Board of Natural Resources

About the Board of Natural Resources

The Board of Natural Resources consists of 19 citizens appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Georgia Senate. The Board is responsible for setting rules and regulations ranging from air and water quality to hunting seasons and provides input into issues such as the agency’s budget recommendations and legislative initiatives. The Board meets 10 times a year. The dates and locations will be posted on the DNR website.

DNR Board Members

Joe Hatfield, Chairman

As the Vice Chairman, Board of Directors at Fieldale Farms, Joe Hatfield carries on a family tradition of more than 55 years in the poultry business. His father was a Fieldale Farms founder, and the company is still family owned. Fieldale is now one of the largest independent poultry producers in the world. The company has invested in the latest up-to-date equipment and technology, always bearing in mind the health of the millions of consumers of its products. Before devoting his career to Fieldale Farms, Mr. Hatfield operated a construction business in Gainesville, Georgia. Over the years, he has worked in many capacities for Fieldale, advancing to positions of greater responsibility within the company. He started from the ground up, working first in wastewater treatment installation before becoming assistant manager of the protein conversion plant, overseeing plant operations and now as vice chairman of the board. 

A native of Gainesville, Georgia, Mr. Hatfield holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management from North Georgia College. He currently serves on the Board of Natural Resources, Georgia Natural Resources Foundation, North Georgia Technical College Foundation and Peach State Bank & Trust. He is a past board member of the Georgia Department of Economic Development (2005–2007). Mr. Hatfield has continued his education with management training at Purdue University, composting seminars at the University of Maryland, and Dale Carnegie courses. He is active in the National Chicken Council, U.S. Poultry & Egg Association, and the Georgia Poultry Federation.

Mr. Hatfield enjoys international travel, game bird hunting, skeet shooting, hot rods, and antique cars. One of his cars was a Grand National winner in Antique Automobile Club competition. He lives in Clarkesville, Georgia, with his wife Rosalyn.

Gary Vowell, Vice Chairman

On February 19, 2020, the Board of Public Safety voted unanimously to approve former Tift County Sheriff Gary Vowell to serve as the interim commissioner of the Department of Public Safety.

Colonel Vowell is no stranger to DPS. He is a Georgia native and lifelong law enforcement official. Over the years, he has mentored hundreds of police officers, served in various leadership roles across the Peach State, and earned accolades for his service within the law enforcement community. In 1976, Vowell started his law enforcement career in Americus as a communications officer for the Georgia State Patrol (GSP). Vowell graduated as a member of the 51st Trooper School and was assigned to Post 13, Tifton, and later became a Field Training Officer. During this time, he was awarded numerous certificates for citations and drug interdiction by the U. S. Drug Enforcement Administration and GSP. Vowell is a former drug interdiction instructor for the Michigan State Police.

In 1991, Vowell began working in the Safety Education Division, later becoming a certified Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) instructor for alcohol and drug awareness programs. Vowell retired from the GSP in 1996. Vowell was elected Tift County Sheriff in 1996. In this role, he supervised 115 employees and managed the county’s 265-bed jail. He retired from public office in late 2012. He was appointed by Governor Nathan Deal to serve on the Board of Public Safety from 2011 to 2012. Vowell is a longtime member of the National Sheriff’s Association and the Georgia Sheriff’s Association. He remains actively involved in his local community. Vowell currently resides in Irwin County with his wife, Beth, who has worked for Southern Company for eighteen years. They attend Waterloo Baptist Church. They have three sons and six grandchildren. Vowell is a volunteer for his grandchildren’s baseball, football and soccer teams.

Lesley Reynolds, Secretary

Lesley Reynolds is a native of Baldwin County, Georgia, and a graduate of Georgia Military College and Georgia College and State University. Lesley taught elementary school at Midway Elementary in Milledgeville. She is married to Harold Reynolds and mother of a daughter, Chandler, and a son, Jackson. The Reynolds live in Greensboro, Georgia, and maintained a residence in Oconee County while their children attended Athens Academy. Lesley has and is engaged with several organizations that focus on education, Judeo-Christian values, and women's safety and security. As a child, Lesley enjoyed frequent camping, trips and equestrian activities. She continues her love of nature with frequent hiking and equestrian activities locally and elsewhere. Lesley enjoys hunting trips and sport shooting with her family.

Nancy A. Addison

Nancy A. Addison is Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for Health Service Centers, Inc. She is past Chairman of the North Georgia Mountains Authority and former Commissioner on the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission. Addison is a director for Majormatic—a South Africa-based company and serves on the Safari Club International Foundation Advisory Board. She has three children and four grandchildren and resides on Georgia’s coast.

