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Jesup, Georgia 31545

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

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The Board of Regents, the 18-member governing body for the University System of Georgia, has elected R e g e n t William Dink H. Dink N e S m i t h NeSmith Jr. to a oneyear term as the Boards Chair. NeSmith currently serves as vice-chair. Our goal is to graduate more college students while being good stewards of Georgias resources, especially in these times, said NeSmith. Challenges are everywhere, and I appreciate the confidence the board has placed in me.

NeSmith named Board of Regents chair for University System of Georgia

NeSmith is the chairman of the board of Press-Sentinel Newspapers Inc. and the co-owner and president of Athens-based Community Newspapers Inc., which publishes several dozen newspapers in Georgia, Florida and the Carolinas. A native of Jesup, he is a 1970 graduate of the University of Georgia (UGA) and chairman of the Richard B. Russell Foundation, which supports the University of Georgia Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies. He is past president of UGAs Alumni Association. He is an emeritus member of the UGA Athletic Associations board of directors and the UGA Foundations Board of Trustees. He is also a past president of the Georgia Press Association and a former chairman of Leadership Georgia. NeSmith served eight years on Gov. Sonny Perdues 20-member Commission for a New Georgia. He is on the board of directors of Athens First Bank and Trust, Southern Mutual Insurance Company, Pattillo Construction Company, and the Georgia Chapter of The Nature Conservancy. During 2012 NeSmith has served as the Boards vice chair of the executive and compensation committee, vice chair of MCG Health Systems Inc. and vice chair of the University

System of Georgia Foundation. He and his wife, Pam, have three children and live in Athens. Regent Doreen Poitevint chaired the committee that developed nominations for board officers for the coming year. Committee members were Regents Neil Pruitt and Larry Walker. The board also elected Regent Philip Wilheit Sr. for a one-year term as vice chair. The University System of Georgia comprises 35 public colleges and universities, Skidaway Institute of Oceanography, and the Georgia Public Library Service, collectively enrolling almost 315,000 students.