University of Georgia Magazine Summer 2024

Just What the Doctor Ordered

Establishing a new School of Medicine

5 The President’s Pen

President Jere W. Morehead discusses the new UGA School of Medicine.

7 UGA to Z Highlights from across the UGA community.

34 On the Bulldog Beat

Since 1936, Bulldog athletes have won 70 medals at the Summer Olympics. Who has the most? Here is a hint. She was our Spring 2024 commencement speaker.

36 Bulldog Bulletin

News for UGA alumni in Georgia, across the country, and around the world.

38 Class Notes

Meet best friends in New York, business partners in Atlanta, one of the country’s best-selling novelists, and many more UGA alumni.

56 Faculty Focus

Get to know Kira Epstein, Snyder Distinguished Professor in Large Animal Medicine and Surgery, College of Veterinary Medicine.

Show, tell, and touch: Snowy, the albino corn snake, is the star of the show for students in Nick Fuhrman's First-Year Odyssey seminar. Learn more about the program on page 28.

18 Just What the Doctor Ordered

UGA is establishing a new School of Medicine. The impact on the university and the state will be massive. Here’s the inside story of how it came to be.

20 Say Goodbye to the Drawl, Y’all

Georgia’s Southern accent is one of our state’s most distinguishing features. But is it going away? Two UGA linguists want to find out.

24

Rebuilding the Brain

Researchers in UGA's Regenerative Bioscience Center harness the body's natural healing ability to improve outcomes for patients who've suffered stroke, traumatic brain injury, and more.

28 The Odyssey

Set sail with UGA freshmen as they experience their First-Year Odyssey. The seminar program is one of the university’s most popular and memorable offerings.

For over a decade, UGA has hosted a medical program on its campus through the Augusta University/ University of Georgia Medical Partnership. When the new UGA School of Medicine is fully up and running, the red and black Arch logo will be emblazoned on faculty white coats.

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY LINDSAY ROBINSON

CHAMBERLAIN SMITH

Learn more about the South's slipping drawl, p. 20.

Full Bloom

Just as you thought sunny March days on North Campus couldn’t get prettier, hundreds of tulips blossomed in the President’s Garden. The flowers bloomed just in time for students, faculty, and staff to enjoy outdoor breaks—and brave Georgia’s blanket of pollen—during the peak of spring semester activity.

VOLUME 104 ISSUE NO. 3

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, and Rachael Andrews AB '17, MPA '21

Contributing Designers · Andrea Piazza ABJ ’12, MA ’19,

Whitney Mathisen, Justin Patton ABJ ’15, and Amy Gunby BFA ’20

Editorial Interns · Navya Shukla, Cassidy Hettesheimer AB '24, and Caroline Kostuch

Design Intern · Elisa Fontanillas AB '24

MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS

Vice President · Kathy Pharr ABJ ’87, MPA ’05, EdD ’11

Senior Director for Integrated

Media Communications · James Hataway MA ’10

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

VP for Research · Karen J. L. Burg

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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"As a land-grant and sea-grant research university, UGA’s commitment to Georgia is unwavering, and the new School of Medicine will expand our positive impact on Georgians in many vital ways."

UGA School of Medicine

A historic moment for the state and the University of Georgia

With its historic vote on Feb. 13, 2024, the University System of Georgia Board of Regents authorized the University of Georgia to establish an independent School of Medicine, ushering in a new era for the state and our university. This transformative development builds upon the resounding success of the Augusta University/UGA Medical Partnership, which has been educating physicians in Athens since 2010. As a land-grant and sea-grant research university, UGA’s commitment to Georgia is unwavering, and the new School of Medicine will expand our positive impact on Georgians in many vital ways.

The need for more physicians in Georgia is critical. As more businesses and families are drawn to our state, surging population growth is straining our current health care infrastructure. Meanwhile, close to one-third of Georgia physicians are nearing retirement. The UGA School of Medicine will have the potential to significantly expand the number of medical professionals throughout the state. Leveraging the university’s vast public service and outreach network, the school also will partner with local clinics, hospitals, and health care providers to improve access to care in rural and underserved communities.

The new school will attract more top-tier scientists and researchers to Georgia and will capitalize on synergies with the many UGA faculty engaged in human health research. The University of Georgia already receives the most funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) among all of Georgia’s public research universities and is the largest recipient of NIH funding among public universities in the nation without a medical school. Existing partnerships between UGA researchers and faculty at several other research universities and medical schools in the state also will be enhanced, and the school will serve as a springboard for innovation, commercialization, and job growth across Georgia.

