2022-2023 Leadership
Alex Johnson, President
Alex attended Oglethorpe University and received a B.A. in Politics and attended Georgia State Law school for his Juris Doctor. While at Oglethorpe, he helped found the College Republicans in 2003. In 2009, he became involved in the DeKalb County Republican Party and DeKalb County Young Republicans serving as Secretary, Vice Chair and eventual two-term Chairman of the
Nathaniel Darnell, NFRA National Director for GA
Nathaniel serves as the NFRA Director of the GRA (taking over for Ron Hooper in that position after he retired) and as the Chairman of the Cobb County Republican Assembly. Prior to that he served as the 3rd Vice President of the GRA. He also was elected as the Vice Chair of Communications for the
Catherine Bernard, NFRA National Director for GA
Catherine Bernard serves as the lady junior NFRA National Director for Georgia, succeeding Debra Williams. In addition, Catherine has developed a reputation as a successful criminal defense attorney in Georgia. In 2012 she was elected as a delegate to the National Republican Convention. She and her husband Eric reside in DeKalb County.
Brant Frost V, 1st Vice President
Brant serves in many roles in Republican politics in Georgia. In 2018 and 2020 he was elected as the 2nd Vice Chairman of the Georgia Republican Party, and has helped to bring reform to the state party. He is also the Chairman of the Coweta County Republican Party (CCRP) serving since March 2013. He previously served
Jim Fernander, 2nd Vice President
Jim Fernander was elected the 2nd Vice President of the GRA at the State Convention in December of 2021. Living in Douglasville, Jim has been active in the Republican Party in Georgia for many years.
Abigail Darnell, 3rd Vice President
Abigail is a Christian, homeschool graduate who is passionate about the ideals underlying the Republican Party. She feels called to help make America constitutional again and sees effective political activism as part of Christian ministry: a natural outflow of loving one’s neighbor and the Great Commission. She was elected to fill the vacancy of the Third
Joanna Hildreth, Secretary
Joanna Hildreth serves as the Secretary of the GRA as well as one of the leaders of the NWGRA in Catoosa County, Georgia. In 2020 she was also elected the Chair of the Catoosa County Republican Party organization. Her volunteer service has helped to stop multiple tax increases and tax allocation districts designed to increase
Denise Burns, Assistant Secretary
Denise Burns was elected as the Assistant Secretary of the GRA at the State Convention in December of 2021. She has been a GRA member in good standing for many years, and was also elected the 14th Congressional District GA GOP Chairman in May of 2021. She lives in the Walker County / Catoosa County
Nate Porter, Treasurer
Nathan Porter was elected to serve as the Treasurer for the GRA after James B. Jordan resigned from the position. Nate was the founding leader of the Fulton chapter of the GRA formerly and served on the 6th Congressional District GOP Committee. He runs a bookkeeping firm in Alpharetta.
Banks Wise, Assistant Treasurer
As the Assistant Treasurer, Banks Wise provides support to the Treasurer in managing the finances of the organization. He has been involved in the Republican Party as a volunteer activist for over a decade, first getting involved in the presidential races of Congressman Ron Paul from Texas. He resides in Cherokee County and works in
Field Searcy, Chairman of the I.T. Committee
Field serves as the I.T Committee Chair, and redeveloped the GRA web site in 2020. He’s formerly served as a House District Chair in the Cobb County Republican Party, and has worked competently in the I.T. business for many years. He currently resides in South Georgia.
Silas Roberts, Chair of the Chapter Relations Committee
Silas Roberts has been an active member of the Hart County Republican Party for many years with the rest of his family. The second-born son of Timothy Roberts, Sr. and Linda Roberts, Silas has experience working in congressional campaigns crossing multiple county lines as well as in operating a successful landscaping business.
Sheryl Sellaway, Chair of the Public Relations Action Group
The Chairlady of the Public Relations Action Group has the special task of strategically planning and coordinating public relations for the Georgia Republican Assembly. After more than 20 years of holding executive-level communications roles in corporate, agency and non-profit firms, Sheryl departed traditional work life to set, build and maintain a higher standard of honesty,
Michael Optiz, Vetting Committee Chairman
The Vetting Committee Chairman reports to NFRA Director Catherine Bernard and is responsible for interviewing candidates for office seeking the GRA’s endorsement. The committee makes recommendations to the GRA membership regarding endorsement. Michael Opitz is the founder of the Madison Forum in Cobb County.
