About
Board of Directors
Donna Rowe
CPT, Army Nurse Corps
President & CEO
Cobb Veterans Memorial Foundation
Board of Directors
Donna Rowe
CPT, Army Nurse Corps
President & CEO
MILITARY SERVICE
- Entered the US Army in 1964 through the Student Nurse Corps Program (ROTC)
- Commissioned a 2nd Lt. in February 1966
- Basic Training: Fort Sam Houston, Texas
- Assignments:
- Brooke Army Medical Center, Ft. Sam Houston, TX
- Womack Army Hospital, Fort Bragg, N.C.
- DeWitt Army Hospital, Fort Belvoir, VA with attachment to
Walter Reed Army Hospital, Washington, D.C. - Vietnam: 3rd Field Hospital, Saigon (Head Nurse, Emergency Room/Triage Area), 1968-1969
- Promoted to Captain June 1968
- Decorations: Vietnam Service Ribbon and the Army Commendation Metal
- Honorable Discharge June 1969
- 1st WOMAN Inductee – GA Military Veterans “HALL OF FAME” – Nov. 2016
PERSONAL
- Widow of Col (Ret.) Al Rowe, (Married in April 1967)
- Mother of a son, Richard and a step-son, John
- Red Cross Nurse 1969-1999 (Served at Womack Army Hospital, DeWitt Army Hospital and South Eastern Disaster Response Center)
- R.N. Volunteer: GA Homeland Security, GA Nurse Alert System (2001-2009)
- Profession: Real Estate Broker (1983-2016) Presently with Coldwell Banker
- 1994 – 2001 Vice President, Buckhead Brokers REALTORS
- 1994 President Cobb County Assoc. of REALTORS
- 1989, 1992, 1997 REALTOR of the YEAR (Cobb)
- 2009 Cobb Association of REALTORS President’s Award
- Member, First United Methodist Church, Marietta
COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES
Donna has served her community in many organizations including: Habitat for Humanity, American Red Cross, CASA (Abused Children), GA Regional Transportation Authority, Atlanta Regional Commission (Environmental Collaborative), Fannie Mae (Executive Board), Cobb County Development Authority, various schools’ PTSA, GA Vietnam Veterans Alliance (Director), Cobb County Republican Women’s Club (President 2003), Cobb Assoc. of REALTORS (President 1994), GA Assoc. of REALTORS and the National Assoc. of REALTORS. Donna is featured in “The Kathleen Story” segment of the World Film Festival’s award winning Vietnam War documentary film, In The Shadow of The Blade, which was released on Veterans Day and continues to be shown on the “Military Channel” and the “Discovery Channel”. “The Kathleen Story” segment of this film has been selected by The Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C. to run during the permanent display of the Vietnam War Exhibit in the American History Museum. Donna has been the Keynote speaker for many important events throughout the United States including the GEMA/FEMA Regional Conference, Lockheed Veterans Dinner, and National Cemetery (Canton) Commemorative Event and was a Program participant at the VIP Veterans Festivities at the Ronald Reagan Library in California.
Al Cerqueda
Pvt, U.S. Army
Treasurer
Carl "Skip" Bell
COL, US Army, Ret.
Secretary
Cobb Veterans Memorial Foundation
Board of Directors
Carl ‘Skip’ Bell
COL, US Army, Ret.
Board Member
OVERVIEW
- Born August 6, 1945 at Emory University Hospital, Decatur, GA
- Father was a career Soldier (Infantry); lived all over the world as a child (Philippine Islands, Greece, North Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Washington, D.C.)
