Don Waters was born in Savannah in June 19, 1953. His father was a World War II veteran and his mother worked at the Savannah Public Library. Don attended Romana Riley Grammar School on Anderson Street in Savannah and graduated from Savannah High School in 1971. He received an undergraduate degree in Accounting, cum laude, from Armstrong State College, and a J.D. from the University of Georgia School of Law in 1978.

Cynthia (Cindy) Dismukes was born in Savannah on January 27, 1955, the daughter of Bernard Dismukes and Nan All Dismukes. Don met Cindy while attending Armstrong, where she earned degrees in Management and Finance. They were married on June 17, 1978. Don and Cindy have two daughters and four grandsons.

Don Waters is the Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer of Brasseler USA, Inc., an international manufacturer of dental and medical surgical instrumentation. Don first joined the board of Brasseler USA in 1990 and three years later became Chairman and CEO. He became President in 1998, assuming responsibility of day-to-day operations. Prior to that he practiced both as a Certified Public Accountant, as a Partner with Price Waterhouse & Co., and as an attorney with Hunter Maclean.

Waters was appointed by Governor Nathan Deal in March 2013 to represent the First Congressional District of Georgia as a member of the Board of Regents for the University System of Georgia and became Chairman of the Board of Regents in 2018. He became a Curator of the Georgia Historical Society’s Board in 2015. Don is chair of the finance committee and a member of the board of directors for the Georgia Regents University Health System and is a Trustee Emeritus for the University of Georgia Foundation. He also serves on the boards of the Armstrong State University Foundation, the New York University School of Dentistry, and the University of California at Los Angeles College of Dentistry.

In Savannah, Don serves as the chairman of the board of trustees for Union Mission, Inc., the Chatham County Hospital Authority and Sweetener Solutions, LLC. He is also a member of the board of directors for Coastal Bankshares, Inc. Over the years, he has served on boards for the United Way of the Coastal Empire, Savannah Economic Development Authority, Telfair Museums, Savannah Country Day School and Armstrong Foundation.

Cindy Waters has been active in community and civic projects over the last thirty-five years, in many organizations, including Junior League, the Isle of Hope United Methodist Church, the Parkersburg Garden Club, Girl Scouts, the Savannah Country Day School, and the University of Georgia Libraries. In 2013 Don and Cindy helped start the Savannah Classical Academy, a public charter school serving an inner-city neighborhood.

Don was inducted into the Savannah Business Hall of Fame in 2013. He received a Distinguished Alumni Award from Armstrong in 2000.

In 2016, Don and Cindy Waters established the Don and Cindy Waters Fund at the Georgia Historical Society, ensuring in perpetuity that their shared commitment to history education will continue.