Amy M. Jacobs, Chair
Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning

Amy Jacobs is the commissioner of the Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning. Appointed commissioner by Governor Nathan Deal in 2014, she oversees an annual budget of more than $800 million for programs benefiting children and families including child care licensing, nutrition, and early childhood education, specifically Georgia’s Pre-K Program. Jacobs previously served as a senior policy adviser for the Governor’s Office of Planning and Budget. She is a member of the Georgia’s Children’s Cabinet, the Georgia Child Fatality Review Panel, the Alliance of Education Agency Heads, and the 2020 Complete Count Committee. She sits on the board of directors for the Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education and is chair of the board for the Georgia Foundation for Early Care and Learning.

Arianne Weldon, Vice Chair
Get Georgia Reading Campaign

Arianne Weldon is the director of the Get Georgia Reading Campaign, a collaboration of more than 100 public and private partners working to ensure that all children in Georgia become proficient readers by the end of third grade. She was previously the Maternal and Child Health Services Title V administrator for the Georgia Department of Public Health and the director of State Partnership Strategies for Georgia Family Connection Partnership. Weldon earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Georgia State University and a master’s degree in public health from Emory University.

Keisha R. Callins, M.D., M.P.H
Mercer University School of Medicine/Community Health Care Systems

Keisha R. Callins is a women’s health professional. She serves on faculty at Mercer University School of Medicine and works with Community Health Care Systems, a network of Federally Qualified Health Centers that provides healthcare services to rural and underserved areas in middle Georgia. She previously worked at the Mirian Worthy Women’s Health Center, Albany, Georgia and served as assistant medical director for Albany Area Primary Health Care. Callins is currently in the 2018 Class of the Georgia Physicians Leadership Academy, a 2015 alumni of Leadership Georgia and serves on the Georgia Composite Medical Board. She has served on appointed committees with Mercer University School of Medicine, Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital, and Albany Area Primary Health Care. Callins earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of Virginia, a master’s degree in public health from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and a medical degree from Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM). She completed her graduate medical training at the MSM OB/GYN Residency Program at Grady Memorial Hospital, where she served as chief resident. Callins is member of civic organizations including Rotary Club and Junior League. She is the author of a monthly women’s health segment in the SW Georgia Health Beat.

Evan Bush
Georgia Public Library Service
Mercer University School of Medicine/Community Health Care Systems

Evan Michael Bush is the Director of Youth Services at the Georgia Public Library Service. He has over 23 years of experience in public libraries and early childhood and reading education. He has a BSED in Early Childhood Education from the University of Georgia and an MLIS from the University of Alabama. Evan has represented youth services at the local, state and national level, including two ALA national award committees – The Randolph Caldecott Award for illustration, and the Pura Belpré Award for exceptional Latinx children’s literature. He has also served three years on the Georgia Children’s Picture Book Award, and two years on the national summer reading art committee. Evan is the Project Director for Prime Time in the state of Georgia, and also teaches children's programming and literature classes to future librarians.

Lucky Jain, M.D.
Emory Children’s Center

Lucky Jain is the president and CEO of the Emory Children’s Center and the Richard W. Blumberg professor and chairman of Pediatrics at the Emory University School of Medicine. He is the chief academic officer at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and a senior investigator at the Center for Cell and Molecular Signaling. Jain also holds a joint appointment as a professor in the Emory Department of Physiology. He is an elected member of the Society for Pediatric Research and the American Pediatric Society. Jain is also a fellow of the Woodruff Leadership Academy and has received numerous teaching awards, including the Ross Educator of the Year award from the Southern Society for Pediatric Research and the Most Distinguished Physician of the Year award from the Association of American Physicians of Indian Origin. He is a graduate of Sawai ManSingh Medical College Jaipur and trained in neonatology in Chicago.

Lisa Kinnemore
Georgia Board of Education

Lisa Kinnemore represents the 4th Congressional District on the Georgia Board of Education. She also sits on the advisory board of Thrive Youth Development, Inc. and sat on the board of Northeast Independent Preparatory Academy for five years. Kinnemore earned a bachelor’s degree from Georgia State University.

Joe Peters, Ph.D.
Georgia College

Joe Peters is the dean of education at Georgia College. He served in the U.S. Army and Army Reserves and has taught grades K-8, high school science, and university courses at the University of Pittsburgh, the University of West Florida, Mercyhurst College, Pensacola State College, Chaminade University, and Georgia College. He was previously an executive director representative to the Council of Scientific Society Presidents, a North American representative to the International Council of Associations for Science Education, and executive director of the Association for Science Teacher Education. He is the secretary of the Milledgeville Rotary and board member of the Oconee RESA. Peters earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Mercyhurst College, master’s degrees in natural sciences and environmental education from Gannon University, and a doctoral degree in science education from the University of Pittsburgh.

Martha Ann Todd
Technical College System of Georgia

Martha Ann Todd is the deputy commissioner of the Technical College System of Georgia. She was previously the executive director of the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement (GOSA). In her career, she has also been an assistant superintendent for Meriwether County Schools and an associate superintendent of teacher and leader effectiveness with the Georgia Department of Education. Todd has more than 38 years of experience in public and private education, working with students grades K-12 as a classroom teacher and has held a range of leadership roles at the school, district and state level. She previously served as chair of the Georgia Alliance of Education Agency Heads and is a member of the Georgia Children’s Cabinet. Todd is a graduate of Emory University, Columbus State University and Georgia College.

Joy Hawkins
GOSA Executive Director

Joy Hawkins earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science from Georgia State University and a Juris Doctorate Degree from Georgia State College of Law. She began her career in state government in the Senate Research Office where she served as director for five years. She worked under Governor Sonny Perdue’s administration as a Policy Analyst and Deputy Chief Operating Officer. Most recently she has led a literacy movement, serving as director of Literacy For All for the past two years. Joy is a native of Georgia and has two grown children; one is Governor Brian Kemp’s Executive Operations Officer and the other is a junior at UGA. She resides in Sandy Springs with her other children, three dogs and a cat.