leader, earned his B.S. degree from Fort Valley State University, majoring in Business

Administration, with a minor in Accounting.

His career path has taken him from being a community organizer and director of the “War on

Poverty” program in Columbus, Georgia, to his current positions as Executive Vice President,

Corporate External Affairs, Synovus and President of the Synovus Foundation. He also serves

on the company’s eight-member Corporate Executive Group. Synovus (NYSE- “SNV”) is a

diversified financial services holding company with over $32 billion in assets based in

Columbus, Georgia. Synovus provides integrated financial services including banking, financial

management, insurance, mortgage and leasing services through 39 banks and other Synovus

offices in Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina, Florida and Tennessee; and electronic payment

processing through an 81-percent stake in TSYS (NYSE- “TSS”), the world’s largest third-party

processor of international payments. Synovus has been named one of “The 100 Best Companies

To Work For” in America by FORTUNE magazine, and has been recognized in its Hall of Fame

for consecutive appearances on the list since its inception in 1998. In 2004, Synovus was also

named as one of “America’s Most Admired Companies”. See Synovus on the Web at

www.synovus.com.

He was elected to the Georgia House of Representatives in 1974 as its youngest member at 26

years of age. As a 33-year legislative veteran and one of the “Deans,” he serves on the most

important panels of the House. In the state’s budgetary process he serves on the Appropriations

Committee, which is responsible for dividing up the $20 billion state budget. He is also a

member of the powerful calendar-setting Rules Committee as well as Chairman of the House

Minority Caucus. Representative Smyre has served as Chairman of the House Rules Committee

and University System of Georgia Committee, which has oversight responsibility for the state’s

34 public colleges and universities from 1993-1999, and he served as Chairman of the House

Industrial Relations Committee from 1991 to July 1993.

Rep. Smyre has a distinguished legislative record which includes authoring the legislation

making Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr’s birthday a state holiday and legislation creating the Georgia