University of Georgia Magazine December 2016

December 2016 • Vol. 96, No. 1

Economic growth

STEM s from UGA

New center prepares students for jobs in science, technology, engineering and math

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BULLDOG IN BRAZIL UGA student Jenn Finch photographs Team USA’s Melissa Stockwell before the start of the triathlon familiarization run at Copacabana Beach during the 2016 Paralympic Games held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in September. Finch was one of nine students from the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication who were chosen to cover the Paralympics as fully credentialed members of the press, producing multimedia content for global distribution by the Associated Press. Four of the students were from the visual journalism program, headed by Mark Johnson; five were from the college’s Sports Media Certificate program, directed by Vicki Michaelis. Johnson and Michaelis supervised and edited the students’ work, which appeared in outlets including USA Today, Yahoo News and The Palm Beach Post.

Photo by Mark E. Johnson

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2017 ALUMNI SEMINAR A Sense of Place

Join us

FEBRUARY 17-18, 2017 University of Georgia Campus

ALUMNI.UGA.EDU/SEMINAR Return to the Arch to experience firsthand what has changed—and what will always stay the same—at the University of Georgia. Reconnect with fellow alumni and friends while enjoying lectures by leading faculty and exclusive campus tours.

All UGA alumni, parents and friends are invited!

SHOW YOUR PRIDE The UGA Alumni Association and Bank of America have teamed up to bring exclusive products to Bulldog® fans everywhere.

Learn more at alumni.uga.edu/boa

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UGA Alumni Association

®

FEATURES

Andrew Davis Tucker

Bill Dennis, professor of physics, shows students a trick for viewing a wave during his optics, electricity and magnetism class held in UGA’s new Science Learning Center on the first day of fall semester.

An estimated 10,000-12,000 undergraduate students will use the facility each day for classes in chemistry, biology, physics, ecology, math, computer science and genetics.

18 Preparing students for jobs of the future

The STEM fields come alive in UGA’s new Science Learning Center, where students benefit from collaborative and interactive learning environments equipped with the latest technology.

24 Practice makes perfect As UGA’s new experiential learning initiative goes into effect, students from the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication get handson practice reporting and photographing the Rio Olympics and Paralympics.

28 A better future.

That’s our commitment.

Commit to Georgia is the largest capital campaign in UGA’s history. Here’s how it will help the university have a lasting effect on the lives of students, the state of Georgia and the world.

ON THE COVER

Peter Frey

The Science Learning Center’s labs—20 chemistry, 10 biology, two ecology and one physics—are designed to promote face-to-face interaction between students as they engage in hands-on learning.

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16 december 2016

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vol. 96, no. 1

georgia magazine Ted Mayer

Editor · Allyson Mann (MA ’92) Managing Editor · Margaret Blanchard (AB ’91, MA ’98) Art Director · Jackie Baxter Roberts Advertising Director · Pamela Leed Office Manager · Fran Burke UGA Photographers · Peter Frey (BFA ’94), Rick O’Quinn (ABJ ’87), Andrew Davis Tucker, Dorothy Kozlowski (BLA ’06, ABJ ’10), Chad Osburn Editorial Interns · Camren Skelton, Mara Weissinger Contributor · Lori Johnston (ABJ ’95)

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Q&A President Jere W. Morehead (JD ’80) on UGA’s capital campaign and how it will transform the university.

54

marketing & communications Vice President · Karri Hobson-Pape Executive Director · Janis Gleason

Around the Arch 7

administration

18 and counting

8

10

Emily Selby

UGA moves up on U.S. News & World Report ranking.

Making a difference Student Jeb Blazevich is named to “Good Works” team.

Class Notes

Undecided

38 On the Bulldog Beat Ten must-see campus sites.

Finding a major just got easier, thanks to UGA’s new Exploratory Center.

11

Spin class

44 D.C. to ATL Ryan Teague (JD ’03) serves as executive counsel to Gov. Nathan Deal.

Fit desks let students burn calories while cramming.

48 Age of the geek Veteran science writer Deborah Blum (ABJ ’76) leads MIT journalism program.

Close Ups 12

Going for the gold

54 Gymdog. Surgeon.

Commander.

Nearly 40 students and alumni represented the Bulldog Nation at the Rio Olympics and Paralympics, bringing home medals in swimming and track and field.

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President · Jere W. Morehead (JD ’80) Senior VP for Academic Affairs & Provost · Pamela Whitten VP for Finance & Administration · Ryan Nesbit (MBA ’91) VP for Development & Alumni Relations · Kelly Kerner VP for Instruction · Rahul Shrivastav VP for Research · David C. Lee VP for Public Service & Outreach · Jennifer Frum (PhD ’11) VP for Student Affairs · Victor Wilson (BSW ’82, MED ’87) VP for Government Relations · J. Griffin Doyle (AB ’76, JD ’79) VP for Information Technology · Timothy M. Chester

Leah Brown (BS ’98) thrives in high-pressure situations.

The ARCHitecture of identity Get to know the “Power Arch,” UGA’s updated academic logo.

Send Class Notes to gmeditor@uga.edu Send address changes to records@uga.edu

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Change your mailing address by contacting e: records@uga.edu or ph: 888-268-5442 Find Georgia Magazine online at ugamagazine.uga.edu Submit Class Notes or story ideas to gmeditor@uga.edu

advertise in Georgia Magazine by contacting Pamela Leed at e: pjleed@uga.edu or ph: 706-542-8124

fine print

Georgia Magazine (issn 1085-1042) is published quarterly for alumni and friends of UGA. postmaster | Send address changes to: University of Georgia 286 Oconee Street, Suite 200 North Athens, GA 30602 In compliance with federal law, including the provisions of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Sections 503 and 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, the University of Georgia does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, religion, color, national or ethnic origin, age, disability, or military service in its administrations of educational policies, programs or activities; its admissions policies; scholarhsip and loan programs; athletic or other University-administered programs; or employment. In addition , the University does not discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation consistent with the University non-discrimination policy. Inquiries or complaints should be directed to the director of the Equal Opportunity Office 119 Homes-Hunter Academic Building, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602. Telephone 706-542-7912 (V/TDD).

Fax 706-542-2822.

Q&A

with President Jere W. Morehead (JD ’80)

In this issue of Georgia Magazine, the university introduces the priorities of the comprehensive capital campaign. How will the campaign benefit UGA? To reach new heights of excellence as a university, we have identified three priorities for the campaign: (1) removing barriers and opening doors for students; (2) enhancing the learning environment; and (3) solving grand challenges for our state and the world. The private funds we raise to support these priorities will increase UGA’s ability to make a positive impact in a number of significant areas. In this way, the campaign is not about the number of dollars raised, but rather the number of lives changed.

How will the campaign help remove barriers and open doors for students?

The campaign will help increase access to a UGA education for academically qualified students.

Scholarship support is essential to recruiting the best and brightest students from Georgia and across the nation and to creating a vibrant and diverse student population. During the silent phase of the campaign, private support for scholarships more than tripled, but much more support is needed, especially in terms of scholarships for students from lowincome families. The campaign will help us ensure that outstanding students from all socioeconomic backgrounds have the opportunity to experience UGA’s unparalleled learning environment.

What are some of the ways in which funds raised through the comprehensive capital campaign will enhance the learning environment at UGA? One of the ways we prepare our students to shape the future is by providing them with high-impact learning experiences outside of the classroom, such as opportunities for internships, research, study abroad and service-learning. The campaign will expand experiential learning for our students and provide support for faculty as they develop programs with community partners to incorporate experiential learning into their courses. We also are focused on enhancing the physical learning environment. Private support will allow us to construct state-of-the-art facilities and renovate buildings for new purposes to promote the highest levels of student learning for the 21st century.

How can alumni and friends of UGA contribute to the university’s efforts to solve grand challenges for our state and the world?

Endowed chairs and professorships play a significant role in attracting faculty whose research is addressing issues ranging from infectious diseases to food supply.

The university has made record gains in research productivity in recent years, and our ability to continue to recruit and retain path-setting scholars through endowed positions will be critical to future expansion. Private funds also help us attract top graduate students from around the world who make important contributions to research at UGA while training to become the next generation of leaders in their fields. Our public service faculty take the vital research produced here and apply it to challenges within communities across our state. Increased support for this type of outreach will help UGA advance its land-grant mission to improve lives throughout Georgia and around the world.

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Peter Frey

AROUNDTHEARCH UGA’s majorettes and feature twirlers’ competition team were named champions at the 2016 America’s Youth on Parade USA and World Twirling Championships held in July in South Bend, Ind. The competition team won the National Open Halftime Show Twirl Championships, and feature twirlers Jameson Kenerly and Miranda Williams won the top two titles for individual collegiate competitors.

Kenerly (shown above with Hairy Dawg) is the 2016 National Collegiate Twirling Champion, and Williams (right) is the 2016 National Downfield Champion.

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Peter Frey

What goes up . . .

around the

ARCH

On the rise UGA moved up three spots to No. 18 in the latest U.S. News & World Report ranking of Best Public Universities that was released in September.

UGA was bolstered in the rankings, one of the most recognized in the nation, in part by the quality of its student body. Not only have students posted a first-year retention rate of 95 percent and a six-year graduation rate of 85 percent, but the university’s acceptance rate decreased from 56 to 53 percent and incoming classes continue to raise the bar in test scores and GPA. Improved ratings from administrators at peer academic institutions also boosted the university’s position.

The university’s top-20 ranking on this list and others (No. 17 on Forbes list of Top 25 Public Colleges 2016 and No. 12 on Kiplinger’s 2016 list of the 100 best values among public colleges and universities) speak to UGA’s commitment to enhancing the student experience.

All inclusive

UGA students and Road Dawgs (left to right) Tifara Brown, Monica Cristina Ceron, Nafisat Anjorin, Efra Uscanga and Emmanuel Mgbemena lead high school students in “calling the Dawgs” during a recruiting trip to Tri-Cities High School in East Point.

Andrew Davis Tucker

For the third year in a row, the university has been nationally recognized for efforts to promote diversity and inclusion on campus.

UGA is one of 83 recipients of the 2016 INSIGHT Into Diversity Higher Education Excellence in Diversity Award for outstanding efforts and success in promoting diversity and inclusion throughout campus.

“The diverse experiences and perspectives that our students, faculty and staff bring to our campuses help create an outstanding learning environment that prepares all of our students for success in the 21st-century global economy,” says Pamela Whitten, senior vice president for academic affairs and provost.

Programs such as UGA Road Dawgs, which sends the university’s students to Georgia high schools to talk with prospective undergraduates, have bolstered minority enrollment at UGA. UGA’s six-year graduation rate for African-American students is 87 percent—more than double the national average—and is 80 percent for Hispanic students.

The university has promoted an inclusive campus through the opening of a Student Veterans Resource Center in 2013 and the launch of the Women’s Leadership Initiative in 2015. Destination Dawgs, a new post-secondary education program for students with intellectual or development disabilities, is set to begin in spring 2017.

Old is new again

The university rededicated the newly renovated H.H. Tift Building on the UGA-Tifton campus in September.

Renovation of the historic Tift Building—the campus’s first structure— was completed in May and funded by $5 million in state support. The facility houses the agricultural and applied economics department as well as administrative offices. The renovation created modern classroom space to provide faculty and students with the latest in learning technology.

Nearly 100 years old, the Tifton campus is a hub for groundbreaking discoveries related to agricultural commodities such as cotton, peanuts, pecans, turf grass and vegetables. The campus’ academic programs offer undergraduate and graduate degrees to prepare future agricultural leaders.

“We celebrate the unwavering and longstanding bond between UGA-Tifton and the many communities it proudly serves all across South Georgia,” said President Jere W. Morehead at the building dedication ceremony. “Indeed, the strengths and opportunities of this area of the state and the mission of this campus are perfectly aligned.”

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around the

ARCH Headed back to Athens? Don’t get caught in the rain The UGA community now has access to real-time weather data and early warnings for severe weather, thanks to two new WeatherStem stations.

The stations, donated by WeatherStem CEO Edward Mansouri, were installed in August at the State Botanical Garden and on the roof of the geography-geology building. Each station links to the web and provides tools such as text alerts for changing weather conditions and forecasts. UGA is the first school in the Southeastern Conference to have WeatherStem stations installed.

In addition to practical applications such as monitoring heat indexes that could affect athletes and grounds workers, the stations also are useful for research and teaching. Marshall Shepherd, Georgia Athletic Association Distinguished Professor and director of UGA’s Atmospheric Sciences Program, worked with Mansouri to have the stations in place by fall semester so he could use the data in his class on urban climate.

To receive data in real-time, download the WeatherStem app or visit WeatherStem online at athensclarke. weatherstem.com.

John Kelley

‘Good Works’ from a good Dawg

Shannah Montgomery

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Georgia tight end Jeb Blazevich was named to the 2016 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team in September. Bestowed by the American Football Coaches Association, the recognition honors college football players committed to making a difference in their communities. Blazevich, a junior from Charlotte, N.C., was one of two SEC players named to the roster. His service includes visiting Camp Sunshine to spend time with children who have cancer; volunteering for Countdown to Kickoff, a benefit for Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and the Georgia Transplant Foundation; and working with Extra Special People, an organization assisting individuals with developmental disabilities. UGA leads the nation in Good Works honorees, with 17 since the award’s inception in 1992, including Chris Conley (ABJ ’14) in 2014 and Malcolm Mitchell (AB ’15) in 2015.

around the

ARCH Anonymous angel’s legacy has a transformational impact on UGA Cora Nunnally Miller was an accomplished horsewoman, a breeder of champion Whippets, a voracious reader, and an advocate for the arts. She was also one of UGA’s most generous benefactors, anonymously giving more than $33 million to the UGA Foundation throughout her lifetime. Miller died in July 2015 at her home, Hound Hill, in Otis, Mass. Her last gift, a bequest of $17 million, will have a transformational effect across the university.

