Gov. Deal appoints Hooks, others to Regents

Gov. Nathan Deal selected outgoing state Sen. George Hooks and three others to serve on the State Board of Regents.

Hooks, a Democrat from Americus who was first elected to the General Assembly in 1980, angered Senate Democrats earlier this year when he broke with the party to help pass a Republican-backed measure that asked voters to allow the state to sponsor charter schools. He did not run for reelection.

The other new regents are: Lori Durden, vice president for economic development at Ogeechee Technical College in Stateboro, Scott Smith, president of Northwest Georgia Bank, and Rogers Wade, former president of the Georgia Public Policy Foundation.

The four regents leaving the board are: Robert Hatcher, W. Mansfield Jennings, James Jolly and Willis Potts.

The regents oversee the 35 colleges in the University System of Georgia.

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Laura Diamond

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