Highland Rivers Health governing board elects officers for 2018 fiscal year
DALTON - Chantel Adams, founder and CEO of Forever We, Inc., was elected chair of the Highland Rivers Health governing board at the board's regular meeting in June.
Her one-year term as chair began July 1, the start of the agency's 2018 fiscal year.
Adams, who is the Cherokee County representative on the agency's board, has served as vice chair for the past two years. A child health advocate, the company Adams founded developed specialized dolls for children with cancer, which can also be provided to the child's friends, classmates and family members, all at no cost to the recipients.
Other officers elected for FY18 include Cedartown City Manager and Polk County representative Bill Fann as vice chair; Gordon County board member Cindy Cochran, director and family advocate at the Family Resource Center of Gordon County, as secretary, for a second year; and Polk County board member Jonathan Blackmon, chief deputy of the Polk County Sheriff's Office, as treasurer, also for a second year.
"Part of the reason Highland Rivers Health continues to thrive is that we have an outstanding governing board that is active, supportive and takes its governing role very seriously," said Highland Rivers CEO Melanie Dallas. "Having Ms. Adams and Mr. Fann - who have both served on our board for many years - elected to the top two positions will continue the standards of accountability and excellence that were the hallmark of the chairmanship of Judge Allen Wigington during the past two years."
Highland Rivers' governing board includes a representative from every county in the agency's 12-county service area (with two representatives from both Floyd and Polk counties) who are appointed by each county's board of commissioners. The board has four officers (chair, vice chair, secretary and treasurer) who are selected by board members, and two standing committees: corporate compliance and finance.
Members serve three-year terms and terms are staggered to ensure continuity of governance.
The board includes several individuals who have family members with mental illness, addictive disease or developmental disabilities, and includes representatives from the judicial system, family services, private industry, law enforcement, local government and healthcare, among others.
The Highland Rivers governing board meets every other month, six times each year. All board meetings are open to the public and are announced in advance.