Governor Kemp Names 37 Appointments

Atlanta, GA – Today Governor Brian P. Kemp announced thirty-seven appointments to various state boards, commissions, councils, panels, and offices.

State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors

Julianne C. Busbee, Dan Davis, Russell Pennington, Elmo Richardson, Darien M. Sykes, William Womack, Taylor Wright, and Neil S. Wyche were reappointed.

State Construction Licensing Board- Division of Low Voltage Contractors

Timothy Wayne Trotter is CEO of NBP Engineers. He is a LEED Accredited Professional, a member of BICSI, a Registered Communications Distribution Designer (RCDD), and a registered Professional Engineer in Georgia, Alabama, and South Carolina. Trotter has been a member of the State of Georgia Department of Community Affairs (DCA) NEC Task Force for the past two revisions of the National Electrical Code. He attended the Georgia Institute of Technology, where he received a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering. Trotter and his wife, Gloria, have two daughters and reside in Macon.

Georgia State Board of Architects and Interior Designers

Melissa Cantrell, Craig R. Buckley, David M.G. Maschke and Anne K. Smith were reappointed.

State Licensing Board for Residential and General Contractors

Michael Robert Crane has called Georgia home for over 40 years. After graduating from Georgia Tech, Crane worked his way from carpenter to builder, becoming a successful business owner as a General Contractor and Real Estate professional. He has had the honor to serve as a Georgia State Senator for five years in Georgia’s 28th District. Crane and his wife, Tracey, have two children and reside in Newnan.

Thomas “Mike” Phelps is the manager of Home South Communities, LLC, a residential construction company based in Gwinnett County. He currently serves on the Joint Development Authority for Newton, DeKalb and Gwinnett counties and the Greater Atlanta Christian School Development Committee. In 2013, Governor Nathan Deal appointed Phelps to be the Seventh District Representative on the Board of Natural Resources. Phelps participates in international missions with Cross Pointe Church. His past civic and board affiliations include the Gwinnett County Zoning Board of Appeals and the Gwinnett Children’s Shelter. He and his wife, Elizabeth, have two children and reside in Suwanee.

Georgia Auctioneers Commission

Patricia J. Brown is the Principal Auctioneer & Associate Broker with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Georgia Properties and Owner/Auctioneer at Red Belly Rooster Auction. Brown is an active member of the National Auctioneers & Georgia Auctioneers Associations, where she has served as the Georgia State Ambassador and as an elected board director. She and her husband, Terry, have six children and three grandchildren and reside in Fayetteville.

Al L. Lawson is the City Administrator in Swainsboro, Georgia and has been since 1997. He is the former owner and operator of Lighting Eng. of GA and Lawson Electric Co. Lawson has served his community in many capacities; he was a Volunteer Firefighter with the Swainsboro Fire Department for 25 years and a Swainsboro City Council Member for seven years. He is a Certified Municipal Clerk from the Carl Vinson Institute of Government, a graduate of the Harold Holtz Municipal Training Institute, a graduate of the Regional Economic & Leadership Development Institution, a Regional Director and Board Member of the Georgia City/County Mangers Association, and was named by Who’s Who as a 2008 Honored Professional. Lawson and his wife, Dianne, have four children.

Board of Commissioners of the Georgia Student Finance Commission

Eric Ray Burrell is the owner of Royston Pest Control and a firefighter with the Royston Volunteer Fire Department. In 2016, Burrell was elected to the Franklin County of Board of Education, where he proudly served the community until 2020. His wife Lisa has been a teacher in the Franklin County School System for over 28 years. They are active members of their community, as well as the Royston Baptist Church. He and his wife, Lisa, have an adult daughter and reside in Franklin County.

Linda P. McWhorter was reappointed.

Board of Commissioners of the Peace Officers’ Annuity and Benefit Fund

Stephen Branson Adams is a Major with the DNR Law Enforcement Division. During his 27-year tenure with the Department of Natural Resources, Adams has had assignments in the North East Georgia Mountains, Lake Lanier as well as serving six years at the rank of Captain on the Georgia Coast. Adams has an associate degree in Wildlife from Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College, is a graduate of the Georgia Law Enforcement Command College at Columbus State University, and the 246th Session of the FBI National Academy. He was a member of the 22nd Georgia International Law Enforcement Exchange Delegation to Israel and is a member of the 2nd Cohort of the National Association of Conservation Law Enforcement Chiefs Leadership Academy. Adams previously served as president of the Peace Officers Association of Georgia and is a current member of the Georgia POST Council, where he serves as the Vice Chairman of the council as well as Chairman of the Training and Standards Committee. He holds both General Instructor and Firearms Instructor certifications from POST. Adams and his wife, Renee, have two sons and reside in Flowery Branch.

