Board Members List

Colonel Wright is the first Commissioner to hold every rank prior to his appointment. He served as the Deputy Commissioner and the Director of Field Operations.  He served as the South Adjutant of Georgia State Patrol Troops F, G, H, and I.  Prior to serving as South Adjutant, he served as the Troop I Commander from December 2015 to February 2019.  He also served as the Troop H Commander from December 2011 to December 2015. Prior to his appointment as Troop Commander, Colonel Wright moved up the ranks of the Georgia State Patrol in Reidsville, Valdosta, Jekyll Island, and Statesboro.

Colonel Wright began his career with the Georgia State Patrol as a Radio Operator in 1994 at Post 31, Valdosta.  He was selected to attend the 69th Georgia State Patrol Trooper School in 1994 and upon graduation in 1995 was assigned to Post 31, Valdosta.  He was also a member of the Specialized Collision Reconstruction Team.

He was selected by the Peace Officers Association of Georgia as the “Peace Officer of the Year in 1995.”  He was subsequently honored by the Safety Fire Commission, the Georgia House, and Senate with Resolutions for his selection.  He was selected by the Department to participate in the security detail for the 1996 Olympic Torch Relay as it traveled across the country. 

Colonel Wright holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Justice Studies from Georgia Southern University.  As a graduate of the Georgia Law Enforcement Command College, he holds a master’s degree in public administration from Columbus State University.  In December 2012, he graduated from the prestigious FBI National Academy, Session #251.

He is a native of Mitchell County and attended Pelham High School. He and Chad currently reside in Gilmer County.  They have one daughter, Lashley and two grandsons.

During his career he served in patrol posts in Northwest Georgia, several statewide assignments and at Department of Public Safety Headquarters. He was selected for the planning and command staffs for the 1988 Democratic Party National Convention in Atlanta, the 1996 Centennial Atlanta Olympic and Paralympic Games, the 2004 Sea Island G8 Summit of Economic Nations and two Super Bowls. After the September 11 Terror Attacks, he was a founding member of the Georgia Homeland Security Task Force with primary responsibility of vetting intelligence reports on possible threats to critical infrastructure in Georgia and providing interoperable public safety communications throughout Georgia and surrounding states.

Corky is a graduate of Georgia State University’s Georgia International Law Enforcement Exchange program which conducts on-site studies of best practices of foreign law enforcement agencies. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice, a Master’s Degree in Public Administration and he is a graduate of the Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police Command College program. He is also certified as a general instructor by the Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Council.

Corky is a past Chairman and Vice-chairman of the Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit Children’s Advocacy Center and he currently serves as Treasurer. He is an elected member and current Chairman of his local public school board and serves on the board of directors of numerous civic and charitable organizations in Northwest Georgia. After his retirement from full-time law enforcement, Corky has been employed by several private organizations as a law enforcement subject matter expert.

Travis began his professional journey with eight years of dedicated service in the United States military, specifically with the Security Forces Group. His duties took him from stateside assignments to critical postings in the Middle East, where he honed his expertise in security and operational leadership.

Following his military career, Travis joined the Georgia State Patrol, where he devoted 20 years of exemplary service. Rising through the ranks to attain the prestigious position of Post Commander, he played a pivotal role in enhancing law enforcement protocols and community safety. His leadership and commitment earned him respect and admiration within the organization and the wider community.

Transitioning to the private sector, Travis embarked on a new chapter as an entrepreneur, founding and operating a successful security agency. His business acumen and deep understanding of security dynamics enabled him to build a thriving enterprise that has become a cornerstone in the industry.

Travis also contributes his vast experience and passion for public service as Secretary on the Board of Directors for the Georgia Public Safety Foundation. In this role, he is dedicated to preserving the rich legacy and historical achievements of the Georgia State Patrol, ensuring that the stories of past and present members are honored and remembered.

Travis’ career is a testament to his unwavering commitment to service, leadership, and community, reflecting a life dedicated to safeguarding and enhancing the safety and well-being of others.

As Branch Manager IV of Justice Federal Credit Union, Kenyetta oversees branch operations at multiple locations which includes the Georgia Department of Public Safety “Georgia State Patrol Headquarters” Branch in Atlanta, GA., and “GPSTC’’ Georgia Public Safety Training Center in Forsyth, GA.

Throughout her career, Kenyetta has been dedicated to cultivating and building strong relationships within the Justice and law enforcement communities. Her passion for helping people align their financial products and services to achieve stability and work towards their future goals is evident in her work as a Certified Financial Counselor.

