Below you will find a brief biography of GCO’s Executive Director, Officers, Members of the Board of Directors and Emeritus Members of the Board of Directors.
Jerry HenryExecutive Director |
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Born and raised in a gun friendly environment in North Central Texas and hunted from an early age. Attended University of Texas at Arlington before joining the US Navy during the Vietnam War. Served from 1967 to 1971, receiving an Honorable Discharge. Moved to Georgia from Texas in 1978.
Spent 35 years in sales, marketing and project management as well as being a practicing farrier for the last 35 years. After becoming increasingly concerned about self-defense and personal protection, heard about GCO in early 2008. Joined and immediately started recruiting members and volunteering as a Gun Show Coordinator. Named Statewide Recruiting Coordinator in May of 2009 and in October of 2009 named GCO’s first Executive Director.
Named to Newsmax 100 most influential gun rights activists in 2015. Honored by the Georgia House of Representatives in 2016 by passage of House Resolution 1864, for his contributions to the preservation of the Second Amendment of the Constitution
Life Member of GeorgiaCarry.Org, Patron Life Member of the NRA, Georgia Carry Firearms Course Instructor and NRA Certified Pistol Instructor. Married wife Donna in 1971 and remain so today. We have 2 lovely daughters, one granddaughter and one grandson. We operate a therapeutic riding center for persons with special needs in Fairburn, GA.
Jeff AndersonAssistant Executive Director |
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Jeff grew up in Alpharetta, Georgia, and now lives in the mountains of Pickens County which he came to love after weekend trips there as a child. He is a self-employed carpenter who learned the trade alongside his father building cabinets and custom homes. When he first obtained a carry license at the age of 21, he called his best friend (a police officer) to let him know. His friend chuckled and said, “Have you read the back of it? That thing ain’t worth the paper it’s printed on.” From that time on, his gun was in the glove box of each vehicle he owned until an incident in 2008 that ingrained in him the need to carry. A quick internet search to see if anything had changed in the past decade and half in the Georgia gun laws turned up GeorgiaCarry.Org. The laws had not changed, but they were about to as GCO passed its first bill shortly thereafter. Jeff joined GCO and soon became a Life Member. He has spoken for GCO at several political meetings across North Georgia and was able to get free airplay for a radio ad he recorded on over a dozen stations. He is active in recruiting, particularly during fall festival season when he manages tables for several events.
Jeff and his wife Janet enjoy hiking, golf, and travel. In his early twenties he walked eight hundred miles of the Appalachian Trail. He also enjoys mountain biking, motorcycling, and showing off pictures of his granddaughter.
Kelly KennettPresident |
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Kelly was born and raised in South Carolina, primarily in the Greenville area. He was valedictorian of his high school class, and holds undergraduate and graduate engineering degrees from the University of Virginia. Kelly is a small business owner employing several people in Forsyth County, where he lives and works. Through expert work in his business, Kelly has testified many times in courts across the country. He is the happily married father of three children. Shortly after moving to the Atlanta Area in 2000, Kelly took up bird and duck hunting after an invitation from friends. Through those interactions, he became not only and avid hunter and sporting clays shooter, but also became interested in self-defense for himself and his family.
While researching the firearms laws in Georgia, became involved in trying to change local ordinances in Forsyth County, after he discovered that his County government, along with many others, were in violation of Georgia’s statewide preemption law. Through this pursuit, Kelly connected with the leaders of the then-nascent GCO. Since then, Kelly became more involved in trying to effect change in Georgia through GCO’s efforts at education, legislation, and litigation. Kelly was asked to join the Board of Directors in 2007, and was subsequently elected President in December of 2010.
John MonroeVice President |
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Born and raised in Wisconsin, John has also lived in Tennessee, Texas, California, and Florida. Started shooting at 11 and began competitive shooting at 15. Served as a police officer for a couple years before starting to work as an electrical engineer designing microwave radio systems. Have been practicing law since 1993, now concentrating on gun law litigation in state and federal courts in Georgia and around the country. Has litigated gun cases in Wisconsin, Colorado, Alabama, Florida, Washington, D.C., and of course Georgia. Has sued both the FBI and the ATF, state agencies, and many county and city governments regarding their gun laws and policies.
