Tarbutton Named Chair of the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia
Atlanta — June 7, 2011
Regent Benjamin "Ben" Tarbutton
The Board of Regents, the 18-member governing body for the University System of Georgia, today elected Regent Benjamin “Ben” J. Tarbutton III to a six-month term as the Board’s Chair. Tarbutton, who was appointed in January 2006 to the Board of Regents by Gov. Sonny Perdue representing the Twelfth Congressional District, will serve as Board Chair from July 1, 2011, through December 31, 2011.
At the April board meeting, the Regents voted to change the board’s bylaws so that the terms of the Board’s chair and vice chair will run on the calendar year instead of the state’s fiscal year, which is July 1 through the following June 30. The new format will take affect January 1, 2012.
“I am honored to be chosen by my peers to lead this Board at this time,” says Tarbutton. “Working with Chancellor-designate Hank Huckaby to further the work of this system on behalf of the citizens of the state of Georgia is a task I welcome.”
Tarbutton is Assistant Vice President of the Sandersville Railroad Company, where he oversees daily operations, including maintaining the infrastructure, train transportation and customer service. He serves on the boards of directors for Sandersville Technical College, the Georgia Chamber of Commerce and on the Board of Trustees for Leadership Georgia. Regent Tarbutton is a past chairman of the Washington County Chamber of Commerce, past president of the Sandersville Rotary Club and a past member of the Georgia Rural Development Council. Tarbutton is a 2004 graduate of Leadership Georgia and a graduate of Leadership Washington County. He earned a bachelor’s degree in management from the Georgia Institute of Technology.
Regent Jim Jolly chaired the committee that developed nominations for board officers for the coming year. Committee members were Regents Doreen Poitevint and Larry Walker.
The Board of Regents is a constitutional body that governs and manages the University System of Georgia, comprised of 35 public colleges and universities, Skidaway Institute of Oceanography and the Georgia Public Library Service; more than 311,000 students, and approximately 40,000 faculty and staff.
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