The Hugh Hodgson School of Music will receive $9 million, the largest gift ever made to the school. Miller’s stepfather was Hugh Hodgson, a nationally recognized musician and educator who was the first chair of UGA’s music department, and she gave numerous and significant gifts to the School of Music throughout her lifetime. She also supported the College of Veterinary Medicine, giving more than $7 million to the new Veterinary Medical Center and leaving a bequest of $2 million to support teaching, research and service at the college. Her final gift also will support the UGA Honors Program and the UGA Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, with $4 million being used to establish the Cora Nunnally Miller Fine Arts Scholarship Fund for undergraduate students studying the fine arts.

Special

FYI, there’s really no such thing as TMI “By establishing the Georgia Informatics Institutes, our faculty have put the University of Georgia at the forefront of the information revolution.”

—Pamela Whitten

Nearly 150 participants from across UGA gathered Oct. 11 for a symposium following the creation of the Georgia Informatics Institutes for Research and Education (GII).

Informatics is a broad field that encompasses the generation, storage, processing and analysis of massive data sets. The GII, established in September and administered by the College of Engineering, expands UGA’s instruction and research in this critical area.

“The ability to extract meaning from large volumes of data is transforming business and our understanding of the world,” says Pamela Whitten, senior vice president for academic affairs and provost. “By establishing the Georgia Informatics Institutes, our faculty have put the University of Georgia at the forefront of the information revolution.”

A Presidential Informatics Hiring Initiative completed earlier this year brought eight new informatics faculty members to campus.

UGA has more than 160 faculty members who apply informatics to fields including health, business, the environment, digital humanities and engineering.

The GII will identify and form teams for large, interdisciplinary research projects that tackle grand challenges with implications for human health, safety and security, and UGA’s land-grant mission of service.

The high price of a Lincoln

Special

A $5 wager cost Seth Wilson his 13th win on “Jeopardy.” Wilson, a Ph.D. candidate in UGA’s theatre program, amassed 12 victories and about $267,000 during a winning streak that ended in October. He answered Final Jeopardy correctly, but his conservative $5 wager wasn’t enough to beat his opponent, who bet it all.

Wilson (above right with “Jeopardy” host Alex Trebek), will compete again during the Tournament of Champions.

His 12-game winning streak is the fifth longest since the quiz show allowed endless streaks in 2003, placing him in the “Jeopardy” Hall of Fame.

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around the

ARCH

Four jolly good Fellows Four UGA faculty members—Chris Garvin, Marisa Anne Pagnattaro, J. Marshall Shepherd and Janice Hume (above, left to right)—have been selected as 2016-17 SEC Academic Leadership Development Program Fellows.

Created by the Southeastern Conference in 2008, the program includes training, mentoring and networking to advance academic leaders. Participants will learn from senior administrators at UGA and attend two SEC-wide workshops.

Garvin, professor of art and design, is director of the Lamar Dodd School of Art in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences.

Pagnattaro, associate dean for research and graduate programs and the I.W. Cousins Professor of Business Ethics in the Terry College of Business, serves as the college’s director of international programs.

Shepherd, director of the atmospheric sciences program and the Georgia Athletic Association Distinguished Professor of Atmospheric Sciences and Geography in the Franklin College, is a leading international expert in weather and climate and host of The Weather Channel’s “Weather Geeks.”

Hume, head of the journalism department and holder of the Carter Chair in Journalism Excellence in the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication, is author of Popular Media and the American Revolution: Shaping Collective Memory (2014).

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Rick O’Quinn

Exploring major decisions College is a place of discovery for students—and that includes self-discovery.

Perhaps it’s not a surprise then that nearly 70 percent of UGA students change majors at least once, and about a quarter of the student body changes more than once.

To help these students who change majors and firstyear students who are undecided find the right program, UGA established the Exploratory Center, a new resource that provides personalized advising services for students who need help choosing a major.

The center’s academic advisors are specially trained to help students find a major that aligns with their skills and interests.

“Many times students feel pressured to declare a major before they arrive for classes, and when they change majors, they end up losing course credits that don’t count toward their new majors,” says Judith Iakovou, director of UGA Academic Advising Services.

One of the goals of the new center is to guide students toward courses that keep them on track to graduate, even as they explore their options.

around the

ARCH Alchemy for the 21st century UGA researchers are giving new meaning to the phrase “turning rust into gold”—and making the use of gold in research and industrial settings far more affordable.

The research is akin to modern-day alchemy, says Simona Hunyadi Murph, adjunct professor in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences department of physics and astronomy. Researchers combined small amounts of gold nanoparticles, which are invisible to the human eye, with magnetic rust nanoparticles to create a hybrid nanostructure that retains both the properties of gold and rust.

“Medieval alchemists tried to create gold from other metals,” Murph says. “That’s kind of what we did with our research. It’s not real alchemy, in the medieval sense, but it is a sort of 21st-century version.”

The new technique probably won’t make jewelry any more affordable—but it could lower costs for other applications. Gold has long been valuable for industrial, medicinal, electronic and aerospace uses, among others, due to unique physical and chemical properties that make it inert and resistant to oxidation. But high cost and limited supply make using gold for large-scale projects prohibitive. At the nanoscale, however, using a very small amount of gold is far more affordable.

Brains and brawn Students can now burn calories while burning the midnight oil, thanks to three new “fit desks” installed at the Miller Learning Center (MLC) during fall semester. The desks consist of a stationary bicycle and a sturdy platform to hold books and papers, allowing students to spin while studying.

Placed in front of windows on the fourth floor east wing of the MLC, the desks offer a view overlooking the Tate Student Center and Sanford Stadium.

Dorothy Kozlowski

Winning the immunity challenge One of the nation’s leading infectious disease researchers joined UGA this fall as a Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar.

Karen Norris came to UGA’s Department of Infectious Diseases at the College of Veterinary Medicine and the newly developed Center for Vaccines and Immunology in September as the GRA Eminent Scholar in Immunology and Translational Biomedical Research. She is UGA’s 16th active GRA Eminent Scholar.

The Georgia Research Alliance partners with Georgia’s research universities to recruit world-class scientists who foster science- and technology-based economic development.

Norris’ research focuses on understanding and treating infectious and chronic diseases, including HIV and diabetes as well as pulmonary and inflammatory diseases.

Norris comes to the university during a period of extraordinary growth in sponsored research activity and growing interest in STEM (science, technology, education, mathematics) fields among students.

“At a time when women remain underrepresented in the sciences and many other fields, Dr. Norris will be a superb mentor and role model for the next generation of researchers,” says Pamela Whitten, senior vice president for academic affairs and provost. “Her record of accomplishment speaks for itself, and she is a critical addition to an extraordinary faculty.”

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CLOSEUP

GOING GOLD

for the

Bulldogs replaced red and black with red, white and blue while garnering Olympic glory It was one of the most electrifying moments of the Summer Olympics—former Bulldog Shaunae Miller (M ’13) dived across the finish line to defeat Allyson Felix and win gold in the 400-meter dash.

Competing for her native Bahamas, Miller was one of 34 athletes and coaches from the Bulldog Nation who made an impact at the 31st Olympic Games held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in August.

Bulldogs representing the U.S. and 13 other countries brought home 10 medals, ranking UGA sixth among colleges for the most medals won, according to USA Today. If the university had competed as a sovereign nation, UGA would have ranked 27th—tied with Croatia—out of 206 countries that competed.

UGA’s five gold, three silver and two bronze medals were earned in swimming, with the lone exception of Miller’s win in track and field. Bulldogs also competed in golf, table tennis, gymnastics and volleyball, continuing an 80-year Olympic tradition. The first Bulldogs competed at the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin, Germany, where Forrest “Spec” Towns (BSEd ’37) won gold in the 110-meter hurdles; Bobby Packard (M ’40) ran the 200-meter dash; and Henry Wagnon (BSEd ’36) participated in a demonstration of baseball, then a relatively unknown sport internationally.

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GOLD MEDAL WINNERS gunnar bentz (student) | 4x200 freestyle relay Bentz swam in the preliminaries, helping the U.S. qualify for the finals and making UGA history by becoming the first Georgia male swimmer to win an Olympic gold medal.

melanie margalis (BSFCS ’14) | 4x200 freestyle relay Margalis earned gold by swimming the third leg of the prelims, helping the relay team post a time of 7:45:37 to make it to the final.

shaunae miller (M ’13) | 400-meter dash

Representing her native Bahamas, Miller ran a personal best of 49.44 seconds, beating defending world champion Allyson Felix by .07 seconds.

Associated Press

BULLDOG ATHLETES AT PARALYMPICS

Shaunae Miller (M ’13) dived across the finish line to win gold in the 400-meter dash at the Olympic Games held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in August. Miller was one of 34 athletes and coaches who represented the Bulldog Nation.

Bulldogs also had a strong presence at the Rio Paralympics, held in September. Michelle Gerlosky Schiffler (BSA ’08) won gold with the U.S. sitting volleyball team, and Amanda Dennis (M ’15) won bronze with the U.S. goalball team.

Goalball, developed to help with the rehabilitation of visually impaired veterans, is played in teams of three. Players try to throw a ball—that has bells embedded into it—in the opposing team’s goal. Partially sighted players wear eyeshades to equalize conditions with blind players.

Lindsay Grogan (ABJ ’10, MS ’12) and Jarryd Wallace (M ’13) also represented the Bulldog Nation and the U.S. at the Paralympics.

Grogan swam the 400-meter freestyle and 200-meter individual medley, and Wallace ran the 4x100-meter relay and the 100-meter dash, placing fifth in the latter.

amanda dennis allison schmitt (BS ’14) | 4x200 freestyle relay “Schmitty,” who served as one of the team’s captains, swam the lead leg in the prelims and the finals.

She also won gold in this event at the 2012 Games in London.

olivia smoliga (student) | 4x100 medley relay

In her first Olympics, Smoliga helped the team secure a spot in the finals—and win gold—by leading off the prelims with a 100-meter backstroke time of 59:57.

(M ’15) goalball

lindsay grogan

(ABJ ’10, MS ’12) (left above) swimming

michelle gerlosky schiffler (BSA ’08) sitting volleyball

jarryd wallace (M ’13) (right above) track and field

december 2016 | georgia magazine | 13

SILVER MEDAL WINNERS chase kalisz (student) | 400 individual medley

On the first night of competition, Kalisz posted a personal-best time of 4:06.75 to place second behind Japan’s Kosuke Hagino.

allison schmitt (BS ’14) | 4x100 freestyle relay

Schmitt, competing in her third Olympics, swam the third leg in the prelims, securing a spot for Team USA in the finals.

amanda weir (M ’08) | 4x100 freestyle relay

UGA student Chase Kalisz won a silver medal in the 400-meter individual medley at the Olympic Games. Swimming on the first night of competition, Kalisz came back from a slow butterfly leg and made his move during the breaststroke, coming close to catching leader Kosuke Hagino in the final 50 meters.

Also competing in her third Olympics, Weir swam the anchor leg in the prelims, earning a medal when Team USA finished second behind Australia with an American record time of 3:31.89.

uga athletes and coaches representing other countries César Castro (volunteer coach) diving | Brazil

Matias Koski (student) swimming | Finland

Cejhae Greene (student) track and field | Antigua

Charles Grethen (BBA ’15) track and field | Luxembourg

Brittany Rogers (student) gymnastics | Canada

Brittany MacLean (student) swimming | Canada

Karl Saluri (student) track and field | Estonia

Jenny Dahlgren (AB ’08) track and field | Argentina

Javier Acevedo (student) swimming | Canada

Chantal Van Landeghem (M ’15) swimming | Canada

Maicel Uibo (student) track and field | Estonia

Shaunae Miller (M ’13) track and field | Bahamas

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uga athletes & coaches representing the u.s.

Bubba Watson (BSFCS ’08) golf Gunnar Bentz (student) swimming Chase Kalisz (student) swimming Jay Litherland (student) swimming Hali Flickinger (student) swimming

Associated Press

Melanie Margalis (BSFCS ’14) swimming Allison Schmitt (BS ’14) swimming

BRONZE MEDAL WINNERS

Olivia Smoliga (student) swimming

brittany maclean (student) | 4x200 freestyle relay

Amanda Weir (M ’08) swimming

In her second Olympics, MacLean swam the third leg of the 4x200 freestyle relay, winning her first Olympic medal and helping Team Canada win its first-ever medal in this event.

Yijun “Tom” Feng (student) table tennis

chantal van landeghem (M ’15) | 4x100 freestyle relay

Van Landeghem swam the second leg, posting a time of 53.12 and helping Team Canada win its first medal in this event in 40 years.

