UNIVERSITY SYSTEM BOARD OF REGENTS VICE CHAIR TO SPEAK AT COLLEGE OF COASTAL GEORGIA SPRING COMMENCEMENT
University System of Georgia (USG) Board of Regents Vice Chair Don L. Waters will be the keynote speaker at the spring commencement ceremony for the College of Coastal Georgia on May 13, 4 p.m. at the Jekyll Island Convention Center.
Waters was appointed to the USG Board of Regents in 2013 by Gov. Nathan Deal to represent the First Congressional District, and in 2017 was elected to serve as vice chair. In addition to serving on the Board of Regents of the USG, Waters is the CEO of Waters Capital Partners, LLC, an investment firm and family office.
From 1993 to 2016, he was the chairman, president, and chief executive officer of Brasseler USA, Inc., an international manufacturer of dental and medical surgical instrumentation. Previously, Waters practiced as a certified public accountant, served as a partner with Price Waterhouse & Co., and was an attorney with HunterMaclean.
“We are truly delighted to have Don Waters share his wisdom with our May graduates as the College of Coastal Georgia’s commencement speaker,” Interim President Meg Amstutz said. “His background as an entrepreneur and a leader is sure to inspire our graduating students as well as their family and friends. I’m honored that Regent Waters will be joining us on this important occasion.”
Waters is a native of Savannah. In addition to his service at the USG, he currently serves on the Board of Trustees of the Chatham County Hospital Authority; the Board of Trustees of the Augusta University Health System, the health system supporting the Medical College of Georgia; and on the Board of Curators of the Georgia Historical Society. In 2013, Waters was inducted into the Savannah Business Hall of Fame, and in 2017 he was the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award given by the Savannah Branch of the NAACP. In 2018, he was the recipient of the Distinguished Service Scroll from the University of Georgia School of Law, his alma mater.
“I am looking forward to addressing the latest group of Mariner graduates as they chart their course to success,” Don Waters said. “I hope to encourage them to focus on their goals, work hard in pursuit of them, and understand the importance of sharing with their community.”
Waters earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Armstrong State University before heading to the University of Georgia School of Law.
His family endowed the Waters College of Health Professions at Armstrong State University, now part of Georgia Southern University. He and his wife Cindy have two daughters, four grandsons, and are members of the Isle of Hope United Methodist Church.