John Thrasher is retired from Georgia Power's nationally recognized community and economic development organization. John graduated from the University of Georgia's Terry College of Business in 1978 with a B.B.A. While at the University, John was involved in a number of student leadership organizations. Upon graduation, John joined Georgia Power's educational services group where for ten years he supported the company's statewide involvement with Georgia's education system. From 1988 to 1990, John served as a Georgia Power media spokesman as part of the company's corporate communication group.

In 1990, John was named the founding director of Georgia Power's Shenandoah Environment & Education Center in Newnan. During his tenure as director, the Center won several local, state and national awards. In 1996, the Georgia Association of Partners in Education named the Shenandoah Center the "Collaborative Partnership of the Year." Nationally, the same year, the Center was the recipient of the "Common Goals Award" by the Edison Electric Institute.

In 1993, In addition to his role as Director of the Shenandoah Center, John also assumed the role of supervisor of educational services. In this capacity he was responsible for coordinating the Company's statewide employee volunteer programs as well as managing the educational services charitable contributions budget though the Georgia Power Foundation. In 1997, John joined the Community and Economic Development organization of Georgia Power.

John is an active member of the Georgia Economic Developers Association. He serves as a facilitator for the Department of Community Affairs' Economic Development Academy and is a past member of the Georgia Downtown Association board of directors and the Main Street Advisory Board of the Georgia Department of Industry Trade and Tourism. He was an associate member of the Georgia Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives, the Association of County Commissioners of Georgia and the Georgia Municipal Association.

John also plays an active role in community affairs. He is a member of the Board of the University of Georgia Alumni Association. He was a charter member of Leadership Coweta and was selected to the Leadership Georgia class of 1995. John was the founding chairman of Achievers International - Georgia (now known as Global Achievers), a non-profit program that originally matched schools in Georgia with schools in Scotland. The program has now expanded to other countries around the world. John continues to serve on the board.

John is past chairman of the Coweta Communities in Schools program - a dropout prevention program. He is past chairman of the Newnan-Coweta County United Way and past chairman of the Georgia Association of Partners in Education. In 1996, John was selected to carry the Olympic Torch through Newnan as part of the "Community Hero" program.

John is married to the former Paula Crouch of Summerville, Georgia. Paula is a travel writer with the Atlanta Journal Constitution. The Thrashers live in Newnan, Georgia, with their daughter Caroline, an ninth grader at East Coweta High School. The Thrashers are active members of the First United Methodist Church in Newnan.


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