President Jere W. Morehead discusses the university’s record fundraising in FY24.
Highlights from across the UGA community.
Go behind the scenes of the Department of Theatre and Film Studies’ production of Little Shop of Horrors. And don’t forget to throw the plant a bone.
News for UGA alumni in Georgia, across the country, and around the world.
Visit the coolest bookstore in Birmingham, take a cool sip of water from the most metal beverage company in the country, and explore the many other career paths of some outstanding UGA alumni.
Meet Swarn Chatterjee, Bluerock Professor in Financial Planning in the College of Family and Consumer Sciences.
Rhodes to Success
Winning a Rhodes Scholarship is more than just earning an opportunity to study in Oxford. It’s a life-altering experience that sets UGA's Rhodes recipients on the path to becoming nuclear scientists, policymakers, and so much more.
A New Public Health Enemy #1
The Last of Us and its zombie apocalypse may be a bit farfetched, but a fungal pathogen evolving to infect people is anything but. Learn how UGA researchers are fighting back.
Not So Ancient History
Latin may be considered a “dead” language by some, but they obviously didn’t attend the University of Georgia, where the Department of Classics boasts the largest Latin program in the nation.
32 A Helping Hand in Hospitality
UGA’s Hospitality and Food Industry Management program was named No. 1 in the country among public universities—and after you meet some of its students, grads, and faculty, it’s not hard to see why.
The Radcliffe Camera at the University of Oxford is one of that institution’s most esteemed—and photogenic—buildings. This photo illustration by Whitney Mathisen surrounds Radcliffe Camera with photos of some of UGA’s Rhodes Scholars and icons of the Bulldog Nation. Our campuses are an ocean apart but always linked.
CHAMBERLAIN SMITH
Face the fungus among us, p. 24.
Visit UGA's Little Shop of Horrors, p.34.
Dawg Day of Summer
UGA XI SHOWS OFF HIS IMPECCABLE STYLE ON NORTH CAMPUS.
Affectionately known by his birth name Boom to many adoring Georgia fans, Uga wasn’t taking a day off just to enjoy the sights. He was hard at work as a central player in the University of Georgia’s annual public service announcement video shoot. This shoot marks the first time Uga XI has been photographed on campus outside Sanford Stadium.
DOROTHY KOZLOWSKI
GEORGIA MAGAZINE
Editor · Eric Rangus MA ’94
Associate Editors · Aaron Hale MA ’16 and Leigh Hataway MA ’17
Staff Writers · Erica Techo AB ’15 and Jayne Roberts
Art Director · Lindsay Robinson ABJ ’06, MPA ’11, MA ’22
Advertising Director · Kipp Mullis ABJ ’93
Photo Editor · Peter Frey BFA ’94
UGA Photographers · Andrew Davis Tucker, Dorothy Kozlowski BLA ’06, ABJ ’10, and Chamberlain Smith ABJ ’18
Contributing Writers · Elizabeth Elmore BBA ’08, ABJ ’08, Clarke Schwabe ABJ ’08, Heather Skyler, Ireland Hayes AB ’23, Alexandra Shimalla MA '19, and Rachael Andrews AB ’17, MPA ’21
Contributing Designers · Andrea Piazza ABJ ’12, MA ’19, Whitney Mathisen, Kaiya Palgenhoef, Justin Patton ABJ ’15, and Amy Gunby BFA ’20
Editorial Interns · Navya Shukla and Caroline Kostuch
Assistant Vice President & Chief Operating Officer · Fran Burke
Project Manager · Brittney Wurdeman
ADMINISTRATION
President · Jere W. Morehead JD ’80
Senior VP for Academic Affairs & Provost · S. Jack Hu
VP for Finance & Administration · Ryan Nesbit MBA ’91
VP for Development & Alumni Relations · Jill S. Walton BSA ’99, MPA ’03
VP for Instruction · Marisa Anne Pagnattaro PhD ’98
Interim VP for Research · Christopher King
VP for Public Service & Outreach · Jennifer Frum PhD ’09
VP for Student Affairs · Michelle Cook
VP for Government Relations · Kevin Abernathy AB ’99
VP for Information Technology · Timothy M. Chester
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FINE PRINT
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“We are at an important juncture in UGA’s history, and by giving at levels we have never seen before, donors are empowering us to achieve at levels we have never seen before.”
Record Support from Donors
Alumni and friends are helping UGA reach new heights of excellence
Thanks to unprecedented support from alumni and friends, the University of Georgia is reaching new heights of excellence across all facets of our mission. In fiscal year 2024, which ended June 30, nearly 70,000 donors contributed a record $275.2 million to student scholarships, faculty positions, community outreach, and much more. UGA’s three-year-rolling average, which averages the past three years’ fundraising totals, is now over $258 million, another all-time high.
Private support is essential to helping UGA create a world-class learning environment and research enterprise through state-of-the-art facilities. In the four months following the establishment of the School of Medicine in February, the university received nearly $34 million from donors, the UGA Foundation, and the UGA Research Foundation to build a new 92,000-square-foot medical education and research facility on our Health Sciences Campus. These contributions are helping the university match the $50 million in state funding allocated to the project. Alumni and friends also endowed 19 faculty positions in FY24 to attract renowned scholars to UGA, bringing the total number of faculty endowments to 375.
Donors gave generously in the past fiscal year to increase students’ access to innovative undergraduate, graduate, and professional education at UGA, adding 127 new scholarships spanning all schools and colleges. Availability of financial aid to our students and low student debt of UGA graduates are two of the factors that contributed to the university being named one of the nation’s best values in higher education by The Princeton Review. Donor support also helped propel the Morehead Honors College to national distinction as the top program in the country by expanding the number of scholarships and learning opportunities available to Honors students.
I have immeasurable gratitude for everyone in the UGA community who made this remarkable year possible, from those who set a new record for single-day giving during Dawg Day of Giving to members of the Parents Leadership Council and founders of the Georgia Women Give initiative. I am also thankful to the UGA Foundation Board of Trustees for providing matching funds for need-based scholarships, endowed faculty positions, and graduate fellowships.
We are at an important juncture in UGA’s history, and by giving at levels we have never seen before, donors are empowering us to achieve at levels we have never seen before. These contributions—made to all areas of the university—will truly change lives, enhance our state, and improve our world.
Jere W. Morehead President
to
UGA Z
New Graduates Number More than 8,000
The Class of 2024 faced an unprecedented set of challenges, including starting their college journey at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. But their time at the University of Georgia has prepared these newest graduates to face whatever challenges come next.
Keynote speaker Allison Schmitt BS ’14, a four-time Olympian and 10-time Olympic medalist in swimming, shared how she’s overcome challenges and offered ways graduates can continue to challenge themselves during UGA’s undergraduate Commencement ceremony held May 10 in Sanford Stadium.
“I have challenged myself to be kind to myself, to lead by example, to embrace failure, and to find my reason why. I’m here today to inspire you to take those same challenges as
you enter the next chapter of your life,” Schmitt said. She encouraged graduates to lead by example, pointing out that one small gesture of kindness can change someone’s life.
“Be that person who invites the outsiders in,” Schmitt said. “Use your empathy and compassion to see beyond surface-level differences and truly connect with others.”
A total of 8,318 students—6,627 undergraduates and 1,691 graduate students—met requirements to walk in the university’s spring Commencement and have their degrees conferred by President Jere W. Morehead JD ’80. Of the graduate students, 281 were doctoral candidates, and 1,410 received their master’s or specialist degrees. The graduate ceremony was held May 9 in Stegeman Coliseum.
DOROTHY KOZLOWS
UGA Named Best Value College by The Princeton Review
The University of Georgia has been named one of the nation’s best for providing excellent education and career preparation at a great value, according to The Princeton Review.
The education services company chose schools for the 2024 list based on data from its surveys of administrators at more than 650 colleges. Topics covered in those surveys included academic strength, cost, financial aid, graduation rates, and student debt.
The company also surveyed students attending the schools and considered data from PayScale.com’s surveys of alumni about their starting and mid-career salaries and job satisfaction. Based on these responses, The Princeton Review gave UGA a return on investment score of 92 out of 99.
“I am pleased that the University of Georgia is being recognized as one of the nation’s best values in higher education,” says President Jere W. Morehead JD ’80. “We are setting new standards for excellence across so many areas of our institution thanks to the extraordinary caliber of our faculty, staff, and students combined with strong support from our alumni and friends.”
In addition to the best value designation, UGA placed in the top 20 on The Princeton Review’s lists of high-achieving public universities. UGA ranked No. 9 for the best alumni network, No. 11 for access to financial aid, No. 13 for the best value public universities, and No. 16 for internship placement.
Morehead Honors College Named No. 1 in the Nation
The University of Georgia Jere W. Morehead Honors College was recently ranked the No. 1 honors program or college in the nation by College Transitions, publishers of the best-selling guide Colleges Worth Your Money. College Transitions identified three general characteristics—selectivity, benefits offered, and program rigor—for which each honors program or college was scored. Those scores were then standardized, weighted, and totaled.
ACADEMY AWARD
Microbiology Head Elected to AAAS
Aaron P. Mitchell, Distinguished Research Professor and head of the Department of Microbiology, has been elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (AAAS), one of the nation’s oldest and most prestigious honor societies. Mitchell’s election recognizes his groundbreaking research on the genetics, molecular biology, and virulence mechanisms of fungal pathogens in humans.
The 2023-2024 first-year honors class held an average GPA of 4.2, an average SAT score of 1506, and an average ACT score of 34. These outstanding students participate in small classes, internship programs, domestic and international travel study, research, and many other programs for academically talented students.
He is the 12th UGA faculty member elected to the AAAS. Mitchell (above) joined UGA’s faculty in 2020. Before coming to UGA, he was a faculty member at Carnegie Mellon University for 11 years and Columbia University for 21 years.
Mitchell’s research focuses on two leading fungal pathogens, Candida albicans and Candida glabrata. Both types of yeast are naturally found in and on the human body, but when their populations get out of control, the fungi can cause serious health problems.
With the growing threat of drug resistance, finding new therapeutics to battle fungal infections is a public health priority.
Mitchell’s lab studies how these pathogens cause infection with the goal of identifying strategies to improve diagnoses and therapeutics.
The Morehead Honors College is also home to recipients of some of the nation’s most prestigious and competitive academic awards. UGA’s Major Scholarships Office is housed in the college, and its staff work with all UGA students across campus as they apply for national, high-level scholarships.
The Morehead Honors College also supports the Center for Undergraduate Research Opportunities (CURO), which is open to all undergraduates pursuing facultymentored research, including students in their first year of study at the University of Georgia. Through the Major Scholarships Office and CURO, the Honors College supports all undergraduates at the institution.
TOP HONORS
ANDRE W DAVIS TU
DOROTHY KOZLOWSKI
Periodical Cicadas Make Cacophonous Return
A huge creature that’s red and black made its way down the track this spring … much to the chagrin of many a Bulldog.
North America’s largest periodical cicada brood emerged from its 12 years and 11 months underground in May. And boy, did they make their presence known.
Although incredibly noisy, cicadas are harmless, according to entomologists in UGA’s College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.
“They cannot bite or sting, and they are not poisonous nor can they transmit any diseases,” says Nancy Hinkle, a professor of entomology.
In fact, they are beneficial in many ways. The bugs aerate the soil and provide a nutritious food source for animals (including people, if you’re adventurous enough).
Emerging every 13 years, the Great Southern Brood of cicadas have black bodies, red eyes, and translucent, orangetinted wings. Their cousins, the annual cicadas, are larger, with green bodies and black eyes.
While the periodical cicadas are long gone—they only stick around long enough above ground to procreate before dying— don’t worry. A batch of 17-year periodical cicadas is scheduled to appear in 2038.
USNWR Ranks UGA Graduate Programs Among Nation’s Best
Several University of Georgia schools, programs, and specialties earned places in the top 10 of the 2024 edition of the U.S News and World Report Best Graduate Schools
The UGA School of Public and International Affairs ranked fourth overall, moving up three places from 2023 and tying for second in the nation among public institutions. The school also placed three programs in the top 5.
The School of Law was again ranked No. 20 in the nation and No. 7 among public institutions. It was also named the nation’s best value in legal education by The National Jurist for the fourth time in six years.
The College of Pharmacy climbed nine spots to No. 15 in the nation—the college’s highest ever ranking—and the School of Social Work moved up eight places to rank No. 20 nationally and No. 10 among pubic institutions.
The Terry College of Business advanced four places from 2023 and is now No. 9 among public business schools.
The Mary Frances Early College of Education moved up one spot from last year to No. 30, and several of its programs ranked in the top 10. Notably, the Early College’s school counseling program ranked No. 1 in the nation.
The higher education administration program in UGA’s Louise McBee Institute of Higher Education ranked No. 7 in the nation, consistently ranking in the top 10 since 2007.
Brooks Highlights First LA Peabodys
The Peabody Awards’ first in-person ceremony in five years doubled as its West Coast debut. The Peabodys’ long-awaited Los Angeles move was worth the wait as Oscar-nominated writer, comedian, and actor Kumail Nanjiani hosted a joyous celebration in the Beverly Wilshire hotel on June 9.
Billy Crystal presented the Career Achievement Award to Hollywood legend Mel Brooks, who accepted the honor with his trademark humor and razor-sharp timing.
“I’d like to say, ‘I humbly,’ but I’m not humble. Humility is not part of my vocabulary. I don’t even know how to spell it. I think it probably starts with a U.”
Brooks is now just the fourth entertainer to earn a PEGOT (along with Rita Moreno, Barbra Streisand, and Mike Nichols), marking their status as Peabody/Emmy/Grammy/Oscar/Tony winners.
Other winners included Abbott Elementary creator and star Quinta Brunson, who received the Trailblazer Award, and the Star Trek franchise, which received the Institutional Award.