Georgia State Board of Funeral Service

Jake Albert Futch is a lifelong resident of Bulloch County. He attended Gupton Jones College of Mortuary Science, graduating in 1989. During his time at Gupton Jones, Futch worked for A. S. Turner and Sons Funeral Home in Decatur, Georgia and remained employed with A. S. Turner for nearly nine years. In 1998, Futch returned to his roots, opening a funeral home in Statesboro, Jake A Futch Funeral Home and later working for SCI from 2005-2010. In 2019, he became Manager of Deal Funeral Directors in Statesboro, Georgia. Futch was elected Bulloch County Coroner in 1999, a position he still holds today. He graduated from the Savannah River Police Academy in 1986 and is POST certified. Futch is a member and past president of the Georgia Coroners Association. He and his wife, Kim, have four children: Hunter, Lindsay, Hayden, and Luke.

Peace Officer Standards Training Council

Bryan Vincent Hunter is the Lieutenant Patrol Commander for the Byron Police Department and the Coordinator of the Middle Georgia Traffic Enforcement Network for the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety. Prior to joining the Byron Police Department in 2007, Hunter had worked with the Warner Robbins Police Department, Dooly County Sheriff’s Office, and Peach County Sheriff’s Office. Since 1989, he has completed over 3,600 hours of training from Georgia POST and in 2002, Hunter became a POST instructor. He and his wife, Tonya, have been married for 25 years and have two children.

State Board of Accountancy

Todd Martin Tolbert is CEO of Bolder Investment Group, LLC in Macon, Georgia, and a retired Sergeant with the Georgia Air National Guard. Tolbert serves as Chairman of the Monroe County GOP and 1st Vice Chair of the 8th District GOP. Additionally, he serves on the Governmental Affairs Committee for the Forsyth-Monroe County Chamber of Commerce. Tolbert and his wife, Margaret, have two sons and reside in Macon.

Board of Natural Resources

Randy Dellinger is the Gwinnett District Manager for Jackson Electrical Membership Corporation. He currently serves on several boards including Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce; Council for Quality Growth; Gwinnett Clean and Beautiful; Gwinnett County Public School Foundation; and is the Chairman of the Board of the Gwinnett Student Leadership Team. Dellinger received his bachelor’s degree in Agriculture Mechanization Technology from the University of Georgia and went on to complete his MBA at Brenau University. He is a graduate of Leadership Georgia, the Atlanta Regional Commission’s Regional Leadership Institute, and Leadership Gwinnett. Dellinger and his wife, Carol, have two adult children and are the proud grandparents of two grandchildren.

Board of Commissioners of the Magistrates Retirement Fund

Thomas C. Bobbitt is the former Chief Magistrate Judge of Laurens County and Chairman of the Board of Commissioners until 2020, when he retired from the bench. Bobbitt has served as Vice-Chairman of ICJE (Institute of Continuing Judicial Education), president of the Council of Magistrate Judges, and as President of the Council of Municipal Court Judges. He serves as Crime and Fire Prevention Chairman for the Dublin Exchange Club, is a member of the board of directors of Communities in Schools of Laurens County, and was a charter member of the board of directors of the Dublin-Laurens Teen Court. Bobbitt received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Georgia and a law degree from Mercer University. He and his wife, Karen, have one child.

Brendan F. Murphy serves as the Chief Magistrate of Cobb County. He is responsible for all judicial and administrative functions of the Magistrate Court of Cobb County which operates 24 hours/day, 365 days/year and has a staff of 75, including 18 total judges. Before taking the bench, Murphy served the people of Cobb County as a prosecutor at the Solicitor-General’s Office and District Attorney’s Office after beginning his career in private, civil practice. A proud “Double Dawg,” he is a two-time graduate of the University of Georgia. Murphy, his wife Sarah, and their two children reside in East Cobb, where they attend and volunteer at the Catholic Church of St. Ann.

