Sunday at the Museum Lecture Series
Guest Speaker: Sheriff Howard R. Sills
Speaker Bio:
Sheriff Howard R. Sills
Biographical Information
Sheriff Howard R. Sills began his law enforcement career with the Bulloch County, Georgia (Statesboro, GA) Sheriffs Office in 1974. He later served as a detective in the Fugitive and Intelligence Units of the DeKalb County Sheriff & Police Departments. He was employed as Director of Security for Peachtree Bank of Atlanta, which later merged with the SunTrust Bank where he was a Vice President in Corporate Security.
Sheriff Sills moved back home to Putnam County in 1986 and was employed by the'Baldwin County Sheriff's Office, where he served as the Chief Deputy Sheriff under Sheriff Bill Massee until being elected Sheriff of Putnam County in 1996. He has been re-elected seven times since and will begin his eighth term as the Sheriff of Putnam County in January and is the _longest serving sheriff in the history of Putnam County. Sheriff Sills is a graduate of Gatewood Schools in Eatonton. He attended Young Harris College, Georgia Southern University, and holds a B. S. Degree in Criminal Justice from Mercer University. He is also a graduate of the F. B. I. National Academy and the National Sheriffs Institute.
Sheriff Sills is a past president of the Georgia Sheriffs' Association and has been twice awarded "Georgia's Sheriff oftbe Year" (2008 & 2013). He received the "Distinguished Service Award'' from the Attorney General of the United States in 2004 and is the only Georgia Sheriff to have ever received this prestigious award. He received an ''Unsung Hero Award" from the Anti-Defamation League in 2003. He was Putnam County's "Citizen of the Year" in 1992 and Baldwin County's ''Law Officer of the Year" in 1992.
The Sheriff is married to the former Janet Williams, of Brunswick, Georgia, who is a retired aerospace engineer. He has one son, Taylor Rossee Sills, who is the Executive Director of the Georgia Cotton Commission.
As always, the museum’s presentations are free, but donations are greatly appreciated.
Please stay to tour the museum and enjoy light refreshments after the lecture.