The Peabody Awards are housed in the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication. They celebrate excellence in entertainment in documentary, news, podcast/radio, arts, youth, and public service programming. The awards are presented to works that reflect social issues, public interest, emerging voices, and forward change and understanding.
A full list of the 2024 Peabody Awards winners is available at peabodyawards.com.
NANCY HINKLE
FIELD OF DREAMS
Condon Earns College Baseball’s Highest Honor
Georgia’s Charlie Condon capped an amazing season when ESPN announced him as the 46th winner of the Golden Spikes Award during a live presentation before game one of the College World Series Finals.
The Golden Spikes Award honors the top amateur baseball player in the United States based on his athletic ability, sportsmanship, character, and overall contribution to the sport.
“I share this with everybody that was part of this historic season,” says Condon, a member of the SEC Academic Honor Roll and a finance major in UGA’s Terry College of Business. “It’s a start of something new for Georgia Baseball. I’m excited to bring this back to Athens for the first time.”
In 2024, Condon, a redshirt sophomore third baseman/ outfielder from Marietta, led the nation in home runs (37), batting average (.433), slugging percentage (1.009), total bases (233), and OPS (1.565).
Prior to earning the Golden Spikes Award, Condon was named the 2024 SEC Player of the Year. He also received the Dick Howser Trophy, widely considered the Heisman Trophy of college baseball, among several other honors.
Condon helped lead Georgia to a 43-17 record and a No. 8 national ranking entering the postseason. The Bulldogs finished one win shy of the College World Series in Wes Johnson’s first year in the dugout.
In July, the Colorado Rockies drafted Condon with the third pick in the first round of the MLB draft—the highest ever for a Georgia Bulldog.
POETRY IN MOTION
Pulitzer Prize-Winning Collection has UGA Connection
A collection copublished by The Georgia Review and the University of Georgia Press won the 2024 Pulitzer Prize for poetry.
Tripas by Brandon Som (right) was released in March 2023. Som’s poems are inspired by his multicultural, multigenerational childhood home, which included his Chicana grandmother and Chinese American father and grandparents.
“Reading these poems feels like being part of a lively, intimate conversation,” says Gerald Maa, director and editor of The Georgia Review. “I’m thrilled that this award will bring even more readers to this book.”
Tripas is the first Pulitzer Prize-winning work published by either The Georgia Review or the UGA Press.
COMPLAINTS DEPARTMENT
Sharing Stress at Work Can Have Negative Effects
Did you ever have a coworker who wore their stress as a badge of honor? Who let you know just how hard they had it?
It turns out that all that stress bragging might backfire, making co-workers more likely to see those braggarts as incompetent and unlikable, according to research from UGA’s Terry College of Business.
In one survey, participants compared statements from imaginary co-workers who just returned from a conference.
Participants rated the person who complained that the conference was “just one more thing on my full plate” as significantly less likable and less competent than someone who did not. Participants also said they would be less likely to help the complaining co-worker if they were overburdened at work.
Another survey of 218 real-life employees found that employees with co-workers who stress brag often reported higher levels of personal stress and burnout. People who only discussed their stress levels in passing fared much better than those who bragged about it.
“It’s not benign,” says Jessica Rodell, lead author of the study and a professor of management in the Terry College of Business. “It not only harms the bragging coworker. If employees see somebody bragging about their stress, it will have a spillover effect that can have bigger implications for the workplace.”
ANDREW DAVIS TUCKER
THE SOUNDS OF SATURDAY
Private support continues to lift the Redcoat Band to new heights
Snare drums snap the autumn air, and trumpets sing above the din of 93,000 barking fans. The Redcoat Marching Band provides the iconic soundtrack of University of Georgia football games, but the passion they inspire doesn’t dissipate after the final whistle.
From uniforms to instruments to their practice field, private support has sustained the Redcoats throughout their history. Even today, as the band approaches its 120th anniversary, donors are strengthening the Redcoats for years to come.
“We are proud to be a big part of what makes fall Saturdays in Athens so special to so many,” says Brett Bawcum BMus ’97, MM ’00, DMA ’17, Redcoat Band director. “It’s exciting to celebrate 120 years of Redcoats, and we recognize all those years wouldn’t be the same without private support from fans all over.”
Today, Redcoat fundraising priorities are aimed at eliminating or reducing expenses for Redcoat Band members. Fundraisers are also pursuing support for capital improvements like trucks to transport band equipment and practice field enhancements such as stadium seating and equipment storage.
Many Redcoat donors are UGA alumni, but contributions have also come from charitable foundations, businesses, UGA Athletics, the Office of the President, and individuals who simply enjoy fall Saturdays with the Redcoats. In fact, the largest single gift to the band in the last year came from two individuals who were never in the band and did not attend UGA.
That said, the most numerous and consistent supporters of the band are those who wore the uniform. In the last 30 years, the Redcoat Band Alumni Association (RBAA), which celebrates its 50th anniversary
MORGAN WYNN Support “The Heart of the Bulldog Spirit” by making a gift
this year, has donated more than $250,000 to UGA Foundationmanaged funds benefitting the band, with members often supplementing that amount with donations of their own.
RBAA supports the band beyond simple donations, however. The group coordinates with staff from UGA’s Franklin College of Arts and Sciences and Hugh Hodgson School of Music to enhance fundraising efforts, encourages Redcoat alumni to take advantage of their employers’ donation-matching programs, and connects former band members to events that “pay” for Redcoat music performances by donating to the band, to name a few.
“For so many of us, we’ve felt the effects of the Redcoat Band throughout our lives, so we have a duty to give back however we can,” says RBAA president Danny Roberson BMus ’84, MBA ’87.
“The band wasn’t something we created. It was entrusted to us by past generations, and after we put our own little stamp on it, we entrusted it to the next generation.
“Giving back is the next step in that process. This is how we make sure there’s nothing finer in the land than the Georgia Redcoat Marching Band."
The Redcoat Band practice field, located at UGA’s intramural fields, opened in 2009 with support from UGA President Michael Adams. The turf was replaced and a director’s tower added in 2016 with support from President Jere W. Morehead JD ’80, Redcoat alumni donors, and the Hodgson School of Music. An allocation from the UGA Foundation Board of Trustees further enhanced the complex last year.
It can be easy to watch the Redcoats and think this championshiplevel band has championship-level support. But funding gaps do exist, and those are the needs donor support can address.
Many of the 400 students in the band pay thousands of dollars out of pocket to cover uniforms, travel, equipment, and other costs.
The Redcoat Band currently rents trucks to transport equipment for each game. These trucks have no UGA branding, require multiple drivers, and are not economical.
The Redcoats’ practice field has a Sanford-accurate surface, but it needs bleachers to accurately emulate a stadium environment and improve the band’s game day preparation. Similarly, storage at the practice field is extremely limited, and proper storage facilities are needed to better secure instruments and critical equipment.
Donor funds also support the Redcoats academically. Numerous privately funded scholarships include a preference for students who participate in the Redcoat Band.
CHAMBERLAIN SMITH
NATHAN WYNN
ANDREW DAVIS TUCKER
Rhodes to Success Rhodes to Success
Celebrating 120 years of Rhodes Scholars at UGA
BY ERICA TECHO AB '15
RHODES SCHOLARS are chosen not only for their scholastic achievement, but also for their character and commitment to the common good. UGA's 28 scholars epitomize this high ideal and have served as ambassadors of the Bulldog spirit for more than 120 years.
WHAT IS THE RHODES SCHOLARSHIP?
Founded in 1902, the Rhodes Scholarship is the oldest and most celebrated international fellowship award in the world. It fully funds graduate education at the University of Oxford and is offered to just 100 students worldwide each year. Since its inception more than a century ago, 28 University of Georgia students have won Rhodes Scholarships. And UGA has been a top three producer of Rhodes Scholars among public institutions for the last 30 years.
UGA’s 1st Rhodes Scholar
1904
Robert P. Brooks AB 1904
THE PACESETTER
Robert P. Brooks was one of the University of Georgia’s first academic superstars—and its first Rhodes Scholar. Among his many accomplishments, Brooks was founding dean of UGA’s School of Commerce (now known as the Terry College of Business).
As a student, Brooks served as editor-in-chief of The Red & Black, president of the athletic association, editor of what is now Georgia Magazine, and more.
As a professor of history and
dean, Brooks taught at UGA until his retirement in 1945. As Dean Emeritus, he continued to publish books on Georgia history and commerce until his death in 1961. Brooks’ lifetime of service to UGA lives on through his many publications, including several papers stored in the UGA Special Collections Libraries. Brooks Hall, the former home of the Terry College of Business and current home of the Graduate School, carries his name.
1908
Henry L.J. Williams AB 1908
Williams was president of the Phi Kappa literary society, associate editor of the literary magazine, The Georgian, and a member of the drill team.
1911 E. Warren Moise AB 1911
Moise was a debate team member, editor of The Red & Black, and chairman of the student advisory council.
1916
George S. Whitehead BA 1915, MA 1916
Whitehead’s Oxford studies were briefly interrupted by World War I. He was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Army, saw action on the Western Front, and returned to Oxford to complete his degree at war’s end.
1919
F.W. Harrold AB 1920
Harrold was a skilled debater, and he received the Junior Orator’s Medal. He also served as associate editor of Pandora, the university yearbook. After studying in Oxford, Harrold returned to Atlanta and joined the law firm Candler, Thompson and Hirsh.
1928
Thomas J. Hamilton Jr. AB ’28
Hamilton served as managing editor of The Red & Black. He was also editorin-chief of Pandora, president of the Quill Club, and secretary of the Blue Key Honor Society.
1922
E. Way Highsmith BS 1921
1927
Allen Post AB ’27
Post served as president of several organizations, including Phi Kappa, Thalians, and the International Relations Club. He studied law at Oxford and practiced in Atlanta for many years.
Highsmith earned several debate awards and was on the UGA football team in 1919 and 1920. An entry in the 1921 edition of Pandora reads, “He is known and liked by everyone, as a scholar, an orator, a soldier, an athlete, a true gentleman, E. Way Highsmith.”
1924
H.M. Cleckley BS 1924
Cleckley served as editorin-chief of Pandora, served as captain of the track team, and played varsity football.
1934
1939
Morris B. Abram III AB ’38
Abram, a lawyer and civil rights activist, went on to serve as president of Brandeis University for two years. His most well-known case lasted 14 years, when he successfully argued to end a Georgia electoral rule that skewed primary election results. He also worked as a representative to the European Office of the United Nations.
E.T. Booth Jr. BS ’32, MS ’34
Booth was a nuclear physicist known for making the first demonstration of nuclear fission in the United States. He studied physics at UGA before getting his doctorate at Oxford. In 1941, he was named a Fellow of the American Physical Society.
1938
Benson E.L. Timmons III AB ’37
Timmons was vice president of the Phi Kappa Literary Society and served on the Pandora staff.
1948
Homer Kittrell Nicholson Jr. AB ’42
Nicholson received his bachelor’s degree from UGA and doctoral degree from Vanderbilt University. He served as a professor of humanities at Morris College in Sumter, South Carolina.
PHOTOS
1960
Bob Edge AB ’60
RENAISSANCE MAN
“Of all the things I’ve done, I’m probably as proud of helping to start the Foundation Fellows program as anything.”
When the time came to declare a major at Oxford, Bob Edge first considered English, one of his two majors at UGA. Then, 1927 Rhodes Scholar Allen Post, an Atlanta attorney at the time, told Edge he’d make a good lawyer.
A subsequent conversation with 1937 Rhodes Scholar Morris Abram III set Edge on his final path: an ambitious twoyear course of study focused on political science, philosophy, and economics.
“So that’s what I did,” Edge says. “It was these two Georgia guys who set me on that course, and it was a spectacular time.”
Edge worked hard, graduated with ease, and leaned into the spectacular.
During his two years at Oxford, Edge
attended some 100 operas and 150 plays across Europe. He still has all the programs. He remembered Post’s advice, too, and upon returning to the States, he went to Yale Law, graduated, and has practiced in Atlanta for nearly 60 years.
But with all his travels and accomplishments, Edge never forgot his roots. And he remains a dedicated Bulldog to this day.
The Lawrenceville native first visited campus as a sixth grader. He took piano lessons from Hugh Hodgson himself. Edge’s lifetime love of the performing arts is most visible at UGA’s Performing and Visual Arts Complex. Edge was the driving force behind its construction, and its recital hall is named for him.
He served for many years on UGA’s Foundation Board of Trustees, including a term as chair in the 1980s. During his service, he helped launch the Foundation Fellows program in 1972. Many of UGA’s Rhodes Scholars since then have been Fellows themselves, completing a circle Edge created.
“Of all the things I’ve done, I’m probably as proud of helping to start the Foundation Fellows program as anything,” Edge says.
For his lifetime of contributions to UGA, Edge received the President’s Medal in 2023.
1973
Fred F. Manget AB ’73
Manget returned from Oxford and attended law school at Vanderbilt University before joining the Army Reserve Judge Advocate General’s Corps. He also had a 26-year career in the Central Intelligence Agency before retiring to High Point, North Carolina.
SUBMITTED
1996
Robert M. Sutherland BS ’96, MS ’96
Sutherland studied biology at UGA and earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees at the same time. He also studied cello at UGA and continued to perform during his time in Oxford. After earning his doctorate at Oxford, he shifted gears. Today, he lives in Athens and teaches pottery and music out of Good Dirt Clay Studio.
1998
Scott Hershovitz AB ’98, MA ’98
Scott Hershovitz likes to say he got degrees from Oxford and Yale but got his education at UGA.
“It’s hard to overstate the foundational influence of UGA in my life,” says Hershovitz, a professor of law and philosophy at the University of Michigan.
The Honors program quite literally set him on his career path. Hershovitz came to UGA as a political science major and wanted to take a psychology course. It was full, so he signed up for Honors Introduction to Philosophy instead.
“Within the first hour in the room, I thought, ‘This is what I want to do with my life,’” he says.
