Benjamin “Ben” J. Tarbutton III was elected by the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia to serve as the 18-member body’s vice chair. Tarbutton will serve out the term of former Vice Chair Felton Jenkins, who passed away in January.
As vice chair of the board, Tarbutton will support current chair Willis Potts. Both Potts and Tarbutton will serve in their respective position through the current fiscal year, which ends June 30.
Tarbutton was appointed to the board by former Gov. Sonny Perdue in January 2006 to represent the 12th Congressional District. His seven-year term as a regent ends Dec. 31, 2012.
Tarbutton has served as chair of the regents’ Business and Finance Committee. He is also on the search committee for USG’s next chancellor.
Tarbutton is assistant vice president of the Sandersville Railroad Co., where he oversees daily operations, including maintaining the infrastructure, train transportation and customer service. He earned a bachelor’s degree in management from the Georgia Institute of Technology.