Wireless Executive Thomas D. Body Named Chair of Robinson College Board; Six Alums Also Appointed to the Board
September 21, 2006 (Atlanta, GA) - Thomas D. Body, III was named chair of the Board of Advisors for the J. Mack Robinson College of Business at Georgia State University. In addition, six Georgia State University alumni joined the board; they are Ed Baker, Rene Diaz, Michael D. Easterly, Gerald W. Hudgins, Kevin E. Lofton, and Parker H. (Pete) Petit.
Body, chairman of WIREFREE Partners, LLC, co-founded the company after more than 25 years in the wireless phone industry. He also co-founded American Mobilephone Paging, Maxicom, Inc., CellularOne, Metrex Corporation, and AirGate PCS, Inc. In addition to the Robinson College Board of Advisors, Body is a member of the Board of Directors of The Atlanta Enterprise Center.
Baker (BA '74) is publisher of the Atlanta Business Chronicle and The Sporting News. He is also vice president and chief marketing officer of American City Business Journals, the corporate parent of the Chronicle and 40 other weekly business journals in major markets around the country. Baker serves on several boards including the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau, Atlanta Business League, Junior Achievement, and Public Broadcasting/Atlanta.
Diaz (BBA '87), president and CEO, Diaz Wholesale, Inc., has been at the helm of Diaz Wholesale and Manufacturing, Co., Inc. for more than 20 years. Diaz serves on several boards including Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta Community Food Bank and The Carter Center. He has been listed in The Atlanta Business Chronicle's "Top 100 Most Influential Atlantans" and Georgia Trend's "40 Under 40." He received the Robinson Community Service Alumni Award in 2003
Easterly (MBA '72), co-founder and chairman of Legacy Securities Corp. is a 33-year veteran of the investment banking business. In addition to his role with Legacy Securities, he also serves as director and chair of the Audit and Finance Committees of Luminetx Corporation and as director of its affiliate Snowflake Technologies, Inc. As a member of Robinson's board, Easterly will serve as chair of facilities task force, which has been created to assist the College in securing a new home in the downtown area.
Hudgins (BBA '68), president of Hudgins Construction Company is a native Atlantan. In addition to Hudgins Construction Company, he is chairman of Enterprise Banking Company and owns Hudgins Cattle Company, which raises registered Black Angus cattle.
Lofton (MHA '79), president and CEO of Catholic Health Initiatives (CHI), held several executive positions at CHI before being named president and CEO in 2003. Prior, he served as executive director and CEO of the University of Alabama Hospital in Birmingham. He is the Chair-Elect of the American Hospital Association and has received several awards including being named one of the 100 Most Powerful People in Healthcare by Modern Healthcare in 2002, 2005, and 2006.
Petit (MBA '73), chairman and CEO of Matria Healthcare, Inc., founded Healthdyne in 1970, an internationally based healthcare company. In 1995, Healthdyne merged with another company to form Matria Healthcare. Petit is a noted philanthropist who last year announced a $5 million gift to Georgia State University for a new science teaching laboratory building. He received the Robinson Community Service Alumni Award in 2003 and was named to Georgia's Technology Hall of Fame in 1994.
The J. Mack Robinson College of Business is one of the top-ranked business schools in the nation. The College's Flex (part-time) MBA program has been listed in the top ten by U.S. News for the past eleven years and its undergraduate business program is ranked among the top 50 in the nation. In addition, the College's Executive MBA program is listed among the world's best by The Financial Times. Georgia State University's Robinson College of Business has an enrollment of approximately 7,000 students and is located in downtown Atlanta.
For more information, contact:
Tammy Demel
Office of External Affairs
Robinson College of Business
404/413-7078
404/702-9743 (cell)
