Yesterday, the Cobb Chamber named Terry DeWitt, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of First Landmark Bank, as its 2016 Chairman of the Board and Dr. Daniel Papp, President of Kennesaw State University, as the 2017 Chairman of the Board. Steve Hartman, Chief Technology Officer for GE’s Power Generation Services business was originally slated as the 2016 Chairman, but due to a significant job change within GE, he can no longer serve in the position. In June, Hartman was named Chief Technology Officer for the company’s new Power Services business and will relocate to Switzerland next year. 

DeWitt succeeds Kim Menefee of WellStar Health System, who is currently serving as the Chairwoman of the Board. DeWitt will take over as Chairman in January 2016. He has been very active with the Cobb Chamber since 2008, including serving as the Cobb Chamber’s Vice Chair of Finance on the Board of Directors and as the Chairman of the Finance Committee since 2011. He has also played a key role in the launch and implementation of Cobb’s Competitive EDGE, a community and economic development strategy of the Cobb Chamber and its community-wide partners, and First Landmark Bank has been a platinum level investor since EDGE began. 

“Steve has made significant contributions to our Chamber over the past year, including his leadership with our workforce development initiatives. And, while it’s hard to lose his talents to another part of the world, we’re truly excited for him in his new role at GE,” said David Connell, president and CEO of the Cobb Chamber. “Our Chamber is extremely fortunate to have the opportunity to name Terry DeWitt as our new 2016 Chairman and Dr. Daniel Papp as our 2017 Chairman. Naming these two individuals as the next leaders of our Chamber is a true illustration of the strong leadership found in this community. Terry brings a valuable skill set to our organization, and I’m certain his experience in finance and his commitment to this community will serve our Chamber and its members well and position us for the future. Dr. Papp will lead the Chamber in 2017, a pivotal year for Cobb County.” 

“The Cobb Chamber has a tremendous reputation in its focus on economic development, advocacy, member services, and leadership development. I look forward to working with the Chamber staff and the many members who actively volunteer, together continuing the Chamber’s mission to build strong communities throughout Cobb,” said DeWitt. “Chairing the Chamber in 2016 will be an honor I will remember for years to come.” 

DeWitt is the Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer and a member of the Board of Directors of First Landmark Bank and Landmark Bancshares, Inc. He served as President and Chief Executive Officer of First Landmark Bank until the Bank’s merger with Midtown Bank & Trust in October 2014. He joined the organizational team of the bank in 2007 prior to its 2008 opening, when he initially served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. His career in banking spans across Georgia and Alabama. Following college, he began his career with Price Waterhouse in Atlanta in 1983. He entered the banking industry with The Chattahoochee Bank in Cobb County from 1986 to 1990 where he served as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Chattahoochee Financial Corporation and The Chattahoochee Bank. He has also served as Executive Vice President and member of the Board of Directors of National Bank of Commerce (now Cadence Bank), in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. In addition, he was with New South Federal Savings Bank in Irondale, Alabama, where he served as Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Chief Accounting Officer. In 1998 Mr. DeWitt received the Outstanding Young Banker Award from the Alabama Bankers Association. 

DeWitt is a 1983 graduate of the University of Alabama where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting. He is a Leadership Cobb graduate of the class of 2010 and a member of the Leadership Cobb Alumni Association where he co-chaired one of the programs. He is also active in the Marietta Country Club and the Rotary Club of Marietta where he was named a Paul Harris Fellow. In addition to his prominent role at the Cobb Chamber, he serves on the Boards of the Georgia Bankers Association, the Marietta Schools Foundation and the Cobb Community Collaborative. Terry and his wife, Teresa, reside in Kennesaw and they have three adult children, the youngest in her senior year at Georgia Tech. 

Papp has served as president of Kennesaw State University, Georgia’s third-largest university, since July 2006. Under his leadership, Kennesaw State has risen in academic stature. In 2010, it became a doctorate-granting institution and now offers 12 doctoral degrees, including two Ph.D. programs. In 2013, Kennesaw State was designated as a comprehensive university by the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia. This year, U.S. News & World Report ranked the University among the top innovative institutions in the South and, for the 12th time, ranked its first-year experience program as one of the best in the nation. Kennesaw State and Southern Polytechnic State University consolidated in 2015, creating one of the 50 largest public universities in the country with more than 33,000 students. Also in 2015, Kennesaw State earned the Carnegie Foundation’s Community Engagement Classification. 

Since Papp became president, the University completed its transition to NCAA Division I and launched a football program with the first season kicking off this month. In addition, the University’s infrastructure has expanded with the opening of state-of-the-art buildings, including a student recreation and activities center, an education classroom facility, a five-story science lab addition, a health sciences building, residential facilities, The Commons, the university’s award-winning dining facility, and the KSU Sports and Recreation Park that includes an 8,300-seat KSU Stadium. 

“I am deeply honored to be named chair-elect of the Cobb Chamber, which has been one of the engines behind much of what makes Cobb County so great,” Papp said. “I hope to follow the examples of Steve, Kim, Terry and all the Chamber leaders who have dedicated themselves to a bold vision of the County’s dynamic development.”