Linda Cole

Buddy Darden

Linda Cole has been elected to join the college's Board of Trustees, while former congressman George W. (Buddy) Darden has been selected to return to the board.

Cole graduated from the Medical College of Georgia with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and from Georgia State University with an executive MBA. Over the past 26 years, she has
held various positions at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, and presently works as vice-president of ambulatory and emergency services.

From Cumming, Cole serves on the Georgia Trauma Care Network Commission, the Safe Kids Georgia board and the LaGrange College Panther Club Leadership Team. She also volunteers on the boards of directors of United Way Forsyth, Cumming-Forsyth County Chamber of Commerce and Leadership Forsyth.

Cole is married to Charles Cole, and they have four children: Alex Sapp, a 2010 graduate of LaGrange College; Kevin Sapp, a LaGrange senior; and Taylor and Allyson Cole.

Buddy Darden, former U.S. House representative for Georgia's 7th Congressional District, served as chair of the college's board from 2002 to 2007 and received an honorary doctorate from the institution in 2007. During his six terms in the U.S. House of Representatives, he was a member of the Armed Services Committee, the Interior and Insular Affairs Committee and the House Appropriations Committee.

Currently senior counsel in the law firm of McKenna Long & Aldridge, Darden served as an original member of the team that represents the state of Georgia in its water allocation negotiations with Alabama and Florida. Because of his many political, civic and vocational pursuits, he often has been named among the state's most influential people by Georgia Trend Magazine.

He is married to Lillian Darden and they have a daughter, Christine Darden Brennan, and son, Dr. George W. Darden IV.