husband, Christopher, have two children.

Justin D. Neal, 27, Roswell, Sixth Congressional District Representative – Neal is a financial representative at Northwestern Mutual Financial Network. He serves as a board member for TeenPact Leadership School and as a college unit director for Northwestern Mutual’s internship program in Atlanta. He also volunteers as a speech and debate coach for high school students. Neal earned a bachelor’s degree from Berry College. He is married to Lindsey Neal.

C. Stephen Rigdon, 56, Baxley, First Congressional District Representative– Rigdon is the vice president of Peoples State Bank and Trust and the mayor of the City of Baxley. He serves on the board of directors of the Georgia Association of Regional Development Centers. He is a member of the Appling County Board of Health, Development Authority of Appling County, Baxley-Appling County Chamber of Commerce and the Appling County Board of Tourism. Rigdon earned a bachelor’s degree from Belmont University. He and his wife, Marianne, have two grown children.

Board of Natural Resources
Philip C. Watt, M.D., 46, Thomasville, Second Congressional District Representative– Watt is an investment consultant at Southeast Asset Advisors, Inc. and a special projects coordinator at Williams & Parker, LLC. He serves on the board of directors of Conifer Advisors and on the board of trustees for Tall Timbers Research Station and Land Conservancy and the Florida State University Foundation. He is a member of the Dean’s Alumni Advisory Council at the Johns Hopkins University’s Bloomberg School of Public Health and he serves on the Dean’s Council at Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health. Watt earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of the South, a medical degree from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and a master’s degree from the Johns Hopkins University School of Hygiene and Public Health. He and his wife, Alston, have two children.

State Board of Technical and Adult Education
J. Paul Holmes, Jr., 67, Monticello, At-Large Representative– Holmes is a partner at Holmes Insurance Services. He serves on the board of directors for the Georgia Chamber of Commerce and the University of Georgia Football Lettermen’s Club. He is a former Jasper County Commissioner and is a past chair of the Development Authority of Jasper County. He served as a director of Griffin Technical College and of the Georgia College and State University Foundation. Holmes earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Georgia. He and his wife, Susan, have three grown children and eight grandchildren.