Gov. Kemp Names 93 Board, Council, and Authority Appointments

Georgia Ports Authority

William D. McKnight, Philip Wilheit, Jr., and Joel O. Wooten were reappointed.

Georgia Agricultural Exposition Authority

Thomas Allen McCall is a grain and livestock farmer from Elbert, County, Georgia with over forty years of experience in the farming industry. He began serving on the Georgia Farm Bureau in 1982 and was a member of the GFB Board of Directors from 1984-1986. McCall also served as a member of the Georgia House of Representatives from 1995 to 2021. During this time, he was on several committees including the Game, Fish, and Parks Committee, the Natural Resources and Environment Committee, the House Transportation Committee, and the House Agriculture and Consumer Affairs Committee, for which he was the chairman. McCall is currently the president of the Georgia Farm Bureau and was recently inducted to the Georgia Agricultural Hall of Fame.

Georgia Council for Developmental Disabilities

Sharia Denise Stripling is a Ms. Black Georgia International Ambassador from Fort Valley, Georgia. She lost her hearing at four years old from an unknown cause and is now an advocate for the deaf community, emphasizing her love of dance through several performances across the state. Stripling is a former Mu Omicron Miss Black and Gold 2013 Valdosta State, Miss Deaf Georgia, and Miss USA. She made history as the first Black Deaf woman to finish as second runner-up in the Miss Black International Ambassador competition. She also founded Breaking Barriers, a platform based on her everyday communicative struggles. Stripling is currently a dancer and dance teacher.

Elana Alessandra Taylor is an Olympic bobsledder and World Champion from Douglasville, Georgia. She grew up playing softball, earning a scholarship to play at George Washington University before transitioning to bobsledding. Taylor is an advocate for equality on all fronts in sports. She made history not only as the first woman to win a medal in a men’s event at an international competition but also as one of the first women to compete in a mix-gender four-man race. After the publication of an article she wrote about racism in athletics, Taylor announced the creation of a workshop for others to share their experiences with discrimination. In 2020, Taylor gave birth to her son, who was born deaf in both ears and with Down Syndrome. He now has cochlear implants. Taylor now also shares her family’s journey as a source of inspiration and strength for others.

State Board of Registration for Foresters

James Harley Langdale is from Valdosta, Georgia, and has almost thirty years of experience in the lumber business. He spent twenty years with the Langdale Company before he went on to launch Pannon Enterprises, LLC in 2011, which specialized in forest products consulting. He currently serves as a board member of the Suwannee Lumber Company, LLC., and is the Executive Vice President of Operations for Langdale Industries, Inc. Langdale will serve as the consumer member on the State Board of Registration for Foresters.

Georgia Board of Dentistry

JC Shirley is a pediatric dentist with the Center for Craniofacial Disorders at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and is also in private practice with Alpharetta Children’s Dentistry. He received his Doctor of Dental Medicine degree from the University of Mississippi Medical Center and a Master of Science degree from the University of Alabama-Birmingham. Shirley is a past president of the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry and the Georgia Academy of Pediatric Dentistry and has been involved in leadership positions in several professional organizations at the state and national levels. He has also served in the Navy Reserves for the past 32 years. His service included a tour as Commanding Officer of a 150-bed Navy field hospital. He was recalled to active duty as the Command Surgeon for U.S. Marine Forces in Europe and in Africa in 2017 and assigned to the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery in Washington, DC in 2019. He and his wife, Mary Ford, live in Sandy Springs.

Lacey Green is a Dentist at Shadow Brook Dental Care out of Suwannee, Georgia. After earning a degree in Chemistry from Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia, she went on to graduate from the University of Detroit Mercy, School of Dentistry. After her education, Green decided to take her skills to the military, where she was a Captain member of the United States Army Dental Corps for five years. She eventually moved back to her home state of Georgia where she continues to practice. Volunteer work has also been an important part of Green’s professional career, volunteering dental services to multiple missions to Hati and Santiago, Chile.

Jeff Schultz earned a degree in Chemistry from Washington and Jefferson College in Washington, Pennsylvania before enrolling in the Master of Medical Science Program in Anesthesia at the Emory University School of Medicine. After briefly working as a Physician Assistant Anesthetist, he attended the Emory University School of Dentistry where he graduated as a member of the last class in 1988. Schultz completed his residency in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and has been in private practice in the Newnan, Peachtree City, and Fayetteville areas since 1996. He is a respected professional in his field, serving as a Diplomat of the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, on the National Dental Board of Anesthesiology, and as President of the Georgia Society of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons just to name a few recognitions. Schultz, and his wife Sharon, have six children and reside in Newnan.