Greg Cline, Chairman of the Coalition of Leaders Action Group
Greg is a native Georgian, from Dalton, and he has been a practicing attorney for 30 years, mostly in corporate law. He currently lives in Forsyth County, where he has been a general counsel and in-house attorney for several companies, large and small, including Scientific Games. Greg has also worked at several Atlanta law firms,
Chris Watson, Chairman of the Events Action Group
The Events Action Group ensures the visibility of the organization to the public in multiple formats (Dinners, Conventions, etc.) and adds value to a member’s relationship with the GRA by providing specialized events for members to attend while expanding their knowledge, involvement, and contacts. Chris is a retired interpersonal skills trainer — at writing and
Alex Johnson, GRA President
Alex attended Oglethorpe University and received a B.A. in Politics and attended Georgia State Law school for his Juris Doctor. While at Oglethorpe, he helped found the College Republicans in 2003. In 2009, he became involved in the DeKalb County Republican Party and DeKalb County Young Republicans serving as Secretary, Vice Chair and eventual two-term Chairman of the
Debra Williams, NFRA Director from Georgia
Debra Williams serves as the lady NFRA National Director for Georgia, succeeding Kay Godwin. In addition, Debra serves as the Chair of GRA Events and has previously served as the second President of the Cobb County Republican Assembly and the Vice Chair of Membership for the Cobb County Republican Party. Prior to that she was
Nathaniel Darnell, NFRA Director from Georgia
Nathaniel served as the NFRA Director of the GRA in 2021, succeeding Ron Hooper in that position. The year before that, as the 3rd Vice President of the GRA and as the Chairman of the Cobb County Republican Assembly in 2020. He also was elected as the Vice Chair of Communications for the Cobb County Republican
Brant Frost V, 1st Vice President
Brant is the Chairman of the Coweta County Republican Party (CCRP) serving since March 2013. He previously served as 1st Vice Chairman of the CCRP from 2011 to 2013 and served as a delegate to the 2012 Republican National Convention. Brant was born and raised in Georgia and has lived in Coweta County since childhood. Brant
Norine Cantor, 2nd Vice President
Norine attended UNG and received her AA in Business Administration. Also, attended the Leadership Institute to learn how to effectively run a grassroots campaign. Norine is actively involved in her local GOP as the Events Chair, and other local political organizations. She has been involved in politics for many years and has had active roles
Joanna Hildreth, Secretary
Joanna Hildreth serves as the Secretary of the GRA as well as one of the leaders of the NWGRA in Catoosa County, Georgia.
Michael Davis, Assistant Secretary
Michael Davis served as the Assistant Secretary of the GRA in 2020 and 2021, and was previously the founding President of the Cobb County Republican Assembly chapter. Having graduated from Sprayberry high school and studied business marketing at Perimeter college, Michael worked as a marketing and sales manager for a Fortune 500 company from 2001
Nate Porter, Treasurer
Nathan Porter was elected to serve as the Treasurer for the GRA after James B. Jordan resigned from the position. He was later re-elected to that position at the GRA State Convention in December of 2021. Nate was the founding leader of the Fulton chapter of the GRA formerly, and was elected as Chairman of
Abigail Darnell, 3rd Vice President
Abigail Hope Darnell (formerly Abigail Hope Cochran) grew up in Whitfield County in northwest Georgia before marrying Nathaniel Darnell in the summer of 2020. She is the grateful mother of their first child Patience Hope Darnell, who was born in November of 2021. She is the eldest daughter among seven children belonging to Crystal Cochran
Frank Molesky, Southeastern Regional Director
Frank Molesky served as the 3rd Vice President of the GRA until he was elected as the new Southeastern NFRA Director in the autumn of 2019, a position he served in until a new Southeastern Regional NFRA Director was elected at the NFRA National Convention in Scottsdale, Arizona in October of 2021. Retired now after
Celestine James, Chair of the Membership Committee
Celestine James from South Georgia, who is affectionately known by many as “CJ,” brings a special passion for outreach to overlooked groups for the Republican cause. She volunteered and was appointed to Chair the new Membership Committee for the GRA in January 2021. As President of ANNIE’S LEGACY INC., a domestic nonprofit corporation, Celestine James
J. Gregory Howard, Chair of the New Membership Committee
As the Chairman of the New Membership Committee, Gregory Howard had the special task of vetting applicants for new membership into the Georgia Republican Assembly. He served in this role from February 2021 until the conclusion of the GRA State Convention in December of 2021. Greg is from Gwinnett County, and has served with distinction as
Silas Roberts, Chair of the Chapter Relations Committee
Silas Roberts was first appointed the Chapter Relations Chairman of the GRA in August of 2021. He has been an active member of the Hart County Republican Party for many years with the rest of his family. The second-born son of Timothy Roberts, Sr. and Linda Roberts, Silas has experience working in congressional campaigns crossing
Field Searcy, Chairman of the I.T. Committee
Field serves as the I.T Committee Chair, and redeveloped the GRA web site in 2020. He’s formerly served as a House District Chair in the Cobb County Republican Party, and has worked competently in the I.T. business for many years. He currently resides in South Georgia.