Gov. Brian Kemp BSA ’87 and the Georgia General Assembly have allocated $50 million for a new, state-of-the-art facility for the school. The university will match the state’s investment with private contributions to create a $100 million facility devoted to world-class medical education and research. Design and planning for the building, which will be located on the UGA Health Sciences Campus, is underway. The new building will complement existing facilities and provide the UGA School of Medicine with the capacity to expand to 120 students per class in the future.

I am deeply grateful to the Governor, the Chancellor, the Board of Regents, and the General Assembly for their vision and support of the UGA School of Medicine, and I look forward to embarking upon this exciting chapter in UGA’s history alongside our outstanding faculty, staff, students, alumni, and friends.

Jere W. Morehead President

UGA's future medical school will address Georgia's need for more physicians.

wing populations in the have enough physicians to address the issue, a new shed at the University of on of doctors to serve the nation and world utes of Health (NIH) funding among public universities that do not currently have a medical school. So, working to solve challenges in the health care field, like infectious diseases and medical care for rural communities, is already our forte. But, now that we are pursuing accreditation of a new medical school, we could take our impact to another level.

Mission of Service

Driven by our land-grant mission, UGA’s new medical school will continue to make the health and well-being of 11 million Georgians the highest priority

See how we’re influencing the world: impact.uga.edu

UGA Z

CONFERENCE CHAMPION

Jambeck Named SEC Professor of the Year

Jenna Jambeck, Regents’ Professor of Environmental Engineering in UGA’s College of Engineering, was named the 2024 SEC Professor of the Year for her decades of work investigating the global scale of plastic pollution and galvanizing efforts to address solid waste and marine debris.

Jambeck’s seminal 2015 study published in Science provided the first estimate of the amount of plastic waste entering the ocean each year: a staggering 8 million metric tons.

In a follow-up study, Jambeck and her team discovered that humans had generated 8.3 billion metric tons of plastic since the large-scale production of synthetic materials began in the early 1950s. Of that waste, the researchers found 79% wound up in landfills or in the environment.

A finding from Jambeck’s research was named the International Statistic of the Year in 2018 by the Royal Statistical Society. In that study, Jambeck and her colleagues found that more than 90% of plastic has never been recycled. The statistic lent a sense of scale to the problem of global plastic pollution.

Jambeck, who is also a Georgia Athletic Association Distinguished Professor of Environmental Engineering, founded the Circularity Informatics Lab in UGA’s New Materials Institute and serves as a National Geographic Explorer.

Highlights from across the UGA community

DOROTHY KOZLOWSKI

Pausing to Remember

Thousands of students and UGA community members attended a vigil in February on the Tate Student Center Plaza for former student Laken Riley, who was killed while jogging on a trail at Lake Herrick, and Wyatt Banks, who passed away in an on-campus residence hall. Two Greek organizations, Alpha Chi Omega sorority and Kappa Sigma fraternity, of which the students were members, organized the tribute.

CAPTURING THE INVISIBLE

Art Exhibition Highlights Lasting Effects of Nuclear Disaster

In the Georgia Museum of Art exhibition “Face of the Sun,” Kei Ito uses photography to examine the intergenerational trauma of nuclear disaster and the possibilities of healing and reconciliation. Ito’s grandfather, who survived the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima in 1945, described the day as if there were “hundreds of suns lighting up the sky.”

Ito uses camera-less photography techniques to create his work, exposing light-sensitive material to sunlight for the length of a single breath. By doing this, he ties the invisibility of radiation, whether from the sun or nuclear weaponry, to the breath of the human body.

The exhibit is on display through July 14 at the Georgia Museum of Art.

BREAK TIME

Overscheduled Teens May Struggle With Mental Health

A new study from the University of Georgia highlights the negative effects from adding new enrichment activities to already busy kids’ schedules.

Researchers found that the time high schoolers spend on socalled enrichment activities—including tutoring, sports, school clubs, and even homework—can negatively affect their mental health. The study also suggests that any additional enrichment activities are unlikely to benefit students academically. In fact, more “enrichment” may have negative returns.

That’s because more time on these extracurricular activities means less time for things like relaxing, socializing with peers, and sleeping.

The loss of that free time can be harmful and may result in anxiety, depression, and outbursts from being over extended. Finding a solution to overscheduling is a complicated process. However, the authors say parents should continuously assess their own mental well-being as well as their child’s to gauge whether their family is overextended.

“I’d say that if you have signs that, as a family, you are overly stretched, you probably … should scale back,” says Carolina Caetano, study co-author and an assistant professor of economics in the Terry College of Business.

