Governor Deal Appoints 12 to State Boards

Staff Report From Georgia CEO

Monday, June 27th, 2016

Laura Marsh, Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia

Marsh is a partner with the law firm of Taulbee, Rushing, Snipes, Marsh & Hogdin, LLC. She is a past president of the Statesboro Service League and sat on the board of directors for the Boys & Girls Club of Bulloch County and the Bulloch County Chapter of the American Heart Association. Marsh received the Deen Day Smith Service to Mankind Award and the Business Mentor Award from the Georgia Southern University College of Business Administration. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Finance from Florida State University and a law degree from the University of Georgia. Marsh and her husband, Randy, have two children and reside in Statesboro. 

Douglas Lewis, Board of Directors of the Georgia Technology Authority (reappointment)
Lewis founded The Edge Consulting Group after working as the chief information officer for Pratt & Whitney, AT&T Network Systems, Lucent Technology, Intercontinental Hotels and Carnival Cruise Lines. He was also the managing director of Leading the Way, an international ministry. Lewis earned a bachelor’s degree from Louisiana State University and a master’s degree from Southern Methodist University. He and his wife, Lucinda, reside in Atlanta.

Randal Robison, Board of Directors of the Georgia Technology Authority (reappointment)
Robison is the chief information officer for Georgia Pacific. He sits on the Georgia Pacific Executive Board and the Georgia CIO Leadership Association Board. He previously held leadership roles at Nissan Motor Company and Dell Inc. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Business and Marketing from Austin Peay State University and a master’s degree in Business Administration from Middle Tennessee State University. He and his wife, Lisa, have three children and reside in Atlanta.

Cory Ruth, Board of Directors of the Georgia Technology Authority (reappointment)
Ruth is a founding partner of Mergence Global, a project management firm. He led the technology integration initiative for the National Cash Register Corporation’s acquisition of Retalix. Ruth earned a bachelor’s degree in History from Oglethorpe University. He and his wife, Kathleen, have two children and reside in Atlanta. 

Tim Milligan, Board of Trustees of the Georgia Firefighters Pension Fund (reappointment)
Milligan is the assistant chief and fire marshal for the Marietta Fire Department. He sits on the executive board for the Georgia Association of Public Pension Trustees. Milligan earned a master’s degree in Business Administration from Regis University. He and his wife, Debbyn, have two children and reside in Powder Springs. 

Kenneth Brooks, Council on Aging (reappointment)
Brooks is the associate pastor of First Baptist Church in Cochran, where he focuses on the senior adult ministries. He was a member of the Disaster Relief Unit 1-F Feeding Team and a trustee of the Baptist Village Retirement Communities. Brooks is a graduate of Brewton Parker College, Georgia Southwestern College and New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. He and his wife, Rebecca, have two children and reside in Cochran.

Ruth Lee, Council on Aging (reappointment)
Lee retired as director of Oncology Services in Tifton and currently works part-time at a personal care facility. She was previously the executive director of Hospice of Central Georgia in Macon and the director of Hospice for the Tift area at Tift Regional Medical Center. Lee is a past president and treasurer of the Georgia Hospice Board of Directors. She has also been a member of the Georgia Department of Medical Assistance Hospice Advisory Committee and the Quad State Hospice Medicaid Advisory Committee. Lee earned a bachelor’s degree from Tift College and a bachelor’s degree in Nursing from Albany State College. She and her husband, Michael, have three children and six grandchildren. They reside in Tifton. 

Patti Lyons, Council on Aging (reappointment)
Lyons is the executive director of Senior Citizens, Inc. She sits on the boards of directors for Meals On Wheels America, Meals on Wheels Association of Georgia, the Girl Scout Council of Historic Georgia, Step Up Savannah, BB&T Bank and the St. Joseph/Candler Hospital Advisory Board for Home Health. Lyons was previously president of the Junior League of Savannah and served on a special study committee regarding social services for the Catholic Diocese of Savannah. She is a graduate of Leadership Savannah and Leadership Georgia. Lyons and her husband, Patrick, reside in Savannah.

Joanne Mathis, Council on Aging (reappointment)
Mathis is a retired real estate agent. She previously worked as a regional manager for United Hospice and as a social services director in a nursing home. Mathis helped establish the Georgia Association of Nursing Home Social Workers and the Georgia Association of Nursing Home Activity Directors. She earned a master’s degree in Public Administration and a graduate certificate in Gerontology from Georgia State University. She and her husband, Philip, reside in Atlanta.

Kenneth Cronan, Georgia Ports Authority (reappointment)
Cronan is the founder and president of Gainesville Waste and Recycling, and the founder of Georgia Recovery Services and Gainesville Salvage Disposal. Cronan previously worked for the Xerox Corporation and the Georgia Department of Education. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Engineering Technology from Southern Polytechnic University. Cronan and his wife, Angela, have two children and five grandchildren. They reside in Demorest. 

Charles Tarbutton, Georgia Ports Authority (reappointment)
Tarbutton is a director and the treasurer and of B-H Transfer Co., a truck-load motor carrier that primarily serves industrial minerals shippers in the Southeast. He sits on the boards of directors for the Georgia Power Company, the Georgia Chamber of Commerce and Brentwood School. He is a past chairman of the Georgia Board of Economic Development, the Georgia Chamber of Commerce, Oconee Fall Line Technical College and Leadership Georgia. Tarbutton earned a bachelor’s degree in Finance from Emory University. He and his wife, Helen, have three children and reside in Sandersville. 

James Walters, Georgia Ports Authority (reappointment)
Walters is the president of Walters Management Co. Walters is a trustee for Brenau University and a past chairman of the board and founding member for the Chattahoochee Bank of Georgia. He sits on the board of the Elachee Nature Center, the Northeast Georgia Medical Center Foundation and his local YMCA. Walters attended North Carolina State College. He and his wife, Peggy, have two daughters, five granddaughters and one great grandson. They reside in Gainesville.