Leadership Council

Rebecca N. Sullivan was appointed Commissioner of the Department of Administrative Services (DOAS) on January 7, 2022 by Governor Brian P. Kemp. She most recently served as DOAS General Counsel and Assistant Commissioner of Government Affairs, where her responsibilities included managing the agency’s legal division, as well as providing advice and counsel to the agency’s five operating divisions that support the enterprise of state government: statewide procurement, risk management, fleet management, surplus property, and human resources administration. Prior to joining DOAS, Ms. Sullivan spent time in private practice and served as a Policy Advisor, Deputy Executive Counsel, and Executive Counsel to former Governor Sonny Perdue. She began her legal career in labor and employment law with Elarbee Thompson in Atlanta. Ms. Sullivan is a “Double Dawg,” having earned a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the University of Georgia and a Juris Doctor from the UGA School of Law.

Carla Gracen serves as the Deputy Commissioner of the Human Resources Administration, where she leads various enterprise human resource functions, including talent management, HR policy and compliance, as well as compensation and benefits. Prior to her current role, Carla was the Director of Policy, Benefits, and Compensation for the DOAS Human Resources Administration Division. With over 20 years of experience in human resources technology, she previously held positions including Senior Director of Product Management at Automated Data Processing (ADP), Director of Consulting for HRM Product Management at CGI Group, Inc., and Senior HCM Product Manager at Ceridian, a global HCM software and technology company. Carla holds a certification in International Human Resources from SHRM. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Human Resources Management from Colorado Christian University and a Master of Education degree in Human Resources and Organizational Development from Colorado State University.

Carrie Steele serves as the DOAS Deputy Commissioner of State Purchasing. Previously, she served as the Agency Sourcing Director and was an Agency Sourcing Group Manager. Ms. Steele has over 20 years of procurement experience with the State of Georgia. Prior to joining DOAS, she worked for the Georgia Court of Appeals. Ms. Steele is a graduate of Queens University in North Carolina with bachelor’s degrees in biology and accounting.

John Barmann serves as Chief Information Officer of Information Technology for DOAS. He is an experienced leader with a strong background in both technology and business management. He has spent the majority of his 18 years in the IT field identifying the technology needs for organizations, designing solutions, and managing delivery. John has a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering Technology from Cleveland State University and has certifications in both Six Sigma and ITIL.

Nic Matthews serves as Chief of Staff for DOAS, where he collaborates closely with agency leadership to advance strategic initiatives, enhance operational effectiveness, and support the agency's mission to provide enterprise business solutions to Georgia's state government. 

Before joining DOAS, Nic served as the Division Director for Physical and Economic Development at the Governor's Office of Planning and Budget (OPB). In this capacity, he led a team that analyzed agency budget requests and developed recommendations for state agencies, including DOAS and its attached agencies, whose combined budgets exceeded $2.8 billion. He advised the Governor and executive leadership on budget policy, capital investments, the fiscal impacts of legislation, and long-term financial planning, while also overseeing agency budget compliance and fiscal management. 

Prior to his role as Division Director, Nic held several leadership positions within OPB, including Division Coordinator and Fiscal Policy Analyst. Throughout his career, he has contributed to statewide budget initiatives, conducted legislative fiscal analysis, provided agency financial oversight, and developed budget and policy recommendations. Additionally, he has trained budget analysts and offered technical expertise on the state's financial and budget systems. 

Before joining OPB, Nic worked in local government with the City of Covington, where he supported community and economic development initiatives and collaborated with business and community stakeholders on downtown revitalization efforts. 

Nic earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, magna cum laude, and a Master of Public Administration with a concentration in Public Management from Georgia Southern University.

Patrick McKeon serves as the Manager of Organizational Planning and Performance within DOAS. He has been in his role since 2014, driving internal support for strategic planning, performance reporting, operations analysis, process improvement, and some non-IT project management. Mr. McKeon joined DOAS in 2012 after serving as the lead budget analyst for transportation and public safety, and later education agencies with the Delaware Office of Management and Budget. He has previously worked in several roles within Georgia’s state government including with the Governor’s Office of Planning and Budget, Governor’s Office of Policy, Senate Committee on Science and Technology, Georgia Tech Enterprise Innovation Institute, and the Georgia Tech Research Institute. Mr. McKeon studied at the Georgia Institute of Technology for a Master of Science in Public Policy, where he previously earned a Bachelor of Science in Public Policy and a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry. He earned certifications in Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) and Lean Six Sigma.

Jazzmin Randall Cobble joined the Georgia Department of Administrative Services (DOAS) as Director of Fleet Management in January 2019, and has extensive experience in fleet, operations, risk and records management. Prior to joining DOAS, Ms. Randall was the administrative operations manager for the Georgia Department of Audits and Accounts where she managed the operation of the agency’s fleet, monitored and analyzed costs of utilization (maintenance, repair, fuel, acquisition and disposal, etc.) and developed various policies within the operations area. She also served as business operations analyst for the Department of Public Health, and facilities and support services coordinator for the Department of Human Services. She has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Albany State University, a Master of Public Administration from Keller Graduate School of Management, and certifications in budget and fiscal management and purchasing. Ms. Randall is an executive committee member on the National Conference of State Fleet Administrators, as well as Councilwoman for the City of Stonecrest.