Lisa Shilman is the Chief Dental Officer of Clinical Quality at D4C Dental Brands. She received her bachelor’s degree in Biology from the State University of New York at Geneseo and her Doctor of Dental Surgery degree from the New York University College of Dentistry. She completed her General Practice residency at King’s County Hospital in Brooklyn, New York. While there, she was the recipient of the Resident of the Year award. She completed her Pediatric Dental residency at Maimonides Hospital in Brooklyn, New York. She is a published author in the Journal of the American Dental Association and the International Journal of Dentistry. Shilman is board certified by the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry. She regularly volunteers at GMOM (Georgia Mission of Mercy) providing free dental care to children and adults in need. She also volunteers with Give kids a smile day, providing free dental care for children in need, and the Special Olympics

Lisa Selfe has served as a dental hygienist for over 25 years. She studied Dental Hygiene at Clayton State University in Morrow, Georgia, where she earned her associate’s degree in 1994. Throughout her career, Selfe has worked with several recognized dentists, including Dr. Mark Cohen, Dr. Robert Watson, and Dr. Vinamar Bhasin. She currently works with Dr. Less Rager out of Atlanta, Georgia, where she specializes in preventing and treating oral diseases. She is professionally associated with the American and Georgia Dental Hygienist Associations. Selfe lives in McDonough with her husband, John, and her son.

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

Azfar Haque is a Georgia Core Commercial Producer and the owner of Bulldog Agency in Forest Park, Georgia. He previously worked for Mutual of New York selling life insurance, before purchasing Bulldog Agency and expanding it from non-standard auto to BOP, trucking and bonds, personal lines, and more. Haque will serve as the insurance industry representative on the State Board of Registration of Used Motor Vehicle Dealers and Used Motor Vehicle Parts Dealers.

Georgia Composite Medical Board

John S. Antalis, Alexander Gross, and Andrew Reisman were reappointed.

Charles Edward Harris, Jr. founded Harris Medical Associates in 2005, a healthcare staffing firm that has since grown into one of the premier firms in the United States. Since his graduation from the University of Georgia in 1976, Harris has spent over 30 years in the healthcare staffing industry. After many successful years as a top recruiter at Jackson and Coker, he founded Harris Kovacs Alderman, which quickly grew to be the second-largest physician recruiting firm in the country. Outside of work, Harris oversees the Charles Harris Run, a 10k road race that raises money for leukemia research. The race is held in honor of his father, who succumbed to leukemia in 1981. Harris will serve as a consumer member on the Georgia Composite Medical Board.

Georgia Commission on Women

Tita Stewart and Melissa Tymchuk were reappointed.

Georgia Real Estate Commission

Cedric M. Matheny is the principal and vice president of T. Dallas Smith & Company, a minority-owned commercial real estate firm that specializes in Tenant and Buyer representation services. He graduated from Georgia State University with a B.A. in Real Estate and Finance and began his career with Bank of America serving as a small business and commercial banker. Cedric later served as a sales representative with Konica Minolta Business Solutions where he was recognized as a top producer in sales and business development. In his current position for T. Dallas Smith & Company, he represents several high-profile clients including Georgia’s Own Credit Union, FedEx, AT&T, and JP Morgan Chase.

Georgia Real Estate Appraisers Board

Jeff Lawson was reappointed.

Judicial Legal Defense Fund Commission

Evan Meyers is Deputy Executive Counsel in the Office of Governor Brian P. Kemp. Prior to joining the governor's staff, Meyers served as an attorney for the House Budget and Research Office with numerous committee assignments, including the House Judiciary Committee. He earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Georgia in Criminal Justice and Sociology, and a law degree from Georgia State University College of Law.

Board of Community Supervision

Coy Heath Elliott and Sonja Fillingame were reappointed.