Over the next four years, UGA and the Honors program shaped his path forward. Hershovitz thrived in the intense environment. Faculty encouraged his inquisitiveness and urged him to keep an eye out for scholarship opportunities.
He applied to law school and for the Rhodes Scholarship, and after winning the Rhodes, he studied philosophy at Oxford.
“I feel like I found a loophole in life. I’m a philosopher, but I get paid like a lawyer,” he says. “And none of that’s true without the kind of foundation that UGA gave me.”
At its core, the Rhodes is not about being the most knowledgeable in a subject or even the most knowledgeable person on your campus, Hershovitz says. It’s about conveying your passion for a topic and getting others interested.
“It turns out to be an extraordinary useful life skill in general,” he says. “Whatever it is you’re going to do in the world, chances are you have to get other people excited about your projects and plans, to anticipate what questions they’ll have for you and what hurdles they’ll see.”
ANDREW DAVISTUCKER
ANDREW DAVIS TUCKER
THE PHILOSOPHER
1999
Beth Shapiro BS ’99, MS ’99
“ When confronted with an opportunity, I say take it.”
Beth Shapiro wants to know how we can bring back the woolly mammoth. And the dodo. And the Tasmanian tiger.
As an evolutionary biologist and chief science officer at Colossal Biosciences, Shapiro is advancing the company’s mission of de-extinction. This isn’t Jurassic Park, though. It’s taking steps to bring back species that can survive our current world and to use these same tools to protect other species moving forward.
“What I like about the mission is it’s a moonshot,” Shapiro says. “If we say, ‘We want to make a mammoth,’ that means that we have to explicitly write down all of the technical, ethical, and ecological challenges that need to be solved in order to get there.”
Those steps are the first ones toward adapting at-risk species to rapidly changing habitats around the world.
This role was an unexpected step in a career full of unexpected opportunities. Shapiro came to UGA as a broadcast journalism major before switching to ecology with a geology minor, giving a path to follow her passion for scientific communication.
At Oxford, Shapiro met New Zealand evolutionary biologist Alan Cooper and learned about ancient DNA, or DNA that’s
extracted from ancient materials like bones, plant remains, and sediments.
“I’d studied biology and worked as an ecologist and was interested in storytelling,” she says. “And I saw this as an amalgamation of all these things—evolutionary biology, geology, going back in time, and thinking about how ecosystems change.”
While unexpected, Shapiro wouldn’t be where she is today without accepting a few risks and taking on any opportunities that came her way.
“A lot of people assume that we have some special moment when we’re 4 that defines everything we do for the rest of our life,” Shapiro says. “That certainly isn’t me, and I think it probably isn’t most people. When confronted with an opportunity, I say take it.”
Many Rhodes Scholars are in the Morehead Honors College. You can provide learning and research opportunities for all Honors students
Adam S. Cureton AB ’03, MA ’03
Cureton is a professor of philosophy at the University of Tennessee. He completed his graduate work at Oxford and at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. His research is focused on ethics, Kant, and the philosophy of disability, including fundamental questions about well-being, justice, and identity.
2008
Katherine HA Vyborny AB ’05, AB ’05
After graduating from UGA, Vyborny worked for three years in Washington, D.C., before applying for the Rhodes Scholarship. She earned her master’s and doctoral degrees from Oxford, then took on a role as a research associate in the Duke University Department of Economics. She now works as an economist at the World Bank.
While at Oxford, Dr. Deep Shah recognized an opportunity to explore knowledge within and outside his degree program.
“That was one of the few periods of my life where there was truly enough time to be intellectually curious and spend a significant amount of time with other graduate students in different disciplines,” Shah says.
In the Oxford dining halls, Shah and his Rhodes Scholar classmates discussed pressing issues ranging from politics to the economy to health care. They also traveled whenever they could, forging lifelong friendships.
“We—now as alumni of the Rhodes Scholarship—still provide each other with multidisciplinary perspectives on issues, just largely over text and email now,” Shah says.
After returning from Oxford, Shah earned his medical degree at Harvard. Now as a primary care physician in Gwinnett County , Shah applies an interdisciplinary lens to approach health from a holistic view. It’s more than just tests and prescriptions; it’s also about focusing on social determinants of health, financial implications, and the overall patient experience, Shah says.
This approach also translates
to his role as a preceptor, wherein Shah gives medical students hands-on learning opportunities. Supporting students is one way to give back and build on the foundation Shah formed at UGA, just as mentorship from former associate provost David S. Williams AB ’79, MA ’82 and President Jere W. Morehead JD ’80 helped Shah as he won the Rhodes and Truman Scholarships.
But a love for the campus and the state drew him back to the University System of Georgia (USG). Gov. Brian Kemp BSA ’87 appointed Shah to the USG Board of Regents in April, providing him an exciting opportunity to encourage the success of future students.
“We—my immediate and extended family—hope this is one of many ways in which we can give back and make education in Georgia even better for future generations and to ‘fight the world’s fight,’ as the Rhodes mantra goes,” Shah says. “USG has a unique opportunity, with the diversity of our state and being part of a growing economy, to create a workforce and future professionals who will take the state to new heights under the leadership of Gov. Kemp and Chancellor Perdue.”
Dr. Deep Shah BS ’08, AB ’08
ANDREW DAVIS TUCKER
TO RI BAUER
PETER FREY
THE REGENT
2011
Tracy Yang selected UGA because it provided space to find her ideal career path.
“I wanted somewhere with strong academics, but I wasn’t sure what I wanted my career to look like,” says Yang, a Macon native and now a pediatric hospital medicine fellow at Boston Children’s Hospital.
And after being selected for the Foundation Fellowship, it was an easy decision. Yang wanted to shape her academic life around opportunities for exploration. As a Fellow, she studied abroad and received strong mentorship. And as graduation approached, she looked for her next step.
So she applied to medical school and for the Rhodes, hopeful that the best path forward would present itself.
“I think I knew that the typical route to medical school was not necessarily right for me,” she says. “I wanted to be able to think and explore fields related to medicine but not directly applicable to the typical coursework required for medical school.”
The best path went through Oxford and led to a degree in
medical anthropology. This course of study related to Yang’s undergraduate anthropology degree, but it also provided a new layer to Yang’s approach to medicine and patient care.
“It has helped me take a step back from some of the assumptions we make in our medical and health care systems,” she says.
It also extends to considering the whole context of patient lives, something Yang hopes to improve through research. Her current project will translate and culturally adapt a scale to measure experiences of discrimination from families of different cultures.
It’s a rewarding project, she says, and a lot of it springs from the foundation laid at UGA.
“When I came to UGA, I had no experience of research. I’d never traveled internationally. I barely knew what anthropology was,” she says. “I didn’t think I wanted to be a doctor. And within four years I had explored so many different countries, so many different fields, and had wonderful mentors. Those years were incredibly pivotal for me.”
2013
Elizabeth Allan AB ’12, AB ’12, MIP ’12
Allan earned bachelor’s degrees in Arabic, economics, and international affairs as well as a master’s degree in international policy from UGA. She was a member of the university’s student-run think tank, the Roosevelt Institute, and a Center for Undergraduate Research Opportunities (CURO) scholar. After graduating from Yale Law School, she now works as an associate at King & Spalding in Atlanta.
2017
Laura Courchesne AB ’17, AB ’17
2021
Courchesne researched illicit economics, militant groups, and military transformation during her time at Oxford. She currently works as head of strategy and operations at Frontier Model Forum, which aims to advance the AI ecosystem.
Phaidra Buchanan BSEd ’21
Buchanan was the university’s first Black Rhodes Scholar. Upon winning the Rhodes, she aspired to generate policy that promotes equitable funding and culturally responsible curricula in schools. She currently teaches AP Human Geography and World History at Paul Duke STEM High School in Gwinnett County.
Tracy Yang AB ’11
PAUL EFLAND
ANDREW DAVIS TUCKER
ANDREW DAVIS TUCKER
THE PATHFINDER
2023
2024
UGA’s most recent Rhodes winners hope to advance international relations as they enter the field.
Natalie Navarrete and Mariah Cady graduated a semester apart, but they followed similar paths. Both were Foundation Fellows; took part in the university’s Russian Flagship Program, a federally funded languages initiative; and studied abroad in Kazakhstan. They even studied Russian in Hawai’i together. Now, they’ll be able to reconnect in Oxford. Navarrete completed her first year in Oxford in June and has embraced the academic-focused nature of campus, and Cady will begin her studies in October.
Navarrete received bachelor’s degrees in international affairs, Russian, and Spanish, and minored in Latin American and Caribbean studies. At Oxford, she’s pursuing a Master of Philosophy degree
focused on the former Soviet space and is relishing the chance to connect with scholars from across the world.
“I don’t think I would have been able to find people who are so engaged in a very specific context, with so many different perspectives and so many different backgrounds anywhere else,” she says. “I’ve learned so much in so little time.”
Cady graduated with degrees in Russian and international affairs, minoring in geography, German, and teaching English to speakers of other languages. In Oxford, she is pursuing two master’s degrees with the goal of deepening her language studies and critically reflecting on ways that governments can enhance refugee resettlement policies.
Her goal is to make a difference through diplomacy, and the opportunity to observe work at Oxford’s Refugee Studies Center,
which is known for its dual research/policy projects that serve local and international refugee populations, is especially exciting.
“As I pursue a career in either government or INGO [International NonGovernmental Organization] work in this field, my studies at Oxford will be a critical time for reflecting critically on potential convictions for improving our refugee programs,” Cady says.
And Navarrete is excited to welcome another Bulldog to Oxford and to the Rhodes Scholar circle.
“I’m still always so grateful and in awe of all of the people, programs, systems, buildings, everything that UGA does and has to support students’ curiosity,” she says.
“And I think about all the time that there were so many butterfly effect moments that I had at UGA, and without those I wouldn’t have this opportunity right now.” GM
Georgia Magazine editor Eric Rangus MA ’94 and editorial interns Navya Shukla and Caroline Kostuch contributed to this story.
Natalie Navarrete AB ’23, AB ’23, AB ’23
Mariah Cady AB ’23, AB ’23
THE NEWEST GENERATION
As antimicrobial resistance grows, the world faces a deadly adversary few predicted: fungus. The battle against pathogenic fungi is raging, and UGA researchers are on the frontlines.
WRITTEN BY LEIGH HATAWAY MA ’17
PHOTOGRAPHY BY PETER FREY BA '94 ILLUSTRATIONS BY KAIYA PLAGENHOEF
Although the Cordyceps fungus shown here doesn’t look particularly scary, it’s a dangerous adversary for ants in real life … and the few post-apocalyptic survivors left in HBO’s The Last of Us.
HBO's The Last of Us
“The fungus starts to direct the ant’s behavior, telling it where to go, what to do, like a puppeteer with a marionette. And it gets worse,” Dr. Neuman begins.
“The fungus needs food to live, so it begins to devour its host from within, replacing the ant’s flesh with its own. But it doesn’t let its victim die. No, it keeps its puppet alive."
The other guest, also an epidemiologist, quickly counters, “Fungal infection of this kind is real but not in humans.”
The first scientist concedes, saying it’s true fungi can’t survive in a host with a body temperature above 94 degrees. That would seemingly rule people out.
A Fungal Zombie Apocalypse?
The opening scene of HBO’s Emmy-winning hit show The Last of Us paints a stark picture of what will come in the video game-based based series in which a mutant strain of the Cordyceps fungus evolves to infect humans.
As the first epidemiologist predicted, the fungus has one goal: to proliferate by any means necessary. A pandemic of epic proportions follows, with humans turned into zombie-like creatures hellbent on destruction.
While Cordyceps doesn’t pose much of a threat to people and a fungal zombie apocalypse is a bit farfetched, the idea of fungi evolving to infect humans is anything but a work of fiction.
“If we change the environment, the soil, the weather, innocuous environmental organisms are going to change,” says Karen Norris, an infectious disease expert, professor in the University of Georgia’s College of Veterinary Medicine, and Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar in Immunology and Translational Biomedicine. “That’s not hypothetical; that’s real.”
“But what if that were to change?” he asks.
What if the world began warming, and fungi had a motivation to evolve, with a unifying goal of spreading infection throughout the world? There is nothing to protect us—no vaccines, no treatments, no effective preventive medications—the epidemiologist says.
The studio audience goes quiet. The laughs from the host’s attempts at lightheartedness die.
What happens then, the host of the talk show asks, his voice suddenly unsure.
“We lose.”
ZOMBIE ANTS?
Cordyceps, the fungus behind the HBO hit, is real, and it actually does turn some species of ants into zombie-like creatures.
The fungus penetrates the ant’s exoskeleton and begins to multiply. Eventually, the fungal cells take over the ant’s central nervous system.
The fungus is the captain now.
It causes the ant to fall from its primary habitat in the tree canopy to the forest floor. Then the fungus makes the zombified creature climb a tree to an ideal height of almost a foot off the ground. The ant bites onto the plant so forcefully that not even death can dislodge it.
When the time is right, the fungus bursts from the ant’s body, scattering spores across the forest floor.
And the cycle repeats.
Joel, played by Pedro Pascal, and Ellie, played by Bella Ramsey, are two of few humans fighting for survival against a fungal plague in HBO’s The Last of Us.
LIANE HENTSCHER/HBO
Karen Norris' vaccine could be the first clinically approved immunization to protect against invasive fungal infections.
Marin Brewer recently found high levels of multidrugresistant fungi in commercially available compost, soil, and flower bulbs.
More Than Just Mold
When you hear the word fungus, what pops to mind? Mold. Athlete’s foot, perhaps. Or maybe you immediately see a mushroom on a log in a heavily wooded forest.
Probably not a potentially deadly foe.
But thanks to a changing climate that’s altering soil temperatures, weather patterns, and animal geography, fungi that once didn’t pose a threat to people have become one.
About 6.5 million people worldwide contract invasive fungal infections each year, according to a recent study published in the journal Lancet Infectious Diseases More than half of those patients die.
