The co-owner and president of numerous northeast Georgia newspapers is the new chair of the University System of Georgia Board of Regents.
The Board of Regents, which is the 18-member governing body for the University System of Georgia, elected Regent William “Dink” H. NeSmith Jr. to a one-year term as the Board’s Chair.
NeSmith has been serving as vice-chair.
He is the co-owner and president of Athens-based Community Newspapers, Inc., which publishes several dozen newspapers in Georgia, Florida and the Carolinas, including in Toccoa and Lavonia.
During 2012, NeSmith has served as the Board’s vice chair of the executive and compensation committee, vice chair of MCG Health Systems, Inc. and vice chair of the University System of Georgia Foundation.
NeSmith said the board’s goal is to graduate more college students, while being good stewards of Georgia’s resources, especially in these times, adding that challenges are everywhere, and he appreciates the confidence the board has placed in him.
The board also elected Regent Philip Wilheit Sr. for a one-year term as vice chair.
The University System of Georgia is comprised of almost 315,000 students from 35 public colleges and universities, the Skidaway Institute of Oceanography and the Georgia Public Library Service.