The TCSG Foundation Board is comprised of state-wide leaders from our strategic workforce industries. They are leaders in their communities, civic organizations, and businesses. The TCSG Foundation Board guides The TCSG Foundation in its mission, vision, and growth. The TCSG Foundation Board meets biannually.
In January 2020, Governor Brian Kemp appointed Greg Dozier as the sixth Commissioner of the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG). As Commissioner, Dozier is responsible for the 22 technical colleges of TCSG and leads a team of more than 12,000 employees across the system. Dozier has the responsibility of managing an annual budget of more than $1.1 billion.
Prior to joining TCSG, Dozier was Chief Financial Officer for the State of Georgia from January 2019 to January 2020. Dozier also served as Commissioner of the Department of Corrections where he was responsible for overseeing the supervision of nearly 52,000 felony state offenders and leading a team of nearly 10,500 employees. In 2005, Dozier was appointed as Commissioner of the Department of Driver Services (DDS) and guided a team of approximately 900 employees. During his appointment, DDS celebrated many customer service improvements and, in 2008, Dozier was presented with the Governor’s Award for Customer Service – Leadership.
Dozier began his career in state government in 1995 as an Analyst for the Legislative Budget Office. A few years later, he transferred to the State Board of Pardons and Paroles where he held the position of Director of Accounting. In 1999, he joined the Governor’s Office of Planning and Budget (OPB) where he initially served as the Policy Coordinator and was later promoted to the Division Director of the General Government and Public Safety Division. Dozier has served in leadership capacities under Governors Perdue, Deal, and Kemp.
Dozier received his Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice and his MBA in Finance from Georgia State University. Dozier is a graduate of the Basic Law Enforcement Training Course, Regional Police Academy in Athens, and was the recipient of the Frank Thornton Academic Award for Excellence.
Commissioner Dozier resides in Covington with his wife and two daughters.
Aleisa Howell, a certified public accountant (CPA) and partner at Mauldin & Jenkins was named President of the TCSG Foundation Board of Trustees. Howell specializes in not-for-profit and governmental practice at Mauldin & Jenkins. She is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.
She serves on the Advisory Board of the Georgia Foundation for Independent Colleges and on the Georgia Society of CPA’s Not-For-Profit Task Force. Howell is a graduate of Franklin University.
Kelsey Bassett is the Executive Director for the TCSG Foundation. She has been with TCSG since 2016 and was previously the Executive Director for the West Georgia Technical College Foundation. She is a graduate of Mercer University and the University of South Carolina, and she is a doctoral candidate at Valdosta State University.
Linginfelter is the now the Senior Airworthiness Inspector for Gulfstream Aerospace. Linginfelter is currently living on St. Simons Island and enjoying his second “retirement” job. He joined Gulfstream in 2015, after retiring from Certified Aviation Services, a leading provider of MRO services for fleet operators around the world.
He served as director of Operations and was responsible for supporting CAS management and staff in both East Coast and West Coast stations as well as Los Angeles, Seattle, Ontario, California; San Diego, Las Vegas and San Francisco. He had previously retired from Delta Air Lines, where he had worked for 32 years, most recently as Atlanta Station manager, International.
Sloane Drake is senior vice president of Human Resources for Georgia Power and Southern Company. She leads the HR East Region Organization, which includes talent management, diversity and inclusion, volunteer services, labor relations, health and well-being services, and HR delivery for Georgia Power; oversight of HR for Southern Company Gas; and talent acquisition, talent management and the development of diversity & and inclusion strategies for Southern Company.
Drake joined Southern Company in 2001 as a participant in Georgia Power’s Professional Development Program, and has held several positions in Southern Company’s HR organization, including the dual role as assistant to the vice president of Human Resources and talent manager. In these roles, she supported strategic initiatives across all areas of human resources and led the development of solutions to enhance leadership and employee development, as well as diversity and inclusion.
She also lead the HR team responsible for HR delivery and staffing for Southern Company’s two new nuclear units at Plant Vogtle, located outside of Augusta. Prior to her current position, Drake served as Director of Human Resources at Southern Company, where she was responsible for providing HR consulting services for accounting, finance, and treasury, marketing service, human resources, system air, general counsel, external affairs, internal auditing and information technology.
Drake graduated from the University of Georgia with a bachelor’s degree in psychology. Active in her community, Drake serves on the board of directors for the Anit-Defamation League Southeast, Atlanta children’s Shelter, Technical College System of Georgia Foundation, Southeast Labor and management Public Affairs Committee, and Georgia Public Telecommunications Commission.
Dan Baker of Cedartown is founder and president of Duffey Southeast. This construction company have a portfolio that includes tenant improvements, administrative, financial, retail and industrial buildings, service operations and data centers and healthcare facilities. The company is headquartered in Cedartown.