The number of fungi-related deaths has doubled to almost 4 million people annually over the past decade.
While rising temperatures are making fungi more adaptable to infect humans, the driving force behind the dramatic increase in fatalities is a far more familiar adversary: drug resistance.
Because many fungi also affect plants and lead to extensive crop losses, anti-fungals known as azoles are regularly used in agricultural fields.
These antifungal treatments are also the first line of defense when people are infected.UGA researchers Marin Brewer, William Terrell Distinguished Professor in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, and Michelle Momany, a professor in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, showed that the compounds used to fight fungal diseases in plants are likely driving resistance to the
anti-fungals used to treat people.
But the solution is not as easy as nixing azole use in agriculture.
Each year, fungi destroy about 20% of crops worldwide. And azoles are critical for crop health. Fungicides not only protect plants from harm but can also prevent certain toxins from developing in crops that people consume.
“We need fungicides for food safety and security,” Brewer says. “Fungi evolve incredibly fast. Over the past 20 years or so, we’ve introduced a lot of new fungicides that work really well, but they only work really well for maybe a couple of years.
“Eventually, we might get to the point where nothing works.”
PETER FREY
An Arms Race to Antifungal Resistance
The problem is fungi aren’t just developing resistance to one drug. They’re slowly overcoming all of them.
“Fungi are beating us in the arms race to antifungal resistance,” says Emily Rayens MPH ’20, PhD ’21. Rayens is a postdoctoral fellow in epidemiological research at Kaiser Permanente and previously worked as a fellow in Norris’ lab. “The currently available antifungal drugs are not doing a good enough job.”
In 2022, the World Health Organization (WHO) published its first-ever list of the 19 most concerning fungal threats to public health.
Topping the list: two types of Candida (auris and albicans), Cryptococcus neoformans, and Aspergillus fumigatus.
“A decade ago, nobody had heard of Candida auris,” says Norris. “I certainly hadn’t. Then, suddenly, it started showing up in hospitals and nursing homes.”
Candida auris is a type of yeast that once just lived in the soil. As the Earth began warming, so did the dirt. The fungi adapted, acclimating to temperatures similar to the human body.
The jump into people wasn’t so hard after that.
Candida auris’ journey to becoming a fatal pathogen is a sobering tale, and it’s one that’s becoming much more common.
Many fungi, including the four WHO is most concerned about, are opportunistic creatures. They take advantage of the already weakened immune systems of individuals on chemotherapy for cancer, people living with HIV/AIDS, and those on immunosuppressant drugs.
It used to be that the immunocompromised were the only ones at risk of invasive fungal infections.
But that’s changing.
Norris, Rayens, and José Cordero, Gordhan L. and Virginia B. “Jinx” Patel Distinguished Professor of Public Health, found that the at-risk population has expanded in recent years.
Their study showed that people with diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (or COPD), or co-infections such as COVID-19, tuberculosis, or flu are likewise at higher risk of developing fungal infections.
Fighting Back
Fungal diseases are difficult to diagnose and even more difficult to treat.
The epidemiologist in the opening scene of The Last of Us says, “There are no treatments … No preventatives, no cures. They don’t exist. It’s not even possible to make them.”
That’s not quite true.
Health care providers have three classes of drugs to fight fungal infections in people. But many species of fungus are already resistant to one, if not more, of these medications.
But as drug resistance increases, the likelihood that current treatments will no longer work does too.
That’s why Norris is taking a different approach to managing the fungal threat: prevention.There are currently no effective vaccines to protect people from fungal infections. Norris aims to change that.
Her lab developed an experimental vaccine designed to protect against the three most common fungal pathogens responsible for more than 80% of fatal fungal infections.
Michelle Momany uncovered a driving force behind growing resistance to antifungal medications: agricultural fungicides.
A recent study tested the vaccine’s efficacy in four preclinical animal models, including nonhuman primates.
The results were promising. The vaccine was effective in developing protective antibodies in each of the models.
Norris hopes to take the vaccine to Phase 1 clinical trials in the coming years. If it performs as well in people as it did in animals, the vaccine could be the first big breakthrough in the fight against one of the top public health threats of this generation.
And it could also prove the epidemiologist from The Last of Us wrong. With an effective pan-fungal vaccine, we don’t lose. GM Help researchers fight fungal pathogens by giving to the Center for Vaccines and Immunology Fund at GIVE.UGA.EDU/FUNGUS
Not So Ancient History
Et docere et rerum exquirere causas
Translation: To teach and inquire about the nature of things.
WRITTEN BY IRELAND HAYES AB ’23
When students make their way to the top of the Miller Learning Center, they may notice the Latin phrase above—the university’s motto—carved into the walls. Although Latin is considered an “ancient language,” more University of Georgia students can translate the motto than you might think.
The Classics and ancient languages have been part of UGA’s curriculum since its charter nearly 240 years ago. Back then, all students had to take Latin and Greek. Though no longer a prerequisite, the so-called dead languages are still very much alive at UGA.
The department has thrived due to its willingness to adapt. From 1948 through 1980, James W. Alexander led the Classics through a renaissance and brought the department to the national stage.
Alexander pioneered Classics-in-Translation courses, expanding the department’s curriculum by using translated ancient texts to teach ancient culture and civilization, evolving from only offering traditional language courses. It was a trailblazing move at the time.
Richard A. LaFleur, Franklin Professor of Classics Emeritus and Alexander’s successor as department head from 1980 through 2001, says while not everyone wants to learn an ancient language, many are curious about ancient culture, mythology, and religion.
Alexander convinced administrators to allow these new courses to count toward required arts and sciences credits, which boosted enrollment.
“It opened up a new world to students looking to fill degree requirements,” LaFleur says. “Students could choose not just from authors like Shakespeare, but they could also choose from Classical Greek and Latin literature.”
The Classics Today
Today, the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences Department of Classics’ enrollment holds strong, and the Latin program’s numbers are particularly impressive. The Modern Language Association’s 2023 reports declared UGA’s Latin program the country’s largest—a title it has maintained for more than 15 years— topping more than 2,450 other colleges and universities.
Often, when students take their first course in the department, they get hooked. Many continue to take Classics courses throughout their college career or even add a major or minor to their degree path, says Mario Erasmo, a professor of Classics and current head of the department.
Mohammad Al Eethawi, a rising senior from Buford, is one of those students.
After beginning his studies at UGA, he learned that “everything is built upon Classics,” from much of Western literature to Disney movies. He fell in love with the subject matter and wanted to immerse himself further. He looked for more subjects, like scientific naming,
that would aid him in his studies as a pre-med student, and he added a minor.
“Studying Classics not only shapes my way of viewing education but also the world in general,” he says.
Al Eethawi conducted independent undergraduate research under the direction of Erasmo, who encouraged him to explore medicine in antiquity. So he analyzed the words of ancient physicians like Galen and how their ideas tie into modern medicine.
One of Al Eethawi’s main takeaways: The past influences our future. He gained a sense of hope after learning how innovators in the ancient world progressed and overcame medical obstacles. That adaptability bodes well for our ability to overcome our own challenges in modern medicine.
“Without the colors of the past, you don’t have a complete picture of the future,” Al Eethawi says. “And I’m not just learning about medicine now; I'm learning about medicine in the past, which predicts the future in a way.”
The university's motto: "To teach and inquire about the nature of things," in the original Latin, greets visitors to the Miller Learning Center. Classics department head Mario Erasmo is dedicated to keeping the supposedly dead language very much alive on campus.
program offers students from all disciplines study abroad opportunities that include visits to
UGA's Classics
stunning sites like the ancient hilltop fortress ruins of Asseria in Croatia.
Classically Trained
LaFleur says Latin is “quintessentially interdisciplinary,” meaning that students do not just learn a language but also learn how Latin translates into their chosen field of study. Students leave the program more equipped to excel in their professions, which range from medicine and law to business and agriculture.
“Almost every profession in our culture today has analogs in the ancient world,” he says. “So the more you study the roots of your profession, the more broadly informed you’re going to be.”
In a world increasingly focused on advancements in STEM fields, there is a need to integrate Classical studies with modern sciences now more than ever.
Many data scientists study the Classics and humanities to sharpen analytical thinking, writing skills, and problem-solving by viewing their work through a historical, real-world lens. The department is creating a curriculum that would bridge the perceived divide between STEM disciplines and humanities, a divide that Erasmo says is artificial.
After all, the words science, technology, engineering, and mathematics derive, like the disciplines themselves, from Greek and Latin.
This year, the Classics department hired a new faculty member focused on data science pedagogy, and it is the first program in the country to do so.
“At UGA, the oldest college is Arts and Sciences. Humanities and science go side by side,” Erasmo says. “STEM and data science should insert themselves more into Classics and vice versa.”
The Classics Department’s motto is “preparing you for what comes next,” which is Erasmo’s inspiration as well. When he thinks about the future, he sees the department continuing to transform, finding new ways to encourage interdisciplinary study and prepare students for their futures.
“I would love for us to keep reinventing,” Erasmo says. “Instead of saying, ‘I wish we could do that,’ just saying, ‘Let’s join in.’” GM
TAKING THE ROAD TO ANTIQUITY
The Colosseum in Rome, the ruins of ancient Greece, ancient forts like Vindolanda in England—remnants of the ancient world exist in the modern age, waiting to be explored. The Classics Department takes its students beyond the classroom, giving them up close and personal experiences with historic locations.
The department houses one of UGA’s founding faculty-led study abroad programs, UGA in Rome, which began in 1970. Since then, the department has added two more programs— UGA Classics Europe: Unearthing the Past and UGA-Franklin Croatia: Heritage Conservation and Archaeology—and offers affiliate programs with UGA at Oxford and Cortona, Italy.
Erasmo leads Unearthing the Past, a faculty-led Maymester program traversing Europe from Greece to Scotland, stopping at
THE CLASSICS IN MEDICINE
Mohammad Al Eethawi hopes to create a new student organization within the department for other pre-med students studying Classics as a way to connect and create a support system for students with similar interests. With the addition of a new medical school on campus soon, Classics professor Mario Erasmo expects even higher numbers of pre-med students like Al Eethawi and increased enrollment in courses like medical terminology, which is housed in the department.
ancient sites along the way.
“I think it’s good for our students to see other cultures in their contexts,” Erasmo says. “It’s essential for students to get out there and for us to lead them in our own groups. We teach at locations and at museums, on street corners, in churches, archaeological sites, anywhere we can.”
These programs are open to UGA students of all disciplines. The study abroad programs have become something of a recruiting tool for the department, with many students adding second majors or minors inspired by their trips.
“We put a lot of work into it,” Erasmo says. “But what we get out of it is seeing students completely engaged, completely immersed in classical antiquity and its reception, and it helps us broaden our major and minor bases.”
A Helping Hand in Hospitality
UGA’s specialized degree program is brand new and already the nation's best.
WRITTEN BY JAYNE ROBERTS
The event coordinator who planned your favorite concert. The human resources director of the last hotel you visited. The caterer at your best friend’s wedding.
Though these professionals have vastly different day-to-days and may never meet, they are each an essential part of a $2.8 trillion industry in this country.
Hospitality and tourism is a steadily growing industry that provides more than 16 million jobs domestically, according to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics. With its largest class graduating in 2024, the University of Georgia Hospitality and Food Industry Management program is also growing quickly.
Students Amy Nguyen and Angela Nguyen gain first-hand experience with the UGA Center for Continuing Education and Hotel.
At right: Katie Doak (right), banquet operations manager at the Georgia Center for Continuing Education & Hotel, reviews work details with Amy Nguyen. Experiential learning is core to student experience in UGA's hospitality management program.
From Hospitality Major to Hospitality Management
Niche, a popular college review website, recently ranked UGA’s program as the top hospitality management program among U.S. public universities, and it’s easy to understand why.
John Salazar is a professor in the Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, where he runs the program. Salazar says that, unlike a traditional business degree, the curriculum is entirely orchestrated from the hospitality lens.
“You’re not taking a course in law and human resources,” Salazar (right) says. “You’re learning hospitality law, hospitality human resources, hospitality finance, and hospitality marketing. We are in the people business, so we have to talk about getting work done through people.”
A Unique Collaboration
One of the aspects that makes the hospitality and tourism major so effective is its partnership with the UGA Center for Continuing Education & Hotel. There are more than 300 hospitality programs in the country, but the Georgia Center is one of the few fully functional conference centers run by a university, which means it can operate as a real-world learning lab for students.
Maya Dubos BSA ’24 graduated from the program in May. She credits the major’s specialized curriculum for her current success as an event coordinator at the Cobb Galleria Center, where she helps manage everything from educator conferences to fundraisers to volleyball tournaments.
“I grew up in Cobb County seeing the big pink billboards for the Georgia Bridal Show, and to now be a person planning those events is a surreal moment for me,” she says.
Translating her classroom experience into professional opportunities has been a gamechanger.
“Between my internships at the Classic Center, my work with the Georgia Center, and the extensive learning I got from my degree, employers already knew I could do the job,” Dubos says. “Most people don’t have this experience at age 22. It’s just not something you can get through other programs.”
For example, in 2023, students in a hospitality revenue management course analyzed data from the hotel to develop new strategies to drive more business to the Georgia Center. Another group of students studying hospitality human resources created an employee training program after working with the center’s human resources team.
The Georgia Center also provides front-of-house, back-of-house, and administrative experience for students in the program. Whether at the front desk, working in the catering department, or managing events, students directly experience decision-making processes in ways that go far beyond classroom learning.
Stacy Jones BSFCS ’93, EdD ’19, the director of the Georgia Center, says that she is always impressed by the quality and the passion of the students who come through the program.
“They approach their job with the desire to serve at the highest level,” she says. “They make our team better because of how excited they are about their future career. From the beginning of their UGA experience, students can partner with the Georgia Center to try out different pathways and benefit from the mentorship of professional staff.”
Classmates Angela Nguyen and Amy Nguyen (no relation) are two such students.