- Graduated from Fayetteville Sr. High School, Fayetteville, NC, 1963 (father was in the 82nd Airborne at the time)
- Graduated from North Georgia College, 1967. Activities at NGC included Scabbard & Blade Society, Order of Columbo Mountaineering Club, Aggressor Platoon, Rifle Team, Color Guard, Who’s Who in American Colleges and Universities, Distinguished Military Student/Distinguished Military Graduate
- Commissioned Armor; attended Armor Officer Basic Course and Ranger School enroute to first assignment in Germany
- Served at Scout Platoon Leader in 1st Battalion 32nd Armor, 3rd Armored Division in Germany for one year (1967-68); involuntarily curtailed and sent to Vietnam
- Assigned to 1st Squadron 4th Cavalry, 1st Infantry Division in Vietnam (1969-70). Platoon leader and Acting Troop Commander in A Troop, S4, and Commander B Troop
- Attended Infantry Officer Advanced Course, Flight School, Cobra School, and Air Cav Qualification Course and went back to Vietnam
- Assigned to 1st Aviation Brigade (1972-73), initially to Aero Weapons Platoon, C Troop, 3rd Squadron 17th Cavalry (attached to the 7th Squadron 1st Cavalry, Vinh Long, Republic of Viet Nam (RVN)), then to one of the Flight Platoons, 18th Corps Aviation Company (Can Tho, RVN), finally to G3, 1st Aviation Brigade (Long Binh and Tan Son Nhut, RVN)
- Assignments after Vietnam include Armor/Infantry Instructor, US Army Field Artillery School and ADP Staff Officer, U.S. Army Forces Command (FORSCOM), World Wide Military Command and Control System
(WWMCCS) Division - Selected for graduate schooling in Management Information Systems at Georgia State University; received Masters Degree in 1977 (high grade point average allowed selection for membership in the honorary business fraternity, Beta Gamma Sigma); did my degree utilization tour with FORSCOM WWMCCS Division
- Left Active Duty in 1981 and went into the USAR. Mobilized in 1989 and sent to Saudi Arabia on Operation Desert Shield (was WWMCCS Branch Chief in 3rd Army G-6)
- Attended the Army War College (resident course); graduated in 1992
- Served as the 81st ARCOM Deputy Chief of Staff Information Management (DCSIM), then as Commander, 2125th US Army Garrison Support Unit, Ft Bragg, NC, for my last four years in the USAR. Retired in 1998, with over 31 years’ service (14 Active Duty, 17 USAR)
- After leaving Active Duty in 1981, I was a government contractor with TAI, then with SAIC (working on Army WWMCCS projects). Joined a computer tax software company (TaxWise) in Rome, GA in 1994 as the Operations Manager, and was the Vice President for Administration when the company was sold in 2007. Helped grow the company from 72 people when I arrived to 337 people when I left. Worked briefly for the company that bought us and decided to retire
- Member of several Veterans’ organizations, including Society of the 1st Infantry Division, the 1st Squadron 4th Cavalry Association, the Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association (GA Chapter), the Combat Helicopter Pilots Association, the Army Ranger Association, the Military Order of the Purple Heart, the Atlanta
Vietnam Veterans Business Association, and the GA Vietnam Veterans Alliance - Military Awards: Legion of Merit, Bronze Star w/4 OLC (two for Valor), Purple Heart, Meritorious Service Medal w/2OLC, Air Medal w/Numeral 15 (one for Valor), Army Commendation Medal w/1 OLC, Vietnam Service Medal w/Silver Campaign Star, Vietnam Gallantry Cross w/Bronze Star (individual award), Vietnam Honor Medal 1st Class (2 awards), Army Aviator Badge, Ranger Tab.
Robert T. Morgan
SGT, U.S. Army
Co-Chairman
Cobb Veterans Memorial Foundation
Board Member
Robert T. Morgan
SGT, U.S. Army
Board Member
OVERVIEW
Bob is a native Georgian. He has traveled to many states and countries but has lived in Georgia, except for 1966 -1967, when he served in the military. He had three duty stations: Basic Training at Fort Benning, Georgia; Advanced Training at the Armor School at Fort Knox, Kentucky; and the 4th Infantry Division in Vietnam. In Vietnam he was assigned to a tank company where he served as a tank crewman. After his discharge Bob enrolled in college taking advantage of the GI Bill to help with the expenses. Upon graduating with a BBA in accounting he moved to Atlanta, Georgia, and then to Cobb County to practice his profession. He has provided accounting services, tax preparation, and financial consulting to clients in the automotive, banking, construction, and manufacturing industry, as well as providing tax advice to countless individual clients.
