DCA Board Members

DCA board meetings are held on a quarterly basis (February, May, August and November). Dates, times, locations, and additional information are subject to change. Agendas will be available one week before meeting date.     

February Meeting

Board of Community Affairs and the Georgia Housing and Finance Authority/ GHFA Economic Development Financing, Inc./ GHFA Affordable Housing, Inc. Joint Meeting are scheduled for Wednesday, February 13, 2019 at 10:30AM The meetings will take place in Board Room 302 of the Georgia Department of Community Affairs, located at 60 Executive Park South, NE, Atlanta, Georgia.

Location
Georgia Department of Community Affairs
60 Executive Park South, NE
Atlanta, GA 30329

May Meeting

Board of Community Affairs and the Georgia Housing and Finance Authority/ GHFA Economic Development Financing, Inc. / GHFA Affordable Housing, Inc. Joint Meeting are scheduled for Wednesday, May 1, 2019 and Thursday, May 2, 2019.

Location: Statesboro, Georgia

August Meeting

Board of Community Affairs and the Georgia Housing and Finance Authority/ GHFA Economic Development Financing, Inc. / GHFA Affordable Housing, Inc. Joint Meeting are scheduled for Wednesday, August 14, 2019 and Thursday, August 15, 2019.     

Location:  Moultrie, Georgia

November Meeting

Board of Community Affairs and the Georgia Housing and Finance Authority/ GHFA Economic Development Financing, Inc./ GHFA Affordable Housing, Inc. Joint Meeting are scheduled for Wednesday, November 13, 2019 at 10:30AM The meetings will take place in Board Room 302 of the Georgia Department of Community Affairs, located at 60 Executive Park South, NE, Atlanta, Georgia.​

Location
Georgia Department of Community Affairs
60 Executive Park South, NE
Atlanta, GA 30329

DCA Board Members

Carolyn "Tippi" Burch
Carolyn "Tippi" Burch
Chalmers Pak & Burch LLC
Position: 
Chairman
Fifth Congressional District

Tippi Burch serves as Vice Chair of the DCA Board and is a founding partner of Chalmers Burch & Adams LLC.  She was selected in 2015 as one of 40 “On the Rise” attorneys under 40 by the Fulton County Daily Report and has been recognized as a “Rising Star in Business Litigation” by the Georgia Super Lawyers Magazine. She serves on the Board of Trustees for the Georgia Legal History Foundation and on the Executive Board of the Atlanta Lawyers Chapter of the Federalist Society.  She was a member of the YLD Leadership Academy Class of 2009 and the Leadership Georgia Class of 2014.  In 2015, she was appointed to serve on the DCA Board.  She currently serves on the Administrative Board of Peachtree Road United Methodist Church where she is an active member and volunteer.  Burch earned a bachelor’s degree from Auburn University and graduated, cum laude, from the University of Georgia School of Law.  She and her husband, Sam, have one daughter and reside in Atlanta.
George "Chip" Mitchell
George "Chip" Mitchell
Elevation Realty
Position: 
Vice Chair
Seventh Congressional District

Chip Mitchell is a founding partner of Elevation Realty and serves as Secretary of the DCA Board.  After earning a bachelor's degree in Finance from the University of Georgia, he worked as senior project manager for the Georgia Department of Economic Development, where he recruited manufacturers including Caterpillar, ZF Wind Power and Mando Corp. to the state. Currently, Mitchell is Chairman of the City of Grayson Downtown Development Authority and a member of the Georgia Association of Realtors.  He and his wife, Katie, have one child and reside in Grayson.

 
Audrey King
Audrey King
Georgia Power
Position: 
Secretary
Member at Large

Audrey King, appointed to the DCA Board in January 2017, is a regional director for the Georgia Power Company. She is a past president of the Valdosta North Rotary Club and was previously a member of the Education Reform Commission. King is a graduate of Leadership Georgia and earned a bachelor's degree in Business Administration from Troy State University. She has two children and lives in Hahira.
Anna Chafin
Anna Chafin
Development Authority of Bryan County
Position: 
Member
Member at Large

Anna Chafin is the CEO of the Development Authority of Bryan County. She represents the 1st Congressional District on the Georgia Student Finance Commission Board of Commissioners. Chafin is the immediate past chair of the Georgia Economic Developers Association and a former chair of the Leadership Southeast Georgia Alumni Association. She is a member of the Rotary Club of Richmond Hill and sits on the board for the Middle Coastal Unified Development Authority. Chafin is a graduate of the Georgia Academy for Economic Development, Leadership Georgia, Leadership Southeast Georgia and Leadership Bryan. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Communication with minors in Business Administration and English from Mercer University. Chafin and her husband, Justin, have one child and reside in Richmond Hill.
Albert "Al" Hodge
Albert "Al" Hodge
Greater Rome Chamber of Commerce
Position: 
Member and Past Chair
Member at Large

