July 19, 2022 Meeting

9:00 am – 12:00 am | Facebook Live Stream

Watch Live below or via Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GAJDC/live/

Governor Kemp and Lt. Governor recently appointed members to the Georgia Joint Defense Commission. This was a statute passed in 2018 (SB 395). TCSG serves as the agency under which the Commission falls.

Full list of Members: 

  • Director of Georgia’s Defense Initiative (Secretary Ball) 
  • Adjutant General of the Georgia National Guard or designee (General Carden)
  • Commissioner of TCSG or designee (Commissioner Dozier)

House

  • Dave Belton
  • Shaw Blackmon
  • Bill Hitchens
  • Al Williams

Senate

  • Kay Kirkpatrick – Chair of VMHS
  • Bruce Thompson – Chair of Econ. Development
  • Larry Walker – Majority Party Appointee
  • Ed Harbison – Minority Party Appointee

Governor’s Appointees

Peter Jones will represent Fort Benning U.S. Army Base. He is currently the president and CEO for the National Infantry Museum Foundation and president of PLJ & Associates, LLC. Previously, he served as the commandant of the U.S. Army Infantry School at Fort Benning’s Maneuver Center of Excellence. He earned his associate’s degree from Central Texas College, bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Government from the United States Military Academy at West Point, master’s degree in National Security Policy Studies at Georgetown University, and master’s degree in National Security Policy Studies at the National Defense University. He and his wife, Stephanie, live in Columbus, and they have two sons.

Dr. Thomas Clark will represent Fort Gordon U.S. Army Base. He has served as the executive director at CSRA, Alliance for Fort Gordon and command sergeant major of Fort Gordon and the Signal Regiment from 2007-2011. Dr. Clark earned a bachelor’s degree from Excelsior College, master’s degree in Post-Secondary Education from Troy University, and a Doctorate of Management in Organizational Leadership from Phoenix University. He and his wife reside in Evans, and they have four children.

John Gayle will represent Moody Air Reserve Base. Previously, he served as mayor of Valdosta for eight years and did not seek re-election. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Valdosta State University. Gayle and his wife live in Valdosta.

Dr. Kay Kirkpatrick will represent Dobbins Air Reserve Base. She is a member of the Georgia State Senate for the 32nd District, which includes portions of Cobb and Fulton counties. Senator Kirkpatrick serves as chair of the Senate Ethics Committee and a member of the Senate Health and Human Services, Insurance and Labor, and Veterans, Military, and Homeland Security Committees. She is also a member of the Commission on Family Violence and legislative liaison to the Commission on the Holocaust. Senator Kirkpatrick has been an orthopedic hand surgeon for over thirty years. She graduated from the University of Kentucky and University of Louisville School of Medicine. She and her husband, Tom, have two adult children.

Henry Childs will represent Robins Air Force Base. He is a retired military colonel veteran and has served as pastor of North Bethlehem Missionary Baptist Church. He earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Georgia, master’s degree from Webster University, and doctorate from Walden University. Childs and his wife, Vivian, live in Warner Robins, and they have three adult children and nine grandchildren.

Sheila McNeil will represent Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay. She is a Georgia native whose record of service spans from her local community to leadership as the first and only female to serve as the national president of the Navy League of the United States. Currently, she is a region leader for the Submarine Industrial Base Conference and member of the board of directors for the National Strategic Deterrent Coalition. Because of her long history of involvement with the sea services, McNeil served as vice chairman of the executive committee for the Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services (DACOWITS). During her three-year DACOWITS tour, she visited forty-five U.S. military installations throughout the world. McNeil has received numerous awards, including the Secretary of Navy’s Distinguished, Superior, and Meritorious Public Service medals; United States Coast Guard’s Distinguished and Meritorious Public Service medals; U.S. Armed Forces Spirit of Hope Award; and the Naval Submarine League’s Distinguished Civilian Award. She is married to Arlie McNeil, a Navy veteran and longtime Navy League member and national director emeritus. They have one daughter, Leslie, and four grandchildren.

Justin Strickland will represent Marine Corps Logistics Base. He is the director of economic development for OmniTRAX, Inc., and he previously served as president of the Albany-Dougherty Economic Development Commission from 2007 to 2020. He earned his bachelor’s degree in Marketing from the University of Georgia and is a certified economic developer from the International Economic Development Council in Washington, D.C. Strickland and his wife, Rebecca, have two children and live in Albany.

Allen Brown will represent Fort Stewart Army Base. He is a native of Hinesville, and he served as mayor from 1992-2000. He was re-elected in 2015 and still currently serves. He attended Bradwell Institute and then the University of South Carolina and Georgia Southwestern University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in Marketing. In 1978, he began his career as a real estate agent, and three years later, he became the broker/owner of CENTURY 21 Action Realty. Brown and his family are active members of the First United Methodist Church. His wife, Debbie, is a published writer and marketing professional. Together, they have one daughter, Meredith, who is a graduate of Guilford College.