FITZGERALD, Ga. — South Georgia Banking Company has announced the additions of Matt Coley and Noel Williams as members of the bank’s board of directors.

As SGBC grows and prepares to thrive in the next decade, adding proven leaders with fresh perspectives to the leadership team is a key element to success, the bank said in a press release.

“Matt and Noel each bring distinctive strengths, including long-term vision and a solid understanding of both business and agribusiness, to our team,” said Glenn Willis, president and CEO of South Georgia Banking Company. “The energy and depth of experience of these two new board members represent the core values of our bank as we move into our 50th anniversary in 2020.”

Coley, a fourth generation farmer, agribusiness owner and Vienna native, holds a B.S.A. and M.S in agricultural economics from the University of Georgia. He is also a member of the AGHON Honor Society, the highest honor a student in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences at UGA may attain. After graduate school, he worked for Sen. Saxby Chambliss as a staff member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry.

After a few years in Washington, Coley returned home to Vienna to join his family’s agribusiness and farming operation, consisting of 3,500 acres of cotton and 400 acres of peanuts. The family’s cotton gin and peanut buying point, Coley Gin and Fertilizer, has been in operation since 1945. Coley has been recognized by Georgia Trend Magazine as one of 25 “Movers and Shakers” in Georgia agribusiness and the UGA Alumni Association in its 2018 “40 Under 40” class. He currently resides in Cordele with his wife, Whitney, and their daughters, Mary Stockton and Harrison where they are members First United Methodist Church.

Williams, a Cordele native and University of Georgia graduate, is a principal with Partners Benefit Group, an insurance agency headquartered in south Georgia. Williams is also a newly elected member of Georgia’s House of Representatives, serving the citizens of Crisp, Pulaski, Wilcox, and portions of Houston County, that form House District 148. Elected Freshman Legislator of the Year in June of 2019 by the Georgia Chamber of Commerce, he serves on the insurance committee, retirement committee and natural resources committee in the State House.

Williams serves in multiple capacities to help impact economic growth and address challenges, the press release said. In addition to previous positions as chairman of the Cordele-Crisp Chamber of Commerce and a representative for the Cordele Industrial Development Council, he currently serves as chairman of the board for the Crisp Regional Foundation, a board member for Crisp Regional Hospital, and secretary of Crisp Academy Board of Trustees. He and his wife Laura reside in Cordele with their children Trey and Elizabeth where they are members of First United Methodist Church.

South Georgia Banking Company, with locations in Tift, Colquitt, Turner, Crisp and Dooly counties, will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2020. For more information about the bank, its services, and locations, go to SGBConline.com.