Kibwe Johnson (M ’00) track and field Keturah Orji (student) track and field Kendell Williams (student) track and field

Leontia Kallenou (student) track and field | Cyprus

Alexandra Oquendo (M ’05), volleyball | Puerto Rico

Petros Kyprianou, asst. coach track and field | Estonia

Levern Spencer (BSHP ’08) track and field | St. Lucia

Britta Büthe (M ’07)

Tynia Gaither (AB ’15) track and field | Bahamas

Dan Laak, assistant coach diving | Brazil

Ken Harnden, asst. coach track and field | Cayman Islands

beach volleyball | Germany

Jack Bauerle | Assistant Coach (AB ’75) swimming

december 2016 | georgia magazine | 15

CLOSEUP

THE ARCH a brief history

the

ARCHitecture of identity

by aaron hale (ma ’16) In September, the University of Georgia introduced an updated academic logo that includes familiar elements: the signature red and black, the iconic Arch and UGA’s founding date as the nation’s first state-chartered university.

The logo is part of a new visual identity system that uses consistent colors, fonts and design elements to align the university’s many schools, colleges and units. Like most U.S. colleges and universities, UGA will continue to have distinct athletic and academic marks.

“This is an evolution of our prior logo, and it visually represents the University of Georgia’s rich history, current success and aspirations for the future,” says Karri Hobson-Pape, vice president for marketing and communications. “By using a refreshed and coordinated visual look, we’re building greater recognition of the university’s positive impact throughout the state, nation and world.”

“A unified look and message enables us to present a comprehensive picture of a university whose component parts are working together and accomplishing great things,” says Kelly Kerner, vice president for development and alumni relations. “It helps our alumni understand the impact their university is having in the state of Georgia, and they are more likely to invest in the success of our students.”

The previous academic logo was designed in 1989, long before digital and social media became dominant forms of communication.

That logo was challenging to use in the digital realm.

The updated logo consists of a bolder Arch contained in a shield, which—cou-

pled with custom typography—helps the logo stand out in a variety of backgrounds.

Shields are used in many leading college and university logos, including a number of institutions represented by the Association of Public & Land-Grant Universities.

“As the university prepared to launch the public phase of its comprehensive capital campaign, it was important to use a clear and consistent visual identity that conveys the profound impact of our teaching, research and service missions,” says President Jere W. Morehead.

Last spring, 25 public listening sessions for faculty, staff and students were held to determine the community’s functional needs for a logo and preferences for a new visual identity system. In addition, focus groups and interviews were conducted with alumni in Georgia and beyond. More than 300 students, staff and faculty participated in those sessions, and the overwhelming consensus was that the university needed to update the logo and implement a consistent visual identity system. Participants strongly preferred that the Arch, the university’s enduring academic symbol, continue to be part of the logo.

The new academic logo expresses the university’s striking and ambitious spirit, says Chris Garvin, director of the UGA Lamar Dodd School of Art, who provided input into the process.

“This new mark carries on the tradition of the old 1785 circular mark, but modernizes it and adds a gravitas,” he says. “The shield gives it power and the kind of heraldry the best universities play on. I call it the ‘Power Arch’ because it holds its own next to the Power G.”

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The Arch, which borders North Campus and downtown Athens, is modeled after the Georgia state seal that features three pillars, each labeled for one aspect of the state motto: “Wisdom, Justice, Moderation.”

For such an iconic symbol, its origins are remarkably unassuming. Ironworkers at the Athens Foundry, which produced ironworks across the city and the campus, probably forged the Arch around 1858, when an iron fence replaced a wooden one separating Broad Street and the north end of the university. At the time, livestock roaming the dirt road that is now Broad Street were intruding onto North Campus— sometimes disturbing classes.

The 16-foot, roughly 5,700-pound monument first acted as a gateway for the fence, with two doors connecting the columns. In fact, it was referred to as “the gate” rather than “the Arch” until the early 20th century.

Special thanks to Steven Brown and Janine Duncan for providing historical perspective on the Arch.

breaking it down

The Arch, UGA’s most prominent campus icon, also appeared in the previous academic logo. Modeled after the Georgia state seal, the pillars represent wisdom, justice and moderation. In listening sessions with more than 300 faculty, staff and students, participants demonstrated deep emotional ties to the Arch and strongly preferred that it continue to be part of the logo.

UGA became the nation’s first state-chartered university in 1785.

Including this date pays tribute to the institution’s endurance and legacy of success.

The shield is used to contain the Arch, helping the logo to stand out on a variety of backgrounds.

In contemporary design, shields often are used to represent strength; historically, they have been used as graphical representations to identify families.

Presented as two elements, the shield shape allows for a bold presentation of UGA’s signature colors. Red and black were in use as early as 1891, when student editors of the university’s literary magazine proclaimed crimson and black to be Georgia’s colors.

december december 2016 2016 || georgia georgia magazine magazine || 17 17

STEM fields come alive in new Science Learning Center

TRULY TRANSFOR T

Andrew Davis Tucker

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he University of Georgia’s campus was transformed this fall with the opening of the Science Learning Center, a symbol of the state of Georgia’s commitment to providing the best learning experience for students in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

Anchored on the southwest corner of D.W. Brooks Mall, the 122,500-square-foot building was dedicated at a ribbon-cutting ceremony Aug. 17.

“We expect that many students who take classes here in the Science Learning Center will go on to make discoveries that advance our knowledge and lead to positive, tangible outcomes for individuals and communities in the state of Georgia and around the world,” says President Jere W. Morehead (JD ’80). One in five UGA students now graduates with a degree in a STEM field.

Recommended by the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia (USG) and funded by Gov. Nathan Deal and the Georgia General Assembly, the $48 million center was completed under budget on an

Chad Osburn

RMATIVE unprecedented two-year timeline. Faculty worked with architects and instructional designers to create highly collaborative and interactive learning environments using state-of-the-art technology.

Speakers at the ceremony included Pres.

Morehead; Hank Huckaby, chancellor of the USG; Gregory Robinson, UGA Foundation Distinguished Professor in Chemistry; and Hayley Schroeder, an undergraduate student majoring in ecology and entomology.

Robinson, one of more than 40 faculty members who taught classes in the facility this fall, spoke of the important role science plays in solving societal challenges such as the search for clean energy, fighting infectious diseases and treating traumatic brain injuries.

“History suggests that we will also meet these challenges by fundamental discoveries in chemistry, biology and physics,” he says. “This new facility sends a clear message: Not only does the University of Georgia accept the responsibility of science education, but we fully embrace all of the associated challenges that are before us.” GM

Officials including President Jere W. Morehead and USG Chancellor Hank Huckaby (above) came together Aug. 17 to dedicate the new Science Learning Center, located on South Campus.

Rick O’Quinn

december 2016 | georgia magazine | 19

Peter Frey

Peter Frey

The Science Learning Center features a variety of learning settings including 33 labs—20 chemistry, 10 biology, two ecology and one physics (left, above)—as well as two 280-seat lecture halls (top).

Peter Frey

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Jackie Baxter Roberts

Peter Frey

Students work on an assignment in one of the organic chemistry labs (top). In 2015, nearly 21 percent of degrees awarded to undergraduates at UGA were in STEM fields, compared to 15.5 percent in 2010.

Jackie Baxter Roberts

december 2016 | georgia magazine | 21

Andrew Davis Tucker

Peter Frey

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Andrew Davis Tucker

1 IN 5 UGA STUDENTS NOW GRADUATES WITH A DEGREE IN A FIELD RELATED TO SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING OR MATH An estimated 10,000-12,000 undergraduate students will use the building daily for classes and labs in chemistry (near left), biology, physics, ecology, math, computer science and genetics. Two SCALE-UP (Student-Centered Active Learning Environment) classrooms (top left) offer highly collaborative, interactive, hands-on, technology-enhanced learning environments. The building also features study areas and spaces for group collaboration (right, far left).

Peter Frey

december 2016 | georgia magazine | 23

UGA student Kendra Hansey interviews a Brazilian fan during the Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in September. Hansey was one of nine students from the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication who worked as fully credentialed members of the press, producing multimedia content for the Associated Press. Her experience is one example of the many opportunities UGA now guarantees through a new experiential learning initiative instituted in August.

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UGA’s new experiential learning initiative guarantees hands-on learning opportunities for all students

by Allyson Mann (MA ’92) | Photos by Mark E. Johnson

J

aylon Thompson has attended the Olympics twice. The first time was in 1996, when Atlanta hosted the Summer Games, and Thompson— who was 1 year old—attended with his parents.

He was too young to remember that experience, but it’s safe to say that he’ll remember his second Olympics very clearly.

Now a senior at UGA, Thompson was one of two students from the Grady College’s Sports Media Certificate program who covered this year’s Summer Games, held in August in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He and Nicole Chrzanowski were chosen by the U.S. Olympic Committee to report for the USOC’s various information channels, including TeamUSA.org.

“It was a really incredible, once-in-a-lifetime experience,” says Chrzanowski, also a senior.

The following month, nine more UGA students— four in visual journalism and five from sports media—covered the Rio Paralympic Games, working as fully credentialed members of the press and producing multimedia content for global distribution by the Associated Press.

Students practicing their reporting and photography skills in Rio is just one example of the kinds of opportunities that UGA now guarantees as part of a new experiential learning initiative. Starting in fall 2016, all first-year and transfer students are required to engage in hands-on learning before graduation.

UGA is the largest public university in the nation to ensure that each undergraduate student participates in transformative experiences that take them out of

the classroom to gain real-world experience.

“Experiential learning helps students connect foundational knowledge to real-world challenges, hone critical thinking and problem-solving skills, and build confidence and civic responsibility,” says President Jere W. Morehead. “These are highly important educational outcomes.”

T

he seeds for UGA’s experiential learning (EL) initiative were planted in President Morehead’s investiture address in November 2013, when he affirmed his commitment to students and called for “a full and broad learning experience” that exceeded their expectations. In 2014, a university-wide committee chaired by Linda Bachman explored what an experiential program might look like, resulting in the requirement passed by the University Council in April 2015.

“It’s a statement of value to make experiential learning an official policy. It validates these practices and ensures that all UGA students will be ready to make their marks on the world upon graduation,” says Bachman (EdD ’13), now director of university experiential learning. “Experiential learning has become part of UGA’s distinctive brand.”

Bachman spent summer and fall of 2015 working with UGA’s schools and colleges to determine how each would define the activities that fulfill the requirement. The resulting plans, approved last October by the University Curriculum Committee,

december 2016 | georgia magazine | 25

Professor Vicki Michaelis (left) works with student Emily Giambalvo on a story in the Main Press Center at Barra Olympic Park in Rio. Michaelis supervised five students from Grady’s Sports Media Certificate program; four students from the college’s visual journalism program were guided

by Mark Johnson, the program’s director.

included lists of already-existing courses or programs that met the requirement.

Since then, Bachman has worked with the schools and colleges to develop additional opportunities. She’s also developing an EL transcript—a document that will integrate a broad range of a student’s experiential activities at UGA, allowing them to show prospective employers how they’ve linked the classroom to the real world.

“Experiential learning is among the oldest ideas in education—we learn by doing—but it’s had new currency in light of the national conversation about how higher education helps students get jobs,” she says. “Experiential learning is one way to purposefully connect your classroom experiences with your professional goals.”

T

hompson and Chrzanowski witnessed some of the most notable moments at the Rio Olympics. Thompson was there when U.S. athlete Simone Manuel became the first African-American woman to win a gold medal in an individual swimming event, the 100-meter freestyle.

“You rarely get to see history being made, and it’s right there before your eyes,” he says.

For Chrzanowski—an elite triathlete before a back injury ended her athletic career— covering swimming on the night of Michael Phelps’ final race was special.

“So much of the emotion gets lost when you’re reporting,” she says, “but I definitely felt it very strongly that night.”

As students in the Sports Media Certificate program at the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication, the two have practiced their skills extensively in class as well as garnering an impressive set of internships—Thompson at the Houston Chronicle and Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and Chrzanowski at the Fayette Daily News and with USA Triathlon. Despite complicated logistical issues and late-night editing sessions followed by early-morning assignments, covering the Olympics was just business as usual.

“I knew how to do my job and knew what was expected of me,” Chrzanowski says.

“There were definitely moments where I was pushed out of my comfort zone, but those were the best learning moments.”

The two were supervised on site in Rio by faculty member Vicki Michaelis, director of Grady Sports, John Huland Carmical Chair in Sports Journalism and Society, and former lead Olympic reporter for USA Today. Michaelis worked with the USOC to formalize the student assistant program for the Olympics. She also accompanied Grady students to the Paralympics in September; she and Mark Johnson, head of the college’s visual journalism program, supervised and edited the undergraduates’ work.

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“I often tell my students they’re ready to work in media when they know what they don’t know. You can only gain that awareness through real-world experience,” she says.

“For Jaylon and Nicole, their reporting at the Olympics for TeamUSA.org pushed them much closer to being ready to start their careers because they know more about what they don’t know—and that will help them prepare.”

Being at the Olympics made Thompson feel “official.”

“You’re doing what other professional journalists in the field are doing. You’ve reached the pinnacle of your profession—the Olympics. Nothing’s bigger than that,” he says. “Now I feel like it’s time to build on it.”

L

ike Thompson and Chrzanowski, UGA students will be able to find experiential learning opportunities that are personally meaningful. Transformative experiences like internships, research, service-learning programs and study abroad have long been available at UGA, and more opportunities are being identified and developed.

Nearly a third of UGA students complete internships in fields ranging from the arts to business, building on their academic foundation to gain experiences that distinguish them from the competition.

In March, more than 400 students presented original research projects in fields ranging from art to pathology to computer science at the Center for Undergraduate Research Opportunities Symposium. CURO offers $3,000 summer fellowship grants to 30 students annually as well as $1,000 assistantships for 500 undergraduates.

