Gov. Deal Announces Replacements for Suspended DeKalb School Board

Gov. Nathan Deal announced six new DeKalb school board members on Wednesday morning:

• District 1- John Coleman
• District 3 – Michael Erwin
• District 5 -  David Campbell
• District 7 - Joyce Morley
• District 8 - Karen Carter
• District 9 - Thaddeus Mayfield

Deal announced that the new school board members will be sworn into office at 1 pm on Wednesday afternoon at the DeKalb Board of Education offices.

“I have reminded these individuals that we were brought to these circumstances because of issues of governance,” Deal said. “I have implored they work together cooperatively. I’ve also reminded them that we have a new school superintendent and I have every confidence that he will lead the school system forward.”

Deal said he examined whether to reinstate any of the six suspended board members, but decided “it would be best to enter into this new process with a clean slate.”

Deal also said Interim School Superintendent Michael Thurmond was excited about the appointments.

“When I told him about these selections, his first reaction to me was, ‘Wow! Those are some very highly qualified individuals.”

MEET THE NEW SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS

John Coleman

Coleman is a strategic planning manager at Invesco. Previously, he held a variety of leadership roles at McKinsey & Company. He also serves on various nonprofit boards. Coleman has a master’s in Business Administration from Harvard and a master’s in Public Administration from the Harvard Kennedy School. He resides in Atlanta.

Michael Erwin

Erwin is a U.S. Navy veteran and has been a research assistant at Duke University Medical Center and the University of South Carolina. He has worked for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries Services and is past chair of the NOAA fisheries committees on fish species and fish diseases in Maine and South Carolina. In 2008, he earned a Ph.D. in Biological Science from the University of South Carolina. He has been a member of the faculty at Georgia Gwinnett College since 2009 and teaches undergraduate students in biological science. He graduated from North Carolina Central University with a bachelor’s in Biology and a master’s in Biological Science. Erwin resides in Decatur.

David Campbell   

Campbell is a senior manager with Georgia Power, where he supports the company's energy conservation efforts. He is a certified public accountant with managerial experience. Campbell received a degree in Business Administration from Albany State University. He is a former chair of Leadership DeKalb, a member of the DeKalb 100 Black Men and an active member of St. Phillips AME. He formerly served on the Stephenson High School Council and resides in Lithonia.

Joyce Morley

Morley is the chief executive officer of Morley and Associates and is a nationally known public speaker and trainer. She is a certified counselor, a trained mediator and serves on several local and national governance boards. Morley has a doctorate in Counseling, Family and Worklife from the University of Rochester. She received her specialist’s and master’s degrees in Counseling Education from the State University New York College at Brockport, and a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from the SUNY College at Genesco. A Stone Mountain resident, Morley has lived in DeKalb County for more than 22 years.

Karen Carter      

Carter serves on the faculty of Georgia Perimeter College where she is chair of the Business and Social Science department. She received a bachelor’s degree in Speech Communications from Denison University and a law degree from Ohio State University. Carter has served as a classroom teacher and has held several senior administrative roles in the field of education. She is a graduate of Leadership DeKalb and is an active community volunteer and a PTSA member. Carter is a resident of the Lakeside Community.

Thaddeus Mayfield

Mayfield is a senior partner with FOCOM, Inc., a Georgia-based business development firm. He holds a master’s degree in Business Administration from Mercer University and received a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Tougaloo College. He co-chaired the successful Friends of DeKalb Education SPLOST IV Campaign and is an active member of several business and civic organizations in the metropolitan area. Mayfield is a resident of Lithonia.

See Also:

Federal Judge Denies Motion by DeKalb School Board Members

Gov. Deal Suspends Six DeKalb School Board Members

Judge Grants Restraining Order Against Suspension of DeKalb School Board

School Board Files Emergency Motion Motion to Stop Possible Suspension

Replay Patch's Live Coverage of the State Board of Education Hearing With the DeKalb School Board