Board of Community Supervision

James Edmund Kitchens serves on the Coffee County Commission as the 2nd district representative and CEO of American Truck Parts. He attended South Georgia College where he received an associate degree is Ag Business. Kitchens and his wife, Beth, have three children and reside in Douglas, Georgia.

State Board of Registration of Used Car Dealers and Used Motor Vehicle Parts Dealers

J. Lewis Page is the owner of Lewis Page Auto Brokers in Gainesville, Georgia. Page is a lifelong resident of Gainesville, Georgia. He is a member of Saint Paul United Methodist Church of Lumpkin County. Page and his wife, Bobbie Jean, have three children and are proud grandparents of four grandchildren.

State Board of Long-Term Care Facility Administrators

Shanna Boss Dupree is Executive Director of At Home Senior Living, LLC, a luxury assisted living facility in Cochran, Georgia. Dupree’s career in long-term care began with an eight-year tenure at Serenity Hospice, where she worked as a case manager, later becoming CEO. Dupree specializes in staff development and serves as a consultant for start-up assisted living facilities. She and her husband, Stephen, have one son and reside in Cochran.

Staci McNeely Kennedy is a Registered Nurse with a background in outpatient and emergency services. Kennedy is currently employed by East Georgia Medical Center where she works in the ambulatory care unit. She received her bachelor’s degree in Nursing from Georgia Southern University in 1996. Kennedy is a member of Statesboro First United Methodist Church and past president of the Statesboro Service League. She and her husband, Everett, have three children and reside in Statesboro.

Kimberly Ann Pitsenbarger is the Executive Director of a 126-unit long-term care facility, which includes independent senior living, assisted living, and memory care. She has worked in the long-term care industry for over twenty-six years. In 2013, Pitsenbarger and the staff of Summer’s Landing were awarded the National Assisted Living Week Programing award and in 2016, she was awarded the AHCA Executive Director of the Year. She and her husband, David, have been married for thirty-seven years and have two adult sons and are the proud grandparents of one grandson.

Barbara Byron Mitchell is Vice President of Clinical Services and the Corporate Compliance Officer for Magnolia Manor, Inc. Her career in long-term care began in 1985 at Magnolia Manor Nursing Center. She has held roles such as Evening Supervisor, Unit Manager, DON, Administrator and Nursing Consultant. Mitchell attended St. Petersburg Junior College in Florida where she earned an associate degree in Nursing. She served on the Georgia Health Care Association Board as the GANLTC liaison and a board member of the National Centers for Assisted Living. She and her husband, Bill, reside in Americus.

Edward “Chap” Nelson is a Registered Nurse and Licensed Nursing Home Administrator. He is employed at both Jones County Nursing Home and Autumn Lane Health and Rehabilitation. Nelson attended Macon State College, earning an associate degree in Nursing. He has two children and resides in Gray.

Mark Shane Mobley is President of Avilys Sleep & EEG, LLC, the largest rural Georgia provider of sleep disorder and EEG testing for both pediatric and adult patients. Mobley attended Macon State College where he earned a degree in Applied Science and subsequently became a RCP-RRT, Registered Respiratory Therapist. He continued his education, graduating from the Northside School of Sleep Medicine in Atlanta and went on to complete training in Strategic Finance at Harvard Business School. Mobley has been featured in publications such as Address Macon, M.D. News, as well as editorial content for an article in Fortune Small Business. He and his wife, Amy, have two children and reside in Macon.

Daniel Edward Rampey is owner and CFO of Magnolia Estates, Inc, a family owned Personal Care Home and Independent Living community in Winder, Georgia. Rampey graduated from the University of Georgia with a Bachelor of Business Administration in 1978. He has formerly served as President of the Assisted Living Association of Georgia, as a member of the Barrow County Board of Education, President of the Barrow County Chamber of Commerce, and member of the Economic Development Council. Rampey currently served on the Board of Directors at Barrow Regional Medical Center. He and his wife, Denise, have two children and reside in Statham.

Certificate of Need Appeal Panel

William C. Joy was reappointed.

Office of State Administrative Hearings

Michael Malihi was reappointed as Chief State Administrative Law Judge.