“No other research university offers such comprehensive support for such a variety of research endeavors,” says Martin Rogers, associate director of the Honors Program and CURO. “It’s clear that such support prepares our students to be better leaders, innovators and scholars.”

More than a quarter of UGA students enrolled in service-learning courses in the last year. Service learning enables students to apply classroom knowledge to community needs such as revitalizing downtowns and fighting poverty. It also can help with financial and career success. A UGA study found that a group of students graduating in 2010 made about $4,600 more annually in their first full-time job if they had participated in

(Left to right) Jamie Han, Emily Greenwood, Emily Giambalvo, Jen Finch, David Barnes, Kendra Hansey, Joshua Jones, Casey Sykes and Kennington Smith pose in front of the three agitos, the symbol of the Paralympic Games, at Copacabana Beach.

Agito is Latin for “I move.”

service learning at the university.

More than 2,400 UGA students study abroad each year, selecting from campuses and residential centers in San Luis de Monteverde, Costa Rica; Cortona, Italy; and Oxford, England, or through one of hundreds of programs on all seven continents. UGA ranked 11th among all U.S. institutions in the 2015 Open Doors Report on the number of U.S. students studying abroad.

“The latest Open Doors ranking is yet another indication that hands-on learning experiences are a defining characteristic of a University of Georgia education,” says Pamela Whitten, senior vice president for academic affairs and provost. “Our new experiential learning requirement builds on this strong foundation to ensure that each of our incoming students will benefit from high-impact learning opportunities.”

I

n August, Linda Bachman spoke to the Indiana Commission for Higher Education about UGA’s experiential learning initia-

tive. Other institutions have also taken note of UGA’s EL program, and Bachman regularly fields calls from across the country.

“We’re at the leading edge of this, among large public research universities,” she says.

“The ‘best practices’ do not yet exist for institutions like UGA, so we are inventing them.”

UGA will continue to innovate because students demand it, according to Bachman.

“We have fantastic students,” she says.

“They challenge us to keep challenging them.”

With undergraduates like Thompson and Chrzanowski as examples, plus the university’s commitment to provide wide-ranging opportunities for hands-on experience, UGA’s Class of 2020 is poised to take their education to the next level. They may also want to follow Thompson’s lead and network when they get the chance.

“Team USA only needed me for three weeks,” Thompson says, “but the relationships that I built at the Olympics can last a lifetime.” GM

EL.UGA.EDU

december 2016 | georgia magazine | 27

capital campaign

A better future.

THAT’S OUR

COMMITMENT The largest capital campaign in UGA’s history will change lives.

T

here’s a palpable energy at the University of Georgia today.

The class of 2016 was the most academically accomplished ever, and the freshman class of 2020 is UGA’s most academically gifted to date. The university’s career outcome rate is impressive—95 percent of students are employed or continuing their education within six months of graduation (2015 Career Outcomes Survey). University of Georgia students studied in 75 countries last year, and gaining real-world experience is now core to the curriculum.

Each county in the state is served by the university in some capacity. Faculty at UGA are esteemed, sought-after experts.

Research conducted at UGA helps solve world problems like feeding the growing population and reducing the spread of infectious disease.

The university is poised to impact more lives. Global challenges await passionate problem-solvers. Communities await innovative leaders. Future generations await opportunity. A critical part of the equation is private funding from alumni and friends who believe in

28 | georgia magazine | ugamagazine.uga.edu

the University of Georgia and are deeply committed to its success.

To address the call for support, the university has embarked on the largest comprehensive capital campaign in its history, one that asks the important question: How will UGA have the greatest possible effect on its students, communities, and the world?

The campaign, which launched in July 2012, serves as the roadmap. During its four-year silent phase, more than $650 million was raised. And since 2012, $62.4 million has been raised for scholarships, and private donations have generated funds to support more than 25,000 individual scholarships for UGA students. A total of 48 endowed faculty positions have been created, which leads to a total of 267 chairs and professorships. This not only contributes to critical research that benefits our state, but also multiplies the number of graduate assistantships the university is able to offer. The Commit to Georgia Campaign is already changing lives, and with the launch of the public phase the university is prepared to commit to even more.

our commitments

In November, President Morehead announced the

removing

BARRIERS & OPENING DOORS for

official goal for the campaign:

1.2

STUDENTS The University of Georgia is positioned to have a dramatic and lasting impact on the lives of enhancing the

LEARNING

ENVIRONMENT

its students, the state of Georgia and the world.

During this comprehensive capital campaign, every contribution, from each and every graduate and friend of the university, will be important. It’s time for the Bulldog Nation to stand together and commit.

Commit to the future. Commit to Georgia.

solving

GRAND CHALLENGES for our

STATE &

THE WORLD

COMMIT TO

GEORGIA

ÂŽ

The Campaign for the University of Georgia

december 2016 | georgia magazine | 29

commitment one removing

BARRIERS & OPENING DOORS for

STUDENTS The University of Georgia is committed to providing support to ensure that all qualified students have the opportunity to experience its unparalleled learning environment. From state-of-the-

Peter Frey

art facilities like the Science Learning Center to a robust study abroad program, UGA students have access to tools that allow them to succeed in school and beyond.

COMMITTED TO

LEADING THE WAY

Unfortunately, not all students who enroll in the university have the means to attend and take advantage of every learning opportunity.

Scholarships provide support that allows the pursuit of an education without the strain of financial burden. Scholarships can also reward hard work and academic achievement, elevating the learning environment for all students.

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Drew (BS, AB ’97) and Julie Wade (AB ’96, JD ’00) benefited from state-funded and private support at UGA (above).

Today, they’re committed to providing similar opportunities for future students that may include their children (right, clockwise): Etta, 8; Henry, 13; and Margaret, 11.

J

ulie and Drew Wade are committed to the University of Georgia to provide future students the same experiences they had that continue to benefit them today.

The couple and their three children live in Savannah, where Julie (AB ’96, JD ’00) leads a thriving law firm and Drew (BS, AB ’97) is a radiologist with SouthCoast Health. As Julie tells it, their life together really started at UGA, where both benefitted from state-funded and private support.

“We had a tremendous experience for free,” Julie explains. “I was on scholarship as an undergraduate and in law school. Drew was considering colleges around the country, but received a Foundation Fellowship [the foremost merit scholarship offered at UGA]. We owe a lot to UGA and want future students to have a tremendous experience just like we did.”

“We came out of Georgia as competitive as if we had attended the Ivy Leagues, but without the debt. Our commitment is to provide the same kind of opportunities for our kids.”

Peter Frey

Sweethearts at Walton High School in suburban Atlanta, Julie and Drew continued to grow together in their shared experiences at UGA, including as goodwill ambassadors through the Arch Society.

“Leadership was not something I expected to get in college,” Julie says. “You expect a degree, the academics, but I did not go to UGA thinking I would get leadership experience. It was not until after I graduated that I realized how valuable and unique the experience was.”

The Wades are committed to giving back to UGA, making an annual gift for 22 consecutive years. They’re also committed to their community. Julie is in her second term with the local board of education, and Drew serves on the board for the Coastal Affiliate of the Susan G. Komen Foundation (Julie is a breast cancer survivor). They also participated in Leadership Savannah and Leadership Georgia. In recognition of their success, both have been named to the UGA Alumni Association’s 40 Under 40 list.

“There is a common bond and shared experience we all have,” Julie says of the UGA connection. “If you want to live in the South, particularly in Georgia, you want to go to the University of Georgia because that is where you will meet the next leaders of this state.”

Before moving to Savannah in 2006, the Wades lived in Boston while Drew completed his residency at Massachusetts General Hospital. Julie worked at a large law firm and describes the experience as eye-opening in terms of how a UGA education stacked up against their peers.

“We came out of Georgia as competitive as if we had attended the Ivy Leagues, but without the debt,” she says. “Our commitment is to provide the same kind of opportunities for our kids. It’s great to be a part of the flagship university and have that true Georgia experience—it definitely helps you appreciate the state.”

december 2016 | georgia magazine | 31

commitment two enhancing the

LEARNING

ENVIRONMENT UGA is committed to providing a learning environment in which students are prepared for careers in the 21st century or graduate school. That environment includes a number of elements, including experiential learning (handson learning outside the classroom), strong faculty-

Peter Frey

COMMITTED TO

COMMUNITY Student Joshika Money has worked with service organizations like Campus Kitchen, which receives produce from UGArden (above). Money served pesto made from basil grown at UGArden to students learning about the project (right).

J

oshika Money is committed to the University of Georgia for the real-world experiences it offers students—revealing the power of community and the ripple effect of service.

For Money, the experiential learning opportunities she’s had as a student in the College of Public Health have reinforced her commitment to community.

The Johns Creek native entered the university with a “service mindset,” and university programs like Campus Kitchen, Lunch Buddies (a partnership with the Athens Community Council on Aging), and IMPACT provided a way to channel her energies and get involved.

student relationships and

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Shannah Montgomery

state-of-the-art facilities.

“My experience with Campus Kitchen fueled my desire to work with primary care and build relationships with people.

It provided a solid platform to build on what I’d learned in the classrooms and labs, confirmed what I knew, and prompted questions to propel me forward,” says the dual health promotion and Master of Public Health major, who graduates this month.

“I’m committed to being involved in my community and making sure I stay connected to the places I live and work. I always want to be able to step out of the bubble of my own life to utilize my own skill sets to

serve others, and continue to learn in the process.”

She finds inspiration from her fellow students, professors, and those they serve.

“When you meet people who are so passionate about what they’re doing, it’s infectious,” she says.

Money’s interest in nutrition and its impact on public health was solidified through her involvement as a Public Service and Outreach Scholar, and she plans to pursue a career in preventive medicine through plant-based nutrition. The experience made a lasting impact.

“The University of Georgia provides all of these real-world opportunities to boost what is already a great student experience,” she says. “It really helps students narrow their focus and gain experience that will benefit them right now as well as later in life.”

Individuals with a passion for enriching students like Money can make a difference by hiring UGA students or graduates as interns, or by helping fund experiential learning opportunities.

“The University of Georgia provides all of these real-world opportunities to boost what is already a great student experience.”

december 2016 | georgia magazine | 33

COMMITTED TO

FINDING A CURE

commitment three solving

GRAND CHALLENGES for our

STATE &

THE WORLD The University of Georgia is tackling some of the world’s most pressing challenges, from searching for solutions to infectious diseases to boosting food supply to sustaining a healthy environment.

The formula for success contains one key ingredient—the ability to attract and retain superior faculty.

The generosity of private support makes this possible through endowed chairs and professorships, which allow brilliant minds to focus on their passion and commitment to making the world a better place. Endowed support provides funding for research, travel and

Peter Frey

graduate assistantships.

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“Research in general is a very creative process—taking bits and pieces of information and trying to make sense of them.”

Rick Tarleton confers with Drew Etheridge (right), assistant professor of cellular biology and fellow faculty member at UGA’s Center for Tropical and Emerging Global Diseases.

Peter Frey

U

GA Athletic Association Distinguished Professor of Cellular Biology Rick Tarleton is committed to the University of Georgia so he can help find a cure for an overlooked infectious disease and serve the global community.

A complex parasite drew Tarleton to his life’s work—studying Chagas disease.

Trypanosoma cruzi lives in blood-feeding insects commonly known as “kissing bugs” because they tend to bite people on the face and lips. The resulting disease strikes early and progresses slowly, almost inevitably resulting in irreparable damage to the heart and digestive system tissues.

Chagas may not regularly make headlines, but its impact is felt by approximately 20 million people in the world, mostly in Central and South America. It is unique because unlike other tropical diseases, it is geographically restricted to the Americas.

Approximately 300,000 people and many animals in the U.S. are infected. “It is both a product of poverty and poverty-promoting because people are infected young and start to develop the disease in the prime of their lives,” Tarleton explains. “It’s often called the most neglected of neglected diseases because it occurs in a population that isn’t prominent and that doesn’t have a voice.”

Tarleton’s interest in Chagas goes back to his own experience as an undergraduate student at Wake Forest University, where he worked in a lab that focused on T. cruzi.

He quickly became hooked on studying the disease because of the complex dynamics between parasite and host and the human body’s immune response. “That really fed a desire in me to explore new things,” he says. “Research in general is a very creative process—taking bits and pieces of information and trying to make sense of them. I can’t imagine doing anything else quite as fulfilling.”

But it was moving beyond the science and visiting countries where Chagas exists that sealed Tarleton’s commitment to search for ways to prevent and treat the chronic infectious disease. “As we are working on a neglected disease and we’re consuming resources (i.e., grant money), then we have an obligation to have the highest impact when we have the opportunity,” he says. “One purpose for the existence of universities is to make the world a better place.”

Today, he trains students to focus on Chagas in his lab, located in the Center for Tropical and Emerging Global Diseases. It’s a way of paying his experience forward.

“I’m a strong advocate for undergrad research because it had a massive impact on me,” he says. “The research we do here is all funded from outside sources. There are 20 people in my lab and UGA pays for only part of one of those salaries, mine. Basically, these training opportunities for UGA students would not exist were it not for non-UGA grant funding.”

In the mid-1990s, Tarleton saw an opportunity for the university to carve a niche in an underfunded area of research and pitched establishing the Center for Tropical and Emerging Global Diseases to university administration. Today the internationally renowned center includes more than 20 faculty members representing seven departments in three colleges whose work focuses on mostly neglected tropical diseases. Such successful efforts exemplify the entrepreneurial spirit of researchers like Tarleton, who saw a need and addressed it.

