Meet the DDM Board of Trustees

The Board of Trustees for Developmental Disabilities Ministries has the ultimate authority over the organization - setting policy and directions, overseeing the finances, and hiring the president/CEO. The board can have up to 15 members, all of whom are committed to DDM as a Christian ministry. It is self-perpetuating and uses a rotation system of five year terms, with new members rotating on each year. The full Board meets three times a year with other committee meetings added as necessary.

2008 Officers

• Mr. Frank Halpin, Chair
• Mrs. Varion Spear, Vice Chair
• Mr. Roger Sundy, Finance Committee Chair
• Mr. Bruce Burt, Development Committee Chair
• Mrs. Melba Lehman, Ministry Committee Chair
• Mr. Bruce Burt, Ministry Board Officer

Honorable Joe Booth is the Superior Court judge for the Piedmont Judicial Circuit. He lives in Commerce with his wife, Susan, and they have a daughter in college. Joe is a graduate of North Georgia College and received his law degree from Georgia State University. Joe has a special heart for persons with disabilities having to personally overcome many obstacles as a result of an accident while he was a college student that left him paralyzed and in a wheelchair. He is a member of Commerce Presbyterian Church.

Bruce Burt is retired form the pulp wood business, having served as manager of wood procurement for the Meade Corporation. A graduate of Mississippi State University, Bruce has been a resident of Manchester for many years and very active in the community. He has served as mayor of Manchester, member of the City Council; member of Kiwanis, and in more recent years has been a board member for the local Habitat for Humanity group in Meriwether County. He is a deacon and Sunday School teacher at First Baptist Church of Manchester and is DDM's most reliable volunteer at the Corbitt Walker Home in Manchester. Bruce, and his wife, Carolyn, have two grown sons.

David Chatham is president and CEO of Chatham Holdings in Alpharetta. A graduate of the University of Georgia, he and his wife, Rhonda, are the parents of three grown sons. David has been a trustee for the University of Georgia and a member of the North Fulton Chamber of Commerce. He and his family are active members of Northside Baptist Church in Roswell, where David serves as a deacon, Sunday School teacher, and chairman of the Building Project. The Chatham family was instrumental in starting a DDM group home in Alpharetta and continues to be a strong supporter of that ministry.

Ann Drew is the parent of two daughters, and one of them is a resident in the DDM program. Ann is a graduate of the University of Cincinnati and served as a paralegal before becoming a full-time parent. She now lives in Beaufort, S.C., but spends a good bit of time in Augusta, where she is an active member of Church of the Good Shepherd (Episcopal). She also serves on the Parent Advisory Board for Lynndale, Inc. in Augusta and is an active volunteer in the historic community of Beaufort. She has been instrumental in the development of our newest group home in Augusta.

Frank Halpin is a manager with Pilgrim's Pride, a chicken processing business in Canton. He and his wife, Kay, are active members of First Baptist Church in Canton and they have two grown sons. A graduate of the University of Georgia, Frank serves as chairman of the board of trustees and has been an active volunteer with our group home in Canton, receiving DDM's Volunteer of the Year Award in 2007.

Dennis Hendrix is a financial advisor and stockbroker with HRBlock Financial Advisors in Columbus. A graduate of Columbus State and the University of Georgia, Dennis is an active member of First Baptist Church of Columbus, where he serves as a deacon, Sunday School teacher, chaperone for the youth group, and participant in the missions program. He has served as president of the Columbus State Athletic Board and is a member of the CSU Tower Society. He and his wife, Carol, are the parents of two college students.

Rev. Don Howell served as a pastor for 43 years before retiring from the Pinecrest Baptist Church of Cordele. A graduate of Shorter College, he enjoys supply preaching and spending time with his family, which includes his wife, Sandy, three grown children, and several grandchildren, including a granddaughter with developmental disabilities.

Melba Lehman of Powder Springs served 21 years as minister of education at Rainbow Park Baptist Church in Decatur before her retirement. She had previously taught school for four years. She is a graduate of Brewton-Parker College and Georgia Southern University, and is married to Carl, and they have two grown sons and five grandchildren. The Lehmans are members of First Baptist Church of Marietta where Melba serves as director of the Thursday English as a Second Language School, member of the Missions Committee, and teacher of the four year old Sunday School class. She has been involved with the DDM program since its early beginnings with Rainbow Park Church.

David Matheny is the principal architect with Armentrout, Roebuck and Matheny Consulting Group in Athens and previously served as a staff architect at the University of Georgia. He has served as president of the American Institute of Architects (NE Georgia), president of the board of Friends of Georgia Museum of Art, president of the board of advisors of Georgia Children's Chorus, and president of the Athens-Clarke Heritage Foundation. He and his wife, Becky, are members of Athens First Baptist Church, where David has served as a deacon and Sunday School teacher. David is a graduate of the University of Tennessee and the father of two daughters.

Varion Spear is retired from the staff of Dunwoody Baptist Church in Atlanta, where she served as director of children's education and also director of weekday early education. She is a graduate of Wake Forest College where she earned her degree in Christian education. She and her husband, Denny, continue to be active members of Dunwoody where she serves in a number of leadership capacities, including teaching 'special friends" in Sunday School, teaching English as a Second Language to internationals, member of the Missions Council, and member of the Dunwoody Baptist Foundation. She is the mother of six children and 17 grandchildren. One daughter is a resident in the DDM program.

Will Stucki is a retired businessman and he and his wife, Jackie, live in Lithonia. At various times Will has served as a building and zoning administrator, apprentice architect, builder and landlord. He is a graduate of Southern Technical Institute and is a member of Smoke Rise Baptist Church in Stone Mountain. Will and Jackie have been long-time volunteers for many DDM events and programs.

Roger Sundy is a retired civil engineer who worked for Georgia's Department of Transportation for 33 years before joining the engineering firm of Jordan, Jones & Goulding. In both positions he was involved in bridge design. A graduate of Georgia Tech, Roger and his wife, Neomia, are the parents of two children. Their son is a DDM resident. They are members of Oakhurst Baptist Church in Decatur, where Roger serves as a deacon, serves as co-chair of the Building Committee, and teaches a Sunday School class for adults with developmental disabilities. The Sundys divide their time between a home at Callaway Gardens and their home in Decatur.