Kenyetta embodies the credit union philosophy of “People Helping People, and she takes great pleasure in assisting members in leading more enjoyable lives while working towards financial security. With her vast knowledge and expertise, she is committed to empowering individuals to attain a degree of financial stability and reach their full potential.

Thomas Worthy is Chief Public Policy Officer for Piedmont Healthcare, where he develops and implements healthcare and regulatory policy for Georgia’s largest health system. In addition he serves on the Atlanta City Council, representing District 7.

From 2016-2025, Worthy served on the MARTA Board of Directors and was its Chairman in 2022. In addition to serving on the board of directors for the Buckhead Community Improvement District, he serves on the boards for The YMCA of Metro Atlanta, Odyssey Family Counseling Center, and the Judicial Nominating Commission of Georgia. He is active in the Buckhead Lions Club and is a 2018 graduate of Leadership Georgia.

Worthy earned his B.A. from Washington & Lee University and his J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law. A native of Carrollton, Thomas and his wife, Karen, live in North Buckhead with their three children.

Sameer Asher serves as Vice President on the Law & Policy team at Cox Enterprises, where he leads a team supporting a broad range of corporate functions, including Cox Farms, Cox Outdoors, real estate, regulatory matters, aviation, and privacy. He brings more than 15 years of experience advising on corporate governance, mergers and acquisitions, and capital markets transactions across a diverse set of industries. His prior experience includes roles in private equity and at two international law firms—King & Spalding in Atlanta and Linklaters in London.

Sameer currently serves on the Board of the Piedmont Park Conservancy. He and his wife, Shaili, live in Virginia-Highland with their two children. He is active in the Atlanta community, including coaching youth sports across flag football, basketball, softball, and soccer.

He joined the department in January 2023 in this appointed role, demonstrating confidence in his alignment with the Chief's vision and his ability to drive operational success. In his position, he oversees key functions of Georgia’s largest police department, including H.R., fiscal, administration, and technology, among others.

Prior to his role in APD, Freeman served for almost 7 years as the Chief Operating Officer for the Atlanta Police Foundation, a nationally recognized non-profit organization that focuses on law enforcement advocacy, strategic planning, and research to support public safety in Atlanta. During his tenure, the organization achieved significant milestones, raising over $80 million for public safety programs in Atlanta.

Before his time at the Atlanta Police Foundation, Freeman had a successful entertainment career, which included working as a choreographer, performance coach, creative director, promoter representative, and talent manager. His work includes notable figures such as Aretha Franklin, Joan Rivers, The Beach Boys, Boston, and American Idol winner Candice Glover. Additionally, he played an essential role in events for the NFL, NBA, and MTV.

Audit Partner with the Assurance & Advisory Services Practice of Frazier & Deeter, LLC, with nearly 20 years of public accounting experience. Specializes in financial statement audits, reviews, and attestation engagements for middle-market companies across manufacturing and distribution, construction, consumer and industrial services, and private equity. Recognized industry leader serving as Chairman of the Georgia State Board of Accountancy and member of the AICPA's Auditing Standards Board.

Evan Karanovich began his career with Chick-fil-A in 2016 and became the first administrative, communications, and strategic advisor for then Chick-fil-A's Chairman & CEO. Today, Evan serves as an encourager, advisor and influencer as he advances key initiatives across the company and within the larger enterprise efforts of Chick-fil-A's Chairman of the Board, Dan T. Cathy. First serving as a 14-year-old political campaign volunteer, Evan has served as a trusted policy, political and communications advisor to a variety of elected leaders including current and former governors, a U.S. Senator, a Commissioner of Agriculture, and numerous candidates. Now at Chick-fil-A, Evan is committed to serving as a provisionary leader as he influences and leads alongside of the visionary leadership from the Cathy Family.

Among the many projects, initiatives and scopes of responsibility, Evan manages and coordinates with non-core business ventures as well as all non-profit community partnerships; serves as designee various external non-profit boards, committees and cross-functional teams within Chick-fil-A; ensure proper management of scheduling, speaking, and internal/external requests; develops and executes key strategic communications for the Office of the Chairman including crises communications; partners with Chick-fil-A external communications/public relations, public affairs, government & regulatory affairs, global community engagement, and corporate social responsibility teams to ensure alignment of senior executive engagement.

A native of the Atlanta area, Evan obtained his bachelor's degree in political science from Georgia College & State University and his MBA from The University of Georgia. Evan is an Eagle Scout, a former volunteer firefighter, and active community member through his service and advocacy on numerous non-profit boards and foundations. He is also a commissioned officer in the United States Navy Reserve, currently serving as a public affairs officer assigned to U.S Naval Forces Europe-Africa/U.S. 6th Fleet (CNE-CNA/C6F) headquartered in Naples, Italy.