However, many programs have needs that fall outside of stringent guidelines often required by grants and foundations. Without private support, opportunities to do more research and make a bigger impact may languish. As an example, Tarleton points out the need for a fully funded exchange program that would bring budding scientists from Latin America to train at UGA so they can then take that knowledge back to their countries.

“It would be a huge boost for our group, for research in general, and for the University of Georgia to have that sort of program.

It would identify the university as a unique place in this very important area of research and expand our horizons,” Tarleton says.

“We would love to have a stable endowment to allow for the exchange programs. We currently find ways to do it on a small scale, but it’s not always easy.”

december 2016 | georgia magazine | 35

UGA Alumni Association The UGA Alumni Association advances the academic excellence, interests and traditions of Georgia’s flagship university by inspiring engagement through relevant programming, enhanced connections and effective communications.

Support Alumni Affinity Groups

events MONDAY, JAN. 23

If you are passionate about building a welcoming UGA community for all Bulldogs and enjoy helping fellow alumni connect to their alma mater, consider volunteering for one of UGA’s affinity group leadership councils.

The Black Alumni, Women of UGA and Young Alumni affinity groups are dedicated to enriching the alumni experience for all Bulldogs. Applications close Dec. 31. Visit alumni.uga.edu/networks to learn more.

Founders Day Lecture Join the UGA community in the Chapel at 1:30 p.m. to hear from Charles Bullock, Richard B. Russell Chair in Political Science and University Professor.

Save the Date!

WEDNESDAY, JAN. 25

The 2017 Bulldog 100 Celebration, highlighting the 100 fastest-growing businesses helmed by UGA alumni, will be held Feb. 4 at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis. Keynote speaker is retired AT&T executive Debbie Storey (AB ’80, MBA ’06). Visit alumni.uga.edu/b100 to learn more.

State of the University Address Hear from President Jere W. Morehead about the Commit to Georgia Campaign and the future of Georgia’s flagship university at 3:30 p.m. in the chapel.

UGA vs. Notre Dame Travel Package The Dawgs will take on the Fighting Irish Sept. 9 for the first time since the 1981 Sugar Bowl. The UGA Alumni Association is offering alumni and friends a special Chicago travel package for the football game. The package includes hotel stay, shuttle to South Bend, a souvenir and more. Claim your spot at alumni.uga.edu/notredame.

MONDAY, FEB. 6 40 Under 40 Nominations Open Nominate outstanding young alumni for 40 Under 40. Nominations will close Thursday, April 6. Visit alumni.uga.edu/40u40 for details.

connections

FRIDAY-SATURDAY, FEB. 17–18 2017 Alumni Seminar: A Sense of Place This annual two-day educational gathering features lectures, tours and interactive seminars that showcase UGA’s commitment to changing the world for the better. This year’s keynote speaker will be award-winning author, writer and humorist Roy Blount Jr. Register at alumni.uga.edu/seminar.

FRIDAY, APRIL 21

Robyn Rayne Nelson

80th Annual Alumni Awards Luncheon

Lana Chumachenko (BBA ’06) sends T-shirts to fans in the Georgia Dome during the Chickfil-A Kickoff Game Sept. 3 in Atlanta. Chumachenko is a senior real estate representative for Chick-fil-A and a 40 Under 40 honoree for 2016.

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Every year, the UGA Alumni Association celebrates the achievements of distinguished alumni, faculty and friends of UGA. Visit alumni.uga.edu/alumniawards for more information.

For more events, visit alumni.uga.edu/calendar.

Wingate Downs (ABJ ‘79)

connections

Congratulations to the 40 Under 40 Class of 2016! Honorees were recognized during the annual awards luncheon Sept. 8 in Atlanta. A special thanks to former UGA gymnast Leah Brown (BS ’98) for serving as keynote speaker. View the full class at alumni.uga.edu/40u40, and see page 54 for more about Brown.

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Connect your social media accounts to the program, look out for news from the UGA Alumni Association and click to spread the news for a chance to win prizes.

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Georgia grads Patrick Klibanoff (BBA ’14, ABJ ’14) and Sarah Hughes (AB ’14) showed their Bulldog pride during a trip to Machu Picchu, Peru.

december 2016 | georgia magazine | 37

on the bulldog BEAT

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december 2016 | georgia magazine | 39

CLASSNOTES

Left: A volunteer Santa helps distribute free Christmas trees to families in need. Below: Alex Gramling, one of three Dawgs who established the nonprofit Christmas Tree Santas, poses at a tree lot with his daughter, Emma.

White Loft Studio

o christmas tree White Loft Studio

The holidays will be brighter for families in need thanks to Christmas Tree Santas (CTS), a nonprofit created by Alex Gramling (ABJ ’86), Bob Bailey (BBA ’85), and Ted Justiss (BBA ’84).

CTS relies on a network of volunteers who distribute Christmas trees—along with tree stands, lights and ornaments—to families who are identified through partner social service agencies.

The seed for the program was planted in 2010 when Gramling gave a tree to a struggling family during the holidays, an experience that moved him to do more. CTS was launched the next year, distributing more than 300 free Christmas trees at two locations.

During the past five years, the program has expanded to give away more than 3,500 trees in communities including Atlanta; Athens; Charlotte, N.C.; Houston, Texas; Newark, N.J.; Greater Boston, Mass.; and Detroit, Mich. This year they plan to give away another 1,000 trees.

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CLASSNOTES Compiled by Camren Skelton and Mara Weissinger 1945-1949 Joe Decosimo (BBA ’49) of Signal Mountain, Tenn., received a Doctor of Laws honorary degree from Southern Adventist University in June. Decosimo is senior partner emeritus for Elliott Davis Decosimo.

1955-1959 Doug Worsham (BSA ’55, MS ’57) of Scottville, N.C., was honored by the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at North Carolina State University with a lecture series in weed science named in his honor. He is professor emeritus of crop science and is known for his pioneering research in the area of weed management in conservation tillage systems.

1960-1964 Karen Williams Branan (ABJ ’62) of Washington, D.C., penned The Family Tree: A Lynching in Georgia, a Legacy of Secrets, and My Search for the Truth (Atria Books, 2016), a historical account of the lynching of four African-Americans in Harris County, written by the great-granddaughter of the sheriff who allowed the lynching. R. Cary Bynum (BFA ’62) of Atlanta penned Night Streetcars: City Poems/Poems Beyond (St. Johann Press, 2016), a collection of poems describing life within the city and beyond. Michael McLeod (AB ’63) is the author of The Death of Civility and Common Sense: How America Has Become Dangerously Polarized (Gatekeeper Press, 2016). McLeod is partner of McLeod, Watkinson & Miller in Washington, D.C. Arnold C. Young (BBA ’63, LLB ’65) of Savannah was included on The Best Lawyers in America list for 2017.

1965-1969 John M. Tatum (AB ’65, LLB ’68) was included on The Best Lawyers in America list for 2017. James W. Wimberly Jr. (BBA ’65, LLB ’68) of Atlanta is co-author of Construction Industry Labor and Employment Law (Bloomberg BNA Books, 2015) and Georgia Employment Law (Harrison Publishing, 2016). David F. Sipple (AB ’66, MPA ’69) was included on The Best Lawyers in America list for 2017. Nathaniel Slaughter (BBA ’66, JD ’69) of Atlanta was included on The Best Lawyers in America list for 2017. Slaughter is a corporate law attorney with Taylor English Duma LLP. Ellen Underwood (BSEd ’66, MEd ’67, EdS ’79) of Augusta retired after 25 years as an educator and library media

specialist. Underwood served in the Army Library System in Germany and at the Pentagon and Fort McNair. Terry T. Turner (BSA ’67, MS ’72, PhD ’75) of Coolidge wrote Counterinsurgency: What the United States Learned in Vietnam, Chose to Forget, and Needs to Know Today (McFarland, 2015) under the pen name David Donovan. The book studies counterinsurgency from the perspective of both policymakers and those who practice it. George Parker Jr. (BSA ’68) of Millen was elected to the Jenkins County Board of Education, District No. 4. Jack B. Hood (AB ’69, JD ’71) of Birmingham, Ala., is the co-author of Workers’ Compensation and Employee Protection Laws in a Nutshell (West Academic Publishing, 2016).This sixth edition of the text covers employment laws while stressing the rights and duties of both employer and employee. Judson Mitcham (AB ’69, MS ’71, PhD ’74) of Macon edited Inspired Georgia (University of Georgia Press, 2016), along with Michael David Murphy and Karen L. Paty. The collection of contemporary poems and photographs engages the history and culture of the state of Georgia.

1970-1974 Judith Jackson Reiss (BBA ’70, MEd ’72) of Yardley, Pa., was elected to the board of supervisors of Lower Makefield Township. The community of 34,000 residents is located in Bucks County, Pa. Gary Glancz (BBA ’72) of Roswell wrote Smitten (Deeds Publishing, 2016), a coming-of-age romance interrupted by a serial killer, under the pen name Jeremy Logan. J. Larry Stine (BS ’72, JD ’75) of Atlanta is co-author of Wage and Hour: Compliance and Practice (West Publishing, 2016) and Occupational Safety and Health Law: Compliance and Practice (West Publishing, 2016). Sammy Smith (BSEd ’74, MEd ’78) of Gainesville was named to UGA’s Board of Visitors. Smith is the founder of Rainmaker Public Relations and a member of the board of education for Gainesville City Schools.

1975-1979 Tony E. Collins (AB ’75) of Dahlonega was named to the board of directors of the Georgia Bankers Association. Collins is the president and CEO of Southern Bank & Trust. Amrey Harden (BBA ’76) of Watkinsville retired as president and CEO of Oconee State Bank. Harden was recognized by the Community Bankers Association of Georgia with the Lifetime Service Award. Tom Odom (BSEd ’77, MEd ’85, EdS ’90) of Watkinsville was named president-elect of the Georgia School Boards Association in June. Becky Reynolds (BSHE ’77) of Dallas, Texas, is

the facility director for Kappa Alpha Theta sorority at Southern Methodist University.

Anne Byrn (BSHE ’78), also known as the Cake Mix Doctor, of Nashville, Tenn., penned American Cake (Rodale Books, 2016), a collection of recipes and stories of iconic cakes in American history. Kathryn Smith (ABJ ’78) of Anderson, S.C., is the author of The Gatekeeper (Touchstone, 2016), a biography of Missy LeHand, Franklin D. Roosevelt’s influential chief of staff.

1980-1984 Dennis Carr (AB ’80, MA ’81) of Suwanee is the author of Parkway 12 (MedEcon Analytics LLC, 2016), a novel that follows corporate consultant Trevor Wentworth after he is wiped out by the economic tsunami of 2008.

West Fraser (BFA ’80) of Mt. Pleasant, S.C., is a landscape artist whose work is featured in Painting the Southern Coast: The Art of West Fraser (University of South Carolina Press, 2016). Rusty Garrison (BSA ’80, MS ’84) was appointed director of the Wildlife Resources Division of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. Rodger Lyle Brown (AB ’81, MA ’86) re-released Party Out of Bounds: The B-52’s, R.E.M., and the Kids Who Rocked Athens, Georgia (University of Georgia Press, 2016). The 25th edition includes new photographs, a foreword by former SPIN editor Charles Aaron (M ’85) and an afterword by producer/engineer and musician David Barbe (ABJ ’86). David Sikes (BSA ’81) of Atlanta is president of the International Sanitary Supply Association and owner of Sikes Paper Company. Alan Tomblin (BBA ’81) of Cincinnati, Ohio, is the past president/international director of the International Sanitary Supply Association. Tomblin is a professional with Procter & Gamble. Dana Middleton (ABJ ’83) of Los Angeles wrote her first children’s book, The Infinity Year of Avalon James (Feiwel & Friends, 2016), the story of a 10-year-old girl exploring the possibility of magic and the bond between two best friends. Christopher W. Phillips (BSFR ’83, MFR ’85, JD ’88) of Savannah was included on The Best Lawyers in America list for 2017. Julie Cain Burton (AB ’84) of Canton received her captain’s stripes at United Airlines in February. Burton flies the Boeing 757 and 767 out of Newark, N.J. Ted Justiss (BBA ’84) of Alpharetta is CEO of Healthcare IT Leaders, which was ranked among the fastest growing IT staffing firms in the U.S., according to a report from Staffing Industry Analysts.

1985-1989 Bob Bailey (BBA ’85) is the principal and december 2016 | georgia magazine | 41

why we give

CLASSNOTES

Special

Committed to advancing energy

Jeff (BS ’78, MS ’80) and Sydney (BSHE ’79) Shellebarger on field with Uga.

J

eff (BS ’78, MS ’80) and Sydney (BSHE ’79) Shellebarger met during a party in their University of Georgia residence hall in the late 1970s; it was love at first sight.

“I was a freshman, he was a sophomore. We dated throughout college,” Sydney says. “Our experiences were intertwined, and even after leaving UGA 36 years ago, we remain friends with many of our peers.”

After graduation, Jeff and Sydney embarked on a journey that followed Jeff’s career with global energy company Chevron across the United States, Africa and finally, Indonesia. Sydney’s first job at the College of Family and Consumer Sciences’ McPhaul Center in Athens drove her to advocate for children wherever the couple traveled.

The couple relocated to Houston, Texas, three years ago, where Jeff is now president of Chevron’s North American exploration and production operations. Returning to the U.S. spurred the Shellebargers to review their long-term giving priorities and identify the organizations they wanted to include.

