Professional Experience

Tony began his corporate career in 1970 with Burlington Industries, an international textile company headquartered in Greensboro, North Carolina. His responsibilities as an internal auditor took him to Colombia, South America, Mexico, and Puerto Rico.

A position with Blue Bird Corporation brought Tony to Fort Valley, Georgia in 1975. For nearly thirty-five years, Tony held several positions within Blue Bird including manager of audit and special projects. During this tenure he managed several international expansion projects including: Blue Bird Centroamericano S.A., Blue Bird’s assembly plant in Guatemala; Omnibus B.B. Transportes S.A. in Quito, Ecuador; and Blue Bird de Mexico in Monterey, Mexico. Prior to his retirement from Blue Bird in 2006, Tony held the position of corporate director of financial services.

Community Involvement

Tony volunteers as an interpreter, educator, and cultural liaison through his church’s migrant ministry. He is a member of the Perry/Houston County Airport Authority and is a current member and former president of the Fort Valley Kiwanis Club. Tony has served as a volunteer with the American Cancer Society (ACS) for the last 20 years, including roles on the Georgia Public Policy Committee and the Board of Directors for the South Atlantic Division of the same organization. He is a corporate board member of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Georgia Heartlands as well as a member of the Peach, Houston, and Crawford County Chambers of Commerce.

Tony’s civic involvement also includes service to the military community as a current member and previous chairman of the military Affairs Committee for Peach County and past Chairman of the Middle Georgia Military Affairs Committee. He is currently a member of the Crawford County Cattlemen’s Association and previously held the responsibility of chairman of the Development Authority of Crawford County. Tony currently serves on the board of the Historic Crawford Foundation and is a member of Crawford County Farm Bureau. Tony was recently elected to the Boards of the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts for the Middle Georgia Regions.

Personal Background

Tony was born in Point-a-Pierre, Trinidad in the West Indies and was raised in the oil camps of Venezuela where his father worked for Mobil Oil Company. He is bilingual in English and Spanish. Tony came to the United States at the age of 15 to study at a Catholic boarding school in central Florida. He went on to attend the University of West Florida where he received a BS Degree in Management and Economics in 1970. Tony stood before a federal judge in 1973 and took his oath of United States citizenship.

Tony and his wife, Judye, have three grown children: Rodney, Heather, and Amy and live on Judye’s family farm where they raise beef cattle, pecans and peaches.

His hobbies include restoring vintage automobiles, flying his vintage airplane, and spending time with his eleven grandchildren.