The Brentwood School Board of Directors is made up of volunteers from area businesses, the community and educational leaders. The 2022-23 Board of Directors are Cliff Sheppard, Chair; Ken Bibb, Vice Chair; Brian Wright, Treasurer; Michele Strickland, Secretary; Michael Atkinson; David Brooker; Conni Fennell Burley; Kevin Cobb; Neshelle Bailey; Lee Lord; Trey Sheppard; Stephen Everett; Frank Young, Jr.; Bill McClarin; and Benjie Tarbutton.
Effective governance is an imperative foundation for a healthy independent school. A 15-member Board of Directors (Trustees) has the fiduciary responsibility for the school and sets the policy for the operation of the school. The Head of School is the Chief Operating Officer and carries out the policies of the Board. Listed below are Brentwood's Board of Directors and a brief biography.
Mr. Cliff Sheppard, Chair
After graduating from Middle Georgia College, Mr. Sheppard received his Bachelor's degree from Georgia Southwestern College. Mr. Sheppard has been a member of the Brentwood Board of Directors since the 1988-1989 school year, including Vice Chairman of the Board from 1995-1999 and Chairman of the Board since the 1999-2000 school year.
Mr. Sheppard is President of Howard Sheppard, Inc., Chairman of the Board of Citizens Bank of Washington County, and a member and past Chairman of the Georgia Department of Community Affairs Board. He and his wife, Dianne, and two sons, Trey and Mitch, are members of the First Baptist Church in Sandersville.
Mr. Ken Bibb, Vice Chair
Mr. Bibb received his Bachelor's degree from the University of Tennessee and has been a member of the Brentwood Board of Directors since the 1998 - 1999 school year. He has been Vice Chairman of the Board since the 1999- 2000 school year.
Mr. Bibb is President of the George D. Warthen Bank. He is a past President and member of the Sandersville Rotary Club. He also serves on the Oconee Fall Line Technical College Board.
He and his wife Deana have three daughters: Callie, Kessler, and McFerrin. They are active members of the Sandersville United Methodist Church.
Mr Brian Wright, Treasurer
Mr. Wright is a graduate of Brentwood School (Class of 1991) and received his Bachelor's Degree from The Georgia Institute of Technology.
Brian is a partner of Wright and Wright, P.C., a past Rotary Club President, and a past Brentwood Alumni Council President. He and his wife, Jennifer, have three children, Mary James, Will, and Carrie and are members of the Sandersville United Methodist Church.
Mrs. Michele Strickland, Secretary
Mrs. Strickland graduated from Brentwood School in 1988 and from Georgia College in 1992 with her Bachelor's Degree in Middle Grades Education. Mrs. Strickland furthered her education at Georgia College by graduating with a Master's Degree in Educational Leadership in 2000 and a Specialist's Degree in Educational Leadership in 2003. She has been a member of the Brentwood Board of Directors since March 2016.
Mrs. Strickland taught at Brentwood from 1992-2006. At that time, Mrs. Strickland went to work at Oconee Fall Line Technical College, and she is the currently the Vice President of Academic Affairs at the college. Mrs. Strickland is married to Lee Strickland, a 1984 graduate of Brentwood. They have two children, Sarah Elizabeth (Class of 2013) and Benjamin (Class of 2016). They are members of the First Baptist Church of Sandersville. Mrs. Strickland serves as Church Clerk and is a Sunday School teacher.
Mr. Michael Atkinson
Mr. Atkinson is a graduate of Brentwood School (class of 1983) and received degrees from North Georgia Technical College and Athens Technical College. He is President of Atkinson Oil Company, past President of Bio Trans Intermodal, past President of the Sandersville Rotary Club, past Director of Georgia Oilman's Association, and past President of the Twin City Country Club. Michael is also a 2008 graduate of Leadership Georgia.
He and his wife, Kelly, and their two daughters, Ellie and Kate, are members of the Sandersville United Methodist Church.
Mr. David Brooker
Mr. Brooker received his Bachelor's degree from Georgia Southern University in 1992. He is a 1999 graduate of the Georgia Bankers Association's and University of Georgia's School of Banking. David is also a 2002 graduate of the Graduate School of Banking at Louisiana State University. He is a graduate of Brentwood School (class of 1987). Mr. Brooker has been a member of the Brentwood Board of Directors since the 2007-2008 school year.
David is Chief Executive Officer & President and Board Member of Citizens Bank of The South, Vice Chairman of the Washington County Chamber of Commerce, President of the Washington County Historical Society, past Treasurer of Brentwood's PTO and Alumni Council, Treasurer of the Washington County Alliance for Literacy, Board Member of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce, Board Member of the Georgia Bankers Association Retirement Services Board, Trustee of Georgia Southern University's Foundation and member of the Sandersville Rotary Club.
He and his wife, Anne, are members of the First Christian Church of Sandersville.
Mrs. Conni Fennell Burley
Mrs. Burley is a graduate of Brentwood School (Class of 1984). She received her bachelor's degree from the University of Georgia.
Mrs. Burley served in marketing and public relations positions in South Carolina, Ohio, and Tennessee before returning home to Georgia. She is employed with the University of Georgia's Archway Partnership as the Archway Professional for Washington County.
