Four residents of Gainesville, Clarkesville, and Braselton have been named to state boards by Gov. Nathan Deal.
Fran Smith of Braselton was appointed to the REACH Georgia Foundation Board; Joe Hatfield of Clarkesville will sit on the Board of Natural Resources; state Rep. Terry Rogers, also of Clarkesville, will fill a post on the Georgia Film, Music and Digital Advisory Commission; and, Jeff Lawson of Gainesville was named to a new term on the Georgia Real Estate Appraisers Board.
Here is more about each of the appointees:
Smith is a former telecommunications engineer for BE&K Building Group. She has held operational and advisory positions with startup companies in the Atlanta area. Smith is a graduate and the program chair of Leadership Georgia. She earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Alabama. Smith and her husband, Russell, have three children and reside in Braselton.
Joe Hatfield, Board of Natural Resources
Hatfield is the vice chairman of Fieldale Farms Corporation. He sits on the boards of directors for Peach State Bank & Trust and the Georgia Natural Resources Foundation. Hatfield is a trustee for the North Georgia Technical College Foundation. He is a member of the National Chicken Council and the Georgia Poultry Federation. Hatfield earned a bachelor’s degree in Business Management from the University of North Georgia, attended Purdue University for management training participated in a compositing techniques program at the University of Maryland. Hatfield and his wife, Rosalyn, have one child and reside in Clarkesville.
Rep. Terry Rogers, Georgia Film, Music and Digital Advisory Commission
Rogers represents the 10th District in the Georgia House of Representatives. He is the vice chairman of the State Planning and Community Affairs Committee, the Economic Development and Tourism Committee and the Public Safety Appropriations subcommittee. Rogers is also a member of the Rules, Defense and Veteran Affairs, Human Relations and Aging and World Congress Center Authority Oversight committees. He serves as the governor’s floor leader and a house representative to the Legislative Fiscal Affairs Oversight Committee. Rogers is an owner and a managing partner of Diversified Technologies. He sits on the board of trustees for Tallulah Falls School and the board of directors for the Hilliard A. Wilbanks Foundation. Rogers was named to Georgia Trend Magazine’s “100 Most Influential Georgians” list in 2014. He attends First Presbyterian Church of Clarkesville and serves as an Elder. Rogers and his wife, Laura, have five children and four grandchildren. They reside in Clarkesville.
Jeff A. Lawson, Georgia Real Estate Appraisers Board (reappointment)
Lawson is the president of J. Lawson & Associates, LLC. He holds commercial and residential designations from the Appraisal Institute. Lawson is also an approved faculty member through the Appraisal Institute. He is a former chapter president of the Atlanta area for the Appraisal Institute and co-authored an appraisal textbook. Lawson earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Kentucky. He and his wife, Amy, have three children and live in Gainesville.
