Leadership

Dr. Joseph E. Carruth is a retired physician, who practiced Cardiology and Internal Medicine in Dublin, Georgia for 3 7 years, from 1980 to 2017. Dr. Carruth serves as chairman of the Laurens County Board of Health. He has been a member of the Community Service Board of Middle Georgia for over 20 years. For many years he was a medical director for Three Rivers Home Health. In the 1980s, he helped start the Cardiac Rehabilitation program at Fairview Park Hospital and was its medical director for many years.

Dr. Carruth is a 1967 graduate of Washington County High School in Sandersville, Georgia. He received a BA degree in chemistry from Emory College in 1971. He received his MD degree from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in 1975. He also completed five years of post-graduate medical training (three years of Internal Medicine internship and residency at the Johns Hopkins Hospital and two years of Cardiology fellowship training at Emory University).

Dr. Carruth is married to Camille Holland Carruth with whom he has two children (Tom Carruth and Elizabeth Barfoot) and seven grandchildren (Joshua, Nate and Natalie Barfoot and Holland, Olivia, Preslie, and Dax Carruth). Dr. Carruth is a member of Dublin First United Methodist Church, where he is sings in the Chancel choir and serves as a Sunday School teacher.

Brenda Chain was born and raised in Dublin/Laurens County Georgia.  She is a graduate of West Laurens High School.  She attended college and earned an Associate Degree in Accounting and is also a Licensed Cosmetologist.  She is the owner and operator of C&L Tax and Accounting.  Ms. Chain is also the owner and operator of Breaking The Chain, a sober living home located in Dublin, GA.

Ms. Chain has served as District 1 County Commissioner on the Laurens County Board of Commissioners since 2019 and has served as a member of the CSB of Middle Georgia’s Board since 2019.

Ms. Chain is married to Mr. Tony Chain.  They have a son, a daughter, and three grandchildren.

Dr. Otha Jermaine Hall is the Superintendent of the Laurens County School System, a role he began in January 2026. A graduate of West Laurens High School, Dr. Hall earned a Bachelor of Science in History Education from Georgia Southern University, as well as a Master’s and Specialist’s degree in Educational Leadership from Georgia College & State University. He later earned his Doctorate in Education in Curriculum Studies from Georgia Southern University.

Dr. Hall began his career in 2006 as a history teacher at West Laurens High School before serving as an assistant principal and head boys’ basketball coach. In 2015, he was named principal of East Laurens Middle School and later served as principal of East Laurens Middle/High School. From 2020 to 2025, he served as Associate Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction for Secondary Education in Laurens County.

In addition to his work in public education, Dr. Hall serves on the steering committee for Lead Embrace and works with Middle Georgia RESA as a leadership consultant. He is also actively involved in several community organizations, including the Dublin-Laurens Chamber of Commerce, Leadership Dublin-Laurens, Salvation Army, and Communities in Schools, Rotary, Fairview Park Hospital Board, Community Mental Health Board, Board of Health, Landmark Lodge #64, and Dublin Alumni Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc.

Joshua Kight is the current Mayor of Dublin, Georgia, having won a special election in 2021. Prior to becoming Mayor, he served as director of the Dublin Downtown Development Authority and the Dublin-Laurens Land Bank. Joshua has served as a member of the Community Service Board since January 2022.

Joshua was born and raised in Dublin and graduated from Dublin High School. He received degrees from the University of Georgia (A.B., History, 1995) and Harvard Law School (J.D., 1998). In addition to his city duties, Joshua works as a real estate attorney with Kight Law, LLC. Joshua is married to Victoria Kight, and they have three sons, River, Silas, and Eli.

Merita Walters Evans is married and has a large loving family that consists of children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, and great, great grandchildren. She is a faithful member of Howard Chapel United Methodist Church as well as a member of United Women in Faith. She is a committed public servant. She retired from the Laurens County Clerk of Courts after serving as Criminal/Magistrate Deputy Clerk for twenty-three years. She currently serves as a trustee for The Methodist Children’s Home in Macon, Georgia. She is a member of The Laurens County Board of Health. Merita has also served as a member of The Community Service Board of Middle Georgia since 2017.