Jeff Andrews

James “Jeff” Andrews has spent his entire career, 43 years, in the Senior Living Industry in a number of companies. In June 2023 he completed the sale of an operating group of 10 nursing homes to leave him 4 remaining nursing homes in a portfolio that at one time included over 30 homes.
In recent years Jeff has diversified his interests and investments in various companies and among different industries. These investments have included companies in healthcare, manufacturing, agriculture, IT, and firearms industries.

In September 2023, Jeff became Chairman and Acting CEO of KGM Technologies, a Peachtree Corners, GA based manufacturer of Suppressors. KGM is known in the industry as a leader in high quality suppressors. KGM suppressors are used by the average hunter or hobby enthusiasts, but more importantly our work is used by elite Local, State and Federal police officers, as well as elite national and NATO forces. In May KGM will introduce a new commercial line to the public.

Jeff is involved in a number of charities in which he believes deeply in their mission. Some of those include Neighborhood Community Ministries of Gwinnett County, Giving Grace of Dekalb County, Cure, and First Redeemer Church.

Jeff is a graduate of Samford University. He is most blessed to be married to Patricia and has 2 children Kristen and David. They have 4 and soon to be 5 grandchildren. Patricia and Jeff reside in Peachtree Corners.

Jeff grew up on a farm in South Alabama where he was taught to appreciate all that nature offers but doing so responsibly.

Randy Dellinger

Mr. Randy Dellinger is retired from Jackson Electric Membership Corporation, an electric power utility, having been with the company for 34 years and finishing his career as the Gwinnett District Manager. He obtained his Bachelor of Science degree in agriculture from the University of Georgia and completed his MBA at Brenau University. Randy is a graduate of Leadership Gwinnett, the Atlanta Regional Commission’s Regional Leadership Institute, and Leadership Georgia.

He has served on many community and professional organization boards including the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce having served as its chairman, Partnership Gwinnett, Council for Quality Growth, Gwinnett Clean and Beautiful, Gwinnet County Public School Foundation, Gwinnett Championship Foundation and as chairman of the board of the Gwinnett Student Leadership Team. He was a Rotarian for many years and served as president.

A native of Athens, Georgia, Randy and his family have lived in the Snellville area of Gwinnett County for the past 34 years. He and his wife Carol have two grown children and four grandchildren.

Patrick Denney

Mr. Patrick Denney is a graduate of West Georgia college with a BBA in Marketing and lifelong resident of Carroll County. He owns and operates SLM Recycling, Inc., staffs the Convenience Centers of Carroll and Heard Counties, and owns interests in SLM Steel & Fabrication, and Heavy Equipment Repair. He has served as a deacon and Sunday teacher in his local church for over twenty years and is an avid outdoorsman, owning and managing farm, timber, and hunting land in Carroll and Heard Counties. He and his wife, Lynne, have four children and they reside in Bowdon.

Charles DePriest

Mr. DePriest serves as the Executive Vice President of Summit Materials' East Segment. He brings more than 25 years of extensive experience in finance, operations, and executive leadership to his role. In 2016, Charles co-founded Georgia Stone Products, a reputable construction materials producer in Georgia. Georgia Stone Products was acquired by Summit Materials in 2017 and has emerged as a cornerstone component in Summit's greenfield growth strategy. Charles's tenure with Summit has been defined by visionary leadership, driving transformative initiatives in alignment with the Summit Elevate Strategy. His previous roles at Summit include East Region CFO, Leader of Enterprise Standardization, and Central Region President. A veteran of the US Army, Charles holds a Bachelor of Professional Accountancy from Mississippi State University, an MBA from Mercer University, and is an active CPA and Chartered Global Management Accountant. Charles, his wife Jill and daughter Caroline reside in Douglas County Georgia.

Dan Garcia

Mr. Garcia is the President of C. W. Matthews Contracting Company. Dan joined the company in 2013. His expertise involves all facets of construction management, but his passion for the industry comes from building projects that have an impact in the community and for the people constructing these projects. Dan was born in Caracas, Venezuela, and moved to the United States at the age of 17 to attend The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina. After graduating in 1996 with a B.S. in Civil Engineering, Dan began his career in construction working in several states before moving to Georgia in 2012. In 2010, Dan completed his MBA from Mercer University. He currently resides in Kennesaw, Georgia, with his wife, Debbie Garcia. The couple share five children.

Mark W. Hennessy

Mark W. Hennessy works for Hennessy Automobile Cos. in Atlanta, Georgia. He has been married to Paula B. Hennessy since June 1981 and the couple has 2 grown children, Robert and Molly Wogan (Hennessy). They have also been blessed with 5 grandchildren.

