William G. Smith Jr.
Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer
Capital City Bank Group
Bill began his career at Capital City Bank in 1978. He worked in numerous capacities before being named president and chief executive officer of Capital City Bank Group, Inc., in January 1989. He was elected chairman in 2003. He also serves as the chairman of the Capital City Bank Board of Directors. Bill's alma mater is Florida State University where he remains actively involved as a member of the Florida State Athletic Board. He was inducted to the FSU College of Business Hall of Fame in 2009. Bill also serves on the Southern Company Board of Directors, a super-regional energy company based in Atlanta, Ga.
Stan W. Connally, Jr.
Executive Vice President of Operations, Southern Company
Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Southern Company Services
Stanley W. Connally Jr. (Stan) is executive vice president of operations at Southern Company, one of the largest producers of energy in the United States. He oversees the company’s generation, transmission, engineering and construction services, commercial operations, system planning and environmental affairs, and supply chain organizations, as well as Southern Wholesale Energy and the Southern Linc wireless communications business. He is dedicated to helping ensure employees are able to work safely and provide value through a shared-services model to all Southern Company subsidiaries and their customers.
Connally began his career with Southern Company in 1989 as a co-op student at Georgia Power’s Plant Yates and has served in senior leadership roles at each of the company’s electric operating companies – Alabama Power, Georgia Power, Mississippi Power and former subsidiary Gulf Power. He was chairman, president and CEO of Gulf Power.
As a member of the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) board of directors, Connally serves on both the executive committee and the compensation and leadership development committee. His past board memberships have included Enterprise Florida, the Florida Chamber of Commerce and the Georgia Tech Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering external advisory board, among others.
Connally earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology. He completed the Goizueta Executive Education Program at Emory University.
Robert Antoine
Retired
Certified Internal Auditor and Certified Public Accountant
Until his retirement from Deloitte & Touche LLP in May 2019, Robert Antoine was a partner in the firm’s Banking and Securities practice for more than 21 years. During his tenure, he advised clients on a broad range of issues affecting corporate governance, risk management, internal controls, information security and regulatory compliance. Prior to Deloitte & Touche, Robert held a number of executive positions in internal audit and financial management.
Robert is a Certified Internal Auditor and a Certified Public Accountant in Florida. He earned his Accounting degree from the University of West Florida in Pensacola, FL, and holds a master of Business Administration from Western New England College in Springfield, MA. He is a member of the National Association of Corporate Directors, the American and Florida Institutes of Certified Public Accountants, the Financial Executives Institute and the Institute of Internal Auditors. He is also a charter member of the Jacksonville Chapter of the National Association of Black Accountants.
Thomas A. Barron
President
Capital City Bank
Tom joined Capital City in 1974 as a trainee. After joining the Bank, he earned an MBA from Florida State University. Prior to serving as president of Second National Bank and Industrial National Bank, he was a commercial loan officer. He was named president of Capital City Bank in 1995, the 100-year anniversary of the Bank's founding. Active in the community, Tom has served as chair of the Southeastern Community Blood Center, chair of the Greater Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce, chair of the United Way of the Big Bend and president of the Community Bankers of Florida.
William F. Butler
Founder and Principal
Real Estate InSync
William F. Butler, founder and principal of Real Estate InSync (REI), is an accomplished real estate project and portfolio manager with over 30 years of experience partnering with high net worth private, corporate and institutional clients throughout the United States on projects ranging from commercial portfolios to mixed-use facilities and residential developments. His credentials include the prestigious designation of Counselor of Real Estate, signifying professional achievement as a trusted real estate advisor. Butler has previously held the positions of senior vice president with the St. Joe Land Company, principal of Boutin Brown Butler Real Estate Services, vice president with New York-based Landauer Associates, Inc., and real estate analyst and project administrator with Raymond-Kaiser Engineers, Inc. in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. He holds a B.S. in Real Estate from Florida State University and is a graduate of Leadership Florida and Leadership Tallahassee.
Marshall M. Criser III
President
Piedmont University
Marshall M. Criser, III, currently serves as president of Piedmont University. Criser is the former chancellor of Florida’s university system, a post he held for nine years prior to his 2023 appointment as president. As chancellor, he served on the Florida Talent Development Council and the Credential Review Committee. He is also a former president of AT&T Florida.
In addition to his post with Piedmont University, Criser currently serves as a member of the Florida Council of 100, where he is a former chair. He is also the co-chair of the Florida Chamber of Commerce Past Chairs Council and the Florida Chamber 2025 Strategic Planning Committee. Criser previously served as vice chair of the University of Florida Board of Trustees, chair of the Florida Chamber of Commerce and chair of Florida TaxWatch.
Criser holds a degree in business administration from the University of Florida and completed the Advanced Management Program at INSEAD, The Business School for the World, in Fontainebleau, France.