As Founder and CEO of Lucie Content, Craig Lucie leads a strategic content and communications firm that helps businesses, nonprofits, and public leaders become discoverable in an AI-driven world. After nearly two decades in television news, Craig has translated his newsroom expertise into a modern model that blends storytelling, distribution, and Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) to ensure organizations show up where decisions are now being made—on platforms like ChatGPT, Gemini, and other AI-powered search tools.

Under Craig’s leadership, Lucie Content has pioneered a content-first approach to visibility, helping clients not only tell meaningful stories but also structure and distribute them in ways that power AI systems and drive real-world results. His team, largely composed of former journalists, applies a fast-paced newsroom mentality to content creation, brand strategy, media training, and crisis communications—producing high-impact narratives that cut through noise and position clients as trusted authorities in their industries.

Craig is an Emmy Award-winning journalist and former anchor with WSB-TV, where he covered major national and international stories. His work has earned multiple honors from the Georgia Association of Broadcasters and the Associated Press. He was named to the Atlanta Business Chronicle 40 Under 40 and is the author of the children’s book “Hold You,” which sold out upon release across major retailers.

Today, Craig continues to champion the belief that “if you don’t show up, you don’t get chosen,” guiding organizations to take control of their narrative and visibility in a rapidly evolving digital landscape. He lives in Georgia with his wife and two children and remains deeply committed to serving his community through storytelling, innovation, and public safety initiatives.

Randy’s journey with the Georgia State Patrol began in 1984 as a Radio Operator at Post #11-Hinesville. After completing an extensive and rigorous hiring process, he was selected in 1988 to attend the 63rd Georgia State Patrol Trooper School. Upon graduation, Randy was assigned to Post #28-Canton.

Randy was eager to lead and support his fellow troopers as a supervisor. He pursued advancement through the ranks and began participating in the promotional process. He achieved the rank of Corporal in 1998, Sergeant in 2001, and Sergeant First Class in 2003. In 2007, as a Sergeant First Class, he was appointed Executive Officer to Commanding Officer Major David Brack and served as an investigator in the Office of Professional Standards.

Randy was selected by the Bacon County Exchange Club as the “Peace Officer of the Year” in 1994. The Georgia State Patrol selected him to participate in coordinating the logistics and routes for the 1996 Olympic Torch Relay that traveled across the county.

Randy has served as past president of the Bacon County Exchange Club and the Blueberry Plantation Golf Club. He is currently an active member of the Bacon County Hospital Board.

Since retiring from the Georgia State Patrol in 2013, Randy has enjoyed successfully cultivating blueberries on his 100-acre farm. Randy has a passion for building racing kart engines, a craft he has perfected over the past 37 years. During this time, Randy has won the National World Karting Championship title in all kart classes. When he is not working on the farm or building machines built for speed, Randy enjoys playing golf all over the southeast.

Randy and his wife Sonja have been happily married for 31 years and they currently reside in Bacon County, Georgia.

Randy C. Martin has dedicated his life to public safety, community service, and his personal passions reflect his commitment to excellence in all facets of life.

Charles Olson is a small business owner and experienced hospitality professional based in Macon, Georgia. He owns and operates Macon’s only AAA Four Diamond property, the 1842 Inn. He brings a strong background in entrepreneurship, media sales, and nonprofit development to his role on the Georgia Public Safety Foundation Board. In addition to this position, Charles currently serves on the boards of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, Middle Georgia State University Foundation, Navicent Health Foundation, and United Way of Central Georgia. He previously served on the board of the Greater Macon Chamber of Commerce. As the operator of a successful bed and breakfast known for hosting community events and supporting first responders, Charles is passionate about public service, civic engagement, and strengthening the institutions that serve Georgia’s communities.

Mr. Rich is also the founder of a new non-profit, A Safer City 501c3, which donates free security services and products to select neighborhoods and schools to help combat crime-related issues. He is a social entrepreneur that aligns his business ventures with helping society and uplifting and building up others.

Chris has over 15 years of senior corporate experience across private and public Fortune 100 & 500 companies, as well as the federal government. Mr. Rich is a trained executive protection agent and received his training from one of the top executive protection schools in the country. Mr. Rich is also a Georgia State licensed private investigator. Chris has worked on teams that have protected notable people ranging from senators, the United States Secretary of Agriculture, celebrities, and Presidential family members, to name a few. Mr. Rich has also collaborated on protection details with the secret service, USDA EP teams, and other law enforcement agencies. He most recently completed an executive leadership training which was provided by The Ritz Carlton around their Gold Standard and Brand.

