Governor Appoints 10 to State Boards

Staff Report From Georgia CEO

Tuesday, October 20th, 2015

James “Jimmy” Norton, Commission on Equal Opportunity

Norton is an investment broker with VOYA Financial Advisors and operates an airplane hangar complex at Briscoe Field in Gwinnett County. He is a past president of the Snellville Commerce Club and a past chair of the Grayson and Snellville Downtown Development Authority, the Gwinnett Airport Authority and the Evermore CID Board. Norton is a member of Leadership Gwinnett, Gwinnett YMCA, United Way and the Brookwood and South Gwinnett Cluster Foundations. He is a former line pilot for Atlanta Southeast Airlines and a board member of the Georgia Aviation Hall of Fame. Norton earned a bachelor’s degree in Agriculture and Economics from the University of Georgia. He has two children and resides in Snellville.

Tracy “T.J.” BeMent, Criminal Justice Reform Council

BeMent is the district court administrator for the 10th Judicial Circuit and the president of the Georgia Council of Court Administrators. He is also a fellow for the Institute for Court Management. He earned a bachelor’s degree in International Affairs and a master’s degree in Public Administration from George Washington University and is pursuing a doctoral degree in Public Administration from Valdosta State University. BeMent and his wife, Amy, have one child. They reside in Athens.

Roy Copeland, Criminal Justice Reform Council

Copeland is an assistant professor of Business Law at Valdosta State University. He sits on the boards of the Lowndes County Industrial Authority and 100 Black Men of America, Inc. Copeland is a member of the State Bar of Georgia and has been named a Georgia Super Lawyer. He earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of California, a law degree from the University of Georgia and a master’s of laws degree from Temple University. Copeland and his wife, Cheryl, have four children. They reside in Valdosta.

Stephanie Woodard, Criminal Justice Reform Council

Woodard is the solicitor general of Hall County. She is the vice chair and lecturer for the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council. Woodard serves on the Georgia Commission on Family Violence and the state board of directors for the Children’s Advocacy Center of Georgia. She previously was president of the Solicitors-General Association, president of the Northeastern Judicial Bar Association and chair of the Hall County Domestic Violence Task Force. Woodard earned a bachelor’s degree in Economics and a law degree from Georgia State University. She and her husband, Tom, have two children. They reside in Gainesville.

Charles “Chuck” Clay, Georgia Commission on Child Support (reappointment)

Clay is a lawyer with the government affairs team at Nelson Mullins. He formerly served in the Georgia General Assembly as Senate minority leader. He was also the chairman of the Georgia Republican Party and Cobb County commissioner. He earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of North Carolina and a law degree from the University of Georgia. Clay and his wife, Sara, have five children and four grandchildren. They reside in Marietta.

Katie Connell, Georgia Commission on Child Support (reappointment)

Connell is a partner at the Boyd Collar Nolen & Tuggle law firm. She sits on the executive board of the Charles Longstreet Weltner Family Law Inns of Court. Connell was named to Georgia Trend Magazine’s “40 Under 40: Georgia’s Best & Brightest” list in 2013. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and a master’s degree in Accounting from Auburn University, as well as a law degree from Mercer University. Connell and her husband, Justin, have two children. They reside in Atlanta.

R. Michael Key, Georgia Commission on Child Support (reappointment)

Key practiced law for more than 36 years and has 26 years of experience as a part-time juvenile court judge. Key is a member and past president of the Georgia Council of Juvenile Court Judges and the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges. He served on the Georgia Commission on Family Violence and is the vice chair of the Georgia Commission on Child Support. Key earned a bachelor’s degree from Troy State University, a master’s of Business Administration from Auburn University and a law degree from Emory University. He and his wife, Melanie, have two children and four grandchildren. They reside in LaGrange.

Ronald “Rick” Smith, Georgia Commission on Child Support (reappointment)

Smith is the special assistant to the CEO of the National Christian Foundation. He is a veteran of the Vietnam War and was a police officer in Clarke County. Smith sits on the board of directors for several foundations. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Georgia. Smith and his wife, Harriett, have two children. They reside in Smyrna.

B. Thomas Conger, South Georgia Circuit Public Defender Panel

Conger has practiced law in Bainbridge for more than 35 years. He is involved in a number of civic organizations and activities. Conger earned a bachelor’s degree and a law degree from the University of Georgia. He and his wife, Gloria, have two children. They reside in Bainbridge.

Susan Stallings-Sahler, State Board of Occupational Therapists

Stallings-Sahler is the CEO of Sensational Kids Pediatric Rehabilitation and professor of Occupational Therapy at Brenau University. She is a member and fellow of the American Occupational Therapy Association and the Georgia Occupational Therapy Association. Stallings-Sahler earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Florida, a master’s degree from Boston University and a doctorate in Education Psychology from the University of Illinois. She and her husband, Hunter, have one child. They reside in Augusta.