Has defended criminal charges involving firearms ranging from carrying in unauthorized locations, to aggravated assault and manslaughter. Frequently speaks on gun law issues and regularly teaches a course at the State Bar on Georgia gun laws. Holds several firearms instructor certifications. Was the very first member of GeorgiaCarry.Org, a founding board member, and has served since its inception as its vice president. Is GCO’s primary legal counsel. He holds a law degree from the University of Wisconsin and is also a registered Professional Electrical Engineer, holding a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Vanderbilt University.
Tim ParkerTreasurer |
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Born and raised in Dalton, Georgia. Started working in family industrial service business in Chattanooga, Tennessee while in high school and continued full time after graduation. After selling family businesses in Nashville & Chattanooga in 1992, the family started over again a year later in the Atlanta area. The business has been in operation in Cobb County since 1996. He met the love of his life in November the following year and they were married in 1999. Tim & wife Manya (who is our Events Coordinator) are the proud parents of 2 wonderful girls. Tim has been a shooting enthusiast since childhood and began training and shooting competitively in 2005. Currently classified as Expert in IDPA Stock Service Pistol Division.
Has taken formal firearms training from such notable instructors as Larry Vickers, Ken Hackathorn, Claude Werner, Tom Givens, Todd Louis Green, Ernest Langdon and others. He joined GeorgiaCarry.Org in August 2007 and became the 10th Life Member a year later. Tim served as Statewide Recruiting Coordinator in December 2009 and accepted appointment to Board of Directors in October 2010. Has been GeorgiaCarry.Org Treasurer since August 2011.
Matt KnightenSecretary |
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Matt was born and raised in Rome, Georgia, and grew up plinking with a BB gun. He started serious target shooting after earning a Boy Scout rifle merit badge. Became an Eagle scout in 1993. After college he started working full time in Information Technology. An eye-opening late night encounter, while alone in an empty parking lot, spurred him to get a handgun and learn Georgia carry laws. He found this task to be harder than expected. After learning as much as he could, he volunteered to be the Georgia Administrator on Packing.org, with the intent of helping others gain the same knowledge. As there was more information about Georgia laws than Packing.org could handle, he created Georgiapacking.org in 2005. He is a founding board member of GCO, has served since its inception as its secretary, and is currently the webmaster. He met his wife Rebecca when she joined the GCO volunteer staff in 2007. (Rebecca was the first GCO Membership Coordinator) They were married in 2009.
James CampBoard of Directors |
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Born and raised around firearms in Armuchee, Georgia, was taught firearm safety at an early age. Attended the Art Institute of Atlanta majoring in video production. After college, he obtained his first Georgia Firearms Carry License in 2001. Began visiting an online forum Packing.org that was devoted to concealed carry. While posting on this forum, he met 5 gentlemen who would become the founders of GeorgiaCarry.org. He worked at various levels of activism locally and traveled to South East Asia to pursue his artistic media talents, where he met his future wife. In 2004, he became serious about the need for a grassroots organization to fight Georgia’s archaic gun laws. In March 2005 the founding members met in the back of a Shoney’s in Lithia Springs and GeorgiaCarry.org was born.
Along with founding members, Ed Stone and John Monroe, he was party to one of GCO’s first lawsuits which would eventually lead to the repeal of Georgia’s 140 year old Public Gathering Laws as well as lead Georgia’s gun laws of today being more friendly. James continues to be active in GCO and has run for office in both chambers of the state legislature. In addition to serving on the Board for GeorgiaCarry.org, James also serves on the Executive Committee of the Georgia Libertarian Party and actively exposes how the leadership of the ruling party has worked behind the scenes to sabotage meaningful pro 2 amendment legislation that would reinstitute freedom to all Georgians. James is currently living in West Georgia with his wife of 9 years of whom he refers to “The Jewel of Southeast Asia”. He and his wife have one son.
