Governor Appoints ABLE Act Corporation Board of Directors

Earlier this month, Governor Deal announced appointments to the ABLE Program Corporation Board. This is the outcome of HB 768 which passed during the 2016 legislative session.

The newly appointed members of the ABLE Act Corporation board of directors are:

Mark Bible – Bible is the plant manager of the General Mills facility in Covington. He is a veteran of the US Navy and earned a bachelor’s degree from the Naval Academy. He and his wife, Shirley, have four children and live in Bishop.

Tena Blakey – Blakey is the family and community engagement director for Soto Health. She is the president-elect of the Service Provider Association for Developmental Disabilities and the secretary of Family YMCA Camp IVEY. Blakey earned a bachelor’s degree in Social Work from the University of Georgia and a master’s degree in Social Work from the University of South Carolina. She and her husband, Jeff, have two children and reside in Thomson.

Justin Pressley – Pressley is the founder and president of Access to a Better Tomorrow, Inc. He previously sat on the advisory boards for North Georgia Health Systems, the Disability Resource Center and the Atlanta chapter of the Buoniconti Fund to Cure Paralysis. Pressley was also a founding commissioner of the Georgia Brain and Spinal Injury Trust Fund Commission. He lives in Gainesville.

The remainder of the Board serves by virtue of their position, such as the Commissioner of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities, the Commissioner of Community Health, the State Auditor, the Director of the Office of Planning and Budget, the State Revenue Commissioner and the State Treasurer. See HB 768 lines 56-67 of the bill.

Currently, Georgia is still in the implementation process so as of now, Georgians are not yet able to open a Georgia ABLE account. For a list of other states that currently already have ABLE Programs open, please visit here. While an individual may only have one ABLE account at a time, they may shop around to find the best program for their needs.

Until the board meets and creates Georgia’s ABLE Program Corporation, people can call the State Treasurer’s office at 404-656-2168 and ask for Kim Asher to inquire about details for Georgia or visit www.ost.ga.gov to watch for the public notice regarding when the first board meeting will be scheduled.