Mr.Hennessy attended Marist School in Atlanta, A graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill '76, and received an MBA from Georgia State University in 1981. Mr. Hennessy joined then Hennessy Cadillac shortly after graduation in May of 1976. Throughout his career, he has focused his efforts and attention on the Cadillac, Jaguar, and Land Rover franchises. Mark has been active in the advisory associations or Dealer Councils for each of the manufacturers and has held the title of Chairman of each of the Councils at least once.

Mr. Hennessy has served on the board of Trustees for the Marist School in Atlanta and is a member of the Buckhead Coalition. He served on the first BRAC Commission for Fort McPherson. He was a member of the North Fulton CID for over 8 years. Mark was also active in the Chattahoochee Hill County Alliance and the movement to incorporate the City of Chattahoochee Hills. Mr. Hennessy had the pleasure to serve on the Board of the Technical College System of Georgia from April 2020 to the spring of 2023, when he was appointed to serve on the Board of Natural Resources. Lastly, Mr. Hennessy is a holder of a Lifetime Sportsman's License.

Penn Hodge

Mr. Hodge is a graduate of the University of Georgia School of Accounting and Law School. In 1989, he formed Penn Hodge Properties to acquire and manage a diverse portfolio of real estate assets. His firm recently repurposed a 260,000 sf textile mill in Canton, GA, into an adaptive use/mixed-use property named the Mill on Etowah. He served previously on the Georgia State Board of Economic Development and on the board of Fulton County Development Authority and currently serves on the Canton Downtown Development Authority. He is married to Cynthia Copeland Hodge and currently resides in Milton, GA. The couple have three children.

Steve Hufstetler

Steve Hufstetler is the founder and CEO of Teramore Developments. Teramore has facilitated over four million sq. ft. of commercial construction and serves communities by delivering projects that add value to neighborhoods and generate desirable economic returns. In addition to Teramore, he is president of Hufstetler Properties, LLP, a real estate development and management company, and is the past chairman of the Thomasville National Bank Financial Services Board. Hufstetler began his career at the University of Georgia Campus Police Department, serving in law enforcement for several years before joining IBM. Active in his community and passionate about giving back, he and his wife, Teresa, started the Colquitt County High School: Steve and Teresa Hufstetler Scholarship Fund and have helped Colquitt Regional Medical Center expand its heart center, which is now named the Hufstetler Heart Center. Hufstetler received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Georgia and continues to support the institution as a member of the UGA Athletics Silver Circle, a founding board member of the Kirby Smart Family Foundation, and the University of Georgia 1785 Society. Hufstetler and his wife, Teresa, reside in Thomas County with their two children.

Duncan N. Johnson, Jr.

Duncan Johnson serves as president of Johnson Consulting and Mediation, located in Augusta. With a 28-year career in the franchised automobile industry, Duncan has spent the last two decades as a prominent new car dealer, specializing in Cadillac, Buick, and GMC. He holds a B.A. in Automotive Marketing from Northwood University, complemented by studies in English and Accounting. Duncan actively contributes to various organizations, including the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, the Executive Board of the Family Y, the Community Foundation of the CSRA, the North Georgia Mountain Authority, and Camp Lakeside disabilities camp. He has previously served as a trustee for Leadership Georgia and the Georgia Board of Physicians Workforce. Duncan resides in Augusta with his wife Kaci and their two children.

Alfred W. “Bill” Jones, III

Mr. Jones is currently the chairman emeritus and a director of the Broadmoor/Sea Island Company and is director of the Peter Millar Company. He is the former chairman and chief executive officer of Sea Island Company. Mr. Jones currently serves on the North Georgia Mountains Authority, and previously served as chairman of the Georgia Ports Authority Board and the Georgia Research Alliance Board of Trustees. He served as honorary chairman of the G8 Summit Host Committee and as a trustee of the University of Georgia Foundation and the Nature Conservancy of Georgia. Jones has received Ernest & Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year Award. He has also been awarded the Georgia Department of Natural Resources’ Rock Howard Award. Mr. Jones earned a bachelor’s degree from Valdosta State University. He and his wife, Sally, reside on St. Simons Island.

Ray Lambert, Jr.

Mr. Lambert is president of the Lambert Company. He is a member of the Young Harris College Board of Trustees and former member of the Young Harris Alumni Board and the Henry County Employee Review Board. He earned an associate degree from Young Harris College and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Georgia. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps. He and his wife, Mary Lynn, have three children and two grandchildren. They reside in McDonough.

Brent Layton

With more than 30 years of healthcare and public policy experience, Brent Layton serves as chief executive officer of Atlanta-based digital health company Sharecare, where he has served on the board of directors since January 2023. Formerly president and chief operating officer of Centene Corporation, a Fortune 25 company, Brent brings to Sharecare unique expertise in building, scaling, and operating businesses focused on government-funded programs, including Medicare, Medicaid, and the Health Insurance Marketplace.

