2008 Georgia Chamber of Commerce Chair

Charles Tarbutton is Assistant Vice President of the Sandersville Railroad Company, a short-line freight railroad primarily serving the kaolin, forest products, and plastics industries in Central Georgia. He joined the company in 1988 after graduating from Emory University School of Business with a degree in finance.

Charles has served on the Board of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce for ten years, having been a Vice Chair of Membership for two years and Vice Chair of Economic Development for one year. He is currently a member of the Georgia College & State University Foundation Board and the Georgia Public Policy Foundation Board. Additionally, he serves as a Director and Chairman of the Finance Committee of Brentwood School, a Pre K-12 independent school located in Sandersville, and Chairman of the Finance Committee of the Sandersville United Methodist Church. He is a past Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Leadership Georgia, Sandersville Technical College, and the Washington County Chamber of Commerce. He was appointed by Governor Perdue to the Board of the Georgia Department of Economic Development, currently representing Georgia’s Twelfth Congressional District. Additionally, Charles is active in trade associations representing the railroad, mining, and timber industries.

Charles is a life-long resident of Sandersville. He is married to the former Helen Bradley of Savannah, and they have three children, Mary Helen, 10, and Charlie, 8, and Bradley, 4.

Georgia Chamber of Commerce President & CEO

George M. Israel, III, is President & CEO of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce. The Macon native has more than 25 years experience as a Chief Executive Officer with organizations in government, real estate sales management and development, property management and managed health care. Israel is a proven leader who gets results.

Israel attended Middle Georgia College in Cochran and the University of Georgia. He began his career as a field underwriter for the life, health and accident insurance industry. From 1979 until 1987, he served as Mayor of the City of Macon. In 1987, Israel became President & CEO of The Potomac Corporation, a European Venture Capital firm. During the early 1990s, he led Fickling & Walker Company in Macon before moving to Secure Health Plans of Georgia in 1994 as President & CEO.

Israel currently serves on the Board of Directors for a number of organizations, including the Georgia Allies, the Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education and the Georgia Cities Foundation. He is a Board Advisor for the Georgia Department of Economic Development and a member of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Israel served as Chairman of the 21st Century Partnership in Middle Georgia for BRAC (1993-95), Chair of the Greater Macon Chamber of Commerce (1993), Chair of the Macon Economic Development Commission (1988-92) and Co-Chair of the Macon-Bibb County Unification Commission. He was appointed by Gov. Zell Miller to Chair the State of Georgia Commission on Privatization (1994-98). He was also appointed by Gov. Miller to serve on the Georgia Military Affairs Coordinating Committee (GMACC) from 1993-96. In 2003, Gov. Sonny Perdue reappointed Israel to the GMACC. In 2006, Israel was named "Georgian of the Year" by Georgia Trend Magazine.

Israel and his wife Pam have two grown children and one grandchild.