Gov. Nathan Deal has named six people to replace suspended members of the DeKalb County Board of Education.
At an 11 a.m. press conference, Deal said he is confident that the new appointments will help get the school board back on track.
“We believe we have laid the proper foundation for the future of the DeKalb County school system,” Deal said.
At the recommendation of the State Board of Education, Deal suspended six of the nine DeKalb school board members after the system was placed on accreditation probation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. In its report, the accrediting agency accused the board members of mismanaging the system.
According to the governor’s office, a nominating panel received more than 400 applications for the six school board seats. Of that number, 60 were interviewed before the six appointments were selected.
Deal said he has urged the new appointments to work cooperatively with each other and Interim Superintendent Michael Thurmond.
“I hope governing will not be a problem and I have no reason to believe it will be with this group,” Deal said.
Below is the list of board appointments from the governor’s office:
District 1, John Coleman
Coleman, who replaces Nancy Jester, is a strategic planning manager at Invesco. Previously, he held a variety of leadership roles at McKinsey & Company. He also serves on various nonprofit boards. Coleman has a master’s in business administration from Harvard and a master’s in public administration from the Harvard Kennedy School. He resides in Atlanta.
District 3, Michael Erwin
Erwin is a U.S. Navy veteran and has been a research assistant at Duke University Medical Center and the University of South Carolina. He has worked for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries Services and is past chair of the NOAA fisheries committees on fish species and fish diseases in Maine and South Carolina. In 2008, he earned a Ph.D. in Biological Science from the University of South Carolina. He has been a member of the faculty at Georgia Gwinnett College since 2009 and teaches undergraduate students in biological science. He graduated from North Carolina Central University with a bachelor’s in Biology and a master’s in Biological Science. Erwin resides in Decatur.
District 5, David Campbell
Campbell is a senior manager with Georgia Power, where he supports the company’s energy conservation efforts. He is a certified public accountant with managerial experience. Campbell received a degree in Business Administration from Albany State University. He is a former chair of Leadership DeKalb, a member of the DeKalb 100 Black Men and an active member of St. Phillips AME. He formerly served on the Stephenson High School Council and resides in Lithonia.
District 7, Joyce Morley
Morley is the chief executive officer of Morley and Associates and is a nationally known public speaker and trainer. She is a certified counselor, a trained mediator and serves on several local and national governance boards. Morley has a doctorate in counseling, family and work life from the University of Rochester. She received her specialist’s and master’s degrees in counseling education from the State University New York College at Brockport, and a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from the SUNY College at Genesco. A Stone Mountain resident, Morley has lived in DeKalb County for more than 22 years.
District 8, Karen Carter
Carter serves on the faculty of Georgia Perimeter College where she is chair of the Business and Social Science Department. She received a bachelor’s degree in speech communications from Denison University and a law degree from Ohio State University. Carter has served as a classroom teacher and has held several senior administrative roles in the field of education. She is a graduate of Leadership DeKalb and is an active community volunteer and a PTSA member. Carter is a resident of the Lakeside Community.
District 9, Thaddeus Mayfield
Mayfield is a senior partner with FOCOM, Inc., a Georgia-based business development firm. He holds a master’s degree in business administration from Mercer University and received a bachelor’s degree in political science from Tougaloo College. He co-chaired the successful Friends of DeKalb Education SPLOST IV Campaign and is an active member of several business and civic organizations in the metropolitan area. Mayfield is a resident of Lithonia.