Baker developed a love for the construction process through helping his father on projects as a child. He turned his summer job in middle school into a full-time career, earning his Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from the University of Alabama and ultimately founding Duffey Southeast, Inc. in 2002.
An active member of the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC), Baker has served numerous years in leadership roles at the State and National level.
Ruth has a long and distinguished career in Higher Education having served in faculty and administrative positions at Mississippi Universities Center, University of Mississippi, University of Louisville, Agnes Scott College, Kennesaw State University and University of Georgia.
Her specialty is in lifelong learning/adult education with a focus on education of adult women. In 2013, Ruth retired from University of Georgia as Assistant VP of Academic Affairs Emerita, but has continued in retirement to be involved in teaching, grant writing and executive coaching.
She served on the Board of Directors and President of the Board (6 years) for the Jeannette Rankin Women’s Scholarship Foundation and has held numerous offices in both state and national adult education associations.
Jason is a Principal with OneDigital Health and Benefits. Jason joined OneDigital in 2019 through the acquisition of Northwestern Benefit where he was Partner and owner.
Since 2001, he has been instrumental in the growth of Northwestern Benefit and now OneDigital, recognized consistently as one of the top benefit producers in the country.
Jason serves on the OneDigital Georgia executive team and focuses in three areas: New Business Development, Attraction of Talent and Participation in the overall Corporate Strategy. He continues to seek differentiators in regards to both retention and new business.
Jason is active in various organizations including the Terry College of Business at University of Georgia. Jason holds his Life & Health, Series 6, Series 63 & Variable Insurance Licenses. He is a graduate of the University of Georgia with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Finance.
Lindsay Bridges of Atlanta is vice president of communications and member services for Georgia Electric Membership Corporation (EMC). She has worked at the statewide trade association serving Georgia’s 41 electric cooperatives since 2013 and manages the communications and member services department which offers a full range of communications, community, public and member relations, professional training, media relations and youth programs.
Her experience beyond cooperatives and the energy industry includes serving as branding and communications lead for US operations of Argos and public relations representative for Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. Bridges holds a B.S. in Communications from Georgia Southern University and an M.B.A. from the University of Georgia. She currently serves on the Keep Georgia Beautiful Foundation Board of Directors and resides in Johns Creek, Georgia, with her husband, Blake.
Ben I. Copeland Sr. graduated from the University of Georgia in 1967 with a degree in landscape architecture and began working with the Tennessee Department of Conservation, where he became chief of design in the Planning Division. He returned to Georgia in 1971 to work for Patten Seed Company in Lakeland. He became president in 1995 and retired in 2020. Copeland is a former city councilman of Lakeland. He is past chairman of the Board of Directors for Valdosta Technical College( now Wiregrass Georgia Technical College) and was chair of the Board of trustees for the College Foundation. He currently serves on the Valdosta Lowndes County Hospital Authority and serves as chair of the Advisory Board for the SGMC Lanier Campus Hospital. He was the recipient of the 2002 Volunteer of the Year award for Technical Colleges in the State of Georgia and Lanier County’s Flatlander of the Year award. Copeland is the past president of several organizations, including the Lanier County Lions Club, the Georgia Sod Producers Association and Turfgrass Producers International.
Mr. Copeland was appointed to the TCSG State Board in 2003 by Governor Sonny Perdue as the First Congressional District Representative and served until his retirement in 2020. He served as Chairman of the State Board from July 2005 to June 2007.
Ben and his wife LaVonne now reside in Lake Park Ga near Valdosta. They have two children, nine grandchildren and four great grandchildren.
Rick Douglas is the Senior Manager and Head of Department for Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia (KMMG) Team Relations Department, charged with employee relations, internal and external communications, and public and government affairs for the company.
Rick has worked in OEM automotive manufacturing for over 34 years, consisting of responsibilities in both production and administration. Rick managed various vehicle launch programs and engineering trials of new models, as well as managed the launches of (3) highly automated paint shop start-ups from the construction phases to production.
Mark is a 1981 aviation maintenance technology graduate from Atlanta Technical College. At ATC, Mark obtained his Airframe and Power-plant licenses and is a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) licensed technician.
Mark is currently the Director of Quality and Accountable Manager for Wencor, an aerospace Part Approval Holder and product distributor located in Peachtree City, Georgia and is also certified to release aerospace products to service through an FAA Designated Authorized Representative (DAR) privilege.
Mark joined Wencor in 2015 after a rewarding 32-year career with Delta Air Lines as the Chief Inspector and General Manager of Quality for Technical Operations. Mark and his family live in Grantville, Georgia and when not working they are usually camping.
