Advisors & Leadership

Board Members

Anna B. Williams, CPA

Ann's specific and broad responsibilities within accounting, legal, advocacy, education impact Courts, Counties and community. She has served on Boards of four banks and their Audit Committees. Key contributions, with additional positions in community affairs/non-profits, include Member of the Dawson County Development Authority, conducted County Board of Commissioners approved organizational compensation study, Chair of the Chamber of Commerce of Dawson County, Northeastern Judicial Circuit Court Appointed Special Advocate, Founding member of the Reading Education Association of Dawson County (READ) and Educator. She currently serves as Treasurer of the Cotting Court Condominium Association in Atlanta as well as the Treasurer of the Peachtree Place Master Association.

Ann's depth and contributions, in addition to member of the board, we appreciate Ann's precise level of organizational experience necessary for the future of Pro-GeneX.

John A. Topping

John Topping serves as chief financial officer and general counsel with ABC Realty, a real estate investment company and as principal of Topping Law Group. His business focuses on the acquisition, ownership, management and disposition of multifamily, office and retail real estate assets. He has served as either lawyer, principal or broker in multiple real estate, corporate and finance transactions exceeding $750 million in total transaction value. Looking from 30,000 feet, John's acumen and key descriptors read "founder, principal, director, CFO, counsel: negotiated, structured and serviced."

As a lawyer, Mr. Topping has earned an “AV Preeminent®” rating, the highest peer review rating. Mr. Topping graduated from the University of Virginia in 1982 and cum laude from the University of Georgia School of Law in 1985 where he served as Notes Editor for the Georgia Journal of International and Comparative Law. Mr. Topping is the author of Runaway, a novel, Longstreet Press 2001. Mr. Topping currently sits on the Board of Directors of American Smokehouse Meats, LLC, GSG EBIII, LLC, ProGeneX LLC, ConchOut, LLC and GSG Settlement Services LLC.

John L. Lewis

John is a former C Suite bank executive recognized for organizing, raising capital including a bank turn-around success that contributed to a community's revitalization. His heart-felt service to local community organizations from charitable, civic and municipal boards is an important part of John's commitment.

He graduated from Clemson University with a B.S. in Administrative Management as well as from The Advanced School of Banking at UNC Chapel Hill and The LSU Graduate School of Banking with a Professional Masters of Banking.

Jimmy Charlton

Charlton is a 30 year veteran in technology sales management. As VP of Worldwide Sales at four network security startups, he built direct sales teams and channel programs leading to an IPO and four acquisitions exceeding $1.2B.

After 10 years at Sun Microsystems, in 1994 he joined Raptor Systems, an early pioneer in the firewall market, which IPO’ed in 1996 and was acquired by Axent Technologies in 1998. He joined Riptech, an early pioneer in Managed Security Services in 2001, acquired by Symantec in 2002. In 2003, he joined Q1 Labs which was acquired by IBM in 2011. His last company before retirement was NetWitness, which was acquired by EMC in 2011.

He graduated from The University of Tennessee in 1981 with a BA in History, earning all SEC Academic honors as a full scholarship athlete.

Thomas B. Stoughton

Mr. Stoughton is a senior-level legal, finance, capital-markets, and operations talent in private and publicly held businesses in the manufacturing, distribution and services sectors. Mr. Stoughton has invested in a variety of start-ups, turn-arounds and later-stage businesses in a variety of business segments. From $12 to $500 million in annual revenue in various business maturity and stability, he has formidable successes in legal, financial, medical, hospitality and logistic arenas.

Mr. Stoughton earned an “AV Preeminent®” rating, the highest peer review rating. He received his Juris Doctorate with high honors from The University of Georgia School of Law (1983), and is a member of The Order of the Coif, a national legal scholastic honor society of the highest ranking graduates of major U.S. law schools.