As a true not-for-profit health system, Phoebe is operated by a volunteer board drawn from the community it serves. They serve without pay, volunteering time and expertise. They set policy, create goals, evaluate management’s performance, and ensure Phoebe operates in the best interest of the community. Below you can learn more about our volunteer governing board members for Phoebe Sumter Foundation.
Jimmy Whaley is Broker/Owner of Whaley Realty, Inc.
He is a graduate of Southland Academy and Valdosta State University. Jimmy is very involved in the community. He has served on many boards and committees, including serving as past president of the Americus Board of Realtors, Rotary Club of Americus, Smarr and Smith Foundation, past chairman of the Americus Sumter County Chamber of Commerce, and Region 7 director for Georgia Association of Realtors. Jimmy and his wife, Morgan, are the proud parents of son, James “JW” Whaley, V.
Mark Minick is the owner of Minick Interiors in downtown Americus.
He has been a member of the Phoebe Sumter Foundation Board of Directors since 2011. He is very involved with the community and loves UGA Bulldogs.
Michelle Gatian Andrews was born in Ohio and has lived in Americus for 50 years.
She is a graduate of Georgia Southwestern State University and has volunteered extensively in the community, including the Junior Service League, Sumter Humane Society, Boy Scouts of America, Early Bloomer Garden Club, and Books for Sumter Children. Michelle and her husband, Dr. Ben Andrews, Jr., have two children and two grandchildren.
Suleania Bryant is a Sumter County native and the Complex Nurse Manager at Tyson Foods, Inc. She is also the owner of Only Imagine Balloon Décor.
She attended Georgia Southwestern State University where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Education (Exercise Science) and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. After completing school, she started her nursing career with Sumter Regional Hospital, which later became Phoebe Sumter Medical Center. Suleania is a member of Union Tabernacle Baptist Church, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. and is on the board of directors for the Georgia Association of Occupational Health Nurses. She and her husband, Sheriff Eric D. Bryant, are the proud parents of Eric Jr, Harrison, Haleigh, and Christopher.
Bill Harris, a graduate of Georgia institute of Technology, has been a resident of Americus since 1942.
He served as past president of Sumter Bank and Trust, Americus and Sumter County Chamber of Commerce, and Americus Kiwanis Club. He also has served as past chairman of Glover Wholesale Company, State Board Technical and Adult Education, and Americus and Sumter County Hospital Authority and a founder of the Boys and Girls Club of Sumter County. He is married to Ann. They have three sons – Bill, Jr., Lee, and David – and three grandchildren.
Gaye Hayes, serves as the Assistant Vice President for Enrollment Management at Georgia Southwestern State University.
She moved to the Americus community to earn her Bachelors of Science degree at GSW over 30 years ago. After completing her master’s degree at the University of Georgia and her PhD at Georgia State University, she returned to Americus to raise her family with her husband, John Hayes.
She loves the Americus Community and has volunteered through the years with the Americus Junior Service League, the Americus-area Cancer Society, the Sumter Tourism Board and as past president of the Southland Academy Board of Directors and the Southland Academy Foundation Board. She and John have three children, Jackson, Sydney and Emma Kate.
Leon Holloway is a Sumter County native and Owner/Designer at Gatewood’s Flower Shop since 1977.
He has served on the Phoebe Sumter Foundation Board for over 10 years. He has also served on the Board of Trustees for Americus First United Methodist Church and Georgia Southwestern Foundation.
Bardin Hooks, is an Americus native. He received a B.A. in History from the University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee in 2003. He received his Juris Doctor from Mercer University’s Walter F. George School of Law and was admitted to the State Bar of Georgia in 2007.
After practicing estate planning, real estate, and corporate law in Americus for many years, Bardin joined Edward Jones as a Financial Advisor in 2023, where he helps clients plan for their financial futures. He currently serves on the boards of Phoebe Sumter Medical Center, Phoebe Sumter Foundation, and the Americus Housing Authority. He is a former board member of the Americus-Sumter County Hospital Authority. He and his wife, Hayden, are members of Calvary Episcopal Church in Americus, and they are proud parents of a son, George.
Sherrill House is a native of Sumter County. She retired in 2007 after 13 years as the customer service manager for Sumter EMC.
Prior to joining Sumter EMC, Sherrill was a school teacher for more than 2 years.
During her full-time employment and since retirement, Sherrill has been involved with many community organizations. She served for two years as chairman of the Americus Sumter County Chamber of Commerce and currently, serves as a member of the Americus-Sumter County Hospital Authority Board and as a liaison for the Authority on the Sumter Regional Foundation Board.
A native of Sumter County, Charles Pryor worked as a financial advisor with Wells Fargo Advisors in Albany from 2008 to 2020 before starting his own firm, Pryor Wealth Management in Americus in 2020.
He currently serves on the board of trustees at Magnolia Manor, Southland Academy Foundation, Mattie H. Marshall Foundation, and has served on the Phoebe Sumter Foundation since 2012. He lives in Americus with his wife Becky, and three children.
Rick Whaley graduated from Americus High School in 1978, served as a U. S. Army “Green Beret” from 1982-1986 and graduated from Georgia Southwestern State University in 1989.
He has served on the Phoebe Sumter Foundation board since 2005. He has served as President/CEO of Citizens Bank of Americus since 2001. Currently, he serves as chairman of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlanta, Georgia Bankers Association Insurance Trust, Charles L. Mix Memorial Fund and the South Georgia Technical College Foundation. He is a past-chairman of the Americus-Sumter County Chamber of Commerce, Georgia Southwestern Foundation, Georgia Bankers Association and Council of Federal Home Loan Banks. Rick is married to Kelley Kinslow Whaley.