Staring at the Face of the Sun @ Georgia Museum of Art Saturday, Jan. 27, 2024 — Sunday, July 14, 2024

KEI ITO

ADMINISTRATIVE CHANGES

UGA Welcomes New Warnell Dean

Following a nationwide search, J. Todd Petty has been named the next dean of the Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, effective Aug. 1. Since 2020, Petty MS ’94, PhD ’98 has served as chair of the Department of Forestry and Environmental Conservation at Clemson University.

Prior to Petty’s four years at Clemson, he was a faculty member in the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Resources at West Virginia University for two decades, earning awards for excellence in teaching, research, and service.

Petty succeeds W. Dale Greene, who served as Warnell’s dean from 2015 until his retirement on Jan. 1.

UGA Hits Record-High Economic Impact in 2023

UGA’s economic impact on the state surged to a record $8.1 billion in 2023, according to a new study that measures the value of the university’s teaching, research, and public service. Growth in the number of alumni at the undergraduate and graduate levels, a thriving research and innovation ecosystem, and awardwinning public service and outreach programs all contributed to UGA’s influence.

What If You Could Forecast Pain?

For individuals who experience chronic pain, weather can play a big role in day-to-day plans. In a recent study from the University of Georgia, about 70% of respondents said they would alter their behavior based on weather-based pain forecasts.

The study surveyed more than 4,600 individuals. Among migraine sufferers, 89% identified weather as something that impacts their pain level, and 79% saw weather as a trigger for pain. Among individuals with other conditions, 64% said weather patterns could trigger pain, and 94% identified weather as a factor that impacts pain.

Desire for a forecasting tool was quite high. Around 72% of those living with migraine and 66% with pain-related conditions said they would alter their behavior by canceling plans or taking preventive measures, such as medication, resting, or avoiding compounding triggers, in response to a weather-based pain forecast.

The economic drivers used to determine UGA’s impact on the state’s economy included the university’s education and training programs; spending by out-of-state and international students; and external funding for teaching, research, and outreach programs. It also included new products and businesses based on faculty inventions and discoveries, spending supported by out-of-state donors to the UGA Foundation and by visitors to athletic events, and cost savings from improvements to business and government practices stemming from the university’s research and outreach programs.

The university surpassed a half-billion dollars in research and development spending for the first time in fiscal year 2022. Last year, the overall impact of the university’s research mission on the state’s economy reached an estimated $957 million. Statewide public service and outreach activities and UGA Extension also fostered a $1.2 billion impact on Georgia communities.

For the first time this year, the study included the economic impact of out-of-state visitors to select UGA athletics events, generating $48.8 million in spending for the state's economy.

GRAPHIC BY LINDSAY ROBINSON

LIKE THE WEATHER

ARIAIL LANKFORD

IT’S A MIRACLE

Students Raise $1M for Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta

UGA Miracle, the University of Georgia’s largest student-run philanthropy, raised $1,075,281 for Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta this year. On Feb. 25, more than 2,000 students filled the Tate Student Center for the 29th annual Dance Marathon, celebrating the final hours of a yearlong effort.

The annual event supports children who are combating illnesses in hospitals. Dance Marathon begins on a Saturday morning, runs through the night, and then ends Sunday afternoon. Activities such as dancing, games for the children and their families, and the “silent disco” filled the 26.2 hours, along with bands, DJs, comedians, and other entertainment that performed throughout the night.

CAMPUS SAFETY

UGA Announces Additional Commitments to Public Safety

As part of its ongoing effort to promote campus safety, the University of Georgia introduced several additional measures, totaling an investment of more than $7.3 million, to further strengthen campus security on its Athens campus.

These measures include a permanent 20% increase to the UGA Police Department budget to recruit and retain officers, and to add additional campus safety personnel. Other measures include more security cameras and lighting upgrades, as well as the addition of license plate readers and the installation of combined security camera-blue light call box systems in strategic locations across campus.

The additional safety personnel will provide an enhanced security presence where students regularly study and congregate at night, such as the Miller Learning Center, the UGA Libraries, the Tate Student Center, and the Ramsey Student Center.

Since its inception in 1995, UGA Miracle has raised more than $15 million for Children’s Healthcare. This year, 90% of funds raised will support the hospital’s Comprehensive Inpatient Rehabilitation Unit. The other 10% of funds raised will go to the cancer and blood disorders unit.

