Gov. Kemp Announces 26 Appointments to State Boards, Commissions, and Authorities

Atlanta – Governor Brian P. Kemp today announced the appointment and re-appointment of the following 26 Georgians to various state boards, authorities, and commissions.

Board of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities

Bill Slaughter is a retired business owner of a family-owned and operated heating and air conditioning business in Lowndes County. Slaughter has served as the Chairman of the Lowndes County Board of Commissioners since 2013. He has been involved in many civic groups, trade associations, and community boards such as the Homebuilders Association of South Georgia, Construction Industry Licensing Board of Georgia, Lowndes-Valdosta Construction Board of Adjustments and Appeals, Greater Lowndes Planning Commission, and Wiregrass Georgia Technical College Foundation Board. He is also a graduate of Leadership Lowndes Class of 2007, a member of the Community Service Board for Legacy Behavior Health, Transportation Investment Act (Executive Committee Chairman), as well as Chairman of the Citizens Review Panel for the Transportation Investment Act overseeing transportation projects for the southern region.

Board of Community Affairs

D. Scott Gibbs was reappointed.

Georgia Board of Health Care Workforce

Cecil F. Bennett, Jr. completed his undergraduate studies at Syracuse University, earning a degree in Biology. Later, he continued his education at Morehouse School of Medicine. During his fourth year in medical school, Bennett was elected the President of the Student Government Association. Upon completion of medical school, Bennett continued his training in Family Medicine at Morehouse, where he served as Chief Resident in his final year. He earned his Board Certification from the American Board of Family Medicine. Bennett is also a fellow in health care advocacy for Morehouse School of Medicine Department of Family Medicine. He has served on the Morehouse School of Medicine Board of Trustees, as an Associate Dean of Medical Education for Washington Adventist University, and is currently adjunct faculty for the Morehouse School of Medicine Department of Family Medicine. Bennett was the first President of Xavier University School of Medicine, Aruba. He served on many boards including the Board of Directors of the Georgia Academy of Family Medicine and the membership commission of the American Academy of Family Physicians. He has twice held the honor of being doctor of the day for the Georgia State Legislature. Bennett answered served in the Georgia National Guard during Operation Desert Storm, where he earned an Army Commendation Medal. Bennett was honorably discharged from the Army as a Captain and Medical Corps Officer. He and his wife, Andrea, have been married for 34 years and have three children.

Savannah-Georgia Convention Center Authority

Patrick Farrell, Anne Scheer, and Ansley Williams were reappointed.

Board of Commissioners of the Superior Court Clerks’ Retirement Fund

Vincent Clanton was reappointed.

Board of Commissioners of the Magistrates Retirement Fund of Georgia

Berryl A. Anderson, Rita Cavanaugh, Connie J. Holt, Mary Kathryn Moss, Brendan Murphy, and Harlan Proveaux were reappointed.

Georgia Council for the Arts

Michele S. Arwood served as Executive Director at Thomasville Center for the Arts for a decade and recently founded Maris Design Group and the About Place Initiative. Before relocating to Thomasville, Arwood spent 20 years in the marketing industry, including at Babbit & Reiman and McCann Erickson, before eventually joining the 1996 Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games. She later co-founded SquareOne Marketing, a full-service marketing and strategic philanthropy firm for entrepreneurial businesses and non-profit organizations. For the last 13 years, she has also served as founding Editor of THOM magazine, profiling the entrepreneurs, artists, and innovators shaping the creative life of South Georgia’s Red Hills region. Her commitment to community and the arts is further demonstrated by her service on the Atlanta-based Arts Now Advisory Council and numerous other boards over the years, including Jerusalem House, South Georgia Ballet, Southern Center for Non-Profit Excellence, Thomasville-Thomas County Chamber of Commerce, and Rotary Club of Thomasville. Additionally, she has served on various City of Thomasville boards and commissions, including the Main Street Advisory Board, Destination Thomasville Tourism Authority, Sidewalk and Trail Commission, Historic Preservation Commission, and the Arts District Ad Hoc Planning Committee. Arwood was named Thomasville’s “Woman of the Year” in 2014.

State Commission on Family Violence

Rebecca Jackson currently serves as the Solicitor General for Carroll County. Previously, Jackson served as the Chief Assistant Solicitor and as an assistant public defender in Carrollton and Augusta. Jackson’s legal career began with a student clerkship at Fulton County Superior Court under the Honorable Judge Thelma Wyatt Cummings Moore in 2008. She has a bachelor's degree in sociology and psychology from the University of Georgia and a J.D. from Georgia State University. Active in her community and within the legal profession, Jackson is an attorney coach for the Georgia Mock Trial Competition, is chairwoman of the Domestic Violence Task Force, the secretary of Keep Carroll Beautiful, and is an Executive Committee member for the Georgia Association of Solicitors-General.