Al Hodge is president and CEO of the Greater Rome Chamber of Commerce in Floyd County.  He was appointed to the DCA Board in 2012.  Hodge is the former vice chair of the Georgia Board of Education and has served as president of the Georgia Association of Chambe of Commerce Executives and the Georgia Economic Developers Association.  He is a previous board member of the American Chamber of Commerce Executives Association and the U.S. Department of Energy Citizen’s Leadership Board. Hodge graduated from the University of Georgia and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Institute for Organization Management. He and his wife, Cheryl, live in Rome and have one daughter.
D. Scott Gibbs
D. Scott Gibbs
Gibbs Grading and Utilities, Inc.
Position: 
Member
Member at Large

Scott Gibbs was appointed to the DCA Board in July 2014.  Gibbs, a Hall County native, began his first term on the Hall County Board of Commissioners in January 2011.  He earned a bachelor's degree in Business Administration from North Georgia College and State University, and he serves on the Hall County Soil & Water Board as well as the Hall ‘96 Olympic Venue Committee.  Gibbs has been the owner and operator of Gibbs Grading and Utilities, Inc. for more than 20 years. He and his wife, Jennifer, have one son and live in Gainesville.
Chad Barrow
Chad Barrow
Coastal Logistics Group, Inc.
Position: 
Member
First Congressional District

Chad Barrow was appointed to the DCA Board in January 2017. He is the founder of Savannah-based Coastal Logistics Group, Inc., a third-party logistics provider that specializes in warehousing, project cargo, packaging solutions, paper logistics and bulk transload projects.  In addition to being Owner & CEO of Coastal Logistics Group, Chad is actively involved in community charities and industry associations, serving as the Georgia director of the Southeast Warehousing Association (SWA) Georgia in 2011, and as 2015 Vice Chairman of the World Trade Center in Savannah.  He is a member of the Georgia Private Sector Advisory Committee for Georgia Freight and Logistics Plan, the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP) and the Savannah Economic Development Authority Board of Directors.  Barrow earned a bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of Georgia.  He and his wife, Jan, have three children and reside in Savannah.  
C. "Rick" Muggridge
C. "Rick" Muggridge
DWB Insurance Agency, Inc.
Position: 
Member
Second Congressional District

Rick Muggridge was appointed to the DCA Board in 2011. He grew up in Albany, and attended the University of Georgia.  Muggridge has spent more than 20 years as an insurance agent in Albany, where he is the operations manager of DWB Insurance Agency, Inc.  He currently serves as a County Commissioner for Lee County, and is Chair of the Lee County Commission's Budget & Finance Committee.  Muggridge is also a member of DARTS Policy Committee, DARTS Technical Coordinating Committee, Health/Mental Health Board, Pension Board, and the Southwest Georgia Regional Commission, and donates volunteer time to support the Palladium Foundation Inc., South Georgia Easter Seals, and Rivers Alive.  Muggridge is an active member of the Leesburg United Methodist Church.  He and wife, Terry, have three children and reside in Leesburg.
Jeffrey W. "Jeff" Brown
Jeffrey W. "Jeff" Brown
Jeffrey W. Brown, Inc.
Position: 
Member
Third Congressional District

Jeff Brown is the past president of Comprehensive Search, and was appointed to the DCA Board in 2010. He is a member of Rotary International and serves on the board of the Georgia Budget and Policy Institute. Brown served as a Georgia State Representative from 1994-2007 and is a member of the LaGrange Industrial Development Authority, Hi Tech Task Force, West Point Lake Advisory Committee and West Georgia Technical College Foundation.  He is a graduate of the Leadership Institute at the University of Georgia.  Brown earned a bachelor’s degree from Ursinus College and a master’s degree from Temple University.  He and his wife, Shirley, have one child and one grandchild.
Frank B. Turner Jr.
Frank B. Turner Jr.
Greer, Stansfield & Turner, LLP
Position: 
Member
Fourth Congressional District

DCA Board Chairman Frank Turner, Jr.  is a partner at Greer, Stansfield & Turner, LLP in Covington.  A graduate of Washington & Lee University and the Walter F. George School of Law at Mercer University, Turner has served in numerous leadership and membership roles in community service to Covington and Newton County.  He is currently a member of the Newton County Industrial Development Authority, chairperson of the Newton County Land Trust Alliance, Inc., and serves on the board of directors of United Bank.  He is a graduate of Leadership Georgia.  A lifelong resident of Newton County, Turner and his wife, Loy, have three children and make their home in Covington.  He was appointed to the DCA Board in 2005. 
Open Position
Open Position
Position: 
Member
Sixth Congressional District
Carolyn Crayton
Carolyn Crayton
WPGA/58 ABC Television, Register Communications, Inc.
Position: 
Member and Past Chair
Eighth Congressional District

