Atlanta, Ga., May 29, 2015 - The Georgia Historical Society has elected six new distinguished members to the GHS Board of Curators. The vote and announcement were made Thursday evening at the 176th Annual Meeting of the Georgia Historical Society.
“The six new Curators are some of Georgia’s top business and philanthropic leaders,” said Dr. W. Todd Groce, President and CEO of the Georgia Historical Society. “Their commitment to GHS and our mission will impact history-based education in Georgia for generations to come.”
Elected to the Board of Curators are:
Dolly Chisholm is a partner of the Bouhan Falligant, LLP law firm in Savannah, practicing in the areas of estate planning and probate, real estate law, and corporate law. She previously served as chairman of the GHS Endowment Board of Trustees and as an ex-officio member of the Board of Curators. Ms. Chisholm currently serves on the boards of Senior Citizens, Inc., Ships of the Sea Maritime Museum, the Beehive Foundation, Deep Center, Inc., and the Chatham Club.
Erroll Davis, Jr. is Senior Advisor at TalentQuest, a cloud-based software talent management and consulting firm in Atlanta. Mr. Davis has served as superintendent of Atlanta Public Schools and as Chancellor of the University System of Georgia. Mr. Davis currently serves on the board of directors at General Motors Company, Union Pacific Corp. and the Public Broadcasting System. The Davis Family Foundation established by Mr. Davis and his wife Elaine makes annual grants to students in need.
Roy Fickling is President of Fickling & Company. Inc., a regional real estate development, brokerage, management, and consulting firm based in Macon. Mr. Fickling is also President of Riverside Automotive Inc. and a director and officer of various closely held operating and investment companies. Previously he was Founding Director & Partner at Beech Street, U.K., Ltd., Founding Director of Rivoli Bank & Trust, Director of Piedmont Community Bank, and Director of Oxigene Inc.
Doug Hertz is President and CEO of United Distributors, Inc., a privately held beverage distribution business. He is Chairman and Founder of Camp Twin Lakes, a camping facility that serves nearly 9,000 special needs children and adults annually. He is Chairman of the Board of the Georgia Research Alliance and the Woodruff Arts Center and serves on the boards of Atlantic Capital Bank, the Holly Lane Foundation, the Marcus Foundation, the Mother Nature Network, and the Westminster Schools.
Mark Smith is managing partner of Savannah Investors, a company primarily focused on renovating and managing hotel properties in historic districts. He is also CEO of Water Utility Management, LLC, which operates water and wastewater systems throughout Southeast Georgia. Mr. Smith is presently Chairman of the Georgia International Maritime Trade and Convention Center, a trustee of the Savannah Country Day School, and Chairman of the Board of S Bank.
Don Waters is Chairman, President, and CEO of Brasseler USA, a leading manufacturer and provider of dental and surgical instrumentation and services throughout North America. In 2013, Mr. Waters was appointed by Governor Nathan Deal as a member of the Board of Regents for the University System of Georgia. Previously, Mr. Waters practiced as an attorney and CPA for 20 years, as a partner with Price Waterhouse & Co. and as a partner with Hunter Maclean.
The five join fellow Curators Robert S. Jepson, Jr., Chairman, Dr. W. Todd Groce, President and CEO, Vincent J. Dooley, Vice Chairman, John C. Helmken II, Jackie Montag, James H. Blanchard, (Ex-officio), Clayton Boardman III, Ellen B. Bolch, W. Paul Bowers, Walter M. “Sonny” Deriso, Jr., Reed Dulany III, Thomas D. Hills, Thomas M. Holder, Phil Jacobs, John F. McMullan, Sam Nunn (Honorary), Chief Justice Leah Ward Sears, John A. Wallace, and Neely Young.
Chairman Emeriti are Robert L. Brown, Jr., Kay T. Hightower, Bill Jones III, Don Kole, Howard J. Morrison, Jr., Grace Greer Phillips, and Lisa L. White.
The meeting was held at historic Christ Church Episcopal in Savannah with Robert S. Jepson Jr and Dr. Groce presiding.
Dr. Gary Gallagher, John L. Nau III Professor in the History of the American Civil War at the University of Virginia was inducted as a Distinguished Fellow of the Georgia Historical Society and presented the keynote address.
Other awards were presented during the evening including:
The John Macpherson Berrien Lifetime Achievement Award to Bill Jones III (Sea Island) whose leadership as member and chairman of the Board of Curators was critical to the Society’s continued growth and achievement on a state and national level.
The Sarah Nichols Pinckney Volunteer Award to Tammie Mosley (Savannah) for years of dedicated service to the Society, particularly with the annual Georgia History Festival and Trustees Gala.
History in Media Award to Georgia Trend for its ongoing friendship with the Georgia Historical Society, and partnership with the Business History Initiative and the Georgia History Festival.
High resolution images of the Curators are available upon request.
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