 During his more than two decades at Centene, Brent served in many roles and capacities. As president and COO, he oversaw the company’s healthcare offerings, including 31 state Medicaid health plans; Ambetter, the nation’s largest health insurance exchange provider; and WellCare, the nation’s sixth largest Medicare Advantage company. Previously, Brent spent more than 15 years as Centene’s chief business development officer and executive vice president of markets, products, and international, through which he was not only responsible for domestic growth but also oversaw the largest managed care providers in both the U.K. (Circle) and Spain (Ribera Salud) as well as operations in the Middle East. During his time in this role, Centene scaled from three to 31 health plans in the U.S., becoming the nation’s largest Medicaid-managed care company.

Brent announced his retirement from Centene in late 2022 and stayed with the company as senior advisor to the CEO until assuming his role at Sharecare. During his tenure at Centene, the company grew annual revenues from roughly $300 million to $144 billion.  

Prior to joining Centene, Brent ran a managed care consulting firm and created and managed various healthcare companies, including vision and dental provider Avesis and Absolute Care Medical Centers.

Brent serves as chairman of the Board of Directors for Homeward, a public benefit corporation committed to rearchitecting the delivery of health and care in partnership with communities everywhere, starting in rural America. He also sits on the Board of the non-profit City of Refuge, whose mission is to transform the lives of individuals and communities in Atlanta and beyond by helping to break the cycle of poverty through services in health and wellness, housing, human trafficking intervention, vocational training, and youth development.

A native of Cartersville, Georgia, Brent earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Georgia. He resides and works in Atlanta with his wife of more than 30 years, Kelly, with whom he has two adult sons, Davis and Luke.

Paul Shailendra

Paul Shailendra serves as President of SG Property Services (SGPS), a full service real estate development and investment firm. He has been involved in the real estate and commercial development industry for most of his life – and is proud that SGPS continues to provide successful and exciting opportunities today for their clients and investors. Paul graduated from the Georgia Institute of Technology with a B.S. in Civil Engineering. As an alumnus of Woodward Academy, he sits on the Advisory Council for the private institution. Prior to beginning his real estate career, he worked on the staff of a U.S. Senator in Washington D.C. Paul has been actively engaged in many local and national non-profit organizations and enjoys his involvement in community organizations. He is a past member of the Government Affairs Council of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce, the Real Estate Committee for the Woodruff Arts Center, Waterfowl USA, and other outdoor sports organizations. Paul is also a past Vice President of People-TV, board member of the Metro Atlanta YMCA, chair of the YCEO, the Board of Directors of the Clayton County Chamber of Commerce, a member of the 2007 class of L.E.A.D Atlanta and a member of the 2011 class of Leadership Georgia. Paul currently serves on the Board of the College of Civil & Environmental Engineering and the Tharpe Fund at Georgia Tech and as chair of the Buckhead chapter of Ducks Unlimited. In 2013, Paul was appointed by the Governor to the board of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources for a five-year term. In 2015, Paul was appointed to the Ft. McPherson Authority for a four-year term. In 2017, Paul was appointed to a three-year to the Board of the Georgia Tech Athletic Association. Paul resides in the City of Atlanta with his wife Amanda Bell Shailendra and their two daughters.

Jeff “Bodine” Sinyard

Mr. Sinyard is owner and president of Adams Exterminators, Inc., a regional pest control company located in Albany. He currently serves on the North Georgia Mountains Authority and on the board of directors of SunTrust Bank of South Georgia and on the board of trustees of Darton College. He also serves on the Georgia Military Affairs Coordinating Committee, Georgia Structural Pest Control Commission, and is on the Board of Governors of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce. He is past chairman of the Dougherty County Commission, the Albany Dougherty Payroll Development Authority, and the Dougherty Area Regional Transportation Authority. He and his wife, Lillie, have three sons. They reside in Albany.

Harley Yancey

Mr. Yancey is President of State Mutual Insurance Company in Rome, Georgia. Prior to joining State Mutual, he practiced law for Brinson, Askew, Berry LLP. He is Chairman of the Georgia Life & Health Insurance Guaranty Association and a director for United Community Bank of Rome. Mr. Yancey also serves on the Board of Trustees for the YMCA of Rome. Mr. Yancey received his undergraduate and law degrees from The University of Georgia and is a member of the Georgia Law School Alumni Council. He received his masters in law from The University of Alabama School of Law and master in business administration from The University of North Carolina. An avid outdoorsman, he enjoys bird hunting, flyfishing, and the Georgia Bulldogs. Mr. Yancey currently resides in Rome with his wife, Anna Grace, and their two sons.