Georgia Lottery CEO retiring

ATLANTA — There will be a new job opening soon in Atlanta — if you’re game enough for it.

The Georgia Lottery Corp. announced Wednesday afternoon that its president and CEO, Margaret R. DeFrancisco, will be retiring from her full-time position. No departure date has been set and she plans to stay on through the transition to a new president/CEO, the organization said. The Georgia Lottery’s board of directors will conduct a search for her replacement.

“The Georgia Lottery has seen strong growth and funded the educations of hundreds of thousands of Georgians during Margaret DeFrancisco’s tenure at the corporation,” Gov. Nathan Deal said. “She has served the citizens of this state for nearly nine years and we wish her well in her retirement.”

Lottery officials said sales reached a record $3.8 billion in Fiscal Year 2012, which ended June 30. DeFrancisco became the president of the lottery in December 2003, about midway through FY 2003, when sales were at $2.6 billion for the year.

“Margaret has made the decision to retire from her role at the Georgia Lottery to enjoy some of the finer things in life, more specifically, her family and friends,” Georgia Lottery Board Chair James F. Braswell said. “We are grateful to Margaret for her years of exemplary service to the Lottery and the citizens of Georgia. The lottery experienced record sales, resulting in record returns to HOPE and pre-K during her tenure, which is something all Georgians can celebrate.

“The board of directors is committed to making the necessary transition seamlessly and smoothly. We share a common goal of continuing to move this organization forward.”

In its existence, the Georgia Lottery has returned more than $13.6 billion to the state of Georgia for education. More than 1.4 million students have received HOPE, and more than 1.1 million 4-year-olds have attended the statewide, voluntary prekindergarten program.