Mrs. Burley is a member of Sandersville First Baptist Church where she and her family are members. Mrs. Burley and her husband, Blaine, have three children: Blaize (Class of 2014) is a recent UGA graduate, Brandt (Class of 2017) also a graduate of UGA, and Brock (Class of 2020) is at the University of Georgia.
Mr. Kevin Cobb
Mr. Cobb is a 1979 graduate of Brentwood School. He received his Bachelor's Degree from the University of Georgia in Agricultural Economics. He is the Vice President of Ag Lending at Queensborough National Bank and Trust Co. Mr. Cobb is the past chairman of the Farm Service Agency county committee and the past president of the Twin City Country Club. He and his family are members of Friendship Baptist Church where he serves as a deacon and Sunday School teacher.
Mr.Cobb and his wife, Allison (Brentwood Class of 1984), have four children: Trevor, Tucker and Morgan, who are Brentwood graduates; and Jordan Grace, who is a current Brentwood student.
Mr. Lee Lord
Mr. Lord, a life-long resident of Sandersville, served in the Georgia Army National Guard from 1970 through 1976. He has worked in state and local government since 1972. He served as County Administrator for the Washington County Board of Commissioners from 1983 through 2010.
He and his family are members of the Sandersville United Methodist Church, where he served as Sunday School Secretary and as a member of the Finance Committee. He has previously served on the Administrative Board.
Mr. Lord and his wife, Bett, have two children, Adam (Class of 1998) and Fran (Class of 2002) and have three grandchildren currently attending Brentwood.
Mr. Bill McClarin
Mr. McClarin grew up in Waycross, Georgia and obtained both his Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Chemistry from the University of Georgia. He moved to Sandersville in 1995 to work in R&D at Thiele Kaolin Company. He is currently the Quality Assurance Manager for the Sandersville division. He also serves as a member of the Rosa M. Tarbutton Memorial Library Board of Directors.
Mr. McClarin is married to Nicole (1994 Brentwood graduate), and they have two sons: Maddux, a Junior at The University of Georgia and Harris, a rising Senior. They attend Sandersville United Methodist Church.
Mr. Trey Sheppard
Mr. Sheppard graduated from Brentwood School in 1995 and from Georgia Southern University in 1999 with a Bachelor's degree in Business/Finance. Mr. Sheppard is Vice President of Howard Sheppard, Inc. He serves as the Vice Chairman of the Citizens Bank of the South and is Past Chairman and current board member of the Georgia Southern University Athletic Foundation. On the state level he serves on the Technical College System of Georgia State Board representing the 10th Congressional District and is a board member of the Georgia Motor Trucking Association. He is active in his local community serving on the Washington County Development Authority and is a member of the Sandersville Rotary Club.
Trey and his wife, Emily, have four children, Ford, Anne Marie, Emerson, and Jones and are active in the First Christian Church of Sandersville.
Mr. Benjie Tarbutton
Mr. Tarbutton is a native of Sandersville and an alumnus of Brentwood School. Mr. Tarbutton holds a B.A. from Vanderbilt University and a JD/MBA from the University of Georgia. Currently, Mr. Tarbutton serves as Vice President of Investor Relations for The Forestland Group, a timberland investment manager based in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Prior to moving back to Sandersville, Benjie practiced law with Eversheds Sutherland in Atlanta, Georgia.
He and his wife, Dr. Jennifer Tarbutton, have three children attending Brentwood – Elizabeth, a rising 9th grader, Jane a rising 8th grader, and Hugh, a rising 4th grader. They are members of Sandersville United Methodist Church.
Mr. Frank Young, Jr.
Mr. Young is a native of Sandersville, GA and a 1974 Honor Graduate of Brentwood School. Young holds a bachelor's degree in Science and Health Education from Georgia College and State University. He was a science teacher and coach for 15 years, with the final six (1986 -1992) as Athletic Director, teacher, and coach at Brentwood School. He left the education profession in 1992 and has been in the trucking business since that time. After six years of serving in various sales and operational capacities, Young was named President of B-H Transfer Co in January 2000 and still serves in that capacity.
Young currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Georgia Motor Trucking Association, The Georgia Mining Association Foundation, and the Washington County Chamber of Commerce. He was a past President for The Georgia Mining Association Foundation and a former Director for the Oconee Fall Line Technical College Foundation. Young is a Rotarian, past president of the Sandersville Rotary Club, and a multiple Paul Harris Fellow recipient.
He and his wife, Louise, have two married daughters and five grandchildren. Caroline (Class of 2000) lives in Sandersville. Molly (Class of 2003) is married to Bonner Jones, and they live in Birmingham, AL. Frank has three grandchildren who attend Brentwood.
Neshelle Bailey
Neshelle Bailey is a graduate of Washington County High School and received her Bachelor of Business Administration and Master of Accountancy from Georgia College & State University. She is the Controller at Thiele Kaolin Company, a past Treasurer of the Washington County Chamber of Commerce, and a member of The Guild of Washington County.
Neshelle and her husband, Jonathan, have two children currently at Brentwood - Megan, an upcoming 8th grader and Alaina, an upcoming 6th grader. She and her family are active members of the Sandersville United Methodist Church where she serves as the Chair of the Finance Committee.
Stephen Everett
