Leadership Team

Susan Boatwright is a longtime member of GPHSA, and took over as GPHSA Executive Director in 2021. Susan recently retired as the DFCS Director of Communications and continues to work to facilitate Road Shows and other events. She has a rich career of service in DFCS including time as the Director of Gwinnett County DFCS. Her experiences have led to many positive relationships with key legislators and stakeholders. She works closely with the Leadership Team to assure that our mission of supporting the professional staff that serve individuals, families, and children continues and is enhanced.

Susan Cooper began her career with the Division of Family & Children Services in 1997 and has been a member of GPHSA since that time. She attended Berry College, Dalton Junior and Georgia Highlands College receiving a degree in Mental Health Sciences. She started her career in Gordon County as a Family Support Worker in Social Services. She has served in the role of OFI Case Manager, Foster Care Social Services Tech, the North District Employee Wellness Coordinator, and is currently an Administrative Assistant at Walker County DFCS. She is married to Scott Cooper who is an auxiliary GPHSA member and they have two sons, Tyler and Christopher Robin. Ms. Cooper's passion is employee wellness and feels that GPHSA is a great way to help support that.

Jennifer Brogdon has been a member of GPHSA for many years while working for DFCS for the last 21 years. She is currently the Director of Region 3 DFCS and served in many roles including County Director, supervisor and case manager. She completed her BSW at The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. She promotes GPHSA whenever possible and believes in advocating for state employees. She has been married for 34 years and has 2 daughters and 2 grandchildren.

Tanisha Moreland has worked for the Division of Family and Children Services since 2012 and has been an active member of GPHSA since 2019. She received her Bachelor of Science in Human Services degree from Mercer University in 2011. She began her Office of Family Independence career in Fulton County as an Eligibility Support Specialist (ESS), then transferred to Douglas County. She then was promoted to an ESS Supervisor in Paulding County in 2017. In 2022, she was promoted to Program Administrator in Cobb County. During her DHS career, she has been President of Paulding County Employee Council and the Chair of the OFI Committee. She is the mother of 2 sons, Dominic, her oldest, who passed away suddenly at age 25 in 2015 and Aidan (18), attends Kennesaw State University majoring in Industrial Systems Engineering. She is strong advocate for assisting others to live to their fullest potential, which is why she does this great work for DHS. She also has a non-profit organization, Nic’s Crossing, a support group for parents who have lost children. She is very passionate about her work and has strong desires to always be of help to assist those in need.

Darbi has worked for the Division of Family and Children’s Services since 2014. She started in OFI, then transferred to Regional Accounting. She has been a member of GPHSA since 2018, when she immediately started attending meetings/conferences; joined the Legislative Committee, participated in a salary study, and has been part of the Advocacy Academy. GPHSA has inspired “out of the box” personal growth, and working with this wonderful group of people has provided confidence to accept challenges and new opportunities. Darbi graduated from Sanford Brown Business College in 1991. She is married to Dean Hixson, who works at Gerdau Ameristeel in Cartersville. They have five wonderful children; Nick, Spencer, Sydney, Millie, and Sam, and two amazing grandsons, Eli and Chance. The family has attended Northpointe Church in Adairsville, GA since 2004.

Ashley has worked for the Division of Family and Children Services since 2005 and has been a member of GPHSA since 2020. She started her career in Paulding County as an OFI case manager and has worked in several positions throughout Regions 3 and 13. She is currently a Program Administrator for Douglas and Paulding counties. She is married to Stokes Stallings and they have two children, Griffin and Lyndsey.

Rhonda began her duties as Executive Secretary on April 1, 2020. She retired from DFCS on February 1, 2020 after a 30+ year career in Region 5. During this time she was a member of GPHSA serving as Treasurer, Board Member, Foundation Member and also served on various committees. Rhonda has always been a strong advocate of GPHSA and feels an honor now to serve and work for those still doing the great work of the organization. Rhonda holds a degree in Accounting and also serves as Administrative Assistant for the Georgia State Retirees Association. She resides in Elberton on the family farm where she enjoys horses, dogs, and her grandsons.