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Rick Goddard is a conservative
Republican and candidate for Congress in Georgia’s 8th Congressional
District. Rick proudly served his
country as an officer in the U.S. Air Force, retiring in 2000 after nearly 34
years of active duty. He currently
serves as Vice President and Chief Technology Officer at MercerUniversity.
During his tenure, he has been responsible for Information Technology and
Technology Support, Distance Education, Web Management, Physical Plant, Mercer Police,
and all major university construction projects. His area of
responsibility includes both Macon and Atlanta campuses, as well
as Academic Centers in Douglas, Henry, and Dodge counties.
From 1997-2000, Rick was
Commander of the Warner Robins Air Logistics Center, Robins Air Force Base in
Warner Robins, the state’s largest industrial complex. He entered the Air Force in 1966 and is a command
pilot with more than 3,500 flying hours.
He flew 227 combat missions in Vietnam flying the F-100 Super Sabre and was awarded the Silver
Star for gallantry in action, the Distinguished Flying Cross for heroism and
extraordinary achievement in combat and twelve Air Medals.
Rick commanded two F-111
Fighter/Bomber wings - the 380th Bomb Wing at Plattsburgh,
New York and the 27th Fighter Wing at Clovis, New
Mexico. As a
member of the Joint Strategic Target Planning Staff, he served as Deputy
Director of the National Strategic Target List, responsible for targeting in
the nation’s strategic war plan. He also served as Director of Logistics for
all U.S. Air Forces in Europe and as Director
of Logistics at Air Combat Command, was awarded the Distinguished Service
Medal, Defense Superior Service Medal and Legion of Merit.
Following the historic election
of Governor Sonny Perdue, Rick served on the Governor’s transition team with
the responsibility of establishing the office of Georgia’s Inspector General. In 2003, Governor Perdue appointed him to
serve on the Board of Directors of the Georgia Military Coordinating Committee,
which is chartered to provide direct support to Georgia’s
military installations and the thousands of uniformed men and women serving in Georgia. The Committee was the prime architect for
defending Georgia’s
military installations during the Base Realignment and Closure Commission
(BRAC) proceedings. Goddard also served
as a member of the Board of Directors of the Greater Macon Chamber of Commerce
for 2002.
When it comes to serving their
country and community, Rick and his wife Judy are a team, working tirelessly
together to give back to their community.
Judy is currently the Vice Chairman of the Houston County Republican
Party and served the past four years as its Chairman. She sits on the SunMark Bank Board of
Advisors, Houston County Association for Exceptional Citizens Board of
Directors, the Convention and Visitors Bureau Board, and the Middle
Georgia Youth Science and Technology Board.
She has been involved in the American Red Cross, Family Services,
Enlisted Wives Club, Officers Spouses Club, Houston County Arts Alliance, Museum of Aviation and the Salvation Army. The
Goddards are members of the Warner Robins Chamber of Commerce, Air Force
Association and the Military Officers of America.
Rick graduated from the University of Utah
in 1966 with a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science and earned his Masters
degree in Business Administration from CentralMichiganUniversity in 1975. He
graduated from the NationalDefenseUniversity,
IndustrialCollege
of the Armed Forces in 1986, and attended the Senior Managers in Government
Program at the Kennedy School of Government at HarvardUniversity
in 1994. The Goddards have been married
35 years and have three sons: David, an Iraq
war veteran; Bob, a mechanical engineer living in Seattle,
Washington; and Rick, who works in Washington, D.C.
and served on the staff of U.S. Senator Saxby Chambliss.
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