Retired President, John Barker
Times are changing for the Lake Lanier Association. In late May, long-time president John Barker retired and passed the gavel to new president Todd Baxter. The organization will also be bringing on a new executive director next month to replace Jennifer Flowers.
“The association continues to grow and evolve and there’s no better person to lead us than Todd, especially as we move into this new chapter,” said Barker, who has served as president for three years. “And while I’m retiring as president, I plan to continue to be involved with the lake community as well as the association.”
Baxter joined the board in 2019 and has spearheaded the group’s solar lights program interfacing with the US Army Corps of Engineers. He has also been immersed in the north Georgia community.
“When my job transferred my family and me to the Atlanta area in 2005, we fell in love with Lake Lanier,” Baxter said. “After I was transferred to Colorado in 2012, we missed the lake so much, we bought a house on Lanier for vacations. And when we moved back in 2019, it was like coming home.”
Baxter and his wife Laura and their two school-aged children live on the lake. His older son lives in Utah. They enjoy all sorts of lake activities – boating, jet skis, fishing, dining at the numerous restaurants, and just hanging out on their dock.
A native of the Southeastern United States, Baxter currently works for one of the largest background-check corporations in the world. He holds a Bachelors of Business Administration (BBA) is in Finance and an MBA.
Barker, an Ohio native, retired from The Coca-Cola Co. He and his family started visiting Lake Lanier in 1988, when they bought their first boat. In 2002, they purchased a lake house. He and his wife Deborah have two grown children and six grandchildren.
Instrumental in the organization’s abandoned boats and derelict docks program, he became president of the board in 2015. Under his leadership the group expanded its mission of Clean Lake. Full Lake. Safe Lake. It also began an aggressive program of public outreach and boater education.
In anticipation of his new role, Baxter has spearheaded the search for a new executive director.
“We received a large number of applications and have been interviewing candidates,” he said. “We anticipate announcing our new executive director sometime in early to mid-June.”
For information about the Lake Lanier Association or to join, visit lakelanier.org or call 770 503-7757.
Feature photo: Todd Baxter, wife Laura and their two youngest children at last year’s Shore Sweep.
