Kirk Shook - Kirk Shook was appointed as Executive Director to the Nonpublic Postsecondary Education Commission by Governor Brian Kemp on February 1, 2019. He currently serves on the Regional Steering Committee of the Southern Regional Education Board and the Experiential Professional Development Advisory Committee at the University of Georgia. Before his time at NPEC, Kirk worked in K-12 education as a high school teacher for twelve years. He was appointed by the State Board of Education to serve on various committees at the Georgia Department of Education in 2014 and 2015. Governor Nathan Deal appointed him to serve on the Governor’s Teacher Advisory Committee in 2016.

Kirk is a Double Dawg—earning both his Bachelor of Science in Education and a Master of Public Administration from the University of Georgia. Prior to that, he earned his Associate of Science in Education from Young Harris College. He also holds a certificate in Educational Leadership from the University of Georgia and is a Certified Public Manager®. He is expected to graduate from the University of Georgia with an Ed.D in Educational Leadership in 2024.

Kirk is a member of the Rotary Club of Oconee County, the Touchdown Club of Athens, the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation, the National Certified Public Manager Consortium, and the American Academy of Certified Public Managers. He serves as Vice Chairman of the Oconee County Board of Elections.

Kirk and his wife, Miriam, have been foster parents to two beautiful girls since 2021. The four of them live in Bogart with their dogs, Lucy and Libby. Miriam is an Instructional Technology Specialist in Oconee County Schools. They are University of Georgia football and men’s basketball season ticket holders, and enjoy going to concerts, working in their church, hiking, playing with their puppies, and going on adventures with their foster children.

 Deborah Smith - is a 48-year public service veteran, who started at the age of 16 in state government at the very bottom and worked all the way to become a Chief Technology Officer serving the IT needs of a 7,500 employee Human Services agency from which she retired in 2008.  She then served as the Assistant Director of the Center for Public Management for the College of Outreach at the University of Oklahoma directing human resources; property management; customer service; budgeting, financial & contract administration for $25 million annually in contracts, products, and services with a staff of 250. She is now enjoying retirement.

Debbie is an original charter and continuous AACPM member and was a continuous OSCPM member during its 29-year society operation. She is a positive can-do individual and lifelong, heartfelt champion for CPM and all members of the state organization with consistent encouragement and mentoring for members to seek new responsibilities and embrace leadership positions within the CPM organizations and at the national level. She is a diehard CPM fan. This is witnessed by 35 years of CPM support at both the national and state level.