Foundation Board Members

Susan began her career at Georgia College in 1990 and is the former Vice President for Finance and Administration.  She provided leadership support for the University’s resources to ensure economic viability of the institution.  The position included oversight and leadership of Accounting, Business Services, Budget, Facilities Management, Human Resources, Payroll, Information Technology, Materials Management, Auxiliary Services, and Public Safety.  Susan graduated from Georgia College with a bachelor’s and master’s degree in Business Administration and has a professional certification in Governmental Finance Management. 

Donna was a Vice President at Wilmington Trust from 2009-2018. She served as a senior director in BNY Mellon’s Wealth Management group in Atlanta, specializing in wealth management and estate planning strategies for high-net-worth clients. Earlier in her career, she worked for the Arden Group, was a partner with Troutman Sanders law firm, a senior manager with Ernst & Young, and a partner in the Lefkoff, Duncan law firm. Donna received a J.D. from The University of Georgia (UGA) School of Law where she was a member of the Law Review and Order of the Coif; and a bachelor’s degree in English, magna cum laude from UGA. Donna is a Certified Financial Planner® professional. Donna was on the Board of the Flannery O’Connor Andalusia Foundation. Donna now serves as the planned giving officer for the Atlanta Humane Society. 

Pam earned her Master of Public Administration from Georgia College. Ms. Booker is a retired Human Resources AVP.  She currently serves as a business consultant, chaplain for Houston Healthcare’s volunteer chaplaincy program and is the director of ministry engagement at Bibb Mt. Zion Baptist Church in Macon, GA.

Les is President of First Colony Financial Corporation. He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a B.A. in 1972. He is the great grandson of Dr. Marvin Parks, and his mother and aunts are alumnae. He is a director or trustee of a variety of businesses and nonprofit organizations including the North Georgia Division of Synovus, the CCIM Institute which is an affiliate of the National Association of Realtors, the Addison Gallery of American Art, and the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation. Les and his wife Barbara have two daughters, and their home is Atlanta.

Dr. Chamberlin is a professional speaker, coach and consultant.  She is Founder/Principal of SnyderRemarks and geniesnyder.com, a team guiding executives, companies and institutions to rethink process and people.  Her BA from Georgia College and grad degrees from UGA support her pursuits.  Genie and spouse, Pete Chamberlin, live in Athens, Georgia.

Jimmy is a lifelong resident of Sandersville, GA.  He has a BBA from Georgia Southern, an MBA from Duke University, and he has attended Cambridge University and HEC Paris.  Jimmy has participated in Georgia College’s GEM program, as well as the Leadership Advisory Board.  He is the president and owner of Childre Ford in Sandersville.  Jimmy is a director on the Georgia Chamber of Commerce, and has served on many other boards and councils.  During his spare time, Jimmy enjoys boating, reading and playing golf.

Derek studied history at Georgia College and then moved to Athens where he started Peach State Pride, a clothing line that is currently available in over 90 stores across Georgia. Mr. Chitwood and his wife Kari (a fellow alum) now operate three retail stores in northeast Georgia. Mr. Chitwood was active on the Georgia College Alumni Board of Directors and was the recipient of the 2016 Outstanding Recent Alumni Award.

Mr. Clark has been the President of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce since 2010. He graduated from Georgia College with his master’s degree in Public Administration in 1997 and received the Outstanding Recent Alumni of the Year Award in 2000 and the Georgia College Alumni Achievement Award in 2010. Prior to joining the Georgia Chamber, Chris served as Commissioner of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources and as Deputy Commissioner for the Department of Economic Development. Chris is a graduate of Leadership Georgia and has been consistently named one of the most influential Atlantans and Georgians.  He and his wife, Tiffany, live in Peachtree City and have one son.

Cathy Cox became Georgia College’s 12th President on October 1st, 2021. Prior to joining Georgia College, Cox served as Dean for Mercer University School of Law from 2017 – 2021 and served as president of Young Harris College for a decade prior to that. A native of Bainbridge, Georgia, Cox’s distinguished career in law, education, politics, and journalism embodies what it means to have a “liberal arts” background.  Cox practiced law in her hometown of Bainbridge and in Atlanta for 10 years, during which time she was elected to the Georgia House of Representatives. She subsequently broke new ground in her election as Georgia's Secretary of State, becoming the first woman in Georgia’s history to serve in this Constitutional office.  She has served on a number of civic, philanthropic, and business organizations and boards and is a prolific thought leader, delivering scores of keynote speeches and presentations and conducting media interviews on a wide range of topics spanning her expertise in higher education, law, politics, and election law and integrity.  Cox is married to attorney Mark Dehler.