Long-Term Care Facility Administrators

Timothy Grant Bush has served in nearly every operations role in the twenty-three years he has worked in post-acute care management and leadership. After graduating from Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota with a B.A. in Healthcare Administration, he worked as the director of operations for Beverly/Golden Living in Eden Prairie, Minnesota for twelve years. Bush moved to Georgia in 2014 and held the position of Division President for Sava Senior Care Consulting for two years. As president, he provided direct support to thirty-seven assisted living facilities across eight states. Bush currently serves as the Senior Vice President of Operations and Acquisitions and Chief Operations Officer of Phoenix Senior Living, an assisted living facility headquartered in Roswell, Georgia. As COO, Bush is responsible for the day-to-day operations of an organization that provides care for senior communities across the southeast.

Laura E. Cayce has dedicated her life to providing leadership and healthcare for the elderly community in need of assisted living. Over the course of her forty-seven-year career, Cayce has held several leadership positions across senior living and health care settings, including TheraTx, where she was president of the Senior Living Division. Over twenty years ago, she founded CaraVita Home Care, a home health care service in Roswell, Georgia. As Chief Operating Officer, Beth leads a workforce of over 450 nurses and caregivers who provide health care services to over 400 residents. She was recently recognized for her contributions to the field of healthcare by the Atlanta Business Chronicle, which awarded her the Allied Professional Award in 2019. Cayce also founded the Georgia Senior Living Association, where she still serves as a board member.

Board of Directors of the Georgia Regional Transportation Authority

Walter “Sonny” Derison, Jr., Anna Miller Hanlon, Martha Martin, Narender Reddy, J.T. Williams, Shaun Willie, and Kathryn Zickert were reappointed.

Emanuel “Manny” Fialkow is Chairman of TMB Holdings, LLC as well as ATI Insurance. Fialkow is an experienced entrepreneur and real estate investor who has operated as a principal in dozens of commercial office properties, and multiple building service industry companies. He is a board member of Locum Partners, LLC, a national locum tenens search company as well as Lakota Travel Partners, LLC, an online travel booking firm. Fialkow is a graduate of Emory University and is involved in many civic and charitable organizations.

Steven Michael Brock founded Brock Built Homes in 1984 and continues to act as Chief Operating Officer to this day. His company is recognized as one of the premier building companies in the Atlanta area, winning dozens of awards including Professionalism Awards, Obie Awards, the 2008 Homebuilder of the Year, and the 2009 Earth Craft Builder of the Year. Through his company, Brock has built over 2,500 homes and has literally altered the landscape of Atlanta’s west side. He also serves as a Life Director on the Board of Directors for the Greater Atlanta Homebuilder’s Association and has been named “Builder at Large.”

Georgia Board of Massage Therapy

Stephanie Bone has been a licensed massage therapist in the state of Georgia for 12 years. After receiving her certification from North Georgia Tech in Toccoa, Georgia, she worked as a contract massage therapist in Royston. More recently, Bone worked as a massage therapist for Bella Grace Wellness Spa in Lavonia, Georgia, performing Swedish, therapeutic, and hot stone massage and specializing in lymphatic drainage. In March of 2022, Bone opened Rejuvenating Massage and Reflexology where she acts as the owner and operator.

Board of Governors of the George L. Smith Georgia World Congress Center Authority

Steve R. Adams, R. Stan Conway, Wilson Benjamin Garrett, and William C. Rice were reappointed.

Rachel Blackstone Little has worked in the legal profession in Atlanta for over 22 years. She currently serves as a Senior Paralegal in the Animal Health division of the global pharmaceutical company Boehringer Ingelheim specializing in U.S. and International Corporate Governance, Mergers and Acquisitions and Strategic Real Estate and Development. Little is a graduate of Leadership Gwinnett. She was appointed by Governor Nathan Deal to the Board of Directors of the Georgia Department of Driver Services and the Immigration Enforcement Review Board where she served as its Vice-Chair. In 2019, Governor Brian Kemp appointed her to serve on the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia. An Atlanta native, Little attended Parkview High School in Gwinnett County and earned a B.A. in Political Science from Georgia State University. She and her husband, Bill, reside in Loganville.

Board of Public Health

Thomas M. Carden, James Curran, Mitch Rodriguez, Sangmin Ryan Shin, T.E. Valliere- White were reappointed.