“Working with the Georgia Center has really set me up for success with future employers,” says Angela, a junior from Suwanee and a sales and event management intern at the Georgia Center. “I meet with actual clients and have the freedom to work on my own to help them make their event run smoothly.”
Angela says that the professors in her program and the staff at the Georgia Center have played a big part in why her experience in the program has been so positive. Everything about the hospitality and tourism major—from the classes to the internships to the study abroad opportunities—is designed to engage students in the learning process. Students can learn wine cultivation direct from the vines in Cortona, Italy, or tour agromarkets and farming communities in Havana, Cuba.
“I can’t wait to sign up every semester,” Angela says. “When I looked at the curriculum and got excited about classes for beverage tasting and floral design, that’s how I knew this major was the right place for me.”
Amy, from Norcross, is double majoring in hospitality and food industry management and management information systems. She works in the Georgia Center’s food and beverage department, and over the past two years, she has moved up the ranks from an intern to a trainer to a student assistant manager. Along with her everyday tasks, she works on projects to improve the hospitality program and trains other student workers.
“Hospitality isn’t just hotels and restaurants,” Amy says. “It’s a huge umbrella that includes event planning, human resources, tourism, and food and beverage, and this program lets you explore everything you want to do and more.” GM
PETER FREY
DAVIS T U CKER
Feed Me, Seymour!
WRITTEN BY HEATHER SKYLER
PHOTOS BY CHAMBERLAIN SMITH ABJ '18
UGA’s Theatre Department presents a colorful, riotous version of the classic musical Little Shop of Horrors to cap an exciting season.
Alarge team of UGA students worked around the clock this spring to pull together a uniquely imagined production of the cult classic Little Shop of Horrors
Based on a 1960 darkly comic movie of the same name, the musical theater version premiered off-off Broadway in 1982. The UGA Theatre Department’s
production leaned into the campy aspects of the musical with vivid, 1950s-inspired costumes and a flower shop on Skid Row as its primary set.
Sloan Elle Garner, a doctoral student in theatre and performance studies, did the dramaturgy for the production, working closely with faculty director Daniel B. Ellis to ensure the show stayed true to
what Garner calls the big “T” truth of the playwright’s vision. “It’s key that we never lose the big ‘T’ because otherwise it’s a different play.”
Three MFA students used their work on Little Shop as their senior theses. Cody Russell oversaw scenic design, Jeremy Weng was in charge of lighting, and Michael Romero led costume design.
Tristen Sledge commands the stage during dress rehearsal.
Brie Hayes as Audrey.
Alex Bass as Seymour.
Garrett McCord as Orin.
Carpenter Mark Leimbach welds part of the set in UGA’s scene shop.
Kennedi Nichols applies makeup backstage during opening night.
Romero loves creating characters with the actors. “I was getting Brie Hayes, the actor playing Audrey, the musical’s heroine, into costume, and when she put on her bangles, something clicked. The actor disappeared, and the character appeared. It’s like a magic trick.”
As with every aspect of preproduction, these grad students didn’t work alone.
All had teams of students and at least one faculty member who helped in the scene shop as part of their coursework. Undergraduates made up the cast, and firstyear student Abby McWethy worked as the assistant director.
The musical opened in April to a packed house and ran for two weeks. Fourth-year student Garrett McCord, who played the
sadistic dentist, says his favorite part of UGA’s theatre program is the openness instructors have to new techniques.
“Each professor is really good at meeting you where you are and giving you tools that you can use as an artist,” McCord says. “They’re helping us build our own fortress, our own house.”
Sloan Elle Garner did the dramaturgy.
Fan selfies on opening night.
Alex Bass as Seymour (left) and Noah Walker as Mr. Mushnik perform during opening night.
Tristen Sledge wears custom nails she made to match her costume for the role of Audrey II.
Costume designer Michael Romero.
Elliot Smith performs as the first Audrey II of the evening during opening night. This version of the musical was reimagined with two actors playing the role of the bloodsucking plant.
A student paints one of the props in UGA’s scene shop.
Don’t Miss Out!
BEAT WEEK VS. ALABAMA
Sept. 23-28
It’s time to Hunker Down, Bulldog Nation, as we battle the Alabama Crimson Tide both on the field and off during UGA’s annual Beat Week fundraising challenge. The university with the most gifts throughout the week takes the glory with the true winners being the faculty and students who benefit from this spirited competition. Help us roll over the Tide at beat-week.com
LONDON CHAPTER
Chapter President: Drew Bacon AB ’08
Number of Local Alumni: 208
The London Alumni Chapter connects Bulldogs abroad to foster a sense of home through networking events, social gatherings, and game day watch parties. U.K. residents and visitors are invited to join these spirited Bulldogs across the pond throughout the year.
UGA HOMECOMING TAILGATES
Oct. 5
Schools and colleges across campus will host alumni tailgates ahead of the UGA vs. Auburn football game. In addition, alumni are invited to the annual Black Alumni Homecoming Tailgate on Myers Quad. Keep your email address updated with UGA to receive information about these events at alumni.uga.edu/update.
COOKIES & COCOA WITH HAIRY DAWG
Nov. 10
Each holiday season, Bulldog families gather in the Atlanta area for this festive event featuring photos with Hairy Dawg, cookie decorating, and appearances by other Bulldog special guests. A portion of registration fees will support the Women of UGA Scholarship Fund. Learn more at alumni.uga.edu/calendar.
Class of 2024 continues generous legacy
Since 1991, UGA’s graduating classes have collectively contributed thousands of dollars through the Senior Signature program to support the next generation of Bulldogs. This year’s senior donors—3,201 in total—contributed over $100,000 to more than 600 funds around campus. In addition, they voted to direct the Class Gift grant to the student organization XChanged Life to fund a cultural exchange event to introduce international students to American culture and foster stronger connections among all UGA students. Members of the Class of 2025 can make their gift now at alumni.uga.edu/seniorsignature.
UGA recognizes 40 Under 40 Class of 2024
On Sept. 6, UGA will celebrate this year’s 40 Under 40 honorees, a group of outstanding young alumni who have found great success personally, professionally, and philanthropically. View the 2024 honorees online at alumni.uga.edu/40u40 or on page 48.
Nominations for the Class of 2025 will open in the spring.
Find a game-watching party before kickoff
Throughout the football season, alumni chapters around the world host gamewatching parties for alumni and fans of all ages. Second only to being in Sanford Stadium on game day, these gatherings will give you that “Saturday in Athens” feel no matter where you live. Find a watch party near you at alumni.uga.edu/gamewatchings.
Ready for adventure?
Book your next international adventure through a UGA partner and explore the world with fellow Bulldogs by your side. View the list of upcoming trips or sign up for more information at alumni.uga.edu/tours.
Fall Fundraising Spotlight
As students return to campus this fall, many will seek mental, physical, or emotional support as they navigate college. For some, cost can be a concern. That’s where the Sunshine Fund comes into play. It is a parent-established fund that helps students pay for mental health services and/or to help mitigate circumstances that negatively affect their well-being. Your gift at give.uga.edu/sunshine can ensure these Bulldogs are healthy, happy, and able to focus on their studies. Thank you!
Check out what's going on for alumni and update your email or mailing address with UGA.
class notes
Ad Man
Think of your favorite Super Bowl commercial. Is it a mud-splattered Betty White eating a Snickers bar? A trio of croaking frogs hawking Budweiser? Maybe “Mean” Joe Greene giving away his game jersey for a bottle of Coke?
Andy Pearson, who has worked as a creative director and copywriter for several big brands over the years, has noticed a pattern.
“All the most fun brands on the planet are the ones that are not healthy for us,”
he says.
Today, Pearson ABJ ’06, AB ’06 is the vice president of creative at Liquid Death, the subversive canned water company.
For those unfamiliar with Liquid Death, here’s the quick rundown: Founder and CEO Mike Cessario wanted to sell water in cans instead of bottles to reduce plastic pollution, and he devised a brand with a punk rock/heavy metal aesthetic and farcical sense of humor.
The company packages its water (sparkling or still, flavored or au naturel)
and iced tea in tall boy-sized cans emblazoned with a melting skull logo. Whereas most water companies put their beverage in a clear plastic bottle to invoke purity, Liquid Death’s cans look like, well, beer or a sugary, over-caffeinated energy drink.
The basic premise of Liquid Death, according to Pearson, is this: “What if we took the healthiest thing on the planet—water—and made it look like beer, and then we acted like it was really unhealthy?”
Compiled by Caroline Kostuch and Navya Shukla
ALUMNI PROFILE
DRAYMILLLZ
Andy Pearson, the vice president of creative at the canned water company Liquid Death, believes advertising can be fun and bring about positive change.
1965-1969
Leslie Lewis Roberts BSEd ’66, MEd ’70 is a retired teacher and principal currently working as a reading support teacher in Arlington, VA. She released a book, A Kid’s Look at Big League Baseball, in February.
Angelo San Fratello BSF ’68 owns and operates Falling Creek Real Estate and Forestry and Falling Creek Hunts after working with Georgia Pacific for 43 years as a procurement forester.
In his role leading the creative team, Pearson helps produce a slew of short comedy videos that could pass for Saturday Night Live sketches or content for the website Funny or Die. Liquid Death once ran a TV ad featuring a raging house party where children are chugging the company’s tall boy cans as if they were drinking Natty Light. The ad ends with a pregnant lady guzzling Liquid Death, followed by the line, “Don’t be scared. It’s just water.”
Pearson joined Liquid Death in 2021 after a career spent hopping to different ad agencies and freelancing.
For Pearson, effective advertising is about wielding creativity to share ideas. He first found that spark at the University of Georgia.
Pearson came to Athens as an Honors student with the intention to pursue journalism as a creative outlet. But he found the high-minded journalism of the 2000s didn’t quite fit his sensibilities. He once wrote a sweeping three-part series for The Red & Black student newspaper about the 30th anniversary of a national streaking record set on UGA’s campus, which his editors condensed to one concise 500-word story. So Pearson went looking for a “more creative” field.
“And that’s kind of how I found my way to advertising,” he says.
He was inspired by advertising professors in the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication like Jay Hamilton, who helped him discover the power of ads.
“There can be just a really simple idea that we put out in the world that has a real effect,” he says.
Pearson also flourished with the leadership and learning opportunities from the Honors Program, where he served as a
Guy San Fratello BSF ’68 is owner and operator of San Bar Forestry in South Carolina. Rodney Callahan BSEd ’69 served as a chaplain in the Army, the Georgia Department of Corrections, and a hospice in Macon.
student advisor and member of the Honors Council.
After honing his craft at the Atlanta ad school Creative Circus, Pearson went on to work at several ad agencies and picked up freelance work.
He’s written for Pizza Hut, Old Navy, Volkswagen, and Microsoft, to name a few. Then he took a few years to travel to Asia and Europe with his wife, freelancing all the while. During that time, he met Cessario, the Liquid Death founder. When Pearson settled stateside in Los Angeles, a job offer followed.
Pearson feels like he’s found his true calling at Liquid Death, where his job isn’t so much about selling a product as it is giving his audience a chuckle.
“We kind of think of ourselves more as an entertainment brand that happens to sell water than a water brand that makes ads,” Pearson says.
Pearson uses that same approach to help the brand talk about plastic pollution— particularly the difficulty in recycling plastics. (Most of the plastic that consumers “recycle” actually ends up in a landfill or, worse, the environment.)
In one video, Pearson helped create a fake ad for a “recycled plastic surgery center,” which offers implants made of used plastic bottles.
“We approach sustainability using dark humor to talk about it and bring more people in,” Pearson explains. “A lot of brands are still trying to force themselves down people’s throats, which as a person who gets marketed to all the time, that’s not what I want to be,” he says. “Our goal is to just be the best thing that someone sees that day.”
1970-1974
Jimmy Hill BSAE ’71 published his memoir, They Inspired Me: My Life Journey from Gardi to Tomahawk Mountain
Joe Culpepper AB ’71 went on a bike tour in Hawai'i last Thanksgiving, marking the 50th state he has biked in the last 45 years. He is a retired pastor from the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).
Leara Rhodes ABJ ’72 released her latest book Spancil Hill in March. She is a retired associate professor from the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication.
Robert Ellis BBA ’72, MBA ’73, PhD ’23 worked with Goldman Sachs and as a contractor with the U.S. Department of Defense.
John Longino BBA ’73, MBA ’76, JD ’76 has visited 111 countries, including more than a half dozen in 2024.
Ron Mullins AB ’73, JD ’76 retired from the Superior Court bench after a decade of service in the Chattahoochee Judicial Circuit.
1975-1979
L.B. West BBA ’75 served the past 22 years as senior pastor of the Mount Airy Baptist Church in Washington, DC, and nine years at New Light Baptist Church. Prior he was among the first five Black students to sign football scholarships at UGA.
Steve San Fratello BSFR ’75 owns and operates Caddyshack Golf Carts of Georgia. He previously worked with Georgia Pacific for 25 years.
Carroll Williams BSEH ’79 works in the UGA Center for Computational Quantum Chemistry and moved back to Athens after living in Southeast Asia and Guatemala with her family.
Andy Pearson ABJ '06, AB '06
Written by Aaron Hale MA '16
T E A M W O R K
1980-1984
Dr. Valeri Love BSA ’80, DVM ’83 is a mobile veterinarian. She has joined CodaPet’s network of veterinarians in Ocala and Gainesville, FL.
Jim Hudgins AB ’81 is the founder of Stone Ridge Capital, a commercial real estate shopping center firm in Atlanta.
Russ Fortson BSAE ’82, MS ’87 is a principal engineer at Science Applications International Corp. in Houston, leading a team as part of the Artemis Program.
David Hammett BS ’83 retired from his 40year career as a high school mathematics teacher.
Tim Whitmire BBA ’84 retired from NCR Corp. after 40 years. His most recent position was executive director of finance transformation, and before that he served as executive director of sales tools and technology.