Chuck TurneyBoard of Directors |
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Born and raised in eastern Kansas. Enlisted in the Marine Corps after graduating high school. Received certification as a Marine Corps Primary Marksmanship Instructor in 1986 while serving in Yuma Arizona. During this time also received certification as a volunteer Hunters Education Instructor and started a home FFL business. Throughout his Marine Corps career and worldwide travel he continued to teach Hunter Education in four different states and for the Yamaguchi Prefecture of Japan. Active in conservation and firearms rights organizations all his life, has served and chaired committees for Ducks Unlimited, the Wild Turkey Federation, Friends of NRA, and of course GCO. While stationed as a Marine in North Carolina, he was certified as a North Carolina Concealed Carry Instructor and held several NRA Instructor certifications. Married to his wife Faye in 2002 and upon retiring from the Marines as a Gunnery Sergeant in 2003, moved to her home state of Georgia working as a contractor to the Air Force in Warner Robins. After moving to Leesburg GA to again work with the Marine Corps he became involved with a new firearms rights group that was just being formed, GeorgiaCarry.Org.
Accepted a position with GCO as Fundraising Chair and was asked to join the Board of Directors in 2008. In response to a need for a comprehensive training program that would address carry in Georgia, he authored the Georgia Firearms Carry Course and serves as GCO’s Training Coordinator and Master Instructor. Chuck and his wife Faye are both Life members of GCO and live on Treeland Ranch in Ty Ty, Georgia where they raise ducks and host dove hunts during the season.
Michael Menkus |
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Michael was one of the founding members of GeorgiaCarry.Org and the organization’s first Treasurer. Prior to the founding of GeorgiaCarry, he sued the Cobb County Probate Judge over the Judge’s refusal to follow state law. His experience from that lawsuit opened his eyes to the need for an organization that would bring together the talents and financial resources of thousands of Georgians to compel the government to comply with the Constitution and even its own laws.
Michael is involved with law enforcement research with a focus on how changes in carry laws affect violent crime rates and understanding Active Killer incidents. He collaborates with leading experts in the field including law enforcement officers and trainers, university based researchers, and journalists. He has testified multiple times at General Assembly in support of GeorgiaCarry’s bills. His testimony has ranged from detailing the racist intent and history of Georgia’s gun laws to how gun-free zones attract and empower Active Killers to do their evil.
Michael was a presenter at the 2015 GeorgiaCarry.Org Convention. His presentation Your Morning Jolt: Background Checks details why every liberty-loving American should hate the background check law.
Michael is a licensed Professional Engineer and earned a BS in Geophysical Engineering from the Colorado School of Mines. His professional career has included oil well geophysics, landfill design and construction, oil spill response, environmental law compliance, and sales contract negotiation.
Michael is a life member of GeorgiaCarry and exceedingly proud to be associated with everyone in the organization. GeorgiaCarry.Org members are exceptional people because they fight for the rights of others.
James RankhornBoard of Directors |
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James Rankhorn was born in Tennessee and moved to south Georgia when he was six years old. He joined the US Marine Corps after graduating high school. In 2001, upon completion of his service to our country, he received an honorable discharge and moved back to South Georgia.
Being a sportsman, hunter and possessing a strong belief in the Second Amendment and the right to keep and bear arms, James joined GeorgiaCarry.Org in 2008 at a local gun show. Shortly thereafter, he became the Valdosta area gun show coordinator.
In September of 2015, James started the South Georgia GCO Chapter which was the first GCO Local Chapter, which he continues to coordinate today. James also started the Lowndes County 4-H BB gun shooting club and continues to coach the team today.
James was elected to the Board of Directors in the fall of 2017 for a two year term.
James still lives Valdosta with his wife, Laci and his 3 children. He works as a Process Controls Engineer with MC Electrical Services in Valdosta.
Bruce GreenfieldBoard of Directors Emeritus |
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Born and raised in NY, moved to Georgia in 1985 and for the first time was exposed to the concept that a person had the right to defend themselves with anything other than a cell phone. Was not introduced to shooting and the ability to carry a firearm until after arriving in Georgia. Obtained first carry license in 1996 and in 2010 discovered and joined Georgia Carry. Upgraded to Life Membership after watching GCO’s efforts and success on passing SB308. Began helping at membership tables at recruiting events throughout the state in 2010.
In 2011, I was asked to take on the responsibility of Gun Show Coordinator for the NATC Gun shows in Norcross. In 2011, I replaced Tim Parker as Statewide Recruiting Coordinator, working to ensure that all Recruiting Coordinators were properly stocked with recruiting materials as well as scheduling GCO’s participation in various events. In 2014, I was named to the Board of Directors. I look forward to serving and am grateful for this opportunity to help further the efforts to protect and expand our 2nd Amendment Rights in the State of Georgia.