Carolyn Crayton, President of Marketing and Community Relations for WPGA/58 ABC Television in Macon, was appointed to the DCA Board in 2007.  Founder Emeriti and Director of the Macon, Georgia International Cherry Blossom Festival, and Director of the Nominating & Governance Committee at Atlantic Southern Financial Group, Inc., she is also founder, president and chief executive officer emeritus of the Keep Macon-Bibb Beautiful Commission.  Because of her hard work and dedication to her community, Crayton has received recognition worldwide. She has received the Mrs. Lyndon B. Johnson Award, The Queen Mother Award in England, and the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Rays from the Japanese Foreign Ministry.  She is one of only 15 women to have received this award from the Japanese government since its inception in 1875.  She also serves as a director on the International Festival and Events Foundation, National Arbor Day Foundation and on the board of directors of Keep America Beautiful, Inc. She and her late husband, Lee, have two grown children and four grandchildren.
Gilbert C. Barrett
Gilbert C. Barrett
G&H Poultry Farms
Position: 
Member
Ninth Congressional District

Gilbert Barrett, co-owner of G&H Poultry Farms and President & CEO of the White County Farmers Exchange, an agricultural cooperative serving northeast Georgia, was appointed to the DCA Board in February 2013.  A past president and current member of the Habersham County Farm Bureau, he is currently chairman of the Habersham County Board of Education and a member of the executive Archway Committee.  Barrett also sits on the Board of Directors for the Upper Chattahoochee Soil and Water District.  He is a member of the Chattahoochee Baptist Church where he serves as a deacon, a Sunday school teacher and a pianist. Barrett and his wife, Donna, have three children and reside in Demorest.

 

 
H. Clifford "Cliff" Sheppard
H. Clifford "Cliff" Sheppard
Howard Sheppard, Inc.
Position: 
Member
Tenth Congressional District

Cliff Sheppard, appointed to the DCA Board in 2005, is President & CEO of Howard Sheppard, Inc., a company that provides common and contract services in the transportation of bulk commodities, particularly kaolin, carbonates and non-hazardous chemicals.  He joined the company in 1973 and became president in 1999.  Sheppard attended Middle Georgia College and graduated from Georgia Southwestern in 1973 with a degree in Marketing. He serves on the Board of Directors of Citizens Bank of Washington County and the Board of Brentwood School.  A  member of First Baptist Church, he and his wife, Diane, have two sons and three grandchildren and reside in Sandersville.
Steve Taylor
Steve Taylor
Bartow County Commission
Position: 
Member
Eleventh Congressional District

Steve Taylor was appointed to the DCA Board in May 2018.  Taylor owned and operated Taylor Farm Supply for 35 years, and is currently Commissioner of Bartow County. He is also chairman of the Development Authority of Bartow County and an original member of the Bartow-Cartersville Joint Development Authority. Taylor attended Reinhardt University. He and his wife, Sandy, have three children and seven grandchildren. They reside in Cartersville.

 
Adam Hatcher
Adam Hatcher
MAU Workforce Solutions
Position: 
Member
Twelfth Congressional District

Adam Hatcher is General Counsel and Vice President of People and Culture for MAU Workforce Solutions, a family-owned company that provides staffing, recruiting and outsourcing solutions for companies.  He was appointed to the DCA Board in 2017.  Hatcher is a member of the Association of Corporate Council and the Society for Human Resource Management, and sits on the advisory boards for the Salvation Army, Heritage Academy and Fireside Ministries.  Hatcher earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Virginia and a law degree from Wake Forest University, working as a prosecutor and in private practice before joining MAU.  He and his wife, Courtney, have two children and reside in Augusta.
Vince R. Williams
Vince R. Williams
Mayor of Union City
Position: 
Member
Thirteenth Congressional District

Mayor Vince R. Williams, Board of Community Affairs
Williams is serving his second term as the mayor of Union City. He previously served two terms on the city council of Union City. Williams is the second vice president of the Georgia Municipal Association and sits on the board of directors of the National League of Cities. He is an associate pastor at iTHRIVE Christian Church. Williams earned a bachelor’s degree from Lemoyne-Owen College. He and his wife, Sharon, have one child and live in Union City.

 
Boyd L. Austin Jr.
Boyd L. Austin Jr.
Mayor of Dallas
Position: 
Member
Fourteenth Congressional District

Mayor Boyd L. Austin Jr., Board of Community Affairs
Austin is serving his sixth term as the mayor of Dallas. He sits on the boards of the Georgia Environmental Finance Authority, the Metropolitan North Georgia Water Planning District and the Northwest Georgia Regional Commission. Austin is a former president of the Georgia Municipal Association and currently serves on its executive committee. He earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Georgia. Austin teaches Sunday school at the First Baptist Church of Dallas and resides in Dallas.