1985-1989
John S. Hayden BS ’85 received the 2024 Distinguished UGA Geology Alumnus Award for outstanding performance and efforts in the field of geology.
Tracy Hargen BBA ’88 is a mental health advocate working to raise awareness and remove stigma through speaking, consulting, and writing.
Virginia Willis AB ’88 will release Bon Appétit, Y’all, an update of an award-winning cookbook of classic Southern recipes combined with French cuisine, in October.
Barry Fleming AB ’89, JD ’94 was appointed superior court judge in Columbia County, GA. He previously served in the Georgia House of Representatives for District 125.
Brian Dixon AB ’89 is an agent with New York Life Insurance Company.
1990-1994
Joanne Sullivan BSA ’90 started a new role as a national accounts director at Telix Pharmaceuticals.
Trish Powell BSEd ’91 has been teaching for 31 years and will retire in 2026.
Toi Beavers BSEd ’92 retired in January after 30 years as a counselor with Gwinnett County Public Schools, working at Norcross Elementary, Shiloh Middle, and South Gwinnett High.
AB ’94 is executive director at Project Fallen Lily, a grassroots nonprofit organization started in memory of her daughter, who passed away in 2022.
BSFCS ’95 is pursuing her doctorate in organization leadership in business at Anderson University.
BBA ’97 joined Greatmark Investment Partners in Columbus, GA, as chief operating officer after previously working at Synovus Financial for 26 years.
BSFCS ’98, MSW ’03 is pursuing her doctorate in higher education at UGA and serves as a public service associate and assistant director at UGA’s J.W. Fanning Institute for Leadership Development.
BSEd ’98 received the Department of Defense Education Activity Teacher of the Year award as a mathematics educator and mentor at the department’s Virtual
BBA ’99 was promoted to global head of health care corporate banking at
BFA ’99 will release Murmur , a photographic book capturing the aging of the 19th century train trestle featured on the back cover of R.E.M.’s 1983 album, Murmur, in September.
Kelley Kain AB ’99 was appointed as a special agent with the State of Tennessee Office of Homeland Security.
2000-2004
Matt Pollard BBA ’00 was appointed as the senior vice president of AI governance, data privacy, and cybersecurity at CG Infinity. He is also a committee member of BigData London and is a member of the International Association of Privacy Professionals.
David Barnhard AB ’01, MS ’05 was named chief strategy officer at Neya Systems.
Natalie Mann AB ’01 has been working at the University of Georgia for 20 years. She is the assistant director of the Visitors Center.
Street Nalley BBA ’01 is vice president at SONS Automotive Group in Atlanta.
Todd Bruce AB ’02 was installed as the rector of St. David’s Church and Day School in Roland Park, MD, in January.
Ben Stephenson BSChem ’04 was promoted to assistant manager of toxicology at the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
Baltimore Strong
Sometime in the middle of the night of March 26, Mark Anthony Thomas awoke to a text from a friend in South Africa.
The Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, where Thomas BBA ’01 had lived for the past 15 months, had been hit by a freighter and collapsed. One of the most traveled highways on the Eastern seaboard was gone. Traffic in and out of the Port of Baltimore was blocked. The number killed was unclear.
Thomas didn’t go back to sleep.
The Dekalb County native moved to Baltimore to become CEO of the Greater Baltimore Committee, a consortium of the region’s private sector leaders focused on economic development. From a business standpoint, few, if any, leaders were better positioned to address the disaster.
He wasted no time.
As the sun rose, Thomas reached out to the committee’s 400 members. Their first step was to take care of affected families. Then the focus turned to determining the near- and long-term impact of the tragedy.
“It was a deeply troubling moment, with our port’s supply chain completely disrupted and thousands of jobs directly
Written by Eric Rangus
impacted real time,” Thomas says. “Within a few days we pulled together an alliance of businesses and philanthropic organizations all aligned with supporting both immediate needs and long-term recovery efforts.”
Responding to the Key Bridge accident, which killed six, would challenge any leader regardless of their qualifications. Still, Thomas is up to the challenge.
His journey began at the University of Georgia where he dreamed of becoming a newspaper writer. He started quickly, joining the staff of The Red & Black shortly after arriving on campus. He wrote for the paper all four years of school, rising to editor-in-chief his senior year—the first Black student to hold the position.
But the paper wasn’t Thomas’ only interest. He adopted a fascination with many forms of communication. He soon focused on e-commerce, which was in its formative stages at the turn of the 21st century, and eventually earned a marketing degree from the Terry College of Business.
“That was the early version of tech,” Thomas recalls. “My first job after graduation was on the corporate communications team at Georgia Pacific.
As I was shaping the message, I had to understand it, and that crystallized my knowledge on the role of private sector leadership on both urban and rural issues.”
It also marked Thomas’ first steps down the path that now defines his career.
At Georgia Pacific in Atlanta, Thomas developed an interest in the intersection of business and public policy, earning graduate degrees from both Columbia and MIT before expanding economic leadership roles in Los Angeles, New York City, Pittsburgh, and eventually settling in Baltimore in December 2022.
Of course, the Key Bridge disaster isn’t something even the most forwardthinking leader could anticipate. Still, the port fully reopened in June, and transportation and other development plans are already underway. For his part, Thomas is optimistic.
“There are moments where everything you’ve learned in your career prepares you for the task at hand,” he says. “We’re aligning partners in ways that will ensure Baltimore recovers and change the course of things here.”
Mark Anthony Thomas BBA '01
HALDAN KIRSCH ALUMNI
Mark Anthony Thomas is CEO of the Greater Baltimore Committee, a consortium of private sector leaders in and around the city focused on economic development. A gifted leader in urban planning, Thomas is now embarking on perhaps his greatest professional challenge.
Book Club
Walking into Thank You Books in Birmingham, Alabama, is a book lover’s dream.
To the left is a display of new releases— updated every Tuesday—and colorful book covers fill the walls. The allimportant recommendation cards peek out from shelves and range from new additions to a few that have survived four years in the shop, highlighting the titles that booksellers and co-owners can’t get out of their heads.
“It’s a very Instagrammable store, we’ve been told, but I do think that people come in here to just take a break from their screens and take a break from the pace of their regular lives,” says coowner Kristen Iskandrian, MA ’03, PhD ’09. There are plenty of nooks where quiet shoppers browse and disappear, and there’s also always a friendly face—or three—ready to provide a recommendation.
“It was important for us that when you walk in, you know it’s a bookstore and not a gift shop,” says co-owner Laura Cotten AB ’12. “We love gift shops and quirky gifts, but we want to be really bookheavy.”
For the space, it’s a huge number of books that ranges from old favorites and bestsellers to poetry and small press. And all of them—6,000 titles when they first opened—were hand selected by Cotten, Iskandrian, and their third co-owner Elizabeth Goodrich.
“We literally picked them out title by title,” Iskandrian says. “We combed our own bookshelves. We had many conversations about what’s important to us. We asked our community, ‘What's important to y’all?’ It was such an unscientific way to do it.”
It was also chaotic. Since its early days, the shop has curated its process, homing in on local tastes, refining selections, and making its mark in the community.
“Independent bookstores are a reflection of the people who work there,” Iskandrian says. “You can do what you want, and that’s empowering and exciting—and also really overwhelming at times.”
Written by Erica Techo BS '15
Just like its shelves, the shop’s calendar is also packed. Whether it’s a book club, author event, or story time, the store draws a crowd. Sometimes it’s a summer reading kickoff, complete with face painting and visitors milling between Thank You Books and a neighboring soda shop for an ice cream social. Other times, it’s a crowd sitting in folding chairs asking eager questions of a visiting author.
“We’ve called ourselves the neighborhood bookstore for a long time, but really having been here for four-anda-half years now, we’re learning that we’re a part of the neighborhood more than we ever have been before,” Cotten says.
It all centers on a love of books. And that’s what brought Cotten, Iskandrian, and Goodrich together all those years ago. Although Cotten and Iskandrian’s time in Athens overlapped briefly, their friendship grew—and blossomed into a business—after they had moved away.
Iskandrian was living in Birmingham, and Cotten was in Ann Arbor, Michigan. A social media post musing over a dreamy local bookstore helped draw Cotten back to the Iron City, where she had earned a master’s in secondary English.
Thank You Books opened in late 2019,
just a few months before the COVID-19 pandemic meant book purchases moved online and the shop's carefully curated shelves were visible only through the windows.
“It was very much a ‘jump and build your wings on the way down’ process,” Cotten says.
It’s almost impossible to separate Thank You Books’ beginnings from the pandemic, Cotten and Iskandrian say, but those challenges also formed strong community bonds. To this day, readers will come into the store to say, “I started reading again around the time y’all opened.”
“We didn’t necessarily know that would happen, but now it has, and it’s the most rewarding thing that we hear,” Cotten says.
They’ve also seen the community grow, both through relationships with other local businesses and literally as their youngest patrons grow from babies to toddlers and from toddlers to young readers. But at the heart of the store a love of books remains.
Their biggest hope is that when a visitor reads “You Are Welcome” on the wall behind the register, they know without a doubt that it is true.
PETER FREY
At Thank You Books in Birmingham, Alabama, co-owners Kristen Iskandrian (left) and Laura Cotten hope all readers feel welcome.
Laura Cotten AB '12 and Kristen Iskandrian MA '03, PhD '09
Christina Spears BS ’04, BSEd ’04, MEd ’04 was named North Oconee High School 20232024 Teacher of the Year. She teaches Advanced Placement and honors sciences in biology.
Jordan Gerheim AB ’04 is an attorney and CEO at Outside Chief Legal in Mobile, AL, and was honored in the 2024 editions of Best Law Firms and Best Lawyers in America.
Scott Farrar BBA ’04 has worked with Progressive Insurance for 19 years. He is also an architecture photographer with features in magazines and with Historic Rural Churches of Georgia.
2005-2009
Andrea Hunt ABJ ’05 is the founder of Living Deliberately Today, where she is an EFT empowerment coach. She is also the co-author of Overcoming Self-Sabotage Diana Freeman Dellinger AB ’05 was promoted to senior corporate counsel at Cox Media Group.
Douglas Harden AB ’05 is enrolled in the Elliott School of International Affairs at George Washington University.
Taylor Dibbert AB ’05 published his debut poetry collection, Invictus, last January.
Thomas Musselwhite BSEH ’06 was recently elected as a partner at Sterling Seacrest Pritchard commercial insurance brokerage firm.
Jordan Khail BS ’07 is a pharmacist and a faculty member at UGA's College of Pharmacy. Khail’s current efforts focus on the treatment of opioid overdoses.
Suzie Anderson ABJ ’07 is the director of marketing and admissions for the International College at Robert Gordon University in Scotland.
Kayde Campbell BSEd ’08 is a pediatric speech-language pathologist in the Atlanta area.
Mary-Frances (Ginn) Morgan BBA ‘09 and her husband, Michael, founded and opened Fitted Fairways Golf Studio on St. Simons Island in October 2023.
Joel Stern ABJ ’09 was recently elected as a partner at Sterling Seacrest Pritchard commercial insurance brokerage firm.
2010-2014
Claire Coenen AB ’10 released her debut collection of poems, The Beautiful Keeps Breathing, with Kelsay Books in June.
MY GEORGIA COMMITMENT
donor and volunteer
Dorothy Sifford’s Bulldog journey reflects the myriad ways alumni can engage with their alma mater beyond their time on campus. From an out-ofstate student to a UGA Foundation trustee, Sifford BSFCS ’94 has been a consistent supporter of the University of Georgia for decades. As the years pass since graduation, her story of giving back evolves and deepens.
Sifford’s engagement with UGA began as a student. The Nashville, Tennessee, native was a member of Kappa Alpha Theta, a sorority with a rich history of involvement on campus and in the Athens community. That exposure to the power of philanthropy showed her the impact she could have as a volunteer and donor throughout her life.
“I am fortunate to have grown up in a family that emphasizes giving backing to the community. That spirit of giving, combined with my experience in Theta, has encouraged me to continue to look for ways to support my community,” Sifford says. “My positive experience at UGA has compelled me to give back to the university I’ve loved for 30 years.”
Over the years, Sifford has supported many of UGA’s highpriority initiatives. For example, Dorothy and her husband, Clay, recently supported UGA’s newly announced and highly anticipated School of Medicine. Another such initiative is the Georgia Commitment Scholarship program, which offers need-based scholarships to undergraduates—many of whom are first-generation college students.
“Education is not only important, but it has the power to change a student’s life,” Sifford says. “I am extremely grateful that I have the ability to give back to UGA through the Georgia Commitment Scholarship program.”
More recently, Sifford found another program that speaks to her experiences and values. Georgia Women Give is a women-led initiative to engage more women in philanthropy across campus. Sifford is one of the 152 founding donors of the pioneering philanthropic group.
As a member of the UGA Foundation Board of Trustees, Sifford joins 45 other committed Bulldogs who serve as advocates for UGA, stewards of donor funds, and advisers to leadership. She draws from her experiences as an alumna, donor,
and parent in her role as chair of the Development Committee. In this position, Sifford is an integral leader in UGA’s overall fundraising success. Perhaps her proudest achievement since graduating UGA is having her two sons, Claiborne and Alexander, join her as Bulldogs. Now, Sifford sees everything the university does through their eyes. In addition, she volunteers with the Parents Leadership Council, a group of likeminded UGA parents from around the country that makes a direct impact on undergraduate student life. By maintaining strong ties to UGA through giving and volunteering for 30 years, Sifford has crafted a Bulldog story for not only herself but her family as well. And that is a story that is still being written.
Long-time
Dorothy Barfield Sifford BSFCS ’94 now experiences her alma mater through her sons’ eyes.
MESHALI MITCHELL
Dorothy Barfield Sifford (center) with sons Claiborne (left) and Alexander, both students at UGA.