Joan Prittie has served as CEO of Project Safe Domestic Violence Center since 1999. Prittie teaches graduate classes at UGA and serves as editor and principal author of the Georgia Domestic Violence Bench Book—a resource guide for judges. Prittie previously worked as an attorney and represented indigent inmates in the Georgia state prison system. As a pro bono project, she worked on behalf of 78 incarcerated survivors of abuse, securing one sentence commutation and numerous early paroles. She was the recipient of the 2021 Gender Justice Award, the 2015 UGA President’s Fulfilling the Dream Award for social justice, and the 2014 ATHENA award for professional excellence and community service. In 2010, she received the national Sunshine Peace Award for facilitating social change to end violence against women and children. An active member of Covenant Presbyterian Church and former high school Sunday school teacher, she currently serves on the board of The Table at UGA (formerly Presbyterian Campus Ministry). She and her wife recently celebrated their 30th anniversary.

Georgia Humanities Council

Pat Wilson was appointed Commissioner of the Georgia Department of Economic Development in November 2016. As Commissioner, he leads the state agency responsible for creating jobs and investment opportunities in Georgia through business recruitment and expansion, small business growth, international trade, and tourism, as well as the arts, film, and digital entertainment industries. Wilson previously served as Chief Operating Officer of GDEcD from January 2011 until he was appointed Commissioner by former Governor Nathan Deal. As COO, he managed the daily operations of the agency, directed long-term strategy, managed the agency’s legislative priorities, and served as the department’s liaison with the Georgia Congressional delegation and federal government partners. In addition, he served as Executive Director of the Georgia Allies. Wilson joined GDEcD as Deputy Commissioner for Global Commerce in 2010. Before that, he served on the staff of Governor Sonny Perdue as Director of Government Affairs, promoting the Governor’s legislative agenda at the State Capitol and managing federal affairs for the State of Georgia. He previously served as Director of Federal Affairs for the state, opening the Washington, D.C., office in 2005. Before joining state government, Wilson was Director of Governmental Affairs for Greenberg Traurig, LLP, in Washington. He served under the late Senator Paul Coverdell and then-Representative Nathan Deal. He holds an undergraduate degree in political science with a focus on international relations from the University of Georgia.

Georgia Historical Records Advisory Council

Holly Croft is an associate professor of library sciences and the Associate Director for Special Collections and Galleries at the Ina Dillard Russell Library at Georgia College and State University. She began her career at GCSU as a digital archivist in 2016. She previously worked at Campbell University and the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. Croft earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Georgia before going on to receive her master’s degree in library science and a graduate certificate in nonprofit leadership from the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. She is a member of the Society of American Archivists, the Society of Georgia Archivists, and the Society of North Carolina Archivists.

State Rehabilitation Council

Karen Addams and Wina Low were reappointed.

Board of Economic Development

Dennis Chastain, Drew Ellenburg, and Mitchell Malcom were reappointed.

State Ethics Commission

Nancy Denson is the former Mayor of Athens-Clarke County. Denson has held several municipal roles in the Athens area, including on the Georgia Municipal Association Board of Directors, the Athens City Council from 1980-1985, and as a Clarke County Tax Commissioner from 1985-2010. Notably, she was the first woman elected to the Athens city government. She is a UGA Terry College alumna and received a public management certification from the UGA Carl Vinson Institute of Government. Denson retired from electoral politics in 2019 but remains active in advisory and community service roles, including the Athens Emergency Food Bank, the Northeast Georgia Food Bank, the PTA, the Georgia Commission on Women, and more.

State Board of the Technical College System of Georgia

Lisa Winton is the CEO of Winton Machine Company. She and her husband, George Winton, founded the company in 1997. Winton Machine is a member of the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) and Winton has served as a board member since 2020. She serves on the governance committee and the education and workforce committee. In 2019, she participated in several joint meetings between NAM and White House representatives. Winton has previously served on the Board of Directors for the Technical College System of Georgia and the State Workforce Development Board. She works locally as the Partnership Gwinnett Education and Workforce chair, a public-private economic development partnership. In 2022, Winton was recognized as one of Georgia’s “100 Titans.” In 2023, she was again recognized as an Alumni Titan. The Titan 100 program recognizes the top 100 CEOs and C-level executives through a nomination and judging process. Winton recently completed serving on the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors for a two-year term. She attended the University of Florida where she earned her bachelor’s degree in business administration. She is a graduate of Leadership Gwinnett, SBDC Fast Trac, GrowSmart, SBAEmerging Leaders, and ExportGA program.

Jekyll Island - State Park Authority- Chairman

Glen Willard was first appointed to the Jekyll Island State Park Authority by Governor Brian Kemp in 2019. He is a managing member of Olde South Candy Company and River Street Sweets: Savannah’s Candy Kitchen. He has previously served on the Bryan County Board of Commissioners. He attended Georgia Southern University and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in finance.