Governing Board members are volunteers who represent several FCS community partners. Board members serve staggered three-year terms. FCS Superintendent Mitch Young, Chief of Community Engagement and Lifelong Education Dr. Valery Lowe, and Community Engagement Coordinator Hannah Samples serve as liaisons between the school district and the Foundation. If you would like to get involved, contact Hannah Samples.
Michael Barron is the current Chair and a native of Georgia who grew up in Forsyth County and graduated from South Forsyth High School in 1999. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Management with a minor in Management Information Systems from High Point University in North Carolina.
In 2013, Michael returned to Forsyth County with his wife, Stephanie, to raise their family in the community he has always loved. He is deeply involved in local initiatives, volunteering at North Point Community Church, where he leads a 50-person Guest Services team, coaching youth sports, serving on the HOA board, and supporting organizations like Junior Achievement of Georgia.
With nearly 23 years of experience in cloud technology sales management, Michael has worked for industry leaders such as Home Depot, PGi, Oracle, and RingCentral. He currently manages NCR Voyix’s top Global Hospitality customer, leveraging his expertise in strategic account management and technology solutions.
An avid golfer, networker, and technology enthusiast, Michael enjoys staying engaged in both professional and community circles. He and Stephanie are proud parents of a daughter and two sons, all of whom attend the Forsyth County School System.
Bert Durand is originally from Augusta, Georgia, and holds a Finance degree from Georgia Southern University. He has been in banking in Forsyth County for the past 23 years. Mr. Durand is married to Melissa, and they have two children, Emily and Thomas, who attend Forsyth Central High School and North Forsyth High School. His family attends Local Church and Oak Grove Baptist Church. Mr. Durand is a current member and past president of the North Forsyth Rotary club, the chair of the Forsyth County Public Facilities Authority, and serves on the Executive Council for the Northeast Georgia Boy Scouts, Forsyth County Chamber of Commerce board, and the North Forsyth High School Local School Council.
Richard Good has been a resident of Forsyth County since 2010 and has dedicated his career to supporting local education and healthcare. A graduate of the University of Georgia with a Bachelor of Science in Biology and an emphasis on Athletic Training, Richard has been actively involved with Forsyth County Schools since 2011. He made a significant impact at West Forsyth High School, where he served for eight years providing sports medicine services, and played a pivotal role in the successful opening of Denmark High School and establishing their medical needs.
For the past five years, Richard has served as the Clinical Manager and Outreach Coordinator at Peachtree Orthopedics, where he oversees the delivery of medical services to several high schools within Forsyth County and leads his team of clinical staff and physicians.
Outside of his professional life, Richard is a devoted family man, married to his wife Kelsie, and the proud father of two children, Connor (9) and Avery (7), both of whom attend New Hope Elementary. With both children heavily involved in sports, Richard is frequently found on the ballfield, supporting them in their athletic endeavors. Passionate about giving back to the community that has shaped him, Richard remains committed to making a lasting, positive impact on the students, families, and schools of Forsyth County.
Wendy Goodrow has been a resident of Forsyth County for 28 years, originally from Cocoa, Florida. She holds a degree in journalism with a specialization in public relations and advertising from the University of Central Florida.
A passionate advocate for community engagement, Wendy has been an active leader and volunteer within the Forsyth County school system, where her four children attended Mashburn Elementary, Otwell Middle, Lakeside Middle, and Forsyth Central High School. She has organized numerous school events, including Father-Daughter dances, 8th-grade celebrations, and Forsyth Central’s 60th-anniversary festivities. Her leadership extends to serving on PTO boards and the Local School Council (LSC), as well as founding the PTO at Forsyth Central and establishing the Bulldog Giving Center, a program providing food, clothing, and essential items to students in need.
Beyond the school system, Wendy serves on the Community School Advisory Board. She works closely with Forsyth County Schools’ social workers to support local families. She has been involved with The Place of Forsyth County for 27 years, serving on its Board of Directors for the past 8 years and is a weekly volunteer in The Place’s retail store.
Wendy has been honored 4-times as Woman of the Year by the Sawnee Women’s Club. In 2024, Forsyth Central High School presented her with an honorary diploma, acknowledging her dedication to the school and broader community.
Wendy and her husband, Andy, have been married for 33 years, and she takes great pride in being a devoted mother to their four children—Morgan, Brook, Amy, and Johnny.
Fonda Gravitt Harrison is a lifelong resident of Forsyth County. She is a graduate of University of North Georgia, Brenau University and University of Georgia! She began her teaching career at Mashburn Elementary in 1988. During her career in FCS, she served as a teacher, assistant principal, principal and central office administrator. She retired in June 2020 from her position as Associate Superintendent of Teaching and Learning. During her tenure with FCS and since retirement, she has remained active on various nonprofit boards in Forsyth County. She is currently serving on the Boys and Girls Club Board and is the Community Service Chair for the Forsyth County Retired Educators Association. Mrs. Harrison is married to Robert, and they have two adult children and one granddaughter. During her free time, she enjoys spending time with family, sewing, learning the craft of reupholstery, creating pallet wood projects, and being Gigi!
Joseph Otwell is a lifelong resident of Forsyth County. He is a graduate of North Forsyth High School and received his BS in Management from the University of North Georgia. Mr. Otwell is the Executive Manager of his family’s business Andean Chevrolet. His business has been a long-time partner with the school system sponsoring many programs for academics and school sports teams. Joseph and his wife Heather have 1 daughter and 3 sons. His family is very involved at First Baptist Cumming where he serves in the children’s ministry and the tech team. He enjoys traveling with family, helping with his kids sports teams, and cheering on the Georgia Bulldogs.
SreeRam Royyala has been a resident of Forsyth County for twenty years. He has a masters degree in Engineering and more than twenty years of leadership experience working in a broad set of environments including Fortune 50 companies, SMBs, start-ups and non-profit organizations. He has expertise in managing, architecting, and developing enterprise IT applications and currently working as Chief Technology Officer in Virima. Prior to Virima, he was founder and CEO at ZeroTouchWare, a provider of Enterprise Service Management solutions. Previously, SreeRam held technical and management positions at Delta Airlines and AT&T. SreeRam has a passion for community service and served as a member in Sharon Springs cityhood feasibility committee and Forsyth County Comprehensive Transportation Plan committee. He currently serves as a member of Zoning board of Appeals. He and his wife Laxmi have a daughter and a son attending Forsyth County School System.
Renee Welch is originally from Greenville, South Carolina. She graduated from Furman University and received her law degree from the University of South Carolina. She has been with Boling Rice LLC for twenty-four years. Mrs. Welch is married to Charles (Chuck) F. Welch, Jr., and their son Charlie attends Forsyth Central High School. She is a past president of the Rotary Club of South Forsyth, where she has been a member since 2000. Mrs. Welch also serves Rotary on the district level: she has been an Assistant Governor, member of the Foundation Financial Assessment Committee, District Chair for the Georgia Rotary Districts Character Education Program (Laws of Life), and is the incoming Rotary District 6910 Administration Chair. She was the Chairperson of the Board of Directors for the Laws of Life program for 2017-2018. She is an avid reader and lover of all things geeky and nerdy.