“I always wanted to give back to the university,” Jeff says. “We specifically wanted to help the department of geology attract quality professors and students. We weren’t sure what that [support] looked like, but UGA’s

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development staff helped us develop a plan that made the most of our contributions and aligned with the goals we set.”

The plan included contributions to support new geology faculty, to endow the Shellebarger Professorship in Geology—the first professorship for the department—and to provide annual funds for the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences.

Jeff also connected UGA with Chevron, which has now funded five graduate assistantships and sponsored five students to participate in the Imperial Barrel Award competition, an annual competition for geoscience students from around the world.

“Funding from Chevron will allow us to recruit high-caliber graduate students to work on research related to energy resources,” says Douglas Crowe, head of the geology department. “We face enormous challenges to find and produce sufficient energy to allow society to grow and prosper, and this partnership is a step in the right direction.”

Supporting their alma mater is an important commitment for the Shellebargers. “We owe a deep debt of gratitude to the professors, departments and the university,” Jeff says. “We will enjoy watching the university continue to grow and hope that our gifts will help in that success.”

founder of Atlanta-based Healthcare IT Leaders, which was ranked among the fastest growing IT staffing firms in the U.S., according to a report from Staffing Industry Analysts. James Wallace (AB ’85) of Atlanta was ranked No. 1 in WealthManagement magazine’s “Top 100 Wirehouse Advisors in 2016.”

Wallace has worked with Merrill Lynch for 29 years. Susie Gardner (BSEd ’86, MEd ’88) of Macon penned 1, 2, 3, Team (Mercer University Press, 2016), a book that aims to teach children about the value of teamwork. Gardner has been the head women’s basketball coach at Mercer University since 2010. Alex Gramling (ABJ ’86) is the chief marketing officer of Atlanta-based Health IT Leaders, which was ranked among the fastest growing IT staffing firms in the U.S., according to a report from Staffing Industry Analysts. John F. Hall (BBA ’86) of Macon was elected as vice chairman of the board of directors of the Georgia Bankers Association. Hall is the president and CEO of American Pride Bank in Macon. John Hardman II (BBA ’86) of Hilliard, Fla., is a certified peer recovery specialist after working in the agriculture and brick and mortar industries. Richard Rones (BBA ’86) of Marietta is the vice president/ president-elect of the International Sanitary Supply Association, and president of Americo Manufacturing. Andrew S. Chamberlin (AB ’87, JD ’90) was elected to the board of directors for the International Association of Defense Counsel. Michael Muldrew (AB ’87, JD ’90) of Statesboro was elected to be a Superior Court judge on the Ogeechee Judicial Circuit. Richard Costigan (AB ’88) of Granite Bay, Calif., was elected chair of the Finance and Administration Committee of the California Public Employees Retirement System. Al Ream (AB ’88) had a poem written under the pen name Neal Dachstadter published in the Society of Classical Poets Journal 2016 (CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2016). Jamie Fine (ABJ ’89) of Smyrna is a flight attendant with Delta Airlines and the owner of Sugarplum Visions in Marietta. Rick Jones (AB ’89) of Frisco, Texas, is a supply chain strategy and operations management consultant. Kevin Williams (BBA ’89) of Canton was elected to the Reinhardt University board of trustees.

1990-1994 Donna Elder (BSEd ’90, MEd ’91) is the principal of Winterville Elementary School.

Freeman Elliot (AB ’90) of Newnan is president of Orkin USA. Patrick Ballard (BSFCS ’91) of Bogart retired from the United States Air Force as a colonel after 25 years of active

‘

december 2016 | georgia magazine | 43

CLASSNOTES

As executive counsel to Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal, Ryan Teague (JD ‘03) handles all matters of legislation.

Assisting in criminal justice reform has been particularly rewarding, he says.

Special

Gold Dome

DAWG

by Margaret Blanchard (AB ’91, MA ’98)

T

he political bug bit Ryan Teague (JD ’03) at an early age. Working as a page in the Washington, D.C., offices of the late U.S. Sen. Strom Thurmond, the 16-year-old South Carolina native asked the legislative staff how he might one day end up working on the Hill. They directed him to law school.

Teague took their advice and, after completing a degree in political science from Clemson University in just three years, attended UGA’s School of Law. But it was a circuitous route to his current position as executive counsel to Gov. Nathan Deal. He clerked for J.L. Edmondson (JD ’71), chief judge of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, and worked in private practice for the Atlanta firm McKenna Long & Aldridge before venturing back into politics as counsel for Freedom’s Watch, a lobbying group based in Washington, D.C. Throughout it all, Teague credits his legal education with providing a firm foundation from which to work.

“UGA was particularly good for preparing me for what I do now,” he says, pointing to a course taught by Professor Emeritus R. Perry Sentell Jr. (AB ’56, LLB

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’58) that gave both historical and legal lessons about the state of Georgia and its constitutional law.

As lead attorney for the governor, Teague handles all matters of legislation—from working with the health care community to vetting judges. Assisting in criminal justice reform has been particularly rewarding. “We’ve been a leader nationally in trying to take nonviolent offenders and direct them through accountability courses instead of just locking them up in jail,” he says. “It’s important as a cost-saving mechanism and in rehabilitating folks.”

Witnessing efforts to enhance Georgia as an attractive place to do business also has been a positive experience. Teague attended a Georgia film night in Hollywood over the summer and was impressed by the enthusiasm of entertainment heavyweights such as Netflix, HBO, NBC/Universal and MGM, who plan to continue working in the state.

“The film industry has grown by leaps and bounds,” he says. “The tax impact, how we benefit from it, and watching it grow exponentially from one year to the next has been fun to watch.”

duty. Jodi Jamison (BBA ’91) is managing director and managing counsel for BNY Mellon in New York City. Dwayne Smith (BSEd ’91, MEd ’95) of Aurora, Colo., was promoted to senior strategist at Children’s Hospital Colorado. Susan Tolbert (BSEd ’91, MEd ’97, EdS ’04) of Watkinsville is the principal at Whit Davis Elementary School.

Gregory Woodman (BBA ’91) of Cumming was named president of the Atlanta chapter of Risk and Insurance Management Society.

Steve Breeding (BFA ’92) is senior communications engineer for the Walt Disney Company. Breeding has worked with the company since 1993. Michael Craven (AB ’92) of Boulder, Colo., released his third book, The Detective & the Chinese High-Fin (Harper Paperbacks, 2016). The book is the second in a mystery series featuring the fictional private detective John Darvelle. Kristen Douglas (ABJ ’92, MEd ’93, EdD ’97) of Douglasville was named vice president for academic affairs at West Georgia Technical College. Alisa Cleek (BBA ’93) of Marietta was included on The Best Lawyers in America list for 2017. Cleek is a labor and employment litigation attorney with Taylor English Duma LLP. Stephanie Leathers (BSW ’94) of Athens is a real estate broker and was involved in forming Chastain, Jenkins & Leathers real estate firm as well as the development of the Georgia Gameday Center in downtown Athens. Tangela Robinson (BBA ’94) of Fairburn is a patient advocate speaker for Nxstage Inc., a company that provides home dialysis machines.

1995-1999 John Hayes (BS ’95) was named director of the men’s and women’s track & field and cross country programs at Wake Forest University. Amanda Sluss (ABJ ’95) of Nashville, Tenn., married Cliff Gilchrist on Oct. 1. Jonathan J. Tuggle (BBA ’95) of Atlanta was elected president of The Charles Longstreet Weltner Family Law American Inn of Court. He was also included on The Best Lawyers in America list for 2017. Tuggle is a founding partner of Boyd Collar Nolen & Tuggle. Brad Elster (M ’96) is a principal at Health IT Leaders, which was ranked among the fastest growing IT staffing firms in the U.S., according to a report from Staffing Industry Analysts. Giles Harper (AB ’96) of Bronx, N.Y., is senior project manager at DBI Construction Consultants. Judd Hoffman (BS ’96) of Rancho Santa Fe, Calif., was promoted to president of First American Title’s Direct Division. Mercer Baggs (ABJ ’97) and Ryan Lavner (ABJ ’09) won a first place award from the Golf Writers Association of

America for a project on Tiger Woods and his 40th birthday. Baggs is managing editor of GolfChannel.com and Lavner is a senior writer. Editor’s note: In the September issue of Georgia Magazine, Baggs was misspelled.

GM regrets the error. Heath Fountain (BBA ’97) of Albany was named to the board of directors of the Georgia Bankers Association.

Fountain is president and CEO of Planters First Bank. Ron Holt (BSA ’97) of Vestavia, Ala., and his company, Two Maids and a Mop, formed a partnership with Vince Dooley in order to expand the company’s footprint across the alumni and fan network. Brian C. Meadows (BS ’97, JD ’00) was named a fellow by the American Chemical Society.

Libby Murphy (AB ’97) of Oberlin, Ohio, penned The Art of Survival: France and the Great War Picaresque (Yale University Press, 2016), which explores how infantrymen and civilians attempted to make sense of the war by reviving the picaresque literary form. J. Scott Corley (ABJ ’98) of Smyrna is director of operations for CNN Technical Operations. Rodrecas Davis (BFA ’98, MFA ’06) of Grambling, La., is associate professor of art in the department of visual and performing arts at Grambling State University.

Jay Markwalter (BBA ’98) of Augusta was appointed to the state board of the Georgia Tourism Foundation. Markwalter is the director of sales for the Augusta Convention & Visitors Bureau. Amanda Sissem (BSW ’98) of Fairview, Pa., is the executive director of Erie Arts & Culture. Jennifer Smalley Yankowsky (BBA ’98) of Marietta joined Thrivent Financial and opened a new practice in Roswell. Christopher Cawley (BLA ’99) of Miami designed the eco-friendly landscape for Alex Rodriguez’s Coral Gables, Fla., home, which was featured as the cover story in the June issue of Architectural Digest. Bert Guy (AB ’99) of Saint Marys is the superior court judge of the Brunswick Judicial Circuit. Wes Rogers (BBA ’99, MBA ’04) of Athens is the owner of Landmark Properties, which was named the country’s top student housing developer by Student Housing Business for the second year in a row in May. 2000-2004 Sara B. Marcketti (AB ’00, MS ’02) penned the textbook Survey of Historic Costume (Fairchild Books, 2016), which introduces readers to Western dress from the ancient world until modern times, and Knock it Off: A History of Design Piracy in the U.S. Women’s Ready to Wear Apparel Industry (Texas Tech University Press, 2016), which explores the tension within the apparel industry

Dorothy Kozlowski

people person The way Brandon Stanton (AB ’08) tells it, if he hadn’t followed his passion, his photography blog Humans of New York (HONY) would not exist. The native of Marietta returned to campus in September and shared insights into the evolution of his work in front of a sold-out crowd. Since launching in 2010, HONY has become a phenomenon for sharing intimate, honest portraits and perspectives of people from all over the world. Stanton’s selfdescribed “storytelling blog” now boasts more than 23 million social media followers, and three books have been published under the HONY umbrella. In his speech, the history major and former bonds trader encouraged students to follow his lead and focus on what they love.

“Don’t wait for perfect,” he said. “If I had waited for the idea of Humans of New York, I would have never created Humans of New York.”

regarding design piracy and its financial and legal ramifications. Mandi C. Mathis (ABJ ’01) of Bogart is the author of The Littlest Inventor (Sensory World, 2016), a children’s book inspired by her autistic son, which aims to expose the importance of effective self-advocacy for children with sensory processing issues. Hope Trice Ries (AB ’01) penned The Benefit of Using an Attorney-REdecember 2016 | georgia magazine | 45

CLASSNOTES

ESPN

In October 2015, Kameko Nichols (AB, BS ’02) visited the Riders for Health Liberia office in Monrovia, where she met with fellow employees, including couriers who transport patient specimens for laboratory testing.

Nichols has since started a consulting business.

Borders

Beyond

by Allyson Mann (MA ’92)

I

f you need a blood sample transported in Africa, Kameko Nichols (AB, BS ’02) is the person to call.

Nichols has spent the last nine years developing expertise in transportation and logistics for health care in Africa. She lived there for seven years, moving back to the United States in 2014. Now based in Washington, D.C., Nichols is a full-time consultant specializing in moving patient specimens for laboratory testing in Africa and Asia.

“With something like Ebola that’s highly contagious, every second that you’re waiting for a diagnosis, you’re at risk of infecting other people,” she says. “Because of that crisis, people realized how important sample transportation is and recognized that it’s a weakness in almost every developing country.”

A UGA Foundation Fellow, Nichols earned degrees in biology and religion, but also enrolled in business classes and interned on Wall Street. After graduating she became an equity sales analyst at Merrill Lynch in New York City.

A few years later she relocated to Atlanta and discov-

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Special

ered a passion for nonprofit volunteer work. Deciding to make a career change, she found a lab analyst position with the Clinton Foundation HIV/AIDS Initiative (CHAI), a nonprofit recruiting ex-bankers, among others, to support ministries of health. She was hired to work in Lesotho, a small, mountainous country surrounded on all sides by South Africa.

“If you’d given me a map, I wouldn’t have been able to tell you where it was,” she says. “I didn’t know how to pronounce it. I didn’t know anything about it.”

In Lesotho she discovered that transportation was a real challenge, with patients walking long distances or taking expensive public transportation to reach health centers. Clinicians would tell her, “We’re just watching our patients die because they can’t make it all the way to a lab for testing, and we have no way to collect the sample and send it.”

To address that problem, CHAI developed a partnership with Riders for Health, a nonprofit that trains health care workers to ride and maintain motorcycles to deliver vital care to rural communities. After three years, Nichols joined Riders as a partnership director, basing herself in Johannesburg, South Africa, for four years before moving to D.C. and starting her consulting business.

