The GEDA Nominating Committee meets annually in the summer to select a slate of Officers and Directors for the coming year. The Nominating Committe consists of the five current Officers, the President from two years ago (Past Past President) and three at-large members appointed by the current President. Officers generally start as Secretary-Treasurer and then progress through the positions over a five-year period.
To submit names for the Nominating Committee to consider for the Officers and Board of Directors, fill out this form and email to the GEDA Offices.
Officers
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Chair
Misti Martin, CEcD
Misti Martin is a native of Georgia and has been in the Chamber and Economic Development field since 1991. In February 2004, she was named as the Executive Director of the Development Authority of Cherokee County, now known as the Cherokee Office of Economic Development.
In the 1990’s, Martin worked for the Cherokee County Chamber of Commerce & Development Authority and the Carl Vinson Institute of Government at the University of Georgia. She served as President & CEO of the Newton County Chamber of Commerce in Covington, Georgia from 1998-2004 before returning to her hometown of Canton.
Ms. Martin received a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Management from the University of Georgia and earned her MBA from Troy State University. She is also a graduate of University of Oklahoma’s Economic Development Institute (EDI) as well as the Institute for Organization Management at the University of Georgia. Misti has held numerous positions on state boards for Chamber and Economic Development organizations. She is currently serving as Chairman of the Board of the Georgia Economic Developers Association.
Misti is married to Jud Martin, and they have three sons.
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First Vice Chair
JoAnne Lewis
Jo Anne Lewis is President of the Douglas-Coffee County Chamber of Commerce and Executive Director of the Douglas-Coffee County Industrial Authority.
She has more than 20 years of economic development experience with local and state government; serving a Main Street Director, Director of Tourism, and Community Service Director for the City of Douglas. She later serving as state-wide Tourism Product Development Manager for Georgia Department of Economic development prior to joining the Douglas-Coffee County Chamber and Economic Development Authority.
She has served in leadership roles in many regional and state organizations. She received Georgia’s Al Burress Lifetime achievement for the State of Georgia and the NREDA Leadership Award in 2007.
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Second Vice Chair
Angie Gheesling
Angie is the Executive Director for the Development Authority of the City of Milledgeville and Baldwin County. She has served in this capacity since June 1, 2005.
In 2008, Angie facilitated the certification process to implement an affiliate chapter of Keep America Beautiful in Milledgeville, Georgia. She serves as Executive Director for that organization as well. She previously served as the Assistant Director of the Regional Economic Development Program for the Georgia Department of Economic Development. The Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD) is the state’s lead agency for promoting job and investment growth. For 23 years, she also managed her family’s restaurant on Lake Sinclair, Choby’s Landing.
Serving in both volunteer and professional capacities, Angie has been involved in economic development for over twenty years. Her past experience includes serving as a board member and chairman of the Milledgeville-Baldwin County Chamber of Commerce and Milledgeville Convention and Visitors Bureau, Vice President of the Association of Development Authority’s of Georgia, a member of the Georgia College and State University Alumni Board, and a 1999 graduate of Leadership Georgia. She has also served as a facilitator for the Georgia Academy for Economic Development.
She is an active member of the Georgia Economic Developers Association (GEDA), currently serving as Secretary Treasurer. She has also served as a past Chairman of the Rural Development Committee and was elected to serve two terms as a GEDA board member. She is also is a member of the Middle Georgia RC Board of Directors and the GCSU Business Advisory Board.
Angie is a graduate of the Economic Development Institute at the University of Oklahoma and Georgia College & State University.
She has two daughters ,Brooke and Lauren, of whom she is very proud.
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Secretary-Treasurer
Tim Evans, CEcD
Tim Evans is the Vice President of Economic Development for the Greater Hall Chamber of Commerce and Executive Director of the Gainesville-Hall Economic Development Council. He also serves as the staff for the Gainesville & Hall County Development Authority. He is responsible for managing business recruitment, expansions and retention efforts by marketing and representing Gainesville-Hall County to key business decision makers in the United States and internationally. He is also implementing a new retail development initiative for Gainesville-Hall County, Georgia with the support of business leaders, real-estate professionals and elected officials.
Prior to his current position, Tim worked with the Georgia Department of Economic Development for 11 years, and was involved in site location, project management, marketing, export assistance and business development in domestic and international markets. He has earned the designation of Certified Economic Developer from the International Economic Development Council.
Board Activities, Professional and Civic Associations:
- Georgia Economic Developers’ Association, 2008-2012 Board of Directors
- GEDA Development Authority Executives’ Committee – 2007 Chair
- Japan America Society, 2001-2010 Board of Directors
- South Hall Rotary Club, 2009-11 Board of Directors, Treasurer
- International Economic Development Council
- International Council of Shopping Centers
- German-American Chamber of Commerce
- Swiss American Chamber of Commerce
- Korea U.S. Southeast Chamber of Commerce 1995 – 2002 Board of Directors
Tim is a native of Northeast Georgia and a graduate of OglethorpeUniversity with degrees in Economics and Political Studies. He earned an MBA from the Terry College of Business at the University of Georgia, and is a graduate of Leadership Hall. Tim and his wife, Killian, live North of Lake Lanier in Hall County, Georgia.
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Immediate Past Chair
Bob White, CEcD
Bob White is celebrating his 25th year in economic development, and his 15th year as executive director of the Henry County Development Authority. Bob joined the Development Authority in 1995, following 15 years with the Atlanta Gas Light Company where he served as Assistant Director of Economic Development.
During his 15-plus years with the Development Authority, Bob has been directly involved in the recruitment or expansion of more than 60 industries including such names as Toys “R” Us, Sunglass Hut International, Amazon.com, the Sports Authority, Georgia Power Company, SunTrust Service Corporation, Home Depot and Whirlpool, just to name a few. These companies represent substantially more than 7,000 direct new jobs and direct capital investment of more than $1 billion.
Bob has been a member of GEDA since 1986 and, prior to becoming an officer, he served two terms on the GEDA Board of Directors and he had also previously served as a chairman of several GEDA committees. He is actively involved in local, state and national economic development and professional organizations including the International Economic Development Council, the International Council of Shopping Centers and the Atlanta Commercial Board of Realtors. He was a contributor to the Georgia Development Authority Handbook which was produced by UGA’s Fanning Institute, and has served as an instructor in UGA’s Development Authority Board Member Training Program and as a “mentor/coach” at UGA’s inaugural Development Authority Executives Leadership Management Institute.
Bob has been a Certified Economic Developer since 1995 and he is a graduate of both the Economic Development Institute at the University of Oklahoma and the Basic Economic Development Course at Georgia Tech.
Bob is a Journalism graduate of the University of Georgia. He is married to the former Laura Bray and has one son, Drew, who is also a UGA graduate.
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