Crook, retired from Morgan Keegan & Company, Macon, as a financial advisor.

Anresa is a 1975 graduate of Georgia College. Her hobbies include reading, running, fitness, and gardening.  Anresa and her husband, Phil, have three children.  They reside in Savannah.

Alex has been actively involved with GC since attending as a graduate student in 1975. He has served on the foundation board since the late 1980s, including two terms as chair. Alex is the former CEO for YKK Corporation of America, and he retired from that position in 2018.  He and his wife, Glenda, live in Duluth, Georgia. They have two children, three granddaughters, and one grandson. 

Jay is a ’79 graduate of Georgia College and ’84 graduate of Emory University School of Dentistry.  He is a local dentist and has served on the College of Arts and Sciences Advisory Board for 4.5 years, as well as two years of previous service on the Alumni Association Board of Directors.  He served his residency in the U.S. Air Force and retired from the Georgia Army National Guard with 20+ years of service.  He is a Director of Exchange Bank’s Board, a member of First United Methodist Church and is a member of numerous dental associations.  In his spare time, he enjoys watching football, baseball and golf, gardening, traveling and spending time with family and friends.  Jay and his wife Jean reside in Milledgeville, GA and have four grown children.

Kyle received his bachelors in Criminal Justice from Georgia College in 2006 and his Master of Public Administration in 2008.  Since leaving Milledgeville, he has held a variety of community planning and management positions in cities and counties across the state.  In 2017, Kyle was tabbed to head the workforce and economic development activities at the Georgia Department of Education.

Bill is President of Citizens Bank of the South. He earned his BBA in Risk Management and Insurance from the University of Georgia in 1982 and his MBA in Management from Georgia College in 1986. Mr. Jones also obtained his Graduate School of Banking Degree from Louisiana State University in 1989. He served as Milledgeville Baldwin County Chamber of Commerce chairman 2009-2010. Mr. Jones, his wife Dotty, and their four children live in the Milledgeville area. Mr. Jones enjoys bass tournament fishing.

Jane's professional career includes over 25 years in higher education Advancement at Clemson University, UGA, Piedmont College and as a consultant to colleges and universities.  Mrs. Kidd served six years on the Lavonia, Georgia, city council, two years as District Director for Congressman Don Johnson, two years in GA’s House of Representatives and four years as Chair of the Democratic Party of Georgia. She holds an ABJ from UGA's Grady College of Journalism, where she served as Director of Alumni from 2002-2004. In 2016, Kidd received a Masters in Instructional Technology from Piedmont College. Kidd's maternal grandmother and many of her great aunts graduated from GC, and the college library is named for her great grandmother, Ina Dillard Russell. Mrs. Kidd and her husband, David, live in Crawford, GA and have two grown children and two grandchildren. Currently, she is retired and pursuing her hobby as a jeweler and metalsmith.

Kim is the CEO of The Ascendancy Group which provides coaching to executives in the media and entertainment industry.  Prior to founding The Ascendancy Group, Kim worked in the media and entertainment industry in senior executive and C-suite roles at Discovery Communications, AMC Networks, and Meredith Corporation.  She has a BS from Georgia College & State University, an MBA from Georgia State University and has advanced leadership training from Stanford Business School.  Kim currently serves on the Foundation Board of Trustees for Georgia College.

Dr. Martinez received degrees from Georgia College in 1983 and 1991.   He received his MD degree from the Medical College of Georgia. He has a private practice specializing in internal medicine. Dr. Martinez resides in Milledgeville.

Corey is serving as the Independent Representative for the LLC board.  Corey is a 2007 graduate of Georgia College with a Bachelor’s degree in Biology.  He is a Soil Conservation Technician for the USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS).  Corey has been instrumental in gaining access for the Andalusia property to be part of a paid conservation initiative.  In his spare time, Corey enjoys hunting, fishing and coaching baseball.  Corey and his wife Leslie reside in Milledgeville and have two sons.

Donald is a ’88 graduate of Georgia College.  He served for eight years on the Alumni Association Board of Directors and was a past President, so he also served two years on the Foundation Board of Trustees.  He has been an active member of the Board of Associates for three years.  He now serves as a business consultant.

