Pictured are new Southwest Georgia Cancer Coalition Board Members (left to right) Clay Banks, Annette Bowling and Julee Brooke Lewis

August 21, 2009

ALBANY, GA - The Southwest Georgia Cancer Coalition announces the addition of three new members to its Board of Directors. A local, non-profit leader in promoting cancer education, prevention, screening, treatment and research, the Coalition serves the 33 counties of southwest Georgia.

Newest members are Clay Banks, general manager of Equity Group Georgia Division in Camilla; Annette Bowling, executive director of Albany Advocacy Resource Center; and Julee Brooke Lewis, an attorney with Ross & Lewis LLC of Douglas. (See bios, below)

"This is an exciting time for the Cancer Coalition, and we look forward to tapping into the expertise these talented new board members bring to the organization," said Board Chairman James McGahee, CEO of South Georgia Medical Center. "We are delighted to have them join us in our mission to provide access to community cancer services in southwest Georgia."

The Southwest Georgia Cancer Coalition is a regional 501c(3) non-profit organization whose mission is to ensure that southwest Georgians have access to the highest quality cancer education, prevention, screening, treatment and research. To learn more about the Coalition and its impact on cancer in our region, please visit www.swgacancer.org.

Clay Banks
Clay Banks is general manager of Equity Group Georgia Division, LLC in Camilla, a position he has held since 2005. A graduate of the University of Georgia with a degree in Poultry Science, he began his career in 1994 with Seaboard Farms Inc., and joined Keystone Foods in 2002.

As general manager, Mr. Banks is responsible for all operations at the Camilla complex, which includes a Hatchery, Feed Mill, Grow Out, Processing Plant and a Further Processing Plant. In 2008, the complex had an economic impact of over $262 million dollars on the community.
Mr. Banks has been instrumental in leading his company's community-based charity efforts, including the Ferst Foundation, which provides more than 4,000 free books each month to southwest Georgia children until the age of 5; the Boys and Girls Clubs; Christmas gifts for all Mitchell County foster children; Easter Seals; and Neighbors In Need, among others.
He serves as director on both the Georgia Poultry Federation Board and the Georgia Poultry Processors Board.

Mr. Banks and his wife, Nickolette, have a son and a daughter.

Annette Bowling
Annette Bowling has served as executive director of the Albany Advocacy Resource Center (Albany ARC) since 1974, directing and advocating for programs to improve the quality and dignity of life for Georgians with disabilities at all age levels. Named one of '100 Most Influential Georgians' by Georgia Trend Magazine in 2008, she serves on several regional and statewide boards of directors, including ARC of Georgia, Southwest Georgia Area Health Education Center, Southwest Georgia Easter Seals, Community Institute of Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital, and the Georgia Budget Policy Committee, among others.

One of Georgia's strongest advocates for rehabilitation and disability service issues, Ms. Bowling serves with the Georgia Department of Medical Assistance, as chairperson of the Division of Rehabilitation Services Council, and has co-chaired the Governor's Blue Ribbon Taskforce on Community Based Services. She was honored in 2008 by the Georgia Commission on Women as one of ten outstanding Georgia women receiving the 'Georgia's Legacy; Older Women!' award.

Ms. Bowling resides in Doerun with her husband of 32 years, George Bowling. They have one grown son and granddaughter.

Julee Brooke Lewis
A 2004 graduate of the University of Georgia School of Law, Julee Brooke Lewis is an attorney with Ross & Lewis LLC in Douglas. She obtained her BBA in Finance with a minor in Spanish from the University of Georgia in 2000.

Ms. Lewis is secretary of the Community Foundation of Coffee County. A board member of the Coffee County Chamber of Commerce, she also serves as co-chair of the Chamber's Young Professionals Network. She is a member of the Douglas Bar Association and Beta Sigma Phi.
She and her husband, Ron, have two daughters, Rhianna and Gigi.

##