Governor Perdue Announces Executive Appointments

ATLANTA (January 4, 2008) – Governor Sonny Perdue announced today the following executive appointments:

Board of Human Resources

Lisa W. Alexander, 42, Douglasville, Thirteenth Congressional District Representative– Alexander is a fifth grade teacher for the Douglas County Board of Education. She is a member of the West Georgia Board of Realtors and is involved with the Douglas County One to One Mentor Program. She is a member of Elizabeth Baptist Church in Atlanta and serves as a youth ministry teacher. Alexander earned a bachelor's degree from Georgia State University. She and her husband, Christopher, have two children.

Justin D. Neal, 27, Roswell, Sixth Congressional District Representative – Neal is a financial representative at Northwestern Mutual Financial Network. He serves as a board member for TeenPact Leadership School and as a college unit director for Northwestern Mutual's internship program in Atlanta. He also volunteers as a speech and debate coach for high school students. Neal earned a bachelor's degree from Berry College. He is married to Lindsey Neal.

C. Stephen Rigdon, 56, Baxley, First Congressional District Representative– Rigdon is the vice president of Peoples State Bank and Trust and the mayor of the City of Baxley. He serves on the board of directors of the Georgia Association of Regional Development Centers.
He is a member of the Appling County Board of Health, Development Authority of Appling County, Baxley-Appling County Chamber of Commerce and the Appling County Board of Tourism. Rigdon earned a bachelor's degree from Belmont University. He and his wife, Marianne, have two grown children.

Board of Natural Resources

Philip C. Watt, M.D., 46, Thomasville, Second Congressional District Representative– Watt is an investment consultant at Southeast Asset Advisors, Inc. and a special projects coordinator at Williams & Parker, LLC. He serves on the board of directors of Conifer Advisors and on the board of trustees for Tall Timbers Research Station and Land Conservancy and the Florida State University Foundation. He is a member of the Dean's Alumni Advisory Council at the Johns Hopkins University's Bloomberg School of Public Health and he serves on the Dean's Council at Emory University's Rollins School of Public Health.
Watt earned a bachelor's degree from the University of the South, a medical degree from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and a master's degree from the Johns Hopkins University School of Hygiene and Public Health. He and his wife, Alston, have two children.

State Board of Technical and Adult Education

J. Paul Holmes, Jr., 67, Monticello, At-Large Representative– Holmes is a partner at Holmes Insurance Services. He serves on the board of directors for the Georgia Chamber of Commerce and the University of Georgia Football Lettermen's Club. He is a former Jasper County Commissioner and is a past chair of the Development Authority of Jasper County. He served as a director of Griffin Technical College and of the Georgia College and State University Foundation. Holmes earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Georgia. He and his wife, Susan, have three grown children and eight grandchildren.