GEORGIA UNIVERSITY SYSTEM BOARD OF REGENTS Links 4.11 Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia 270 Washington Street, SW Atlanta, GA 30334 http://www.usg.edu/regents/ . OVERVIEW . The Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia was created in 1931 as a part of a reorganization of Georgia’s state government. With this act, public higher education in Georgia was unified for the first time under a single governing and management authority. The governor appoints members to the Board, who each serve seven years. Today the Board of Regents is composed of 18 members, five of whom are appointed from the state-at-large, and one from each of the 13 congressional districts. The Board elects a chancellor who serves as its chief executive officer and the chief administrative officer of the University System. The Board oversees the 35 colleges and universities that comprise the University System of Georgia , Skidaway Institute of Oceanography and The Georgia Public Library System. These institutions enrolled approximately 311,442 students for the Fall of 2010 and employed 41,680 faculty and staff to provide teaching and related services to students and the communities in which they are located. Members of the Board of Regents http://www.usg.edu/regents/members/ . Committees of the Board of Regents http://www.usg.edu/regents/committees/#special . Kenneth R. Bernard, Jr. -13 th Congressional District ; Bernard is a partner with Sherrod & Bernard and serves as the county attorney for Douglas County. His litigation experience includes handling matters from trial through appeal before the Supreme Court of Georgia…. Larry R. Ellis –At Large- Ellis is the chief executive officer of ESSE. Ellis served in the United States Army for more than 35 years before retiring as a Four-Star General. He commanded units at every echelon of the Army, including the First Armored Division while deployed in Bosnia and Herzegovina. As the U.S. Army’s Chief Operations Officer, he oversaw multi-year, multi-billion dollar budget programs supporting national strategic objectives. His military awards include the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, the Army Distinguished Service Medal, the Combat Infantryman Badge and the Bronze Star Medal. Rutledge A. (Rusty) Griffin Jr.- First Congressional District : Griffin is the former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Griffin L.L.C. of Valdosta, GA., a manufacturer of crop protection & specialty chemicals founded in 1935. After the death of his father, Griffin became President and CEO (at age 26) of the family owned business. Griffin Corporation partnered in joint venture with Dupont in 1998 eventually selling its interest in the joint venture to Dupont in 2003……. Robert “Bob” F. Hatcher –At Large- Hatcher is President and CEO of MidCountry Financial Corporation. He was the President and CEO of First Liberty Bank from 1988 until its merger with BB&T in 2000. Prior to First Liberty, he was with Trust Company Bank (SunTrust) for 27 years. Regent Hatcher is Co-Chairman of the Commission for a New Georgia. He serves on the boards of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce, the Georgia Public Policy Foundation and NewTown Macon……………. C. Thomas Hopkins, Jr., MD- Third Congressional District : Dr. Hopkins is board certified in orthopaedic surgery and orthpaedic sports medicine, engaged in private practice in Griffin. He served in the Air Force as a flight surgeon and orthopaedic surgeon. He is past president of the Griffin Rotary Club, Georgia Orthopaedic Society, medical staff of Spalding Regional Hospital and serves on the board of United Bank. He has served on the Georgia Health Strategies Council, Governor’s Physician Partnership, and is a member of the Gridiron Secret Society…… . W. Mansfield Jennings, Jr. - Eighth Congressional District : Jennings is Chairman of ComSouth Corporation, a full-service telecommunications company. Regent Jennings served as ComSouth’s CEO for several decades until 2003. Regent Jennings also is Chairman of SunMark Community Bank and SunMark Bankshares, Inc., a bank holding company. In addition, he is the former Chairman of Taylor Regional Hospital, a past President and Director of the Georgia Telephone Association and a former member of the United States Telephone Association. Regent Jennings also is a long-time member of the Board of Trustees of the Middle Georgia College Foundation………. James R. Jolly – Ninth Congressional District : Jolly is Chairman of the Board of J&J Industries, Inc., a carpet-manufacturing firm he joined in 1967 and retired from in 2007. Regent Jolly, a native of Dalton, is extensively involved in the community, serving as a charter member of the board of directors of the Dalton-Whitfield Boys and Girls Club and of Leadership Dalton. Jolly is a past Chairman of the local Governmental Study Task Force Committee, the local United Way campaign, the Dalton Junior College Foundation and the Carpet and Rug Institute. He is a former member of the executive board of the Dalton-Whitfield Chamber of Commerce, the Georgia Tech Alumni Trustees, the Northwest Georgia Regional Advisory council, the Georgia Cities Foundation Board, and the Hamilton Medical Center Board. Regent Jolly currently chairs the Covenant College Foundation Board of Trustees and serves on the Dalton State College Foundation………. Donald M. Leebern, Jr. - At Large- Leebern is Chairman of Georgia Crown, Alabama Crown, and Tennessee Crown Distributing Companies…. First appointed to the Board of Regents in 1991 and re- appointed in 1998 by Governor Zell Miller and again in 2005 by Gov. Sonny Perdue, Regent Leebern serves as a member At-Large. Regent Leebern served as Board Chair from 1994 to 1995………. William “Dink” H. NeSmith, Jr.