Before joining Mercer, Chris had a 10-year tenure at Humana, where he held a variety of senior positions in Medicare, Corporate Real Estate, and Mergers & Acquisitions. Most notably, Chris managed executive leadership relationships with Humana and led several large acquisition integrations (10,000+ employees, 50+ locations nationally). Chris is passionate about community involvement and has been involved with several national and local nonprofits including Susan G. Komen, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, the American Cancer Association, and the American Heart Association. Most notably, he has held board positions with the Make-A-Wish Foundation and the CURE Foundation.

Chris has shared his powerful insight on the security industry as well as on innovative, community-based solutions to address crime in outlets and venues across the nation. He was recently featured in Forbes, FOX 5, CBS 46 and Hypepotamus. Mr. Rich spoke on the panel for the Georgia Tech Smart City Conference and won the Atlanta Business Chronicles 2023 & 2024 Atlanta Business Chronicle Pacesetter award for the fastest growing company, privately owned. He recently was awarded the Civil & Human Rights Award from Teach US Justice for his efforts to help make undeserved communities safer as well as the Georgia Minority Supplier Development Council Supplier of the year award. He is a 2024 Leadership Atlanta graduate and also sits on Department of Safety (State Trooper) Board as well as the Sandy Springs Police Foundation and a member of the Buckhead Coalition.

Mr. Rich is also a Atlanta Visitors and Convention Board member and spends his free time with his wife and 8-yearold daughter that attends Westminster

As President of SG Contracting, Inc., Sachin has responsibility for the company in its entirety, governing its activities and providing the direction to smoothly and efficiently match people and projects to deliver successful outcomes. Sachin is known for his integrity, honesty and commitment to client satisfaction. His extensive portfolio of construction experience and his ability to solve problems and effectively communicate plans and processes at all levels, make him a valuable leader to assist owners, subcontractors, architects and designers with new projects and renovation projects alike. Sachin is a graduate of the Georgia Institute of Technology and an alumnus of Woodward Academy, where he has also served as a former President of the Alumni Association and Member of the school’s Advisory Council. He is a current Member of the Carter Center Board of Councilors, Rotary Club of Atlanta, The Atlanta Police Foundation, Atlanta Speech School, Chairman of the Rowen Foundation, and Trustee of The Georgia Research Alliance. He is also the former chairman of the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia.

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In this role, he helps lead the state agency that oversees Medicaid and PeachCare for Kids, the State Health Benefit Plan, the Healthcare Facility Regulation Division, the Office of Health Planning, the State Office of Rural Health, among other divisions and offices.

Grant has previously served in a number of government and external affairs roles. He previously served as Director of the Governor’s Office of Health Strategy and Coordination, Director of State Relations at the University of Georgia, Legislative Liaison and Policy Advisor to Governor Brian Kemp, where he advised the Governor on issues related to education, higher education, workforce development, retirement, regulated industries, telecommunications, and energy and utilities. He also previously served as Government Affairs Manager at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta and as Special Assistant to Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp.

Grant currently serves on Mount Pisgah Christian School's Board of Trustees, Advancement Committee, and serves as the Chairman of the Spiritual Life Committee. He also currently serves as a member of the UGA Terry College of Business Young Alumni Board and a Board Trustee for the Georgia Council on Economic Education. For the State of Georgia, Grant currently serves as a member of the Georgia Opioid Settlement Advisory Commission and the Safe Harbor for Sexually Exploited Children Fund Commission. He was also appointed by Governor Kemp in 2019 to serve on the State of Georgia's Citizens Review Committee which led efforts to conduct a review of the state's K-12 Mathematics Standards. He is also a past Chairman of the Alumni Board of Directors for the University of Georgia's School of Public and International Affairs.

Grant earned both his Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science with Honors and Master's Degree in Business Administration from the University of Georgia.

Holt’s law enforcement career, which spans more that 40 years, gives her experience and institution knowledge that is valuable to the foundation’s mission and purpose. In 2017 Holt created the website for the online store to sell memorabilia and merchandise to promote fund-raising for the scholarships and benevolence efforts of the GPSF (formerly the DPS Historical Society), as well as preserving the history of the DPS.

After Holt retired as a Special Agent in Charge from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation in 2004, she worked as a consultant for various public and private entities, then as the Director of the Office of Professional Standards for the Georgia DPS for 10 years.