“There should be for everyone the basic right to access quality health care no matter where you’re born, no matter where you live,” she says. “But I’m equally passionate about doing this in a practical and cost effective and sustainable way.”

ALTOR: Seven Ways to Get Moving Fast and Safe (10-10-10 Publishing, 2016), a guide to seeking professional assistance when planning a move. Allison Zatarain (ABJ ’01) of Brooklyn, N.Y., is an artist manager for The Orchard and general manager of Instant Records. Nic Carroll (AB ’02) was appointed director of digital learning by the Columbia County Board of Education in Evans. Dee Anne Pinkney (BS ’02) of Papillion, Neb., is a lead critical care respiratory therapist at Nebraska Medicine in Omaha. Hamilton Wade Johnson (BBA ’03), vice president and loan officer of Durden Banking Company, was installed as president-elect of the Leadership GBA Executive Committee for the Georgia Bankers Association. Brandi Littlejohn Skeen (ABJ ’03) and Chris Skeen (ABJ ’03), welcomed their daughter, Keli Nicole on July 8. Brad Stephens (ABJ ’03) is the author of Reflections in Muddy Water: Layin’ Drag on Life’s Highway in Cassville, Georgia (CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2016), a memoir of life in a small Southern town. Benjamin Whitfield (BSW ’03) of Jefferson received a doctorate in osteopathic medicine from the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. Chuck Efstration (AB ’04) of Dacula was appointed to the state board of the Criminal Justice Reform Council. Efstration represents the 104th District in the Georgia House of Representatives and is an attorney at The Efstration Law Firm PC. Jacy Jenkins (BSFCS ’04) of Columbus was named the tourism director of the Russell County-Phenix City Convention and Visitors Bureau. Brian McCullough (BBA ’04) of Henrico, Va., is managing director of the Richmond, Va., office of TB&R, an AssuredPartners company. Michael Thrasher (BBA, MAcc ’04) of Atlanta was promoted to partner at Bennett Thrasher LLP in July.

Medicine (CVM) 2016 honors and awards ceremony. Dean Roy (BBA ’05) of New Orleans completed his MBA at the Yale School of Management in May. Roy is Vice President of Business Development at West Jefferson Medical Center. Alison Ballard (BBA ’06, JD ’09) of Atlanta was appointed president of the Georgia Appleseed Center for Law and Justice Young Professionals Council. Ballard is a member of the litigation and dispute resolution and employment and labor relations practice groups at Taylor English Duma LLP. Mary Logan Bikoff (ABJ ’06) of Atlanta was featured as a FACE of Atlanta on StyleBlueprint.com in June. Bikoff is the editor of Atlanta Magazine Style Book. Anne Sheldon Carson (BS ’06) of Savannah married Kevin Moore Crouch in September. Carson is a physician assistant in hand surgery at Optim Orthopedics. Katie Dettmann (ABJ, BBA ’06) of Dallas, Texas, is a customer loyalty and insights analyst at American Airlines.

W. Matthew Wilson (BSA ’06, JD ’14) of Atlanta joined the law firm of Akin & Tate PC as partner. Amanda Deaton-Moyer (AB ’07, MPA ’09) and her husband, Eric Moyer, of Nashville Tenn., welcomed their son, David Elias on Aug. 4. Kelly Proctor (ABJ ’07) of Jersey City, N.J., is a communications specialist at the Open Space Institute. Walton Robinson (AB ’07) of Lookout Mountain, Tenn., received a Master of Public Administration from Appalachian State University.

Megan Fort (ABJ ’08) of Gastonia, N.C., was promoted to account supervisor at William Mills Agency. Meredith Reagan (AB ’08) is a health communications specialist for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. Eric Shepherd (BSA ’08, MS ’10, DVM ’16) of Athens received the Berner Scholarship, the Christopher P. Wetherbee Scholarship and a certificate of merit for Proficiency in Anatomic Pathology at UGA’s 2016 CVM Honors and Awards Ceremony.

Continued on p. 51

2005-2009 Matthew (BBA ’05) and Mary Nelson Barnett (BFA ’07) of Atlanta founded Oyster Creek Trading, which specializes in the design and sale of custom-made joggling boards. Mary Beth Gombita (AB ’05) of Arlington, Va., is the director of media relations for the Competitive Enterprise Institute. Christina Gridley (ABJ ’05) of Greenville, S.C., was recognized as one of Greenville Business Magazine’s “Best and Brightest Under 35” for 2016. Gridley is the senior marketing specialist at CBRE. Jennifer Mumaw (BS ’05, PhD ’11, DVM ’16) of Watkinsville received the Rafter Memorial Scholarship and a certificate of merit for proficiency in small animal medicine and surgery at UGA’s College of Veterinary september december 2016 | georgia magazine | 47

CLASSNOTES

SCIENCE

Geek

by Lori Johnston (ABJ ’95)

D

eborah Blum (ABJ ’76) remembers being a “classic nerdy overachiever” as a college student.

She majored in journalism, double minored in political science and anthropology, interned for two Georgia newspapers, worked for The Red & Black as a reporter, a typesetter and eventually editor-in-chief, and interned for then-U.S. Sen. Sam Nunn.

Those experiences provided the foundation for her to become a fearless science reporter and Pulitzer Prize winner.

Blum won journalism’s most prestigious award in 1992 for “The Monkey Wars,” a series she wrote as a reporter at The Sacramento Bee. She turned that series into a book and has authored four more books, including The Poisoner’s Handbook: Murder and the Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz Age New York, a 2010 bestseller that was the basis for a 2014 PBS documentary. Her forthcoming book, about food politics at the turn of the 20th century, is expected to be released next year.

“Science journalism as a profession really grew up during my time as a science writer,” she says.

Her father, Murray Blum, was a UGA scientist and entomology professor who required her to take math and science classes. Covering courts, police, education and government at Georgia newspapers such as The Times (Gainesville) and The Telegraph (Macon), as well as the St. Petersburg Times in Florida, laid a foundation for the investigative reporting that was a hallmark of her science journalism career, she says.

Blum studied science writing in the University of Wisconsin’s specialized reporting program, earning her master’s degree in 1982. “Being a hard news reporter hugely shaped the way I was a science writer,” she says.

After graduating, she worked first for The Fresno Bee before moving to Sacramento in 1984. Winning a Pulitzer pushed Blum into the next level as an au-

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Special

thor and professor at Wisconsin’s journalism school.

She also became an online columnist for The New York Times, a longtime goal.

She now serves as director of the Knight Science Journalism Program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Blum was among 11 professionals inducted into the Grady Fellowship class of 2015.

“I have really found science journalism to be fascinating and challenging, a constant education and a wonderful career,” she says.

Deborah Blum (ABJ ’76) has served as president of the National Association of Science Writers, as vice president of the Council for the Advancement of Science Writing, and on the board of the World Federation of Science Writers.

CLASSNOTES

Tech Savvy

Bulldog

Godfrey Powell Jr. (BBA ’00) was named to the UGA Alumni Association’s 40 Under 40 in 2014, which recognizes successful young graduates. He credits the educational foundation he received at UGA for his professional success.

Special

by Margaret Blanchard (AB ’91, MA ’98)

G

odfrey Powell Jr. attributes much of his success to his international work experience, especially the three years he spent in Korea.

“It puts an asterisk by your name and [puts you] on an accelerated plan within the company,” he says of living and working abroad. “It helps you understand how the rest of the world does business and gives you added perspective.”

Now based in Silicon Valley, Powell (BBA ’00) oversees products, business development, and strategy and planning for Samsung, one the largest technology companies in the world. Working in such a dynamic industry suits the Atlanta native.

“The most fun is when there’s a thrilling new technology, and we have the force and might of Samsung behind us,” he says. “It’s very helpful in moving quickly to dominate a certain area.”

Right now he’s a big fan of virtual reality, which he sees as the next big push in technology.

“The user experience is significantly better than it was five to 10 years ago,” he explains. “Virtual

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reality will create new opportunities in direct business-to-business areas—from medicine to construction to sports.”

Living in the heart of the tech industry, Powell is conscientious of maintaining a healthy work/life balance.

He practices “off the grid” Sundays with his family, attending church and spending quality time together. “It’s really nice because there’s a humbleness you learn,” he says. “I’m not saving lives or fighting a war. It’s good to step away and not always feel like you’re on demand.”

Staying physically fit is also important to Powell.

He plays basketball and golf and works out regularly at the gym with his wife, Stephanie, a nurse. The couple met in New York City, where Powell worked for JPMorgan Chase and Marvel Entertainment before earning a n MBA from New York University. Early in their relationship, he invited her to watch a UGA football game at a sports bar.

“I knew she was the right one when she showed up in a Georgia Bulldogs jersey, black pants and red shoes,” he recalls. “That won my heart.”

Continued from p. 47 Christine Yuan (AB ’08) of San Francisco, Calif., is an executive recruiter at Randstad Professionals. Phillip J. Butler (AB ’09) joined Bayside Structures, concrete construction specialists based in Pensacola, Fla., as business development manager and partner. Wendy Hsiao (AB ’09) of Marietta is a senior account executive at Hope-Beckham Inc., a public relations agency. Lori (BSFCS ’09) and Alexander Maggioni (AB ’08) of Atlanta welcomed son Reid Carlton on May 25.

Anthony Tilton (AB ’09) of Colbert gave a presentation on the use of drone technology to the Florida Roofing and Sheet Metal Contractors Association at the organization’s annual convention in June. Tilton is a construction law associate at Trent Cotney PA. 2010-2014 Katie Perry Gilmore (BSEd ’10, MEd ’12) of Chattanooga, Tenn., married Zach Gilmore on June 18. Brad Hix (BLA ’10) was promoted to project manager at Wood+Partners Inc. Will Keyes (BS, BBA, MA ’10, JD ’13) of Atlanta serves as first lieutenant in the 213th Legal Operations Detachment with the U.S. Army Reserves, Judge Advocate General’s Corps. Keyes is an associate at Campbell and Brannon LLC. Drew Raessler (BSAE ’10) was named the director of Transportation and Public Works for Athens-Clarke County.

Rachel Sternlieb (AB ’10) of New Orleans is a civil litigation attorney at Gainsburgh, Benjamin, David, Meunier & Warshauer LLC. Joshua “Jed” Darden (BS ’11, DVM ’16) of LaGrange received the Mary Katherine Ownby Scholarship and a certificate of merit for proficiency in clinical pathology at UGA’s College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM) 2016 honors and awards ceremony. Mark Hibbard (BSA ’11, DVM ’16) of Rutledge received the John Morton Award for Humane Animal Care, and certificates of merit for proficiency in large animal medicine and surgery, and small animal medicine and surgery at the 2016 CVM honors and awards ceremony.

Stephen Jackson (BS ’11) of Charlotte, N.C., graduated from the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University. K.T. Mills-Grimes (AB ’11) of Atlanta was promoted to digital marketing manager at William Mills Agency.

Rebekah Packer (BS ’11, DVM ’16) of Hercules, Calif., received the Howard Hughes Medical Research Fellowship, and a certificate of merit for proficiency in clinical pathology at the 2016 CVM honors and awards ceremony.

Alex Sigmund (BSA ’11, DVM ’16) of Waverly Hall received the Jesse L. Roberts Award, the Award for Academic Excellence in Veterinary Ophthalmology, and certificates

of merit for proficiency in clinical pathology and small animal medicine and surgery at the 2016 CVM honors and awards ceremony. Tyson Strickland (BSA ’11, DVM ’16) of Athens received the Zach Cowart Memorial Scholarship, a certificate of merit for proficiency in large animal medicine and surgery, and the Food Animal Production Medicine Clinical Proficiency Award at the 2016 CVM honors and awards ceremony. Kelsi Keever Alexander (BSA ’12, DVM ’16) of Cartersville received a certificate of merit for proficiency in large animal medicine and surgery, and the American Academy of Veterinary Dermatology Senior Student Award at the 2016 CVM honors and awards ceremony. Justin Brown (BSA ’12, DVM ’16) of Brooklet received the Berner Scholarship, the Field Service Award, the Proficiency in Theriogenology Award, and certificates of merit for proficiency in large animal medicine and surgery, and anatomic pathology at the 2016 CVM honors and awards ceremony. He also received the Food Animal Production Medicine Clinical Proficiency Award. Brynn Davis (BSFR ’12, DVM ’16) of Richmond Hill received a doctorate in veterinary medicine from the CVM in May. Michelle Farrar (BSA ’12, DVM ’16) of Rome received a doctorate in veterinary medicine from CVM in May. Megan Mathews (BSA ’12, DVM ’16) of Newark, Del., received the Ben Tucker Memorial Scholarship and a certificate of merit for proficiency in small animal medicine and surgery at the 2016 CVM honors and awards ceremony. Katy Mayhew (BSA ’12, DVM ’16) of Littleton, Colo., received the Georgia S. Downing Trust scholarship and the American College of Veterinary Surgeons Award at the 2016 CVM honors and awards ceremony. Scott Rosbustelli (BSA ’12, DVM ’16) of Roswell received the Dr. David A. Forehand Scholarship, the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine Certificate of Clinical Excellence in Small Animal Medicine, and certificates of merit for proficiency in large animal medicine and surgery and anatomic pathology at the 2016 CVM honors and awards ceremony. Allison Williard (BSA ’12) of Carrollton received the Large Animal “In-House” Award at the 2016 CVM honors and awards ceremony. Megan Caudill (BS ’13, DVM ’16) of Saint Marys received the Clifford Westerfield Award and the Dean Emeritus Thomas J. Jones Cup, the two highest honors one can receive, at the 2016 CVM honors and awards ceremony. Patrick Klibanoff (ABJ, BBA ’14) of New York, N.Y., is a management and strategy consultant at KPMG LLP. Brittany Saraga (BS ’14) of New York, N.Y., was awarded the Teacher Exceldecember 2016 | georgia magazine | 51

CLASSNOTES

TRAIL

Blazer

by Camren Skelton

I

magine you could hop on your bike anywhere in Georgia and cycle across a network of trails spanning multiple counties, without ever approaching a main road. Establishing such connectivity for cyclists and pedestrians is the ultimate goal for Tracie Sanchez (AB ’88, MPA ’11), founder of the Georgia Trail Summit.