Cosby was born and raised in Brunswick Georgia and attended Valdosta State where he studied political science. After college he moved to Cleveland, Ohio where he worked at Bethany Christian Church as a youth director and with East End Neighborhood House creating programming for latch-key children after school hours.
He chose to come back to Georgia to work for US Senator Saxby Chambliss. Upon Sen. Chambliss’ retirement Cosby went to work for then Sec. of State Brian Kemp. Cosby now directs state level lobbying on behalf of the Chamber in the issue areas of environment and energy, education and business and industry. In addition, Cosby manages the Government Affairs Council for the Chamber.
Jesse Killings is vice president of operations for Southern Company Gas subsidiaries Atlanta Gas Light and Chattanooga Gas. In this role, he is responsible for ensuring the company’s operational excellence in delivering clean, safe, reliable, affordable natural gas to more than 616,000 customers in Georgia and Tennessee.
Killings brings more than 25 years of company experience to his role. Prior to his current position, he served as vice president of operations for Atlanta Gas Light and Florida City Gas. In previous roles, he was regional operations director for the company’s South Metro region, where he led local operations, including distribution, field service and meter reading. He also has held several management positions in sales, safety and training, regulatory compliance and field operations.
Killings takes special interest in organizations that support career development, leadership and education. He serves as chair of the Southern Company Gas Diversity & Inclusion (LEAD) Council and as a board member of the Technical College Systems of Georgia Foundation, the Georgia Chamber and the Georgia Energy & Industrial Construction Consortium. He is a former board member of 100 Black Men of Atlanta and the Georgia Chamber Diversity & Inclusion Council. In addition, he is an active member of the American Association of Blacks in Energy, and he has worked with boards and education-related committees of organizations such as Fulton Education Foundation, South Fulton Chamber of Commerce, Boys & Girls Club and United Way.
In 2015, Killings was recognized as one of Atlanta’s “Men of Influence” by the Atlanta Business League.
A native of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Killings earned a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering from Tuskegee University. Killings is a graduate of Leadership Georgia, Leadership Atlanta and Leadership Coweta.
Killings resides in Atlanta and is the proud father of two children.
Tammy Palmgren serves as a Medicare Sales Director at Kaiser Permanente, one of United States’ leading health care providers and not-for-profit health plans.
With over 20 years of experience in the healthcare field and healthcare management, Palmgren was previously with BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee, Inc. and AmeriLife.
She received a bachelor’s degree in Organizational Management from Covenant College and very active in civic organizations in Cobb County and the metro Atlanta area.
The President Emeritus status is a lifelong appointment for individuals who retire from the position of President of a Georgia Technical College with honorable and distinguished service in the Technical College System of Georgia.
Reeves has devoted over 42 years of his career to South Georgia Tech and was selected to be President of South Georgia Tech in 2004. He served as an instructor, supervisor, and Vice President of Economic Development prior to being named President.
During his tenure of visionary leadership, steadfast dedication and relentless perseverance, South Georgia Technical College increased its enrollment, led TCSG in graduate and award efficiency rankings, and had the highest transition rate from the Adult Education/GED program to post-secondary education enrollment.
He led the college to obtain accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, improved facilities and led campus beautification efforts, supported the intercollegiate basketball program which advanced to the National Junior College Athletic Association national tournament five times, encouraged students to advance to national prominence in the colleges’ clubs and organizations and provided a complete college experience for technical college students in south Georgia.
Under his constant encouragement and guidance, South Georgia Technical College increased partnerships with business and industry including Caterpillar, Georgia Power, John Deere, Metro Power, and Kauffman Tire as well as other educational institutions and grew the South Georgia Technical College Foundation.
Marjie Roquemore of Macon currently serves as Agricultural Water Project Manager for the Environmental Protection Division for the Department of Natural Resources. She began her career in government working for the Office of Governor Nathan Deal, where she held a variety of positions including policy and legislative affairs coordinator and agriculture policy advisor. After serving with Deal, Dickey became executive director of the REACH Georgia Program and then executive director of the REACH Georgia Foundation before transitioning into her current role.
Roquemore grew up in Crawford County and graduated from the University of Georgia with a B.S.A. in Food Industry Marketing and Administration.
As regional director for AT&T, Gary works closely with community leaders and policymakers to help meet the company’s objective of connecting people with their world.
He is also responsible for managing AT&T’s extensive philanthropic and community engagement efforts in South Georgia focused on education, economic empowerment and work force readiness.
Gary is an active member of local chambers of commerce across South Georgia, serves on the Board of Directors of the Savannah Area Chamber of Commerce, and serves as the Chairman for the Savannah Technical College Foundation Board.
In addition, he is a member of the advisory board for the College of Business Administration for Savannah State University. Gary earned his Master of Business Administration from Mercer University and his undergraduate degree in business finance from the University of Idaho.