The Right Man for the Job
“When I hear people tell me I’ve risen really fast, it makes me a little uncomfortable because that’s not really the goal,” Mike Macdonald told the Seattle media upon his hiring by the NFL's Seahawks. “You’re trying to be in the role that you are to help the team the best you can."
John Schneider, the general manager of the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks had barely sat down, and he was already celebrating.
“Welcome to Mike Macdonald Day!” he announced. It was Thursday, Feb. 1, 2024. The day before, Schneider signed Macdonald to a six-year contract to be the Seahawks’ new head coach. This was his introduction to local media.
It’s the latest step in a remarkable journey for Macdonald BBA ’10, MS ’13, a Double Dawg and former UGA assistant coach. At the time of his hiring, Macdonald was coming off a two-year stint as defensive coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens. Now, at 36, Macdonald is the NFL’s youngest head coach.
“When I hear people tell me I’ve risen really fast, it makes me a little uncomfortable because that’s not really the goal,” Macdonald said. “You’re trying to be in the role that you are to help the team the best you can. And, ultimately, as your roles and responsibilities increase, the ability to do that is greater, you know? That’s the mentality you have to have.”
Macdonald was born in Boston and grew up in Roswell. He played baseball and football at Centennial High School, but his playing career ended because of injuries his senior year.
As an undergraduate at the University of Georgia, Macdonald took his first defensive coordinator job—with the freshman team at Cedar Shoals High School in Athens. The job reunited
Macdonald with Xarvia Smith, the Cedar Shoals Jaguars varsity head coach and Macdonald’s former coach at Centennial.
Macdonald took to the role quickly. Over seven games, the Cedar Shoals ninth-graders shut out their opponents six times.
“That’s probably the most fun I’ve had coaching,” Macdonald said during a 2021 interview. The following year, he coached varsity’s linebackers and running backs.
While Macdonald was learning how to mentor players under Smith, the head coach saw something special in his protege.
“You just knew, with his leadership and his desire and his work ethic, what
was going to happen,” Smith told Seattle’s KJR radio. The two stay in touch today through texts, and Macdonald maintains relationships with several Cedar Shoals former players as well.
In 2010, mere months after graduating summa cum laude with a finance degree from the Terry College of Business, Macdonald joined then-head coach Mark Richt’s staff as a graduate assistant. After a year, he was promoted to defensive quality control assistant. In 2013, he earned his second UGA degree, a master’s in sport management, with a perfect 4.0 average.
“He was sharp,” Richt says of Macdonald. “Very mature and responsible. He was ready for the role. Anything we gave Mike, he could handle it.”
Macdonald joined the coaching staff of the Baltimore Ravens as an intern and was soon promoted to defensive assistant (2015), then defensive backs coach (2017), and finally to linebackers coach (2018).
In 2020, Jim Harbaugh, brother of the
STEPH CHAMBERS/GETTY IMAGES
JOHN KELLEY
Ravens’ head coach, hired Macdonald as defensive coordinator at the University of Michigan.
In his one year with the Wolverines, Macdonald guided a defense that had ranked 87th nationally in yards allowed per game the previous year and turned them into a top-10 unit. That experience also included the only time Macdonald lined up against the University of Georgia.
The run-up to that matchup in the 2021 College Football Playoff Semifinal in the Orange Bowl gave Macdonald an opportunity to reflect on his time as a Georgia assistant.
“We were doing everything. We were setting up tables for dinner, you name it,” he said at the time. “But, yeah, those are great days. I mean, just learning from Coach Richt, and Coach [Todd] Grantham, and Coach [Mike] Bobo, and really just what makes an organization tick. Being in on the ground floor and doing anything you can to help the team win was really valuable.”
Michigan lost that game, a major step in Georgia’s run to its third national title. It also represented, to this point, the last college game Macdonald has coached. In 2022, he returned to the Ravens as their defensive coordinator. The results were record breaking.
The 2023 Ravens were the first team in NFL history to finish first in scoring defense, sacks, and takeaways in the same season. The Ravens made it to the AFC Championship, and the Pro Football Writers of America named Macdonald the 2023 Assistant Coach of the Year.
Macdonald was a hot commodity heading into the offseason. Six teams, including the Seahawks, checked on his availability. And Seattle moved fast, announcing his hiring less than 72 hours after Macdonald’s first interview with the team.
“My plan is to be myself every day,” Macdonald said. “It’s not a facade. It’s all about the best interests of the team, the best interests of the players, and how we can be successful.”
Gordon Wyche BBA ’10 married Emily Bakhaus BBA ’16 on Sept. 29, 2023. The couple lives in Atlanta. Wyche works for Argonne Capital Group, and Bakhaus works for SJC Ventures.
Joel Kight ABJ ’10 founded CollegeComix. com, a comic book delivery service for college students, in February.
Sophie Howell BFA ’10, BS ’10 is executive director at Sanctuary of the Inner Compass Retreat Center in Denver.
Dallas Anne Duncan BSA ’11, BSA ’11 published the hardcover edition of her second fantasy novel, Triumvirate Rising, book two in The Meridian Trilogy. Onica Schmidt AB ’12 was recently hired as assistant general counsel at Mercer University in Macon.
Dr. Sadye Souther BS ’12 acquired Marshview Dental, formerly known as Thomas I. Smith DMD, in Brunswick, GA, in January.
Whitley Tankersley BBA ’12, BSEd ’12 was named Lincoln County Middle School and Lincoln County School District’s 2024 Teacher of the Year.
Dr. Alexandra Dodd BS ’13 is a psychiatrist in Savannah.
Michael Tumey BBA ’13 directed and produced Rob Haze’s first comedy special, Frontin’
Wells Ellenberg AB ’13 was named vice president of communications for Southern Company Gas, an Atlantabased subsidiary of Southern Company.
Rakyah Watkins AB ’14, AB ’14 is the proprietor of the photography and graphic design venture RSW Creations; instructional specialist in the Hancock County School District; serves as the Christian education director at St. Mark AME Church; and was appointed to the Statewide Independent Living Council of Georgia.
2015-2019
Tucker Eagle BBA ’15 is a client advisor at Sterling Seacrest Pritchard and is joining its Savannah office after four years in the Atlanta office.
Turner Brennan BBA ’17 is co-founder of Antigua Threads, selling belts and leather goods made by Mayan artisan women.
Charlie Ferrelle AB ’18 joined HunterMaclean as an associate in the firm’s affordable housing practice group and bankruptcy and creditors’ rights practice group.
David Endredi Jr. BSFR ’19 is a procurement forester at Caw Caw Land & Timber in South Carolina.
Stokes Dunavan Mann BSW ’19, MSW ’20 is a portrait and wedding photographer in Franklin, TN. She married Seth Mann in October 2023.
2020-2024
Angela Kaye BBA ’20 joined Bowhead Specialty Insurance in New York as an underwriter of managed care and health care management liability.
Bruce Kelly BSFR ’20 is a procurement forester for Elkins Sawmill in Moncure, NC.
Skyla Beal BSFCS ’20, MS ’22 is the owner of Lab Sky Financial Counseling Program. Arieana Love AB ’21 graduated with a Master of Public Health from the Gillings School of Global Public Health at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in May 2024.
Celia Croxton BS ’21, MS ’23 is pursuing her registered dietitian credential after graduating from UGA with a master’s degree in nutritional science.
Gillian McIntyre AB ’21 oversees public policy partnerships at The New York Times Lexi McClellan AB ’21, MA ’22 was on an episode of Family Feud. The episode will air in September.
Molly English AB ’21, AB ’21 was promoted to producer in CNN’s political unit in November and covered the Republican presidential debate in Des Moines, IA. Nnamdi Anene BBA ’21 was recently promoted to property and casualty client advisor at Sterling Seacrest Pritchard.
Abigail Locsin-Clark AB ’22 was promoted to digital media strategist at EssenceMediacom working on the Universal Pictures account, including a campaign for the film, The Fall Guy Colin Reilly BBA ’22 is an associate broker with Omni Aircraft Sales in Atlanta.
Gavin Collier BBA ’22 is a technical consultant at Perficient in their Microsoft business domain.
Josie Gray Phillips BBA ’22 is human resource manager at InterContinental Hotel in Buckhead.
Quinn Shelt AB ’22 will attend the Charleston School of Law to pursue her Juris Doctor.
Written by Eric Rangus MA
'94
Mike Macdonald BBA '10, MS '13
RODD CARGILL
JACK BUSH
ELLA DORSEY
CHRIS CHAMMOUN
ANTAVIOUS COATES
BRITTANY S. CHITWOOD
CANDLER COOK
AUDREY A. LEWIS
KRISTINA STAFFORD KELLY
GIBRIL NJIE
MINDY LIPSITZ
HAILEY HEBEBRAND MORELLI
GARRETT MACK
AMBER KAYE MORGAN
JESSICA SIMMONS KATIE SEAY
ERIC L. RODEN
KEVIN STEELE
JUANITA TRAUGHBER
NAVEED THARWANI
TIFFANY WOODS
LEANNA BROWN
JEREMY ADAMS
MATT BRADLEY
KATHARINE M. BLEAU
TAMARA BRANCH
PEYTON CLAIRE FRASER
WILLIAM FERRAND
CAMERON KEEN
ALEX HILL
BO HATCHETT
ANGELIQUE JACKSON
ZAIN HASAN
CHRISTOPHER PERLERA
CAMIR RICKETTS
JESSICA J. PITTARD
THOMAS C. PRESLEY
ISOBEL MILLS PRESCOTT FADI RAMMO
LOREE ANNE PARADISE
The Fabric of Her Life
Sometimes you can go home again. Or at least you go back to where you started.
For Lindsey Coral Harper, that starting place is the Decoration & Design Building on the corner of 3rd Avenue and 58th Street in Midtown Manhattan.
The D&D Building, as its affectionately known, is an 18-story playground for interior designers and decorators of all tastes and styles. Its 100-plus showrooms display product lines ranging from fabrics to furniture—much of it custom made.
An interior design major at UGA, Harper BSFCS ’99 spent the last 10 weeks of her senior year in that building, interning at Carleton V Fabrics.
Six weeks into that internship, Harper’s life changed forever.
“I was in the stockroom folding samples, and they offered me a sales position,” she recalls.
Four weeks later, Harper flew back to Athens to graduate only to turn right around to start her first job. She worked at Carleton V for a year and then parlayed that into an eight-year run on the design staff of renowned interior designer Richard Keith Langham. In 2007, with Langham’s blessing, Harper went out on her own and launched her namesake firm.
One of her early clients was Carleton Varney, the co-founder of Carleton V, who hired his former intern to decorate his Washington, D.C., home.
“I love color. I love texture. I love patterns,” she says, describing her design aesthetic. “I like a layered look. I don’t create rooms where you are afraid to sit down. But they are hopefully somewhat timeless.”
Interior design is a highly competitive industry, and in the early years, especially in what was a down economy, Harper struggled to keep her business afloat. Even when things stabilized, she still wasn’t sure how to measure success. She finally realized it in 2011 when one of her rooms made the cover of House Beautiful magazine.
“Just having clients was enough for me, but having a photo shoot and a cover? The stars really aligned,” she says.
Written by Eric Rangus MA '94
Since that debut, Harper’s work has appeared in 35 magazines, including Southern Living and Elle, frequently on the cover.
Four years ago, after two decades in New York City, Harper moved three hours up the Eastern Seaboard to Stonington, Connecticut, which is now her base of operations. At any one time, she has a half dozen design projects across the country in various stages of completion.
Harper still makes occasional jaunts into the city, though, to check on jobs and see friends. On those trips, she’ll often visit the D&D Building to browse.
She’s also expanding her brand. In 2023, Harper opened Coral, a home decor and lifestyle design store in Stonington.
Harper selects all the stock for Coral— some original antiques, some vintage pieces she’ll reupholster or renew. And she’ll travel as far as Paris, London, or Rome for products. Harper is also in talks to create a furniture line and perhaps put together a book.
“I love to shop, and I love to travel,” Harper says. “I’ll fill up my suitcase or ship things back. I once had five storage units in five different states.
“Having a store helps. I can repurpose items to give them another life. It’s an itch most designers have.”
As far as traveling home, the Cartersville native still does—just not as much as she wishes she could. Harper still has family in Georgia, and her most recent trip back to Athens, in fall 2023, carried a lot of meaning. She and her family celebrated what would have been her grandfather’s 100th birthday.
All four of Harper’s grandparents graduated from UGA, and some of her fondest memories from childhood involved tailgating with them at the Georgia Center.
“The University of Georgia was my passion, my love,” Harper says. “There really is no place like Athens in the fall.”
Lindsey Coral Harper began her career interning in New York's Decoration & Design Building. Now the owner of her namesake firm, Harper returns to the D&D Building as a customer. One business she visits is Cowtan & Tout, which features collections of designer fabrics.
Sam Perez AB ’22, AB ’22 is starting a new position as WBIR-TV Channel 10’s weekend morning anchor and reporter in Knoxville, TN, after two years at WLTX-TV in Columbia, SC.
Seth Reynolds BBA ’22 was promoted to regional vice president for Consociate Health last September and was named a partner in January.
Stephen Scates BBA ’22 is the owner of Tradd Advisory Company, located in Mount Pleasant, SC, which is expanding its operations in Charleston County.
Tommy Harnage AB ’22 was promoted to senior talent agent assistant at The Gersh Agency.
Ashley Weller AB ’23 is a paralegal at Shires Peake & Gottlieb in Alpharetta.
Destiny Johnson AB ’23 has written three articles for her local annual magazine, Candler Magazine
Teresa Marie Pruitt Shaver BFA ’23 is the new owner of Vino and Van Gogh, an art studio offering classes and event space in Greenville, SC.
Aaron Johnson AB ’24 will attend UGA Law School to pursue his Juris Doctor.
Abby White BS ’24 is pursuing a Doctor of Medicine in Dentistry at the University of Kentucky College of Dentistry.
Bree Gamage AB ’24 joined UBS as an analyst with their Business Selection, Reputational Risk & Conflicts team in New York.