EDUCATION, SERVICE AND/OR PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS
BBA Accounting Georgia Southern, 1970
Received CPA certificate, 1973
Member American Institute of Certified Public Accountants
Member Georgia Society of Certified Public Accountants
Member of the North Atlanta Chapter of Certified Public Accountants
Relevant Personal and / Or Community Activities Information
- Charter member and member of Board of Directors of the North Atlanta Chapter of Certified Public Accountants
- Treasurer and member of the original Board of Directors of the Southwest Cobb Youth Soccer Association
- Board of Directors of Calvary Children’s Home
- President of the Cheatham Hill Farms Home Owner’s Association
- Distinguished President of Metro Marietta Kiwanis Club
- Campaign Treasurer for candidate and Congressman Phil Gingrey
- Campaign Treasurer for Cobb County Commission Chairman and Georgia Attorney General Sam Olens
- Vice Chairman of Development Authority of Cobb County
- Treasurer and member of Board of Directors of Franklin Gateway Community
Improvement District - Managing Partner of the Accounting Firm Cerqueda, Morgan, & Collins –
Established in Marietta, GA in 1952
Bob is married to Toria Estes Morgan from Waycross, Georgia. They have lived in Cobb County since 1970 and have two children — Paige and Rob. They also have one grandchild, Thai Johnson, who is a student at Columbus College. Bob enjoys traveling, fishing, hiking, and gardening.
Curtis Williams
Maj Gen USAF, Ret.
Co-Chairman
Cobb Veterans Memorial Foundation
Board of Directors
Curtis L. Williams
Maj Gen, USAF, Ret.
Board Member
OVERVIEW
Curtis Williams has been a member of the Cobb Veterans Memorial Foundation Board since October 2019. He is a retired Major General having spent over 40 years in the United States Air Force with service in both Active Duty and the Reserves. Most of his experience is in the Logistics, Civil Engineering, Maintenance, and Planning career fields. He has been a Commander multiple times and served both stateside and overseas. His last assignment was as the Deputy Director for Political-Military Affairs for Africa Strategy on the Joint Staff at the Pentagon, Washington DC.
He holds a Bachelors Degree in Criminology from Saint Leo College, Florida and a Masters in Public Administration from San Angelo State University, Texas. He is also a Post Graduate of Executive Leadership Programs from the Maxwell School of Public Policy, Syracuse University, New York; Darden School of Business, University of Virginia, Virginia; and the LogTech Executive Program, Ken-Flagler Business School, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
He is active in the community through volunteer work and community social organizations and associations.
General Williams and his wife Ramona reside in Acworth, Georgia. They have four grown children, Damon, Chanel, Radaja, and Khala. They are the proud grandparents of 11 grandchildren and 1 great-grandchild.
General and Mrs. Williams are excited and thrilled to be a part of an initiative that both honors and recognizes the contributions and sacrifices of Veterans and their families.
David Hambrick
Capt. U.S. Marine Corps, Ret.
Board Member
Cobb Veterans Memorial Foundation
Board of Directors
David W. Hambrick
CAPT. U.S.M.C (Ret.) C.M.
Board Member
OVERVIEW
Dave is a retired combat veteran Marine Corps officer having served 21 years in various commands and post overseas and in CONUS. After his retirement from the Marine Corps he served as Plant Manager at a Cryogenic Vessel manufacturing facility and then served as a Division Level senior manager in the Structural Testing Laboratories at Lockheed-Martin Aeronautics Company for over 23 years where he was responsible for the technologists, research mechanics, highly skilled general machinists, welders and instrumentation testing employees for the sophisticated F-22 aircraft at the Marietta site, and the same disciplines for the F-35 aircraft at the Ft Worth, Texas site. He brings to the Board over 50 years of various levels of management experience.
