GSU School of Public Health Welcomes New Board of Advisors Members

ATLANTA—Four prominent Atlanta leaders with expertise in public health, law and health care have joined the Board of Advisors of the Georgia State University School of Public Health.

The Board of Advisors provides support, insight and connections to Atlanta’s public health community and to the city’s broader network of private, civic and community organizations. They catalyze the school’s work to advance its Vision 2027 Strategic Plan, which positions the school for national leadership in educating the next generation of public health professionals while expanding its research impact and community engagement.

(From left to right): Robin Bailey, Rose Hunter Jones, Linda Matzigkeit and Stephen P. Smith

The new Board of Advisors members are Robin Bailey Jr., former Chief Operating Officer at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Rose Hunter Jones, Partner at Hilgers Graben; Linda Matzigkeit; Chief Administrative Officer at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta; and Stephen P. Smith, Of Counsel at Beveridge and Diamond PC.

“The perspectives and insights that members of our Board of Advisors bring to the School of Public Health are invaluable,” said Dean Rodney Lyn. “I’m grateful to our new and returning board members for their steadfast support of our school and its work to improve the health of local and global communities through public health education, research and community engagement.”

Bailey is a retired senior executive with over three decades of service in federal agencies, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Internal Revenue Service and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service. As Chief Operating Officer at CDC, Bailey led the operational management of the agency, providing oversight for budgeting, facilities, IT, security and HR strategy, ensuring seamless execution of the organization’s mission in public health.

Hunter Jones devotes her entire practice to e-discovery and serves as lead e-discovery counsel for clients in their highest risk cases. Her representative matters include leading roles in high-profile government investigations of global corporations and high-stakes litigation for pharmaceutical and commercial products manufacturers. She has practiced in e-discovery for over 20 years and is consistently ranked in Chambers Global, Legal500 and Law Dragon as one of the world’s top lawyers in e-discovery litigation practice.

Matzigkeit provides executive oversight, vision and support for Children’s strategic planning, human resources, legal, compliance, marketing and communications, prevention and child wellness, and employee and physician wellness areas. Atlanta Magazine has named her a Woman on the Move for her leadership and a Groundbreaker for taking on the crisis of childhood obesity. In addition, she received Business to Business Magazine’s Atlanta Business Leader Impact Award for her significant impact in the community.

Smith utilizes his decade-plus at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to assist organizations navigating complex environmental issues, enforcement and compliance actions, and emergency responses across the country. He currently serves on the Boards of the Decide DeKalb Development Authority, the DeKalb Private Hospital Authority, Morris Brown College, and the Hopeful/Honest Initiative on Race and Understanding. He is also the former Chairman of the Board for Trinity Community Ministries, a transitional housing and rehabilitation facility supporting Atlanta’s homeless and veteran community. He is a prior graduate of Leadership Atlanta, Leadership DeKalb, LEAD Atlanta, and the Atlanta Federal Executive Board’s Leadership Government, and has been recognized by several organizations, including the Atlanta Business Chronicle, Georgia Trend Magazine, and his alma mater, Auburn University.

In addition to Bailey, Hunter Jones, Matzigkeit and Smith, Board of Advisors members are:

• Kirk McGhee (Board Chairman)
• Neda Barqawi, Founder and CEO, Knovatech Insight
• Merrilee Gober, Chair, Legislative Committee, Medical Association of Georgia Alliance
• Cathy Henson, Past Chair, Georgia State University Foundation
• Debra Houry, former Chief Medical Officer and Deputy Director for Program and Science, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
• Rosemarie “Rosie” Henson Sampson, Operations Senior Director, Child Health and Mortality Prevention Surveillance network (CHAMPS), The Task Force for Global Health
• Charles Redding, Executive Director, Momentum Wheels for Humanity
• Frank D. Strickland, Partner, SignatureFD
• Brandon Talley, Chief Program and Innovation Officer, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Foundation
• Jana Thomas, Vice President, Southeast Region — Medicaid Business Development, Humana
• Rodney Lyn, Dean and Professor, School of Public Health (non-voting member)