Lighting upgrades will include more crosswalks, particularly near residence halls with high foot traffic. In addition, nearly 400 lights on campus will be converted to LED technology, which produces a much brighter light at night. Blue light call boxes combined with cameras will be added to select sites throughout campus. Based on existing research, basic call boxes alone do not inherently contribute to a safer environment; therefore, the new call box systems installed on campus will utilize new multi-functional capabilities that also incorporate security cameras and additional lighting. In addition, new perimeter fencing will be erected in several areas, and new signage will be mounted to convey the fact that the entire campus is protected by robust security camera coverage.

UGA Miracle's annual Dance Marathon provided fun for all. Most importantly, the 26.2 hour effort raised more than $1 million for Children's Healthcare of Atlanta.

“The protection of our students, faculty, and staff at the University of Georgia is always top of mind for me and our senior administration, and we are continually evaluating our safety programs,” says President Jere W. Morehead JD ’80. “I met with campus law enforcement officials to learn their recommendations for further enhancements. Every one of their recommendations was approved.”

ANDREW DAVIS TUCKER

ANDREW DAVIS TUCKER

Joro Spiders are Loving City Life

The Joro spider was first spotted stateside in 2013 and has since been seen across Georgia and the Southeast. New research from the University of Georgia has found more clues as to why the spider has been so successful in its spread.

Led by Andy Davis of the Odum School of Ecology, the study suggests the invasive orbweaving spider, which is native to East Asia, is surprisingly tolerant of the vibrations and noise common in urban landscapes.

While Joro spiders near busier roads are somewhat less likely to attack simulated prey, the researchers found that the spiders don’t seem to be hurting for food and clock in

at about the same weight as their counterparts in less busy locations. That suggests the species can successfully compensate for its human-dominated landscape.

The present study builds on previous work from Davis’ lab that showed Joro spiders are well equipped to spread through most of the Eastern Seaboard due to their high metabolism and heart rate. The spiders are also cold tolerant, surviving brief freezes that kill off many of their webslinging cousins.

Their hardiness is one trait that’s enabled the spiders to explode in population stateside, with current numbers easily in the millions. The new research suggests that the Joros’ tolerance of urban vibrations and sounds is likely another factor in the species’ exponential growth.

HOLMES-HUNTER

Spelman President Highlights Annual Lecture

Renowned journalist Charlayne Hunter-Gault ABJ ’63 first met Dr. Helene Gayle 30 years ago. Gayle was an expert on women’s health, and Hunter-Gault used her frequently as a source. The two have followed each other ever since.

In February, Gayle, now the 11th president of Spelman College, took the stage alongside Hunter-Gault at the UGA Chapel to discuss a range of topics for the 2024 Holmes-Hunter Lecture.

During that conversation, Hunter-Gault asked Gayle about the challenges facing higher education and the benefits it offers society. Gayle emphasized the transformative opportunity all colleges and universities provide and shared how difficulties across campuses reflect those of society at large.

“College campuses can be a place where we start learning how to have the kind of civil dialogues that get us to solutions,” Gayle said.

The annual lecture is named in honor of Hamilton Holmes BS ’63 and HunterGault, the first Black students to attend the University of Georgia. It is sponsored by the Office of the President and has been held annually since 1985. This year’s lecture fell on Hunter-Gault’s 82nd birthday.

RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

UGA Sets Record with $571M R&D Spending in FY23

UGA reached a record-high $570.9 million in annual research and development expenditures in fiscal year 2023. Over the last 10 years, UGA has seen an overall 63% increase in R&D expenditures.

This growth has been fueled by strategic faculty recruitment and research infrastructure investments, such as the Interdisciplinary STEM Research Complex. These investments have accelerated UGA’s sponsored research funding from federal agencies like the National Institutes of Health, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the U.S. Department of Defense.

Funding for UGA research fuels discoveries in every school and college on campus, ranging from vaccine development to mental health care provider training and precision agricultural developments. Research also contributes significantly to UGA’s estimated $8.1 billion annual economic impact on the state of Georgia through expenditures on personnel and equipment, new products and businesses, and cost savings identified through UGA scholarship (see page 9).

DOROTHY KOZLOWSKI

DOROTHY KOZLOWSKI

Dr Helene Gayle (left), President of Spelman College, was the guest speaker for the 2024 Holmes-Hunter lecture. UGA President Jere W. Morehead and Charlayne Hunter-Gault welcomed Gayle to Athens.

ACADEMY AWARDS

Five Professors Named Senior Members of the National Academy of Inventors

The National Academy of Inventors has selected five University of Georgia researchers as 2024 National Academy of Inventors senior members, the largest single induction for the university in its history.

UGA now has 16 senior members overall. The honor recognizes faculty, scientists, and administrators for their ability to innovate and commercialize new technologies.