Alex Johnson, GRA President
Alex attended Oglethorpe University and received a B.A. in Politics and attended Georgia State Law school for his Juris Doctor. While at Oglethorpe, he helped found the College Republicans in 2003. In 2009, he became involved in the DeKalb County Republican Party and DeKalb County Young Republicans serving as Secretary, Vice Chair and eventual two-term Chairman of the
Brant Frost V, 1st Vice President
Brant is the Chairman of the Coweta County Republican Party (CCRP) serving since March 2013. He previously served as 1st Vice Chairman of the CCRP from 2011 to 2013 and served as a delegate to the 2012 Republican National Convention. Brant was born and raised in Georgia and has lived in Coweta County since childhood. Brant
Norine Cantor, 2nd Vice President
Norine attended UNG and received her AA in Business Administration. Also, attended the Leadership Institute to learn how to effectively run a grassroots campaign. Norine is actively involved in her local GOP as the Events Chair, and other local political organizations. She has been involved in politics for many years and has had active roles
Nathaniel Darnell, 3rd Vice President
Nathaniel served as the 3rd Vice President of the GRA and as the Chairman of the Cobb County Republican Assembly in 2020. He also was elected as the Vice Chair of Communications for the Cobb County Republican Party in 2019 and continued to serve in that capacity in 2020. He first started working in Georgia Republican
Debra Williams, NFRA Director from Georgia
Debra Williams serves as the lady NFRA National Director for Georgia, succeeding Kay Godwin. In addition, Debra serves as the Chair of GRA Events and has previously served as the second President of the Cobb County Republican Assembly and the Vice Chair of Membership for the Cobb County Republican Party. Prior to that she was
Ron Hooper, NFRA Director from Georgia
Ron Hooper served as the gentleman NFRA National Director for Georgia until his retirement from that position on January 1, 2021. He is also active as leader in the Lanier Republican Assembly chapter and in the area surrounding Hall County, Georgia. He was born in Gainesville, Georgia and has been a lifelong resident, being married
Joanna Hildreth, Secretary
Joanna Hildreth serves as the Secretary of the GRA as well as one of the leaders of the NWGRA in Catoosa County, Georgia.
Michael Davis, Assistant Secretary
Michael Davis served as the Assistant Secretary of the GRA in 2020 and 2021, and was previously the founding President of the Cobb County Republican Assembly chapter. Having graduated from Sprayberry high school and studied business marketing at Perimeter college, Michael worked as a marketing and sales manager for a Fortune 500 company from 2001
James B. Jordan, Treasurer
James B. Jordan served as the Treasurer for the GRA until his retirement from that position on December 1, 2020, and is a Certified Public Accountant. He formerly lived in Coweta County, but moved to Cobb County and now also serves ad the House District Chair in the Cobb GOP for State House District 35.