- Tenth Congressional District - NeSmith is co-owner and president of Athens-based Community Newspapers, Inc., publisher of several dozen newspapers in Georgia, Florida and the Carolinas. A 1970 graduate of The University of Georgia (UGA), Regent NeSmith is chairman of the university’s Fanning Institute for Leadership, which promotes public service and outreach, and recently co-authored a biography of the institute’s founder, Dr. J.W. Fanning. He is past president of UGA’s National Alumni Association and a director of the Richard B. Russell Foundation……….. Doreen Stiles Poitevint – Second Congressional District - Poitevint is a partner in Stiles Apartments and A.B. Stiles Enterprises in Athens, Ga. She currently serves on the Board of the Decatur County Library Foundation and is a past member of the Executive Committee of the Bainbridge College Foundation and the executive boards of the Decatur County Library and the Southwest Georgia Regional Library. A former teacher in DeKalb County and Decatur County, Regent Poitevint previously served as Public Education Chairman for the American Cancer Society, President of the Bainbridge Book Club and President of the Decatur County Friends of the Library………… . Willis J. Potts, Jr. (Chair) – Eleventh Congressional District - Potts retired in June 2004 as the Vice President and General Manager of Temple-Inland Corporation, based in Rome, following a 35-year career in the international pulp and paper industry. He began his career as an engineer at the Union Camp Corporation’s Savannah pulp and paper mill in 1969. He held a series of operational and management positions, including Resident Manager of Union Camp’s mill in Prattville, Ala., before being named General Manager and Senior Vice President of Union Camp in 1992. In 1999, following a 30-year career with Union Camp, Potts moved to the position he retired from at Temple-Inland. Potts served as President of the Paper Industry Management Association in 1995, and in 1999, the Technical Association of the Pulp and Paper Industry (TAPPI)…… . Neil L. Pruitt, Jr. – Fifth Congressional District – Pruitt is Chairman and Chief Executive officer of UHS-Pruitt Corporation, an integrated health care company offering independent and assisted living, skilled nursing services, rehabilitation services, home health and hospice care as well as pharmacy services, community-based services, medical supplies and care management. Regent Pruitt also serves as the Vice Chair of the Board of Governors of the American Health Care Association……….. Wanda Yancey Rodwell – Fourth Congressional District – Rodwell serves as Director of Communication for Coca-Cola, an appointment to which she was named in 2005. For five years, she was General Manager of corporate communications at Delta Air Lines, directing internal and external communications for the marketing division. Before joining Delta, she was Vice President of Public Affairs/Executive Director of the Henry W. Grady Foundation for the Grady Health System, the Southeast’s largest public hospital system. During this time, Rodwell was named one of “Georgia’s Most Powerful Women in Health Care Industry/Medicine” by Women Looking Ahead News Magazine. Rodwell began her career as a journalist, writing award-winning news reports for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, before transitioning into corporate communications at Cox Enterprises, the newspaper’s parent company. She serves as Chair of the Calvin A. Rodwell Foundation……. Kessel Stelling, Jr. – Sixth Congressional District – Stelling is the President and CEO of Synovus Financial Corp., a financial services company with $31 billion in assets based in Columbus, Georgia. Synovus Financial Corp.’s bank divisions provide commercial and retail banking, investment and mortgage services to customers in Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina, Florida and Tennessee. Stelling, a Georgia native, is an accomplished business and community leader whose leadership abilities and dedication to service have benefited many civic organizations. He is currently a member of the board of directors of the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, where he served as Chairman in 2008. He is also a member of the Cobb Chamber of Commerce, where he served as the Interim President from 1994-1995 and Chairman in 1998 and 2006. He is a member of the Dean’s Advisory Council of the University of Georgia Terry College of Business and a Trustee of Kennesaw State University………….