Kimberly A. Crowell
Principal
Kalo Companies
Kimberly Crowell is principal of Kalo Companies, which owns and operates 40 Jersey Mike’s Subs restaurant franchises and has another 17 stores in development in Florida, Georgia and Alabama. Founded in 2009 and opening their first Jersey Mikes location in Tallahassee, Fla., the company was named 2011 Rookie Franchisee of the Year and in 2018, was recognized for Regional Operational Excellence and received the Big Bend Region’s Small Business of the Year award. She currently serves as a member of the Board of Directors for the International Franchise Association and has previously served on the National Advisory Council for Jersey Mike’s. Prior to entering the franchise industry, Crowell practiced corporate law in Charlotte, specializing in Commercial Real Estate and Development. She maintains an active law practice in both Florida and North Carolina, specializing in Franchising, Commercial Real Estate and Corporate Transactions. A native of Tallahassee, Florida, Crowell earned a Bachelor of Science in Commerce from the University of Virginia and a law degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In addition to her service on the Capital City Bank Group Board, she currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Ronald McDonald House of Tallahassee as well as the Board of Trustees for Maclay School.
Bonnie Davenport
President and Founding Principal
BKJ, Inc. Architecture,
President and founding principal of BKJ, Inc. Architecture, Bonnie Davenport, has built a reputation as a leader in our local community through her involvement with numerous successful projects across the State of Florida. A member of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and a Certified General Contractor (CGC), Davenport holds a National Council of Architectural Registration (NCARB) certification. In addition to her service on the Capital City Bank Group Board, she is a member of the Maclay School Board of Trustees, as well as former chair and current board member of the Urban Land Institute-Capital Region. Davenport is a graduate of Leadership Tallahassee Class 28, Entrepreneurial Excellence Program Class 3, and Jim Moran Institute Small Business Entrepreneurship Program Class 5. She received an award citation from the American School & University Magazine in 2009, and was named “Top 40 Under 40” by 850 Magazine in 2012 and “Women To Watch” by Tallahassee Magazine in 2009. Davenport received her Bachelor of Design and her Masters of Architecture from the University of Florida in Gainesville, Fla.
Eric Grant
Vice President and General Manager
CivicPlus
Eric Grant is vice president and general manager at CivicPlus. Prior to joining CivicPlus in 2021, Grant served as CEO at Municode. Under Grant’s skillful guidance as CEO, Municode achieved increased levels of growth and successfully navigated several key acquisitions within Municode’s traditional line of business as well as into new verticals. Prior to receiving his Juris Doctorate from the University of Virginia, Grant attended the United States Naval Academy and Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service while serving as a member of the United States Marine Corps. In addition to being stationed in Virginia, Kentucky, California and abroad, Grant and his unit, the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit, were deployed during Operation Enduring Freedom in 2001. A devoted husband and father of four children, Grant also serves on the boards of the Community Foundation of North Florida and the United Way of the Big Bend.
Laura L. Johnson
Founder and CEO
Coton Colors
Laura Johnson is founding artist and CEO of Coton Colors, a leading lifestyle brand in the giftware and home décor industries headquartered in Tallahassee, Fla. A third generation Miamian, Johnson first came to Tallahassee to pursue a degree in studio art at the Florida State University. Upon completion of her degree, she relocated with her husband to Atlanta, Ga., where she began a career in graphic design, but returned to Tallahassee in 1986 with dreams of owning her own business. Channeling her desire to design and market her own products, Johnson began the Coton Colors brand by making hand-dyed and painted cotton children’s clothing for her three daughters. With Johnson’s creativity and entrepreneurial spirit to fuel its growth, Coton Colors now offers a variety of product lines sold in more than 3,000 stores across the United States, as well as in the United Kingdom, Ireland and China.
John G. Sample, Jr.
Retired
Certified Public Accountant
Now retired, John G. Sample, Jr. is the former senior vice president and CFO of Atlantic American Corporation and brings valuable expertise built over decades of service in the accounting industry. He was named “CFO of the Year” for mid-sized companies by the Atlanta Business Chronicle and, from 2004 through the present, has served as director of 1stFranklin Financial Corporation, a consumer finance organization operating in six states throughout the southeast out of Toccoa, Ga.
Prior to joining Atlantic American in July of 2002, Sample spent 24 years with Arthur Andersen, where he specialized in the insurance and financial services industries. He was audit partner in the Atlanta office from 1993 until 2002, prior to which he served four years as audit partner at the firm’s Bermuda office.
Sample is a graduate of Emory University, where he earned his Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) degree in accounting. He earned his Certified Public Accountant designation in 1980 and is currently licensed in the state of Georgia.
Ashbel C. Williams
Retired
Florida State Board of Administration
Recently retired, Ash Williams is the former executive director and chief investment officer for the Florida State Board of Administration. In this capacity he was responsible for managing over $250 billion in assets, including those of the Florida Retirement System, the fifth largest public pension fund in the United States. Williams chairs the Managed Funds Association’s Institutional Investor Advisory Council, AIF Global Investor Advisory Board, Council of Institutional Investors’ Board of Directors, and is the former chair of the Council of Institutional Investors. In addition to being a member of the National Institute of Public Finance Board of Trustees, he serves the Florida State University Foundation as a trustee and investment committee chair. Williams is the recipient of the 2017Chief Investment Officer Magazine’s Lifetime Achievement Award and the 2017 FSU Faculty Senate Mores Torch Award. He is also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. Williams received his bachelor’s degree in management and Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Florida State University and completed post-graduate programs at University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School and Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government.