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Georgia Gwinnett College (GGC) and the GGC Foundation announced the appointment of new members to the GGC Foundation Board of Trustees.

Norberto Sanchez

Norberto Sanchez
Norberto Sanchez joined the board in April. Sanchez is the founder and CEO of Norsan Group, Inc., comprised of restaurant groups, a food distribution company and a media group. Included in Norsan's restaurant concepts are Frankie's The Steakhouse at the 1818 Club, Pampas Steakhouse, Luciano's Ristorante and Frontera Mex-Mex Grill. Norsan also operates Prime Meats, which provides meat products to restaurants and grocery stores in the Southeast. Charlotte-based Norsan Media operates 23 Spanish radio stations in the Carolinas and Florida. Norsan Media also includes Spanish-language television stations, print services, digital media and large-scale events targeting the Hispanic community in the markets it serves.

Sanchez earned a bachelor’s of science in mechanical and electrical engineering from Monterrey Tech in Monterrey, Mexico. Through a partnership between his alma mater and Georgia Tech, Sanchez relocated to Georgia to obtain his master’s degree in industrial engineering from Georgia Tech.

Sen. Don Balfour

Don Balfour
Former Georgia Sen. Don Balfour has been serving as an ex-officio member due to his role as School of Business Board of Visitors chair since July 1, 2018. Balfour is a vice president with Waffle House, Inc., where he has worked since 1984. He spent 22 years in the Georgia Senate, where he served on the Senate Rules Committee, the Appropriations Committee, Education Committee, and the Health and Human Services Committee. Also during his time with the Senate, Balfour authored and helped pass the bill that established Georgia Gwinnett College.

He holds a bachelor’s of science in accounting from Bob Jones University and is the proud father of a GGC Class of 2017 alumnus.

R. Lee Tucker, Jr.

R. Lee Tucker Jr.
Lee Tucker is a founding partner of Mahaffey Pickens Tucker, LLP. He maintains a broad-based legal practice, currently focusing on matters in the areas of corporate law, banking and finance, civil litigation and land use.

Tucker worked as an associate with King & Spalding, LLP, an international law firm. He also served as an assistant to Georgia Governor Zell Miller.

Tucker received his J.D. from the Georgia State University College of Law and a bachelor’s degree in history from the University of Georgia.

Balfour and Tucker began their terms July 1.

New GGC Foundation president
Associate Vice President for Advancement Jennifer Hendrickson was named president of the GGC Foundation, Inc. Hendrickson assumed her role in June.

Previously, Hendrickson served as associate vice president for Development and managed all fundraising initiatives including corporate and foundation relations, alumni, annual giving and individual engagement. Hendrickson originally joined GGC as its executive director of Corporate and Foundation Relations.

Jennifer Hendrickson

Hendrickson spent more than six years at Gwinnett Technical College, where she was the interim executive director of Institutional Advancement and director of Institutional Advancement and managed the Gwinnett Tech Foundation. She also spent time at the University of North Georgia, where she managed the school’s alumni program.

The GGC Foundation provides support to the school’s teaching, research and public service, and outreach programs through volunteer leadership and assistance in development and fundraising activities; fiduciary care for the assets of the GGC Foundation for the long-term benefit and enhancement of the College; and the provision of broad advice, consultation and support to the college’s president.

Rotating off the board
David Bowen, a Gwinnett County native and charter member of the board, will conclude his distinguished 14-year service, but will still be active on the board’s Finance and Audit Committee.