Mychal Walker is the managing director at the Walker Agency, LLC, a Medicare health insurance agency. After graduating from Auburn University with a degree in Communication and Media Studies, he worked for several years with telecommunications companies such as AT&T, Bell South, and US Sprint in their marketing departments. Walker’s experience with these companies inspired him to start his first company, TriComm, Inc., which provided communications systems to clients such as the Department of Defense and the Centers for Disease Control. In 2007, he began to migrate into the Insurance and Financial Services industry, providing consulting services to small businesses. Walker currently manages the Walker Agency, which addresses the needs of the senior market and healthcare-related issues.

Georgia Aviation Hall of Fame Board

Arthur Grady, George Harrison, Henry Edward Lowe, Michael Edward Mathews, James “Jimmy” Norton, Jr., and Robert Ripley were reappointed.

Board of Commissioners of the Superior Court Clerks’ Retirement Fund of Georgia

Timothy Harper, Linda Hays, Daniel Jordan, Beverly Logan and Rhett Walker were reappointed.

Jekyll Island-State Park Authority

Joy Burch-Meeks, L.C. “Buster” Evans, and Robert W. Krueger were reappointed.

Ruel Joyner is the owner and Chief Operating Officer of 24e Design company, a local, family-owned furniture store he helped evolve into an award-winning leader in the boutique home furnishings industry. After graduating from Georgia Southern University, Joyner took over the Savannah-based family furniture store in 2002. Five years later, 24e Design Co. was recognized as Savannah Chamber’s Small Business of the Year. Joyner has designed projects for INC.500 Conference in San Francisco, Chicago, and Savannah and has done work for President Bush, President Clinton, MSNBC, and American Express. As President of the Downtown Business Association for Savannah, Georgia, Joyner works with an active board to bring fresh ideas, including introducing Project Ceasefire, a crime prevention program for Savannah. He has also served on Governor Brian Kemp’s Georgians First Commission. Joyner lives in Savannah with his wife, Delanie, and two daughters.

Savannah-Georgia Convention Center Authority

Bert Brantley, Martin Miller, and Pritpal Singh were reappointed.

Board of Trustees of the Georgia Firefighters’ Pension Fund

David James Bullard was reappointed.

Board of Trustees of the Subsequent Injury Trust Fund

Stephen Heinen was reappointed.

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

Stephen Branson Adams, Gregory Clayton Dozier, Keith Glass, Daniel Kilgore, and Christopher Tyrone Oliver were reappointed.

Lake Lanier Islands Development Authority

William Carter Patterson is the CEO of Forte Data Systems, a software company in Forsyth County, Georgia. Since 1989, Forte Data Systems has focused on providing valuable technology solutions to the automotive extended service contract industry. Patterson graduated from the University of Kansas in 1988 with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Management. He previously held the position of Chief Information Officer for the Automobile Protection Corporation for 9 years and is the current owner of Cumming Cigars. Outside of work, Patterson is a licensed instrument-rated pilot and volunteers with the Rotary Club.

Stephen Syfan is the Co-Founder and Executive Vice President of Syfan Logistics and Turbo Truck Center in Gainesville, Georgia. He started in the logistics field in 1984 with his brother Greg and his father Jim. In 2019, Governor Brian Kemp appointed Syfan to the Board of Economic Development. He has two children and two grandchildren. He and his wife, Kim, reside in Gainesville.

Jeff Payne is one of the most experienced ophthalmologists in North Georgia. After graduating magna cum laude from North Georgia College with a B.S. in biology, Payne enrolled in the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta. He completed his internship at the Medical College of Georgia followed by his residency in ophthalmology, where he was named Chief Resident. In addition to this position, Payne is a member of the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO), the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons (ASCRS), and the Georgia Society of Ophthalmology (GSO). He serves as Chairman of the Health Partners Board at Northeast Georgia Medical Center. Payne is a Diplomat of the American Board of Ophthalmology and a board member of the Georgia Society of Ophthalmology. In 2018, Governor Nathan Deal appointed him to serve on the Board of Governors of the George L. Smith II Georgia World Congress Center Authority. Payne and his family are members of Gainesville First United Methodist Church in Gainesville, Georgia.

State Employee Benefit Plan Council

Angie Surface and Monirah T. Womack were reappointed.

Board of Community Health

Robert S. Cowles, III is a third-generation physician and the founder of The Cowles Clinic, a large multi-specialty medical clinic located at Lake Oconee. Cowles earned his medical degree at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center and completed his graduate training at the University of Texas Health Science Center Houston and M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in the field of urology. Having taught surgery in 29 countries, he was named Prostate Educator of the Year by The American Foundation for Urological Disease. He is the president of Pharmagene Pharmaceutical Company, International Health Partners, and is past president of the Georgia Urological Association. His urology office at Cowles Clinic has been named a Neotract Center of Excellence in prostate surgery where he continues to practice.

