Foundation Board of Trustees

Dan Linginfelter is a 1979 aviation maintenance technology graduate from South Georgia Technical College (Americus, GA). At South Georgia Technical College, Linginfelter obtained his A & P license and is a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) licensed mechanic.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.