EDUCATION, SERVICE AND/OR PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS
Dave holds undergraduate and graduate degrees in Management with post graduate studies in Operations Management, he is a Certified Manager from James Madison University in Virginia and attended the Lockheed-Martin Center for Advanced Leadership and Management Studies at the Carnegie-Mellon University in Pittsburgh, PA. Dave served as an instructor/teacher/adjunct professor of Management Studies at the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University for 2 years as well.
RELEVANT PERSONAL AND/OR COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES
Dave is of Scot/Irish and Cherokee descent and he, his beautiful wife Gail of 48 years, reside in Marietta and they have one son Matthew (35). They have lived in the Marietta area for over 45 years. Their son, Matthew, attended Sprayberry High School and is a graduate of the University of West Georgia.
Over the past twelve (12) years Dave has been actively involved with many of the State and County veteran organizations. In the Georgia Vietnam Veterans’ Alliance, Inc.he served as the first President of its’ Foundation, served as the Vice President at the State level and President of the Chapter 1 level, as well as its’ first Honor Guard Commander. He served as the Judge Advocate for the local Marine Corps League Detachment and is a life member of the Military Order of the Purple Heart Foundation as well as the American Legion Post 29 (Marietta).
As one of the founding members of the Cobb Veterans Memorial Foundation he is a strong believer that the tens of thousands of Cobb Veterans need, want and certainly rate a first-class memorial to be used as “their” place of respect for the multitude of sacrifices that they, and their families, have experienced for their steadfast service to this county, the state, and the United States of America.
Dr. Emily Lembeck
Supt. Marietta City Schools, Ret.
Board Member
Cobb Veterans Memorial Foundation
Board of Directors
Emily Lembeck
Supt. Marietta City Schools, Ret.
Board Member
OVERVIEW
Dr. Emily Lembeck served as Superintendent of Marietta City Schools (MCS) from 2005 until her retirement began on January 1, 2017, becoming just the 12th superintendent since 1892. Lembeck holds a Doctorate in Educational Leadership from the University of Georgia, a Masters in Administration and Supervision from Nova University in Florida, and a Bachelor of Arts in Early Childhood Education from Brooklyn College in New York.
Under the direction of Dr. Lembeck, Marietta City Schools became one of Georgia’s first Charter School Systems; became one of only a few school systems nationwide able to provide the full International Baccalaureate (IB) (K-12) continuum; and launched Marietta Reads!, a citywide effort to foster reading and literacy that is now in its nineteenth year. Prior to her retirement she provided the vision and created the foundation for a College & Career Academy that continues to successfully move forward with new leadership. She is proud of the Emily Lembeck Early Learning Center, a school named to honor her passion for early learning and literacy development.
For advancing student achievement and supports for learning she was named the Superintendent of the Year by the Georgia School Superintendent’s Association in 2012; and has received the Cobb NAACP “Living the Dream” Award, the Boy Scouts of America Whitney M. Young, Jr. Service Award, Blacks United for Youth (BUY) Justice Robert Benham Award, and the Marietta Daily Journal Cobb County Citizen of the Year Award – to name a few.
Dr. Lembeck has served on many professional committees and organizations including Leadership Cobb Class of 2000, Cobb Education Consortium, and the Governor’s Office for Children and Families Georgia Children’s Cabinet. Her service made a positive difference on the boards of the Marietta Schools Foundation, the Cobb County Boys and Girls Clubs, Cobb Community Services Board and Board of Health, United Way Regional Commission on Homelessness, Communities in Schools of Cobb/Marietta, Cobb County Library Foundation, and a long-term affiliation with the Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education.
As a retiree Emily enjoys her family, travel, painting, hiking, providing consultative support for charter systems state-wide and volunteering at the Early Learning Center and in the community through her long association with the Kiwanis Club of Marietta. She looks forward to serving on the Cobb County Veterans Memorial Foundation to honor all who have served and sacrificed for our great nation, including her husband Harry who served as a Marine in Vietnam.
Frank Strickland
CDR, U.S. Coast Guard
Reserve, Ret.
