Gov. Nathan Deal will announce the names of six people to replace the suspended DeKalb School Board members at a March 13 news conference at the Capitol.

Deal's nominating panel, which met through the weekend, interviewed 63 people face-to-face. They were culled from a list of 403 who applied to replace the board's six longest-serving members, suspended by the governor on Feb. 25.

The press conference takes place at 11 a.m.

Deal said Tuesday that DeKalb residents should be happy when they see the qualifications of the final selections. He said the welfare of the children is his main focus.

"The deserving students should not be adversely affected by the school board's action," he said.

The list of 63 includes includes Doreen Carter, a former Lithonia city councilwoman and president of the Greater Lithonia Chamber of Commerce; Lithonia community activist and attornery Gina Mangham; school advocates Thad Mayfield and Faye Andresen; pastor and retired police officer LaSalle Smith; former state School Superintendent Werner Rogers, former state lawmakers Rep. Doug Teper and Sen. Dan Weber; PTA leader Jennifer Hatfield, Bryce Farbstein, a former president of the East Lake Neighborhood Association and Board of Commissioner candidate; and Will Thomas, who sought an appointment to the school board in 2006 when former board member Simone Manning Moon resigned.

Listed here are the finalists presented to Gov. Nathan Deal by the nominating committee he formed to replace six members of the DeKalb School Board.