Employee Benefit Plan Council Members
Chair
Monirah T. Womack is a private business consultant and facilitator. Before starting her own firm, On Purpose | Relationship Capital at Work, Womack built a 30-year global human resource consulting career. She serves as current President of the Enneagram Association in the Narrative Tradition and has done pro bono human resource consulting work for non-profits. She and her husband, Gary, have one child and reside in Atlanta.
Vice Chair
Courtney Ware is the Director of Human Resources for the Technical College System of Georgia. Her previous roles include Deputy Director of HR at the GA Department of Juvenile Justice and various HR positions at the GA Department of Corrections, primarily focusing on Employee Relations and Compliance. Ms. Ware is a member of the Society for Human Resource Management and the Georgia Council for Human Resources. She served as chair of GCHR in 2018. Ms. Ware holds a BBA in Marketing from James Madison University in Virginia, and an MBA in Management for Mercer University in Atlanta.
Member
Jewelle Johnson is the Senior Counsel and Chief Employment Counsel for Graphic Packaging International, Inc. Prior to joining Graphic Packaging, Johnson was a partner at Fisher & Phillips LLP. She serves as president of the Georgia Association of Black Women Attorneys, Inc. and is a member of the Coordinating Committee for the National Employment Law Council. Johnson earned two bachelor's degrees from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, and a law degree from Duke University. She resides in Mableton.
Member
Robert R. Joseph is an attorney with Hill, Kertscher & Wharton, LLP. He previously served as a senior associate for Morris, Manning and Martin, LLP. He is a member of the State Bar of Georgia, a member of the executive committee of the Atlanta Lawyers Chapter of Federalist Society and a member of the Druid Hills United Methodist Church. Joseph earned a bachelor's degree from Rhodes College and a law degree from Emory University. He and his wife, Leslie, reside in Atlanta.
Member
Matt Almand is a Director in the Chick-fil-A, Inc. Legal Department. He specializes in labor & employment law, providing legal and strategic advice on international and domestic employment matters impacting Chick-fil-A, Inc. and its related entities. Matt has also worked as in-house counsel with McKesson Corporation and as a Congressional Intern when Former Gov. Nathan Deal served in the U.S. House of Representatives. Matt received both his undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Georgia.
Member
Angelique B. McClendon a Georgia native with a distinguished legal career and a commitment to public service was appointed Commissioner of the Georgia Department of Driver Services (DDS) on May 1, 2025.
Commissioner McClendon joined DDS as General Counsel in 2015 and later promoted to Assistant Deputy Commissioner of Legal and Regulatory Affairs. Her legal career began in 2005 as an Assistant Solicitor in DeKalb County, prosecuting misdemeanor offenses with a focus on DUI prosecution as well as diversion and accountability courts. From 2008 to 2015, Commissioner McClendon served as an Assistant Attorney General for the State of Georgia conducting litigation, appeals and providing legal advice to Georgia public safety agencies, including DDS.
McClendon has provided legal guidance on several large-scale state initiatives and modernization efforts, including Georgia’s Digital Driver’s License. She is a frequent presenter at local, national, and international conferences on topics such as driver’s license laws, digital credentials, identity management, and data privacy. She has served in leadership roles with the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators (AAMVA) where she has helped create national policy and track trends related to driver’s license administration and identity management.
Commissioner McClendon is a proud mother of two, a native of Decatur, Georgia, and a Rockdale County resident. She graduated from Xavier University of Louisiana (Louisiana) with a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry and earned her Juris Doctor (J.D.) from Georgia State University College of Law.
Member
Glianny Fagundo is a partner at Thompson Hine LLP. She was a founder of the National Latina Business Women Association-Atlanta, has served as president and chairperson of the Georgia Hispanic Bar Association and has served on the boards of CredAbility Inc. and the Latin American Chamber of Commerce. Fagundo was named to Atlanta Business Chronicle's "Women Who Mean Business" list. She earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Puerto Rico, and a law degree from the University of Georgia.
Member
Angie Surface is the deputy director of the Employees' Retirement System of Georgia (ERSGA). She was previously the director of quality assurance and the director of Peach State Reserves for ERSGA. Surface has more than 20 years of experience with employee benefit administration, including work with Watson Wyatt Worldwide and Hewitt Associates. She is a member of the National Association of Government-Defined Contribution Administrators, the National Association of State Retirement Administrators and the Government Finance Officers Association. Surface earned a bachelor's degree in Finance from the University of Central Florida. She and her husband, Homer, have two children and reside in Atlanta.
Member
Amy Auffant is the senior employment counsel at National Vision, Inc. She was previously a partner at Elarbee, Thompson, Sapp & Wilson, LLP. Auffant also speaks and provides training on issues in the workplace. She is a member of the American Bar Association and the Society for Human Resource Management. Auffant was named a "Georgia Rising Star" by Super Lawyers magazine. She earned a bachelor's degree from Stetson University and a law degree from Emory University. She and her husband, Tony, have three children and reside in Alpharetta.
Member
Currently serving as the Director of the Georgia Vocational Rehabilitation Agency, Chris Wells recently served as the Director of the Physical and Economic Development Division at the Governor's Office of Planning and Budget. Prior to serving in that role, he held analyst positions in multiple government agencies, including the Georgia Department of Labor and the South Carolina Executive Budget Office. Wells is a member of the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc., and is a graduate of the Leadership Georgia Class of 2019. Wells earned bachelor's degrees in Political Science and Mathematics from Francis Marion University, amd his master's degree in Public Administration from Augusta University. He resides with his wife, Shameka, and dog, Duke in Mableton, Georgia.