Bernice King, the daughter of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., will help lead a new outreach committee in Georgia as the state copes with the coronavirus, Gov. Brian Kemp announced Sunday.
King, who serves as CEO of The King Center, will co-chair the committee with Engaged Futures Group LLC President Leo Smith, Kemp said. More than a dozen other members, including business and nonprofit leaders, make up the committee.
“Comprised of talented individuals from the public and private sectors, I am confident this committee will ensure that our state remains prepared in the fight against COVID-19,” the Republican governor said in a statement Sunday.
Officials did not immediately release additional details about what the committee will do.
Georgia has seen more than 200 deaths in the state and more than 1,200 have been hospitalized. Total infections confirmed in the state exceed 6,600.
For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause severe illness, including pneumonia, and death.
The members of Kemp’s new community outreach committee includes:
- Dr. Bernice A. King CEO, The King Center – Co-Chair
- Leo Smith President, Engaged Futures Group, LLC – Co-Chair
- Santiago Marquez President and CEO, Georgia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
- Representative Calvin Smyre Dean of the Georgia House of Representatives
- Leona Barr-Davenport President and CEO, Atlanta Business League
- Nancy Flake Johnson President and CEO, Urban League of Greater Atlanta
- Reverend Tim McDonald III Pastor, First Iconium Baptist Church – Moreland Avenue
- Pastor Reggie Joiner CEO and Founder, Orange
- Tres Hamilton CEO, Coastal Georgia Area Community Action Authority
- Natalie Keng Founder and CEO, Chinese Southern Belle, LLC
- Jasmine Crowe Founder and CEO, Goodr, Inc.
- Dr. Wayne S. Morris MD Internal Medicine/Geriatrics
- Laura Mathis Executive Director, Middle Georgia Regional Commission
- Rodney D. Bullard Executive Director, Chick-fil-A Foundation
- Jacob Vallo Senior Director of Transit Oriented Development and Real Estate, MARTA
- Sunny Patel Operations Manager, Office of the Governor
In late February, Kemp announced a coronavirus task force. The governor’s Coronavirus Task Force includes:
- Felipe den Brok Director – City of Atlanta’s Office of Emergency Preparedness
- Homer Bryson Director – Georgia Emergency Management & Homeland Security Agency
- Major General Tom Carden Adjutant General – Georgia National Guard
- Chris Carr Attorney General – Office of the Attorney General
- Sharon Cooper, RN, MSN Chair – State House Health & Human Services Committee
- Greg Dozier Commissioner – Technical College System of Georgia
- Cherie Drenzek State Epidemiologist – Georgia Department of Public Health
- Tim Fleming Chief of Staff – Office of the Governor
- John Haupert, FACHE Chief Executive Officer – Grady Health System
- John King Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner – Georgia Department of Insurance
- Colleen Kraft, MD Director – Emory University Clinical Virology Research Laboratory
- Ryan Loke Healthcare Advisor – Office of the Governor
- John Selden General Manager – Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport
- Lorri Smith Chief Operating Officer – Office of the Governor
- Kathleen Toomey, MD, MPH Commissioner – Georgia Department of Public Health
- Ben Watson, MD Chair – State Senate Health & Human Services Committee
- Richard Woods State School Superintendent – Georgia Department of Education
- Steve Wrigley Chancellor – University System of Georgia