Holli Meredith is the Director of Enterprise Learning. Prior to joining the agency, she worked for the Henry County School System at Impact Academy, where she served as an Agricultural Sciences and Biotechnology instructor. She has over 9 years of experience, starting her career in corporate training, where she was the lead training coordinator, and working within public education for six years with three years of virtual/blended education. During her time with Henry County Schools, she wrote curriculum for the county, worked on numerous e-learning initiatives, developed and executed workshops on innovative learning strategies, and was also an active member of the Georgia Vocational Agriculture Teachers Association. Ms. Meredith is skilled in using learning management systems to create valuable, engaging learning experiences. She has extensive knowledge of virtual learning, education, training, management, hiring, workforce education, and coaching. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from Valdosta State University, a Master of Science in Education from Murray State University, and an Education Specialist degree in P-20 and Community Leadership from Murray State University.

James E. DeSantis (Jimmy) serves as the Director of Human Resources for the Georgia Department of Administrative Services (DOAS). Prior to his current role, Mr. DeSantis served in senior and leadership human resources positions across several State of Georgia agencies, including Senior Human Resource Manager for DOAS, Senior Human Resource Manager for the Georgia Department of Corrections, Human Resource Manager for the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities, and HCM/PeopleSoft and Financial Analyst for the Georgia State Accounting Office.

Jimmy is a strategic human resources leader with extensive experience guiding workforce policy, talent management, compliance, and HR operations within large public-sector organizations. His background includes overseeing HR operations for agencies supporting more than 10,000 employees, managing complex budgets, and leading large-scale implementations of HRIS, HCM, and payroll systems.

Throughout his career, Jimmy has partnered closely with executive leadership to align workforce strategies with organizational priorities and state and federal regulatory requirements. He is an active member of the Society for Human Resource Management and the Council of State Personnel Administration of Georgia. He is a Society for Human Resource Management Certified Professional (SHRM-CP). He holds a Master of Public Administration from Clayton State University and a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice from Georgia State University.

Gerald Schaefer joined DOAS in June 2015. He is responsible for cost recovery audits and administrative fee reviews. Prior to joining DOAS, Mr. Schaefer worked as a performance auditor in the Georgia Department of Audits, and as an internal auditor for the City of Atlanta Auditor’s Office, and for the Georgia Department of Education. He has over 20 years of auditing experience and holds the following professional certifications: certified public accountant, certified internal auditor, certified fraud examiner, certified information systems auditor, and certified government auditing professional. Mr. Schaefer earned a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the University of Missouri and a Master’s degree in Public Administration from the University of Georgia.

Stacey M. Evans is the Director of Enterprise Benefits, responsible for providing strategic leadership, administration, and oversight of the Flexible Benefits program, and other statewide employee benefit programs. These programs serve state employees, retirees, public school employees, and their dependents. Stacey ensures that Georgia's employee benefits programs offer quality coverage while maintaining fiscal responsibility for taxpayers and participating employers.

With over 20 years of experience, Stacey is a seasoned human resources and benefits executive. She has successfully led strategic initiatives in benefits administration, organizational transformation, compliance, and employee well-being across complex private-sector organizations.

Throughout her career, Stacey has held senior leadership positions at major companies, including The Coca-Cola Company, Tegra Global, Kloeckner Metals, and Gold Kist/Pilgrim's Pride. Her areas of expertise include benefits strategy, compensation and leave administration, human resources operations, workforce planning, project management, and organizational change management. She has effectively managed multimillion-dollar benefits programs, led global HR/Benefits technology implementations, and achieved significant cost savings while improving employee engagement and overall organizational performance.

Stacey has extensive experience navigating complex regulatory environments and overseeing large-scale process improvements. She excels at building cross-functional partnerships that drive business results and is passionate about developing innovative solutions that support employees while advancing organizational goals.

Stacey earned a Master of Public Administration from Georgia State University and a Bachelor of Arts in Mass Media Arts from Clark Atlanta University. She is in the process of obtaining her Certified Employee Benefits Specialist (CEBS) designation; is a member of the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans, Benefits Peer Group, Project Management Institute, SHRM, and WorldatWork; and remains actively engaged in professional and community service initiatives throughout Georgia.

Satonya Payne is the Director of Workforce Policy and Business Operations, where she leads human resource initiatives, workforce policy development, data analysis, strategic communications, and training programs. With over 20 years of experience in state human resources, she previously served as the HR Director for the Technical College System of Georgia, where she managed HR and payroll operations and played a key role in implementing Workday as the subject matter expert. Ms. Payne has also held significant positions at the Department of Community Supervision, Corrections, and Juvenile Justice. She holds a Master of Public Administration from South University, a Bachelor of Business Administration from Strayer University, and an Employment Law Certification from Valdosta State University. Additionally, Ms. Payne is an active member of several professional and academic organizations, including, the International Public Management Association for Human Resources (IPMA-HR), the International Society of Female Professionals (ISFP), the Worldwide Women’s Association (WWA), and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.

Mary Chapman joined DOAS as the Director of Policy, Training and Outreach on October 1, 2017. Ms. Chapman is an experienced attorney with an extensive background in state government procurement policies and processes, contracting and negotiations, large scale project management and implementation, and state and federal regulatory compliance. Prior to joining DOAS, Ms. Chapman served in various leadership positions with the Department of Community Health, including Director of Business Operations for the Medicaid Division, Division Chief of Healthcare Facility Regulation, and Contracts Attorney. She also served six years as an attorney in the DOAS Office of Legal Services, a freelance legal writer and a law clerk with the Augusta Superior Court. Ms. Chapman has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from Georgia State University and a Juris Doctor from the University of Georgia School of Law.