Frank Molesky, Southeastern Regional Director
Frank Molesky served as the 3rd Vice President of the GRA until he was elected as the new Southeastern NFRA Director in the autumn of 2019. Retired now as a successful financial advisor for many years, Frank has been active in the Republican Party and in the Republican Assembly all the way back since the
Alex Johnson, GRA President & NFRA Southeastern Regional Director
Alex attended Oglethorpe University and received a B.A. in Politics and attended Georgia State Law school for his Juris Doctor. While at Oglethorpe, he helped found the College Republicans in 2003. In 2009, he became involved in the DeKalb County Republican Party and DeKalb County Young Republicans serving as Secretary, Vice Chair and eventual two-term Chairman of the
Brant Frost V, 1st Vice President
Brant is the Chairman of the Coweta County Republican Party (CCRP) serving since March 2013. He previously served as 1st Vice Chairman of the CCRP from 2011 to 2013 and served as a delegate to the 2012 Republican National Convention. Brant was born and raised in Georgia and has lived in Coweta County since childhood. Brant
Mike Scupin, 2nd Vice President
Mike Scupin has an A.E. degree in Architecture from Southern Technical Institute, a BBA degree in Economics from North Georgia College, a MS degree in Management of Technology from Southern Polytechnic and State University. He has been an adjunct professor at North Georgia College teaching various management courses. Mike has various business experiences. He has
Frank Molesky, 3rd Vice President
Frank Molesky served as the 3rd Vice President of the GRA until he was elected as the new Southeastern NFRA Director in the autumn of 2019. Retired now as a successful financial advisor for many years, Frank has been active in the Republican Party and in the Republican Assembly all the way back since the
Pat Tippett, Secretary
Pat Tippett has been a grassroots activist for more than 25 years serving on numerous local, state, and federal campaigns, including as state grassroots co-chair for the George W. Bush campaign. She has been a Delegate/Alternate to four national conventions and served as Chair of the First Congressional District Republican Party in 2009-2011. In 2002,
Norine Cantor, Treasurer
Norine attended UNG and received her AA in Business Administration. Also, attended the Leadership Institute to learn how to effectively run a grassroots campaign. Norine is actively involved in her local GOP as the Events Chair, and other local political organizations. She has been involved in politics for many years and has had active roles
Debra Lieb, Assistant Secretary
After attending Indiana University as an opera major, Debra earned her B.S. in Business Management in 1989 from Guilford College in Greensboro, N.C. She has been a professional musician and entertainer for over 35 years. Ms. Lieb has been in the political arena since 2009 holding several offices in the Cobb County Republican Party:
Kay Godwin, NFRA Director from Georgia
Kay Godwin has been a grassroots activist for more than 27 years, serving on more than 100 local, state, and federal campaigns including as state grassroots co-chair for the George W. Bush campaign. Kay has been a Delegate/Alternate to four national conventions, served as chairman of the Pierce County Republican Party, and as Chairwoman of
Jack Staver, NFRA Director from Georgia
Jack Staver is a small business owner and involved citizen. Jack is the Chairman of the Northwest GA 9/12 project and has served in an advisory capacity for other grassroots conservative Republican organizations. He helped lead the tea party movement in Georgia at its inception and has worked as an activist attempting to reign in
Alex attended Oglethorpe University and received a B.A. in Politics and attended Georgia State Law school for his Juris Doctor. While at Oglethorpe, he helped found the College Republicans in 2003. In 2009, he became involved in the DeKalb County Republican Party and DeKalb County Young Republicans serving as Secretary, Vice Chair and eventual two-term Chairman of the DeKalb County Young Republicans.
He has served within the DeKalb County Republican Party as an Executive Committee member, Senate District Chair, and General (Legal) Counsel, as well as being the Republican candidate for the Georgia State Senate in District 41 in 2010 against Democrat Steve Henson, losing but garnering approximately 43% of the vote.
Alex ran for Georgia GOP Chairman in 2013, 2015, and 2017 (receiving 40%, 45%, and 47% of the vote, respectively). He has also founded Advance the GOP, an informational effort to improve the Republican Party in Georgia by holding politicians accountable to the Republican principles that they claimed to support when they took office.
He received the National Federation of Republican Assemblies (NFRA) President's Award for Activism in 2017, and was also elected to serve as the Southern Regional Vice-President for the NFRA.
As his paying job, Alex practices law throughout Georgia, focusing on both personal injury and civil rights litigation, as well as representing businesses. He lives in Dunwoody, Georgia with his wife, Andrea.
Nathan Porter was elected to serve as the Treasurer for the GRA after James B. Jordan resigned from the position. Nate was the founding leader of the Fulton chapter of the GRA formerly and was elected as the Chairman of the 6th Congressional District GOP organization. He runs a bookkeeping firm in Alpharetta.
Nathaniel serves as the NFRA Director of the GRA (taking over for Ron Hooper in that position after he retired) and as the Chairman of the Cobb County Republican Assembly. Prior to that he served as the 3rd Vice President of the GRA. He was also formerly elected to serve as the Vice Chair of Communications for the Cobb County Republican Party in 2019, and has been elected to the GAGOP State Committee for several years. He first started working in Georgia Republican politics in 1996, working for eight different Republican state legislators over the course of eight legislative sessions, including Tom Graves in his freshman year as a state representative, and Casey Cagle when he was still a minority-party state senator. He also served State Senator Mike Crane (R-Newnan), State Rep. Mitchell Kaye (R-Cobb), State Senator Billy Ray (R-Gwinnett), and others. He served as a state committee member for the Georgia Republican Party in the 11th Congressional District for seven years, as the Executive Director of the Cobb County Republican Party for three years. Nathaniel holds a juris doctorate with Oak Brook College of Law and works as a licensed financial advisor and insurance professional in Georgia.