Board Member
Cobb Veterans Memorial Foundation
Board of Directors
Frank B. Strickland
CDR, U.S. Coast Guard Reserve, Ret.
Board Member
OVERVIEW
Frank Strickland serves as a court-appointed special master and receiver in commercial litigation matters and is a certified mediator registered with the Georgia Office of Dispute Resolution. Mr. Strickland’s practice also includes assisting clients with interests in legislative and public policy matters. He has appeared before legislative and congressional committees and has represented legislators and candidates before the Georgia Government Transparency and Campaign Finance Commission (and its predecessor). He served as an adjunct professor at the Georgia State University College of Law teaching a course in election law.
With more than 40 years of experience in the field of higher education, Mr. Strickland has represented educational institutions in litigation and accreditation matters; federal funding; discipline of faculty, staff and students; tenure; state licensing boards; athletics; board governance; and various types of financing, including bond financing. He has acted as special counsel to foundations located at numerous institutions of the University System of Georgia in connection with financing of student housing and related facilities.
President George W. Bush nominated Mr. Strickland to the eleven-member bipartisan Board of Directors of the Legal Services Corporation (LSC) in Washington, DC. After Senate confirmation, Mr. Strickland was elected Chairman of the Board of LSC and served in that position from April 2003 until April 2010. He continues to serve on two LSC board committees. LSC is the single largest funder of civil legal aid in the nation. Congress established LSC as an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation that promotes equal access to justice and provides grants for high-quality civil legal assistance to low-income Americans. With an annual appropriation of $465 million, LSC distributes more than 94 percent of its total funding to 132 independent nonprofit legal aid programs in all 50 states with more than 800 offices.
By appointment of Governors Sonny Perdue and Nathan Deal, from 2003 to 2016 Mr. Strickland served on the Judicial Nominating Commission (JNC), which reviews candidates for judicial appointments throughout the State of Georgia.
Mr. Strickland served in the United States Coast Guard and is a retired Commander, U.S. Coast Guard Reserve.
Memberships
- State Bar of Georgia, Board of Governors, 1986-present; Executive Committee, 2017-2019
- Board to Determine the Fitness of Bar Applicants, Member
- Atlanta Lawyers Chapter of the Federalist Society, Chairman
- Bleckley Inn of Court, Georgia State University College of Law, Master
- Georgia State University College of Law Board of Visitors, Member
- LSC Leaders Council, Member
- Atlanta Bar Association, Former President
- Cobb and American Bar Associations
- State Ethics Commission, Former Chairman
- Fulton County Board of Registration and Elections, Former Member
- Georgia Republican Party, Former General Counsel
- Georgia Legal Services Program, Former Director
- Atlanta Legal Aid Society, Former Director
- Federal Defender Program Inc., Former Director
- Board of Governors of the Republican National Lawyers Association (RNLA), Former Member
- Georgia Chapter of RNLA, Founder and Former Chairman
Tony Alexander
Director of Development
Cobb Veterans Memorial Foundation
Director of Development
Tony Alexander
Director of Development
Tony Alexander brings an impressive 20+ year career in marketing, strategic partnerships, and corporate sponsorship development. He has worked in network television and managed some of the most iconic brands in their effort to stand apart from the competition. His portfolio has included Kaiser Permanente, Dodge and Harrah’s Casino, among others.
As the Manager of Corporate Partnerships for the NBA franchise, Atlanta Hawks, Tony leveraged media, experiential assets and a powerful hometown brand to drive sales, increase value perception and execute more effective social responsibility platforms. An accomplished public speaker, sales trainer and marketing expert, Tony has a varied skill set, tremendous industry knowledge and a tireless commitment to advocate for the underserved. Tony is active in the community with numerous non-profit affiliations including Fulton-Dekalb Hospital Authority, The Partnership against Domestic Violence, Learning in Color, Bethany Christian Services and Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc. He’s a graduate of Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte, NC with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications. Tony resides in Cobb County with his wife and two children.