Thank you Moody Air Force Base for
Our program last week!
This Week's Program
Mark Butler, Georgia's Commissioner of Labor
Mark Butler became Georgia's ninth Commissioner of Labor on January 10, 2011. As the first Republican to head the Georgia Department of Labor, Commissioner Butler is committed to reshaping the operations of a labor department. Commissioner Butler's goal is to create valuable workforce solutions through strategic alliances and community relationships. The programs at the Georgia Department of Labor reflect Butler's dedication to improving the agency's relationships with employers, job seekers and Georgia's future workforce. Commissioner Butler formed the Regional Coordinator Program in 2011 and, subsequently, the Business Service Unit in 2013. These programs serve to foster mutually beneficial relationships with Georgia's employers and economic developers. Both programs reflect Commissioner Butler's dedication to the business community and employer-driven service delivery. In order to better serve Georgia's job seekers, Commissioner Butler created the Special Workforce Assistance Team. This team has designed a job readiness program to help unemployed and underemployed people better market themselves to employers. In 2014, Commissioner Butler developed the Labor Department's newest program, Customized Recruitment, in order to bridge the gap between employers and job seekers. This program is currently only available to newly located businesses and streamlines the recruiting process. Commissioner Butler understands that a prepared workforce is a key to Georgia's economic future. As such, he developed the GeorgiaBEST program. GeorgiaBEST is a high school based program that certifies students as "work ready" based on their understanding of soft skills and vital work habits. GeorgiaBEST has become so popular that the Georgia Department of Labor has recently expanded the program to include middle school students. Prior to taking office, Commissioner Butler served eight years in the Georgia General Assembly, representing House District 18. During that time, he served as the Chairman of the House Appropriations Human Resources Sub-Committee, which oversees all operations of the budget for several of the largest state agencies. For more than 20 years, Commissioner Butler worked with his family's small business in Carrollton. As a former business owner he understands that people want government agencies to offer ways to help, rather than obstruct, economic growth. Commissioner Butler, a native of Carrollton, graduated from Auburn University with a degree in Public Administration. He and his wife, Chantell, have three children: Blake, Sydney, and Katie. Commissioner Butler and his family are members of Tabernacle Baptist Church in Carrollton.
Talking about the Thomas University 's future Rotaract Club
Join Us Friday @ noon to pack supplies in bags
at Thomasville High School & Saturday @ 7 am to 11 am to help give out the bags
Don't forget
Whine or Wine-Tuesday, August 7th @ Hubs & Hops
First Tuesday of the month from 5:30 pm to 7:00 pm.
It's a great time to get to know one another and it is a make up!
Thursday Evening, August 9th @ 5:30 pm
August Board Meeting, at the Plaza in the Back Room
Next Week's Program
Dr. Brian Ring
EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE B.S. Biological Sciences, Florida State University Ph.D. Molecular Genetics, Florida State University Post-Doctoral Fellow, Functional Genomics, Novartis Pharmaceuticals Certified Forensic Biologist Technician, DNA & Serology, Florida Department of Law Enforcement Adjunct Professor, Florida A&M University Post-Doctoral Associate, Maize Cytogenetics, Florida State University Research in my lab involves molecular genetic techniques toward understanding how the vertebrate gonad develops. Primary sex determination in most vertebrates results in the development of a single gonad, ovary or testis, from a bipotential primordium, whose developmental fate is controlled by genetic or environmental mechanisms or a combination of both. For example, sex type is determined by sex chromosomes (genetics) in mammals (i.e. XY male in humans) or temperature in alligators (environmental). Regardless of mechanism, the predominant result is the formation of dimorphic individuals, either male or female, which have a testis or ovary, respectively. The mangrove killifish, Kryptolebias marmoratus (Kmar) differs from the predominant mode of dimorphic sex determination. Kmar are synchronous self-fertilizing hermaphrodites whose unique form of reproduction involves a mixed gonad structure referred to as an ovotestis (testis and ovaries form in the same place). The ovotestis is capable of normal gametogenesis and fertilization within a common lumen. Most Kmar are configured this way and can easily be self-crossed through several generations to genetic isogeny where they form “clonal lineages” (Fig. 1A & C). Kmar males are rare, but easily distinguishable from hermaphrodites (Fig. 1B). Too date, a pure Kmar female has not been observed in nature or in the laboratory. Kmar fish are analogous to the invertebrate nematode, C. elegans, a hermaphrodite and a well established model organism in developmental genetics. However, sex determination in C. elegans is genetic, but is unknown in Kmar- although temperature does play a role. Both of these model organisms are advantageous for genetic work because the researcher does not have to inbreed males to females to create homozygosity (Fig. 1D). Currently, my lab is performing a genetic screen in Kmar for mutations involved in ovotestis development. The hypothesis is that mutants derived from this screen will be sterile by disrupting ovary or testis formation within the mixed ovotestis environment. By comparison of mutants to wild-type individuals of identical clonal decent, a default mechanism is hypothesized that is applicable to understanding the predominant bipotential mode of gonad organogenesis in vertebrates.
From the Presidents Desk