Catherine Bernard serves as the lady junior NFRA National Director for Georgia, succeeding Debra Williams. In addition, Catherine has developed a reputation as a successful criminal defense attorney in Georgia. In 2012 she was elected as a delegate to the National Republican Convention. She and her husband Eric reside in DeKalb County.
Denise Burns was elected as the Assistant Secretary of the GRA at the State Convention in December of 2021. She has been a GRA member in good standing for many years, and was also elected the 14th Congressional District GA GOP Chairman in May of 2021. She lives in the Walker County / Catoosa County area, has been a good long-term friend of Secretary Joanna Hildreth, and she assists Joanna with the official correspondence on behalf of the GRA.
Joanna Hildreth serves as the Secretary of the GRA as well as one of the leaders of the NWGRA in Catoosa County, Georgia. In 2020 she was also elected the Chair of the Catoosa County Republican Party organization. Her volunteer service has helped to stop multiple tax increases and tax allocation districts designed to increase local government waste and corporate welfare.
Abigail is a Christian, homeschool graduate who is passionate about the ideals underlying the Republican Party. She feels called to help make America constitutional again and sees effective political activism as part of Christian ministry: a natural outflow of loving one’s neighbor and the Great Commission.
She was elected to fill the vacancy of the Third Vice Chair of the GRA in 2021. Earlier that year she was also elected to serve as a precinct officer for LM03 in the Cobb County Republican Party.
She currently serves as the Vice President of GA Right to Life, having been elected to that position twice, and previously co-led the Northwest Georgia Right to Life chapter. She has trained and volunteered with the Center for Bio-ethical Reform doing pro-life campus outreach at liberal colleges and doing street activism.
She served for five years as Secretary of the L’Abri Symphony, a non-profit community orchestra in Dalton, GA. For seven years she worked doing bookkeeping and payroll for Keith Cochran CPA accounting firm. She is currently in her first year working as an insurance agent with Bankers Life alongside her husband Nathaniel.
She has an interest in true journalism, untainted by Marxist narratives, and in 2020 worked as a writer and correspondent for The Tulis Report, a conservative talk radio show in Chattanooga, TN.
She is a wife and mother and is enthusiastic about the vital role of mothers in preserving conservatism for the next generation.
Jim Fernander was elected the 2nd Vice President of the GRA at the State Convention in December of 2021. Living in Douglasville, Jim has been active in the Republican Party in Georgia for many years.
Brant serves in many roles in Republican politics in Georgia. In 2018 and 2020 he was elected as the 2nd Vice Chairman of the Georgia Republican Party, and has helped to bring reform to the state party. He is also the Chairman of the Coweta County Republican Party (CCRP) serving since March 2013. He previously served as 1st Vice Chairman of the CCRP from 2011 to 2013 and served as a delegate to the 2012 Republican National Convention.
Brant was born and raised in Georgia and has lived in Coweta County since childhood. Brant or “Five” (as his friends call him) has served as a volunteer in the campaigns of Gary Bauer, Saxby Chambliss, and Sonny Perdue. He also served as county campaign manager for Jeff Chapman and Max Wood in 2010.
In 2010, Brant was appointed to serve as Vice Chairman of the Newnan Urban Redevelopment Agency. In 2013, he was appointed Chairman of the agency.
In 2011, Brant was elected as 1st Vice Chair of the Coweta County Republican Party (CCRP). In late 2011, Brant worked closely with Mike Crane in Crane’s successful bid to win a special election to the state senate. Brant would go on to serve as a legislative aide to Senator Crane in 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2015 sessions of the Georgia General Assembly. In April 2012, Brant was elected to represent the Third Congressional District of Georgia to the Republican National Convention in Tampa serving as the youngest delegate from Georgia.
Brant was elected as Chairman of the CCRP without opposition in March of 2013; and elected to the GAGOP State Committee on April 20, 2013. In March 2015, Brant was re-elected CCRP Chairman unopposed. Also in March, Brant successfully led the effort to stop a proposed rules change to the GAGOP rules that would have created greater obstacles to participation in the party process.
Brant served on the Resolutions Committee at the 2012 and 2013 GAGOP state conventions. He is a co-founder of GeorgiaCaucus.org and has written for zpolitics.com as well as other political websites. As a young Christian Conservative Brant has always striven to conduct himself in a manner that would be a credit to his Lord, his family, and his country.