Gov. Kemp Names 18 Appointments

Atlanta, GA – Today Governor Brian P. Kemp announced eighteen appointees to serve on various state council

Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities

Rena Laurel Harris serves as the executive director for Georgia Options, Inc. She earned a bachelor's degree in Psychology from Oregon State University and master's degree in Applied Behavior Analysis from St. Cloud State University. Harris and her husband live in Lawrenceville and have two children.

Wesley Fountain Ford is a self-advocate who lives in Vidalia. He graduated from Tucker High School in 2012.

Nicholaus Perez Perry works with the DeKalb Community Service Board and serves as Director of Developmental Disabilities for East DeKalb. He earned a bachelor's degree in Political Science and Public Administration from Walden University and MBA from the University of Maryland University College. Perry resides in Stone Mountain.

Lisa Marie Newbern is Chief of Public Affairs for the Yerkes National Primate Research Center at Emory University and a board member with the Down Syndrome Association of Atlanta. She earned a bachelor's degree in Communication from Florida State University. Newbern and her husband live in Atlanta and have two children.

Deborah Hibben, Sukie Glick, Dorothy Harris, Teresa Heard, Nandi Isaac, and Evan Nodvin were reappointeds and boards.

Council on American Indian Concerns

Dr. Alice F. Gooding is an assistant professor of Anthropology at Kennesaw State University. She received her master’s degree in Archaeological Resource Management from the University of Georgia and doctorate in Biological Anthropology from the University of Tennessee. Dr. Gooding is a forensic anthropologist consultant for the State of Georgia at large.

Georgia Composite Medical Board

Judy Lynn Gardner is appointed as a consumer member. She earned her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from Mercer University. For the past thirty-one years, she has worked for Northside Hospital in Atlanta. Over the span of her professional career, Gardner has practiced as a critical care pharmacist, staff development and projects specialist, and manager for clinical services. In her current role as Director of Pharmacy Services, she oversees both hospital and retail practice sites.

Dr. Barby Simmons was reappointed.

Criminal Justice Coordinating Council

Rachel Davidson serves as Director of the Governor's Office of the Child Advocate and has worked within the agency since 2017. She has a wealth of child advocacy experience from her service as a juvenile court liaison with the Georgia Division of Family and Children Services, policy specialist with the Georgia Office of the Child Advocate for the Protection of Children, and child advocate attorney with DeKalb County. Davidson earned her bachelor's degree in Business from the University of Florida and her MBA and law degree from Stetson University College of Law in 2006.

Russell Alan Lewis, Sr. retired in September 2019, after thirty-nine years of public service. He began his law enforcement career with the Gray Police Department in 1980. Four years later, while he was still a patrol officer, he received a Purple Heart for a gunshot wound sustained in the line of duty. He recovered from his injuries and earned a position on the SWAT team. Lewis later served as a chief investigator for the Office of the Child Advocate and as an investigations area supervisor and chief investigator for the Office of the Georgia Secretary of State. In retirement, he continues to be an active member of Ingleside Baptist Church in Macon, where he and his wife, Sharrell, have lived and raised their three sons.

Bona Fide Coin Operated Amusement Machine Operator Advisory Board

T. Mills Fleming is an attorney with HunterMaclean and chairs their health care practice group. He received his bachelor's and law degree from the University of Florida. Fleming is included in the most recent editions of The Best Lawyers in America. He and his wife live in Savannah and have one adult child.

Board of Human Services

Wes Lewis and Randy Smith were reappointed.