Davis Mullvain AB ’24 transitioned from an internship with Rep. Richard McCormick’s office to a full-time position with his staff in Washington, DC.
Ethan Thomas BBA ’24, BBA ’24 is joining Willis Towers Watson as a corporate risk and broking analyst in its graduate development program in New York.
Furwah Turabi BS ’24 will attend Johns Hopkins University to pursue a Master of Science degree in clinical mental health counseling and after a doctorate in clinical psychology.
Grady Morgan BSFR ’24 is starting a position as an environmental chemist in Steamboat Springs, CO.
Haley Mosley BSEd ’24 has entered the University of West Georgia SpeechLanguage Pathology Master’s program.
Jillian Paige Hicks AB ’24 is the campaign manager for Debra Shigley for Georgia House District 47.
Katelyn Wasson BSW ’24 is pursuing her Master of Social Work at UGA, specializing in gerontology.
Sarah Jeffers BSES ’24 will pursue her doctorate in biology and entomology at North Carolina State University.
GRADNOTES
AGRICULTURAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
Maureen McFerson MS ’13 and her husband, Luke Hadden BSES ’08, are opening a Chicken Salad Chick restaurant in Littleton, CO.
ARTS AND SCIENCES
Matthew Christopher Hulbert PhD ’15 released his book, Oracle of Lost Causes: John Newman Edwards and His Never-Ending Civil War, in 2023. The book was a 2024 Spur Award in Biography finalist.
BUSINESS
Roger Chandler MBA ’98 is vice president and general manager at the Enthusiast PC and Workstation segment of Intel Corp., driving business, product, customer, and marketing strategy for the company’s computing platforms.
Growing GEORGIA BUSINESSES
Senior Business Consultant Michael Myers (center) working with Tribe Hair Company in Athens, GA
Fish Story
Raj Shingadia has a rule: He only does projects that are “cool, fun, and sexy.” Otherwise, he says, what’s the point?
His projects include designing and installing breathtaking water worlds through Southeast Aquariums & MRC and set design for movies through a company he co-founded, Alchemy, which has been involved in several movies, including the Oscar-nominated Black Panther
“The biggest lesson I can take away is that you can’t be too rigid in your journey,” Shingadia AB ’01, BS ’03 says. “When we’re laser-focused on the destination, we often miss the journey to it.”
Shingadia moved from the United Kingdom to Atlanta at the age of 11 and jokes that he was encouraged to pursue one of two career options: doctor or lawyer. But the art that he used as a creative outlet slowly became a focus.
In high school, Shingadia spent a weekend at the University of Georgia through an art program. He even had his artwork in the governor’s mansion. In college, he graduated with degrees in philosophy and psychology.
“I didn’t become a psychologist or doctor, but I had to look outside of the boxes of my degrees and say, ‘What can I really use these skills for? How can I apply them to the world?’”
For Shingadia, those worlds are underwater or in front of a camera. He began creating aquariums simply because he wanted one in his home. After researching the best ways to install and maintain an aquarium, he believed the companies he was considering were doing it wrong.
Companies were trying to “apply small aquarium methodology to large aquariums, which doesn’t work,” Shingadia explains.
The technology to do so didn’t exist until Shingadia and his long-time business partner created it.
Since then, they’ve designed aquariums for clients ranging from
Written by Alexandra Shimalla MA '19
Raj Shingadia AB '01, BS '03
former New York City mayor Mike Bloomberg to rapper and actor Ice-T and his TV personality wife, Coco Austin. They’ve also partnered with hospitals, businesses, zoos, and public aquariums like the Georgia Aquarium, and their work has even been seen in the movie Venom
Shingadia approaches the industry from a variety of creative angles. His company MRC manufactures aquariums for businesses and private customers, and then Southeast Aquariums installs the tanks and underwater scenes. Shingadia’s also the chief executive officer of Reef Builders, a news hub that covers the aquatics industry.
Along his journey, he’s partnered with the California Academy of Sciences, a research institution and natural history museum in San Francisco, to create a device that allows fish from depths of 400 feet to be brought to the surface alive, which has allowed for more research
Raj Shingadia's companies build aquariums for businesses, zoos, and private customers alike. Sometimes his work appears on the big screen.
opportunities for the institute.
It’s also an opportunity for people to understand and appreciate ocean creatures. When visitors can see and experience an animal, they’re more likely to care about the health, safety, and protection of that animal, Shingadia believes.
Of the highlights of his career thus far, Shingadia says the excitement he gets from his three sons sits at the top.
They “geeked out” when they learned about Shingadia’s involvement in their favorite movies, and they express the same enthusiasm when he points out aquariums he’s designed.
“Everyone wants their kids to think their parents are the greatest and coolest, but past a certain age, we’re hardly cool to them any longer,” he says. “Seeing their eyes beaming with joy and hearing them brag to their friends about the aquariums and films I worked on has kept me in the cool category.”
ANDREW DAVIS TUCKER
Flying High
Six years into his NFL career, Fernando Velasco hit his lowest point.
On Nov. 28, 2013, in front of a national television audience, Velasco—then the starting center for the Pittsburgh Steelers—ruptured his Achilles tendon in a game against the Baltimore Ravens. He missed the rest of the season, and his career appeared to be in jeopardy.
As he recovered physically, Velasco BSEd ’08 spiraled emotionally. While also dealing with the suicide of a close friend, Velasco plunged into depression.
Ray Jackson, the Steelers’ director of player development and a former NFL defensive back, helped bring Velasco back.
“He put his arm around me. He let me know that I was more than a football player,” Velasco recalls. “God had a bigger plan for me. During that moment, I knew exactly what I wanted to do. I knew that when my playing days were over, I wanted to get into player development and engagement.”
Every NFL team and major college football program employs staff members in player development and engagement. Many are former players, and they serve in a mentorship role, helping players navigate their lives and careers off the field. With the modern game’s many distractions, the steady hand provided by the player development staff is crucial.
After working with Jackson, now vice
Written by Eric Rangus MA '94
president for player development with the Denver Broncos, Velasco rebounded. And his playing days were far from over. Velasco spent three more years in the NFL and was part of the Carolina Panthers team that played in Super Bowl 50. He retired in 2016, and one of his first calls was to Georgia head coach Kirby Smart BBA ’98
He served as UGA’s assistant director of player development under the tutelage of director Jonas Jennings AB ’00 for three-and-a-half years. He moved to the University of Arkansas in 2020 as the Razorbacks’ director of player development. And in 2022, he was named director of player engagement for the Atlanta Falcons.
But Velasco credits his time as a student-athlete and staff member at the University of Georgia as foundational.
“Jonas said to just be myself,” Velasco says. “My peers had leaned on me. I had helped rookies when they came to the NFL. It came organically. I tell people all the time that my job doesn’t feel like work.”
At 6-foot-3, 300 pounds, Velasco cuts an authoritative figure. But he brings approachability mixed with gravitas to his presence. And he has for a long time.
“You need to start with the attributes of leadership—trustworthiness, hard work, being a guy everybody could count on. Fernando is one of those guys,” says Mark Richt, Georgia’s head coach from
2001 to 2015. Richt recruited Velasco to the Bulldogs and remains a guiding force.
“He did his job on a daily basis, and his coaches and teammates respected him for that. He had a desire to be great as a player and a person,” Richt says.
That desire to be great and to always learn and always improve began at an early age. Velasco was raised by his grandparents in tiny Wrens, Georgia, a town of less than 2,500 southwest of Augusta. He worked at the Jefferson County rec center in high school, which was his first encounter with mentoring others.
When he came to the University of Georgia, he worked an off-campus summer job to make ends meet. He earned his degree in health and physical education with a plan to become a high school teacher and coach in case his NFL career didn’t blossom.
As it turns out, Velasco fulfilled his dreams. And he continues mentoring others.
He and his wife, Kamille BS ’09, lead the Velasco Family Foundation. In July, the organization ran a three-day “Life Ready Retreat” for 40 kids in partnership with Camp Lighthouse, Atlanta Mission, and Young Men’s United of Wrens. Amid the fun, the Velascos spoke about the importance of education, mental well-being, and financial literacy, and everyone completed dream-building vision boards.
Velasco doesn’t just preach the importance of education; he practices it. When he took the Arkansas job, he also enrolled as a student in a Master of Education program. Earlier this summer, he enrolled in an Ed.D. program at Penn State University. He starts classwork this fall.
“When I was growing up, I thought being a doctor only meant being a physician,” Velasco laughs. “Being a kid growing up in Wrens, Georgia, I didn’t think an undergraduate degree was possible. For me, I’m always thinking about what’s next. What can I better equip myself so I can better serve the people who trust me?”
PETER FREY
Following nine years in the NFL, this former Bulldog lineman is still in the game as the director of player engagement with the Atlanta Falcons.
Fernando Velasco BSEd '08
BELMONT CHAMP
When the 3-year-old thoroughbred Dornoch, a 17-to-1 underdog, won the 2024 Belmont Stakes by half a length, the result may have come as a surprise to some.
But not to Keith Mason.
“I really wasn’t nervous,” says Mason BBA ’82, JD ’85, co-founder of the Atlanta-based West Paces Racing and leading owner of Dornoch. “I was excited and looking forward to the race, and I felt like we were going to do alright.”
Mason established West Paces Racing with partners in 2019. The group had a rare accomplishment early in the 2024 racing season when it qualified two horses, Society Man and Dornoch, for the 20-horse Kentucky Derby, the first jewel in horse racing’s Triple Crown. Neither finished in the money, but a foundation was laid for something big.
The Belmont—the third jewel in the Triple Crown—marks West Paces’ biggest victory to date and a personally meaningful one for Mason. He entered the horse racing business about a decade ago in another partnership. That venture produced a win at the 2015 Travers Stakes by Keen Ice, who defeated Triple Crown champion American Pharoah. It was a 17-1 upset on the very same Saratoga, New York, track where Dornoch won the Belmont.
EDUCATION
Joan Jordan EdS ’73, EdD ’85 retired as an educator after working more than 30 years in public schools and 18 years teaching graduate students at Piedmont College.
Joanna Free MEd ’86 is a writer for Journey Magazine and the author of the Amazon bestseller Buttkickers: Twenty Ways to Leave Tobacco, her fourth book. Free has also worked in mental health counseling and addiction treatment for more than 20 years, and she has taught in high school and community college settings.
Maureen LeBoeuf MEd ’86, EdD ’94 is a retired Army brigadier general and, in March, was inducted into Army Women’s Foundation Hall of Fame. She was the first woman to chair a
department at West Point since its founding in 1802.
Ashlee Zito MEd ’12, PhD ’16 is a licensed psychologist at her private practice, A to Z Psychology, and is an adjunct professor at the Emory University School of Medicine.
Ayça Fackler MA ’18, PhD ’23 started as an assistant professor of science education at the University of Missouri last August and was recently awarded the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine Gulf Research Program Early-Career Research Fellowship.
Kia Toodle MEd ’22 is the director of chronic disease prevention for the Georgia Department of Public Health.
ENVIRONMENT AND DESIGN
Christopher Sirmans MEPD ’17 is an urban planner specializing in infrastructures and development, and he is the former dean of engineering, construction, manufacturing, and design at Gwinnett Technical College.
JOURNALISM AND MASS COMMUNICATION
Jim Pokrywczynski PhD ’86 is retiring after 38 years as a professor at Marquette University’s Diederich College of Communication.
LAW
Rob Astorino JD ’13 is a partner at the personal injury litigation firm Stein Whatley Astorino.
PUBLIC AND INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
Christopher Connors MPA ’08 released his book, The Champion Leader: Harnessing the Power of Emotional Intelligence to Build High-Performing Teams, in May. Connors has written numerous books on emotional intelligence. He teaches a LinkedIn Learning course called “Leading with Emotional Intelligence.”
Alexandria Palmer-Sullivan MPA ’16 works for the U.S. Senate, after transferring from the House of Representatives in 2023.
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Swarn Chatterjee
Department Head and Bluerock Professor of Financial Planning COLLEGE OF FAMILY AND CONSUMER SCIENCES
When Swarn Chatterjee was a child, he watched transfixed as his father invested in stocks and mutual funds.
Chatterjee didn’t realize financial planning was a career path. He certainly didn’t expect his fascination with finances to be his career path.
But once he started college and began managing his own finances, Chatterjee realized the long-lasting impact financial education could have on people’s lives and well-being.
What are some things you wish the average person knew about financial planning?
Many people underestimate the power of compounding and achieving their financial goals by saving and investing a small portion of their income on a regular basis.
Too often, people focus solely on short-term gains or react impulsively to market fluctuations. By understanding the benefits of regularly contributing to their retirement and saving early, individuals can grow their wealth over time.
Additionally, when advising students in the financial planning program at UGA, we emphasize the significance of having adequate emergency funds to cover for unexpected expenses or financial emergencies.
What is some of the best advice you’ve been given about personal finances in general?
It revolves around the importance of setting clear financial goals and establishing a financial plan to achieve them. Whether it’s saving for retirement, buying a new home, saving for college education, or paying off debt, having specific, measurable goals can go a long way in helping individuals stay the course to achieving their financial goals and aspirations.
Also, pay yourself first. This means prioritizing savings by setting aside a portion of income before allocating the funds to other expenses. Automating savings contributions can make this process easier and more consistent over time, helping individuals build wealth and achieve their financial goals.
Endowed chairs—positions that receive supplemental support generated from private donations—are essential to recruiting and retaining leading faculty who are committed to world-changing research and preparing the next generation of problem-solvers, pioneers, and leaders. Learn more about supporting UGA’s leading faculty at GIVE.UGA.EDU
In the University of Georgia’s ongoing mission to serve our state, UGA is building a new independent School of Medicine in Athens to directly address Georgia’s critical need for doctors.
UGA is uniquely positioned and ready to address the health care challenges of our state—from the hills of Georgia’s northland to the Coastal Empire—and we need your help.
