Ag News
Kemp makes appointments to boards, authorities and commissions
Posted on Feb 27, 2025 at 13:38 PM
On Feb. 7, Gov. Brian Kemp announced 104 appointments and reappointments to various state boards, authorities, and commissions, among them a handful relating to agriculture.
On the State Board of Veterinary Medicine, Kemp reappointed Matthew Bradley and Wendy Cuevas-Espelid. Dr. Seth Stowers of Dawson County and John Tarabula of Cherokee County are new appointees.
Stowers began Hillside Veterinary Services in May of 2018. His professional interests encompass anything involving beef cows, especially herd health and preventative medicine. A former 4-Her and FFA student, Stowers was elected to serve as the district 1 Commissioner on the Dawson County Board of Commissioners in 2023.
Dr. John Tarabula is a seasoned veterinary professional with more than 30 years of experience in small animal and exotic medicine. He has served as the medical director at the Animal Medical & Surgical Center in Canton, since 1988. Additionally, he is the owner of Creekside Animal Hospital in Cumming, Georgia, where he has been practicing since 2015. Tarabula has served as a city councilman and mayor pro-tempore in Holly Springs. Tarabula has participated in medical missions with the Flying Doctors of America, providing veterinary care in Ecuador, Peru, and Bhutan.
On the Georgia Soil and Water Conservation Commission, Kemp appointed Jim Waters from Pierce County. Waters He is the elected Pierce County Supervisor for Satilla River Conservation District. He also serves as the chairman. He is a full-time farmer, planting crops that consist of cotton and peanuts. Waters is the Pierce County Farm Bureau president.
On the Georgia Rural Development Council, Betts Berry, Gabe Evans, Jim Matney, and Stuart Rayfield were reappointed. Barbara Rivera Holmes is a new appointee.
Holmes is president and CEO of the Albany Area Chamber of Commerce and CEO of the Albany Area Chamber Foundation. In 2018, Holmes was appointed by then-Gov. Nathan Deal to serve on the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia, for which she chaired the Committee on Economic Development. In 2020, Holmes was appointed by then-Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan to co-chair the Rural Initiatives Subcommittee of the Georgia Innovates Task Force to help design the state’s innovation blueprint. Holmes is a former journalist whose work has earned four awards for excellence in journalism from the Georgia Associated Press.
On the Georgia Forestry Commission, Ken Sheppard was reappointed.
On the Board of Natural Resources, Nancy Addison was reappointed. Mike Peavy is new appointee.
Peavy is president of Cherokee Brick and president of CBEL, the parent company over Cherokee Brick, Cherokee Block, Cherokee Masonry, Stratton Stone and other businesses. Peavy served many years on the Brick Industry Association (BIA) board, BIA Region 9 and as past president of Brick Southeast. He currently serves on the Georgia Mining Association (GMA) board and the Southeast Concrete Masonry Association (SCMA). Peavy lives in Macon.
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