About Us

J. Neal Shepard, Jr., is Chairman of the Board for True Natural Gas and is President of Neal Shepard and Associates, Inc. He has been in the life insurance business for 35 years. Mr. Shepard has been a member of Coweta-Fayette EMC for 19 years and a director for the past 14 years. He previously served four terms in the Georgia Legislature, including four years as the Reagan liaison to the White House. Mr. Shepard also currently serves as Secretary-Treasurer of Coweta-Fayette EMC's Board of Directors and is Chairman of the Coweta County Water and Sewer Authority. He is a graduate of West Georgia State University and lives with his wife, Jodie, in Newnan.

J. Lee Hunter is Vice Chairman of the Board for True Natural Gas and was Executive Vice President and Chief Information Officer for Southwire Company in Carrollton, Georgia, before his retirement in 2007. He graduated from Georgia Tech with a degree in Electrical Engineering and from the State University of West Georgia with an MBA. Mr. Hunter is a Registered Professional Engineer, a Certified Energy Manager, and was awarded a U.S. Patent. He has previously served on the Board of Directors of IDEA, Inc., and of the OMICRON Corp. Mr. Hunter has been a member of the EMC for 28 years. He and his wife, Susan, have two children and live in Newnan.

Chuck Johnson is Secretary-Treasurer of the Board for True Natural Gas. Mr. Johnson is owner of Chuck Johnson, CPA, which supplies specialized accounting and financial services that help people attain their financial goals. He has served on the Board of Directors of the Newnan Kiwanis Club, Habitat for Humanity, the United Way, and the Newnan-Coweta Chamber of Commerce. Mr. Johnson is a graduate of The University of Georgia and resides in Peachtree City with his wife Lynsey and his two daughters.

Jim Fulton serves as a director on the Board of True Natural Gas. He also serves as the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Coweta-Fayette EMC. He is the Executive Vice President and Managing Broker of Coldwell Banker Commercial Bullard and Managing Broker of Coldwell Banker Bullard Realty for Fayette and Coweta counties. Prior to its merger with Bullard he was the Broker/Owner of Coldwell Banker Fulton Realty Associates for over 36 years. He is a graduate of Georgia Tech and active in many church, community, and civic activities. He and his wife, Elaine, live in Fayette County.

Mr. Brown has served on the Coweta-Fayette EMC Board of Directors representing Fayette County since October 2006. He was elected as Vice Chairman of the Board in October 2011 and also serves as Chairman of the Policy & Public Relations Committee. He completed the Credentialed Cooperative Director certification in 2012 and was just awarded the Board Leadership certificate in October 2014.

Mr. Brown is a graduate of Fayette County High School and West Georgia University with a double major in Management and Marketing. He served in the U.S. Air Force from 1966-69 assigned as a Non-Commissioned Officer-in-Charge at the office of the Staff Judge Advocate at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. He was granted an early release to return to college in 1969.

He was employed by the Georgia Department of Transportation and at the time of his retirement he served as Executive Assistant to the Commissioner and as Executive Secretary to the State Transportation Board. Following his retirement he served as the Executive Director of the Georgia Highway Contractors Association (GHCA).

Presently he serves as President of Therol Brown & Associates. He provides consultant services to a number of clients engaged in construction/transportation activities.

He is a lifetime resident of Fayette County and has been married to Judith Richards Brown for thirty-two years. He enjoys playing golf and watching most all spectator sports.

Matthew Markham is a Board Member at Large for True Natural Gas and is the Deputy Director of Planning for the Georgia Department of Transportation. Mr. Markham has served in a variety of leadership roles in state government for nearly 15 years. He also served as the Senior Policy Advisor/Speechwriter to Lieutenant Governor Casey Cagle. Mr. Markham holds a Bachelor's degree in English from Hampden-Sydney College and a Master of Public Administration degree from Georgia State University. Mr. Markham is a graduate of Leadership Coweta and has served as a Deacon at Central Baptist Church and as Chairman of the Coweta-Fayette EMC Trust Board. He and his wife Carrie live in Newnan with their two children.

Elaine Gaillard is a Board Member at Large for True Natural Gas and for the past 10 years has been the Director of Marketing for Ashley Glen Assisted Living in Peachtree City. She also serves as Vice President of the Board of Directors for Fayette Senior Services, Inc., where she has been a Board member for the past 10 years. Ms. Gaillard has served on the Peachtree City Rotary Board of Directors for the last 5 years and formerly was a Board member for the Fayette County Chamber of Commerce. She has been a member of the EMC for 21 years. Ms. Gaillard was married to the late James D. Gaillard, has one daughter, and resides in Fayetteville.

Dwight Ellison was formerly Vice President of Corporate Security for Turner Broadcasting System and Deputy Assistant Director of Investigations for the U.S. Secret Service. He is a Board Member and immediate past President of the Summit Family YMCA and a Board Member for First Coweta Bank. A former English teacher for the LaGrange (GA) Public School System, he now volunteers his time as a mentor for Coweta County Schools. Mr. Ellison is a graduate of Clark College, now known as Clark Atlanta University, and resides in Newnan with his wife, Kathy. He has two adult daughters and two grandchildren.