Held annually, the mission of the weekend-long event is to advocate for a world-class network of trails across the state. “The Georgia Trail Summit was created as a means of capturing and utilizing public energy regarding trails and greenways,” Sanchez says. “By bringing the state’s entire trail community together once a year, we are accelerating the momentum to build more trails in Georgia.”

An avid cyclist, Sanchez has long been an advocate for increased bike and pedestrian trails. As active living coordinator for the city of Decatur, promoting— and practicing—a healthy lifestyle is second nature.

But launching the Summit wasn’t the starting point for her career. After completing her bachelor’s degree, Sanchez worked for more than 10 years as a graphic designer. She returned to UGA in 2003, joining the Institute for Leadership Advancement as a coordinator of leadership and service efforts, where her desire to serve the public was reawakened. She also worked on a master’s degree in public policy and transportation solutions, where she saw gaps in statewide resources for trail advocacy due to budget cuts and low staffing. In an effort to fill these holes, the Georgia Trail Summit was born in 2014.

Trails and greenways are becoming increasingly popular among both users and community entities across the U.S. In addition to offering a healthy transportation alternative, they increase property values and serve as economic development catalysts for the community, according to the National Park Service.

“People choose where to live based on things like

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Special

trails,” Sanchez says. “They offer direct exposure for businesses and reinvestment opportunities for entire sections of the community.”

With support from city planners, nonprofits, citizen groups and government agencies, Sanchez considers building and connecting trails across the state a feasible goal. “We don’t see boundaries, we don’t see county lines—we’re just out in nature,” she says. “It’s a simple thing, but it’s a powerful impact.”

Tracie Sanchez (AB ’88, MPA ’11) is committed to connecting cyclists and pedestrians to nature through her work with the Georgia Trail Summit, a network of trails across the state.

John Roark, Athens Banner-Herald

head of the class Steven King (BSEd ’89) was named a recipient of the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching by President Barack Obama in August.

That same month, the 26-year teaching veteran presented a lesson (above) at Whit Davis Elementary School in Athens, where he has been the kindergarten through fifth grade science specialist for nine years. King’s fourth- and fifth-grade students created gondolas with Legos and sent them down zip lines spanning the classroom—learning about principles of physics through hands-on activities.

The Presidential Award recognizes outstanding K-12 science and mathematics teachers and includes a $10,000 prize from the National Science Foundation. Winners are selected by a panel of distinguished scientists, mathematicians and educators. A second Bulldog, Amanda Cavin (MEd ’08) of McDonough, also received this award. Cavin is an assistant principal at Unity Grove Elementary School in Locust Grove.

King and Cavin are two of 213 recipients representing the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, U.S. Territories, and the Department of Defense Education Activity Schools. The awards were presented at a ceremony in Washington, D.C., in September.

lence Award from Success Academy Charter Schools. Keaton Griner Walker (BSA ’14) of Moultrie was named director of marketing and media relations at The Georgia National Fairgrounds & Agricenter, located in Perry.

2015-2016 Kimberly Champlin (AB ’15) of Washington, D.C., is working in marketing with start-ups after working with the youth-led organization AISEC. Reagan Gresham Dye (AB ’15) married Russell M. Dye (AB ’14) on June 11 in Savannah. Megan Li (BMus ’15) is a student at State University of New York College of Optometry. Jack Loonam (BBA ’15) and his father, Tim Loonam (DVM ’00), were featured in Farewell to Football?: An American Fan’s Examination of Conscience (CreateSpace Independent Publishing

Platform, 2016), written by Steven Liparulo.

Austin Malcom (BS ’15) is currently enrolled at the University of South Alabama in Mobile in the physician assistant program. Tyler Reeves (ABJ ’15) wrote, composed, directed, and produced and Cutler Sheridan (ABJ ’15) co-produced “Thanksgiving! The Musical,” a satirical musical about a dysfunctional family’s drama-filled Thanksgiving. Ryan Sichelstiel (ABJ ’15) of New York City is a presentation and graphic designer with Publicis Worldwide. Natasha Levy (BBA ’16) of Brookhaven is a risk management specialist at UPS. Haley Nagle (BS ’16, BSES ’16) of Mineral Bluff was named a Woodrow Wilson Teaching Fellow. Elizabeth Tye (BSEd ’16) of Atlanta is teaching in Thailand with the Council on International Educational Exchange.

GRADNOTES Arts & Sciences Katherine Montwieler (PhD ’00) of Wilmington, N.C., was named director of the Women’s Studies and Resource Center for the University of North Carolina Wilmington. J.D. Jordan (MA ’07) of Atlanta penned Calamity: Being an Account of Calamity Jane and Her Gunslinging Green Man (Heliosphere Books, 2016), which blends the Wild West with science-fiction themes. Alice M. Phillips (MA ’07) of Atlanta penned The Eighth Day Brotherhood (Black Rose Writing, 2016), a historical thriller set in Paris in 1888.

John Powers (MFA ’08) of Knoxville, Tenn., was named a 2016 Guggenheim Fellow.

Powers is an assistant professor of sculpture at the University of Tennessee. Christian Edwardson (PhD ’15) of Athens is a team member of the Shedd Aquarium Microbiome Project.

Business Bernd Muehlfriedel (MBA ’96) was awarded the Bavarian State Prize of Excellence in Teaching award. Muehlfriedel is a professor of entrepreneurship at the University of Applied Sciences Landshut in Germany.

Ashton Windham (MBA ’08) of Macon was appointed to the state board of the Council december 2016 | georgia magazine | 53

CLASSNOTES

From

Anatomy toAthlete

Special

Above: Commander Leah Brown, an orthopedic surgeon, served two tours of duty with the U.S. Navy—one in Fallujah, Iraq, and one in Afghanistan.

Right: Brown (BS ‘98) was honored at an NCAA gymnastics meet in February, the day after she was inducted into UGA’s Circle of Honor, which pays tribute to extraordinary student-athletes.

Emily Selby

by Allyson Mann (MA ’92)

L

eah Brown (BS ’98) has always known what she wanted. As a child she watched gymnastics on TV and immediately began bouncing on the couch and turning somersaults.

“I tried to do it on the hardwood floors in my parents’ home,” she says, “and my mom was like, ‘I’ve got to get her somewhere so she doesn’t kill herself.’”

At age 6 she started taking gymnastics lessons.

It was the beginning of her athletic career and her fascination with human physiology—an interest that led her to decide on a career in medicine.

“I was always intrigued by the body,” she says. “I never really gave thought to doing anything else.”

Brown describes herself as “that kid who knew what they wanted to do at a young age and kept pushing toward that goal.”

She achieved both goals, becoming an elite gymnast and an orthopedic surgeon, as well as a commander in the U.S. Navy.

At UGA, the Atlanta native led the Gymdogs to conference team crowns in 1994, 1996 and 1997.

Brown was a 14-time All-American, winning the 1996 vault and 1997 floor national championships.

After graduating with a degree in genetics, she was commissioned into the U.S. Navy Reserves through the Health Professions Scholarship Program.

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“I always wanted to serve my country,” she says.

“After having been a high-level athlete and part of a team, the military seemed like a natural fit.”

Brown earned a medical degree at Ohio State University and the Cleveland Clinic Foundation in 2003, then began active duty as a surgical intern at Naval Medical Center San Diego. She was deployed to Fallujah, Iraq, in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, and later to Afghanistan with Seal Team 4. There she spearheaded a program to provide surgical care to females who previously were unable to be treated due to customs regarding male/female medical interactions. She received the Bronze Star for her efforts.

In 2014 Brown finished active duty and moved to Charlotte, N.C., for a fellowship. This fall she joined the Hedley Orthopaedic Institute in Phoenix, Ariz., where she also will serve as head orthopedic surgeon for the Phoenix Mercury pro basketball team, part of the WNBA. Brown has traveled all over the world and says one thing is the same everywhere—Bulldogs stick together. In California, she remembers honking and waving at cars that displayed a G sticker.

“Every school has their loyalty, and people love it,” she says, “but there’s just something special about Georgia.”

on Aging. Windham is the chief financial officer of WindCorp Management Services.

Justin Harmon (MAcc ’09) of Eastman was honored by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants as an Information Management and Technology Assurance Standing Ovation recipient in June.

Most Effective Administrator Award in June.

Hagley is the chief of staff of Vancouver Public Schools.

Education Harold Johnston (MEd ’70) and Winifred White Johnston (MEd ’75) of Evans wrote Israel: Walking in Holy Footsteps (Xulon Press, 2016). The travelogue tells the story of the authors’ journey through Israel. Mary Anna Bryan (MEd ’77, EdS ’79) is the author of Cardinal Hill (Mercer University Press, 2016), which also received the Ferrol Sams Award for Fiction issued by the same press.

The novel is set in a fictionalized version of Augusta in the 1930s and ’40s and depicts a girl coping with family secrets. Ted Anders (MA ’80, PhD ’82) penned Breath of Life: The Vital Role of Red Mangroves in Human and Planetary Health (Square One, 2014), which documents the experiences and accomplishments of Anders and his team as they research the practice of ancient Fijian medicine and work to bring it to the modern world. Simpfronia Taylor (MEd ’96, EdD ’11) of Ripley, Tenn., is director of the Ripley Center at the University of Tennessee Martin. Caitlin Horan (MEd ’15) is the customer service coordinator for George Mason University’s Graduate School of Business.

Law Michael Murphy (JD ’73) of Buchanan was honored with the “Judge of the Year” recognition by the General Practice and Trial section of the State Bar of Georgia. Murphy is the superior court judge of the Tallapoosa Circuit. Gary E. Jackson (JD ’75) of Atlanta was elected president of the Council of Municipal Court Judges of Georgia. Jackson is an associate judge of the Atlanta Municipal Court. Ruth Knox (JD ’78), will retire from Wesleyan College after 15 years as the college’s president, effective June 30, 2017.

Patrick O’Connor (JD ’81) of Savannah was sworn in as president of the State Bar of Georgia in June. O’Connor is managing partner with Oliver Maner LLP. Ken Hodges (JD ’91) of Atlanta was installed as treasurer of the State Bar of Georgia in June. Hodges has his own practice, Ken Hodges Law. Harold D. Melton (JD ’91) was elected presiding justice for the Supreme Court of Georgia.

Stephen Tillman (JD ’95) of Baxley was named public defender for the five-county Brunswick Judicial Circuit in June. Ronnie Mabra (JD ’04) of Atlanta was selected by the National Bar Association to receive a “Top 40 under 40 Advocates” award. Mabra was also named to the UGA 2016 class of “40 under 40 Alumni.”

Journalism & Mass Communication Tom Hagley (MMC ’92) of Vancouver, Wash., received the 2016 Robert J. Handy

Social Work Maureen Kelly (MSW ’95) of Lawrenceville was appointed to the state board of

the Council on Aging. Kelly is president of the Thanks Mom & Dad Fund, an organization that supports programs and services for older adults.

Veterinary Medicine Billy Myers (DVM ’79) and Lee M. Myers (DVM ’84) are working in Rome, Italy. Lee was assigned by the USDA to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and Billy was commissioned by the Christian Veterinary Mission. India Lane (DVM ’88) was promoted to associate vice president for academic affairs for the University of Tennessee’s statewide system.

Tim Loonam (DVM ’00) and his son, Jack Loonam (BBA ’15), were featured in Farewell to Football? An American Fan’s Examination of Conscience (CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2016) written by Steven Liparulo. Michael Kraun (DVM ’10) is a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons in small animal surgery. Laura K. Bryan (DVM ’11) received the Scholar Award from the Philanthropic Educational Organization for her doctoral research on staphylococcal skin infections in dogs. Jenny Munhofen (MS ’12, DVM ’16) of Alpharetta received the Bayer Excellence in Communication Award at the 2016 CVM honors and awards ceremony. Paige Williams (MADS ’12, DVM ’16) of Hephzibah received the Mary Carroll Rowan Memorial Scholarship and the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine Certificate of Clinical Excellence in Large Animal Medicine at the 2016 CVM honors and awards ceremony.

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december 2016 | georgia magazine | 55

PAGE BACK

Annette B. Poulsen Augustus H. “Billy” Sterne Chair of Banking and Finance terry.uga.edu/directory/profile/apoulsen/

“I tell students that finance professionals are not the people who invent things, but they are the people who figure out how to pay for those inventions. Somebody has to raise the money that pays for the research that creates the batteries used in Tesla cars and the money that funds production and sales. The finance person facilitates that fundraising. Sometimes finance professionals get a bad rap because they don’t create anything, but economic growth doesn’t happen without capital to fund it.”

Photo shot by Dorothy Kozlowski.

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