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. In 2021, Governor Brian Kemp appointed Mobley to serve as a consumer member on the State Board of Long-Term Care Facility Administrators. He and his wife, Amy, have two children and reside in Macon.

Board of Human Services

Lisa Hamilton, Scott Johnson, and Scott F. Williams were reappointed.

Georgia Auctioneers Commission

Stephen Burton and Kim Hagen were reappointed.

Georgia Firefighter Standards and Training Council

Laura Beth Tucker has worked exclusively for local governments or non-profit organizations for the past 32 years. Upon completion of her MBA, Tucker served as Department Head, then City Manager, and as Economic Development Director for the City of Tifton, City of Social Circle, and Moultrie/Colquitt County, respectively. Tucker was a founding organizational partner in the formation of the South-Central Drug Task Force. Currently, Tucker manages her own business where she has served as Project Manager for over 40 local governments or non-profit organizations. Tucker is a former mayor and current City Council Member representing Camillia, Georgia’s District 2 Post 3. The range of management experience span from interim management, evaluation, training, election equipment technical duties, to strategic planning. She and her husband Tony have three sons.

State Soil and Water Conservation Commission

Vikki Townsend Consiglio was reappointed.

State Personnel Board

Amy Auffant and Glianny Fagundo were reappointed.

Georgia Board of Health Care Workforce

William Scott Bohlke was reappointed.

McPherson Implementing Local Redevelopment Authority

Cathleen Renee Richardson has been a pioneer educational technology specialist for over 15 years. Richardson is a former Board of Trustee for the National Coalition of Girls’ Schools and served on the Advisory Board for Tech & Learning. She is an Apple Distinguished Educator and a Google Certified Trainer. In 2007, she gained national recognition when she was named as one of four finalists in the Leader of the Year Program sponsored by Tech & Learning. As an Apple National Education Development Executive, she discovers creative ways to assist schools and organizations in meeting their learning and productivity goals. Today, Richardson is at the forefront of Mobile Device and Web 2.0 technologies, committed to helping learners understand the transformational power of technology. She has spoken at over 350 local, regional, and national conferences and has been a subject matter expert in the areas of Web 2.0, eLearning, Mobile Technology, Data & Assessment, Personalized Learning, Pedagogy & Andragogy and Apple hardware & software solutions.

Georgia State Board of Pharmacy

Young Ho Chang was reappointed.

Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Council

Bryan Vincent Hunter was reappointed.

Brain and Spinal Injury Trust Fund Commission

Stephanie Freeman is a 29-year traumatic brain injury survivor from South Georgia. In 1993, Freeman spent two months of life in a coma from an automobile accident, where she sustained a traumatic brain injury that almost took her life. She was never given any hope of walking again after the injury. However, after two months of rehabilitation, she walked out of Palmyra Park Hospital in Albany Georgia. Since 1993, she has run marathons all over the nation, inspiring others to never give up hope. Today she is a strong mental health advocate throughout Georgia, providing positivity, health encouragement, and most of all hope and love to individuals that experience the same trauma as she has with a not-for-profit organization Share Your Strong.

Georgia Board of Athletic Trainers

Diane Green King is an NATA Certified Athletic Trainer and licensed dietician. She has worked with the Georgia High School Association to develop nutrition education material and helps administer the high school Wrestling Minimum Weight Certification program. King previously provided education talks for the Gatorade Sports Nutrition Speaker Network as well as the NCAA Speakers Bureau. King has also served the Georgia Athletic Trainers Association in several capacities including Secretary/ Treasurer and President. She has worked with the GATA lobbyists during sessions to keep the association’s licensure intact as well as promote the health and safety of athletes at all levels, and was one of the Athletic Trainers at the Aquatics Venue during the 1996 Olympic games and served as the Nutrition Consultant for the Atlanta Falcons NFL Football Team from 1994 – 2007. She currently works full-time as an Athletic Trainer with Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta’s Sports Medicine Program and South Forsyth High School in Cumming GA. Diane serves on the Georgia High School Association’s Sports Medicine Advisory Committee.