Richard is a managing attorney for the Winder, Jefferson and Braselton offices of Lueder, Larkin & Hunter LLC. He has served on the Barrow County Chamber boards, governing boards of the Brad Akins Piedmont YMCA, The Peoples Bank, Athens Regional Medical Center, and recently rotated off the Piedmont Athens Regional Medical Center board.  His grandmother, many aunts and his daughter, Mollie, as well as Mollie’s husband, Casey Chafin, all graduated from Georgia College. He has three grown married children who reside in Atlanta, Thomaston and Suwanee. Richard enjoys travel between the North Georgia Mountains and the Georgia coast, cooking, water sports, and exercising his four-legged children.

Dilanka graduated from Georgia College in 2003 with a bachelor’s degree in Economics and Finance. He currently serves as Vice President Alternative Energy for Energy Transfer Partners. Previously he was with BHP serving as Vice President Sales & Marketing Oil, Gas, Power and Carbon.

Outside of work, Dilanka enjoys spending time with his wife and 3 children, traveling, and volunteering his time with several non-profit organizations. Besides being on the board of trustees for Georgia College, he currently serves on the board of Big Brothers Big Sisters, Greater Houston and is a board Trustee of the Houston Symphony. He is a former member of the Alumni Board at Georgia College and a former Trustee of the Rotary Club of Houston Skyline.

Originally from Sri Lanka, Dilanka is a graduate of the General Management Program from Harvard Business School in 2018 and obtained an MBA from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business in 2008.

Maria serves as President of Caterpillar Financial Insurance Inc.  She is an attorney who focuses her legal practice on insurance regulatory and corporate matters and is both a registered mediator and arbitrator. She earned a BA in Political Science (1995) and a MPA (1997) from Georgia College. She also holds an MBA (1999) and JD (2000) from Georgia State University. Ms. Sheffield is active in a number of civic and professional organizations.

Dr. Stewart holds a BS from GC, an MEd from West Georgia College, and a PhD from Georgia State University. She served on the Georgia College & State University Alumni Association Board from 2002-2008. She is a 2009 Alumni Service Award recipient. She was formerly the Chair for the Foundation Board of Trustees.  She is the owner of S. Stewart & Associates, a meeting planning company, and is an active member of Wieuca Road Baptist Church. 

Murali is a ’91 & ‘98 graduate of Georgia College.  He previously served on the Alumni Association Board of Directors and was a past President, so he also served two years on the Foundation Board of Trustees.  He has been an active member of the Board of Associates for three years.  He serves as the Executive Director for Habitat for Humanity Baldwin & Putnam counties.

Mr. Thrower is the co-owner and VP of Cornerstone Commercial Mortgages and Cornerstone Medical Staffing. Gary has served as Mayor of Milledgeville as well as Trustee on several local community boards. He graduated from Georgia College in 1983 and enjoys traveling and outdoor recreation activities. A native of Milledgeville, he now resides on Lake Sinclair with his wife Sally. Gary and Sally have two sons and one daughter-in-law.

Pam received a BS in Psychology from Georgia College in 1990.  She is a founding member of the Georgia College African American Alumni Council.  She owns her own medical device company in Alabama, ICD Monitoring Services.  Pam has two grown children who also live in the Birmingham area.

Jeff currently serves as Executive Director for the Georgia Construction Aggregate Association. Jeff started his career on Capitol Hill with United States Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, and has built on that experience over the years, earning his reputation as a highly respected public affairs professional.  Throughout his career, Jeff has advocated on behalf of Fortune 100 and 500 companies and business advocacy organizations in multiple states including the National Association of Manufacturers and Equifax.  He serves on the Georgia Chamber Board of Directors, The Chamber – Government Affairs Council, the board of the Georgia Transportation Alliance and the Aggregate Concrete Executives (ACE) Board of Directors.  He’s a graduate of Georgia College, where he serves as a member of the Board of Trustees.  Active in his community, he is an Alumni Board of Director of the Ronald McDonald House Charities – Atlanta.  Jeff lives in Atlanta with his wife Jacquie and daughter.  He enjoys tennis, hiking and travel with his family.

Stan is the managing partner of Elarbee, Thompson, Sapp & Wilson, which specializes in labor relations and employment law representing a number of large corporations and government agencies. He graduated from GC summa cum laude and graduated with distinction from Emory University School of Law. Mr. Wilson and his wife, Debi, have two sons and two grandchildren.