Atlanta — June 13, 2001

Regent Hilton H. Howell Jr. today was elected to a one-year term as chair of the Board of Regents, the 16-member governing body for the University System of Georgia.

Howell will serve as the board’s chair from July 1, 2001, through June 30, 2002.

Former Gov. Zell Miller appointed Howell to the Board of Regents as a member-at-large in 1997. He currently serves as a member of Gov. Roy Barnes’ Committee on Education Reform. Prior to being named a regent, Howell served from 1993 to 1997 on the board of the Georgia Department of Human Resources.

“Georgia is a state with a strong commitment to education, and I am proud to have been asked to serve in this leadership role for the University System of Georgia,” Howell said. “I look forward to working with my fellow regents on a number of key public higher education issues during the coming year, including the selection of a new chancellor and completion of our next phase of strategic planning.”

Howell is president and chief executive officer of Atlantic American Corporation, an insurance holding company. He also is executive vice president of Delta Life Insurance Company and Delta Fire & Casualty Company, as well as vice president, secretary and director of the Bull Run Corporation and executive vice president and a director of Gray Communications Systems. Prior to locating to Atlanta with Atlantic American, Howell was in private law practice in Houston, Texas.

Howell earned a bachelor’s degree in history in 1984 and a law degree (cum laude) in 1988 from Baylor University in Waco, Texas, and a master’s degree in business administration in 1989 from the Graduate School of Business at the University of Texas at Austin.

Howell and his wife, Robin, have four children. The family lives in Atlanta.

The Board of Regents is a constitutional body that governs and manages the University System of Georgia, comprised of 34 public colleges and universities. Currently, more than 200,000 students are enrolled in System institutions and there are more than 30,000 faculty and staff.

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