The Commission is comprised of 11 members appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Senate. The members are appointed for three year terms of office and may serve two terms consecutively. The 1990 Act specifies the Commission must include a member be appointed to represent each of the following: a degree-granting institution, a nondegree-granting institution, and an exempt institution. The Commission is required to meet at least quarterly.

Toby R. Hinton

Chair- Representing a Degree-Granting Institution

Hinton is the vice president of financial services at Brenau University. He is a member of the National Association of College and University Business Officers and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

Norma Nunez-Cortes

Vice Chair-At-large #6

Nunez-Cortes is the Title I Federal Program Director for the Appling County Board of Education. She is a former president and current vice chair of the Baxley-Appling County Chamber of Commerce.

Amanda B. Shailendra

Secretary- At-large #4

Shailendra is the local partner manager for Google Fiber in Atlanta. She previously worked in economic development for the City of Atlanta and the State of Georgia, where she supported projects for Mercedes-Benz, KIA Motors, athenahealth and AT&T Mobility.

Ryan Blythe

Representing a Certificate-Granting Institution

Blythe is the founder of the Georgia Trade School. He was previously a member of the Go Build Georgia Advisory Council and sat on the boards of the Kennesaw Business Association and the Construction Education Foundation of Georgia.

Drew Van Horn

Representing an Exempt Institution

Dr. Drew Van Horn is president of Young Harris College. He has over 30 years of experience in higher education, including nine years as president of Brevard College in North Carolina, a private, residential liberal arts college affiliated with the United Methodist Church.

Pranay Udutha

At-large #1

Pranay Udutha is QuantumScape's Director of Strategic Initiatives / Corporate Development. Previously, he invested in early stage startups driving sustainability across every sector of our economy at ARPA-E, the federal government's venture capital agency. He led the agency’s corporate development team and was operationally engaged with a broad range of startups, from agtech to aerospace.

Doug Roper

At-large #2

Doug Roper is the Mayor of Vidalia and the Branch Manager at Vidalia Federal Savings Bank. An active member of his community, Roper has served on the Toombs-Montgomery Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, is on the fundraising committees for the Mercy Medical Clinic and Meadows Regional Medical Cancer Center, and is a mentor with Toombs County Family Connection.

P.K. Martin

At-large #3

P.K. Martin is a former state senator from Georgia’s 9th District. During his time in the General Assembly, Martin was the chairman of the Education and Youth Committee and served as an Administration Floor Leader from 2017-2021.

Holly C. Kirbo

At-large #5

Kirbo is an attorney. She previously worked as associate general counsel for Flowers Foods. Kirbo is a published author and a member of the State Bar of Georgia. She is also a member of the committee overseeing her local YMCA gymnastics team.

Jim Squire

At-Large #7

Jim Squire, Certified Franchise Executive, serves as president and CEO of Franchise Marketing Advisors, LLC, a broad-based franchise development consulting practice. Prior to FMA Squire was a senior executive with such well-known franchise brands as Firestorm, HoneyBaked Ham, Great American Cookies, Arby’s, Day’s Inns, and Howard Johnson.

Kate Patterson

At-Large #8

Patterson, a current stay-at-home mom, spends much of her time volunteering in the Oconee County School System. She is on the Board of Bethel Haven, a non-profit Christian Counseling Agency in the Athens area, volunteers with the Presbyterian Homes of Georgia and serves in her Church.