Donnie LaVan (Van) Streat, Sr., of Nicholls was elected to the Georgia Senate in 1996 for the 1997-98 term of the General Assembly and is now serving his second term, representing Atkinson, Bacon, Ben Hill, Coffee, Dodge, Irwin, Jeff Davis, and Telfair Counties.

Senator Streat is the chairman of the Transportation committee and the vice chairman of the Public Safety committee. He is a member of the Agriculture and Corrections, Correctional Institutions and Property committees. Senator Streat is Co-Chairman of the Joint Manufactured Housing Study Committee, and serves as a member of the Georgia Flue-Cured Tobacco Committee, the Agricultural Exposition Overview Committee, the Council on Rural Transportation and Economic Development, the Georgia Rail Passenger Authority Overview Committee, and the Metro Atlanta Regional Transportation Overview Committee. He also serves as a member of the Southern Legislative Conference's Agriculture and Rural Development Committee.

Streat is no stranger to politics. He served four terms in the Georgia House of Representatives, prior to coming to the Senate. He was a member of the Coffee County Board of Education from 1981 until 1988.

A native of Coffee County, Streat graduated from Nicholls High School where he served as Vice President of the Student Council and attended South Georgia College. He is a businessman active in the family apparel manufacturing business, and does consulting work in Risk Management. Streat is a Shriner, and a member of the Nicholls Chamber of Commerce.

Senator Streat and his wife Carrie are the parents of five children: Robin, Kelly, Van, Jr., Garrett, and Hannah. They are Baptists.

July 1999 # # # # #