UGA’s 2024 inductees are listed below.

Elizabeth Brisbois, an associate professor in the College of Engineering, is recognized for her research on the design and development of novel therapeutics and medical device materials.

David Crich , Georgia Research Alliance and David Chu Eminent Scholar in Drug Design, is a professor in the College of Pharmacy and an international expert in carbohydrate chemistry and antimicrobial drug design.

Qingguo “Jack” Huang , a professor in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CAES) Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, is a leading researcher in wastewater treatment and soil remediation.

Paul Raymer, a professor of crop and soil sciences and turfgrass breeder in CAES, is widely recognized as a leader in seashore paspalum turfgrass breeding and research.

Ralph Tripp, Georgia Research Alliance Chair of Animal Health Vaccine Development and Eminent Scholar, is a leading researcher in vaccines and immunology, specifically developing translational disease interventions for respiratory viruses.

180 SECONDS

Three-Minute Thesis Competition Awards Presentation, Brevity

Hannah Ericson, a doctoral candidate in genetics, bested nine other finalists to win UGA’s Three-Minute Thesis competition. Ericson’s presentation, “Catalyzing Change: What Helps Department Heads Be Successful?” outlined her work studying teaching evaluations and how they can be improved.

The competition challenges graduate students to explain their research to non-specialist audiences in the space of just three minutes. With her win, Ericson earns the top prize of $1,000 and the opportunity to represent UGA at the regional Three-Minute Thesis competition.

A total of 70 master’s and doctoral students at UGA entered the competition, and preliminary heats whittled the competitors down to 10 finalists. Those students took the stage in April at the Morton Theatre for the finals.

Jordan Parker, a doctoral candidate in comparative biomedical sciences, won the runner-up prize for her presentation, “Stem Cells In: The Journey to Sites of Injury.” Viviana Bravo, a doctoral candidate in the Odum School of Ecology, took home the People’s Choice award for, “Tiny Clues, Big Discoveries: Harnessing Environmental DNA to Study Macroinvertebrates Communities.”

Students on campus got in the Dawg Day of Giving spirit during UGA's annual giving day that brought in a record 11,711 donations from Bulldogs around the world.

11,711 Donor Gifts Break Single-Day Record

The University of Georgia’s annual giving day, Dawg Day of Giving, set a single-day giving record for the third year in a row with 11,711 donations made by 11:59 p.m. on March 26.

The university’s goal for the day was 10,000 gifts. Last year’s Dawg Day of Giving set a record with 11,091 gifts, but this year’s effort passed that mark before 11 p.m. Athens time.

Dawg Day of Giving gifts cumulatively contributed over $13.8 million to a multitude of university areas, supporting scholarships, experiential learning, student organizations, and more. Even the new School of Medicine benefited from the day—more than $3.7 million was donated in support of the school’s new facility, which will be located on UGA’s Health Sciences Campus (see page 18).

Donors hailed from all 50 states and six countries. The day spurred Bulldogs to action all over campus, including a large event in Tate Plaza, and across the country: 16 alumni chapters held events in cities from New York to Southern California.

DONOR DAWGS

JUSTIN EVANS

LIFESAVERS

UGA Students Rescue Family from Car Crash

Five UGA students made a heroic, unplanned stop while on their way to enjoy a St. Patrick’s Day weekend in Savannah.

On Friday, March 15, Eleanor Cart, Kaitlyn Iannace, Jane McArdle, Clarke Jones, and Molly McCollum (from left to right in photo), all first-year students, saw an SUV veer off the road and into Briar Creek in Sardis, just south of Augusta.

The five students turned their car around immediately to help.

Two of the women immediately jumped into the water where the car was submerged, helping a mother and two young children out of the vehicle. Jones, a trained lifeguard, performed CPR on the youngest child, bringing him back to consciousness. The others called 911.

When authorities arrived on the scene, they commended the students’ urgent, fearless, and lifesaving action.

“We’re just so happy we were in the right place at the right time,” Jones said.

On March 19, UGA President Jere W. Morehead JD ’80 honored the students with an official proclamation emphasizing the university’s gratitude for their teamwork and bravery.

“I am so proud of these heroic students and their exemplary act of courage and teamwork,” said Morehead, as he presented the proclamation to the quintet. “They represent the very best of the University of Georgia.”

FUTURE PHYSICIANS

Medical Partnership Celebrates 100% Match Rate

For the second year in a row, every fourth-year student at the Augusta University/University of Georgia Medical Partnership was matched with a residency program.

Students Go Behind the Scenes of Orlando's Parks

This winter, 20 students from the University of Georgia met the minds behind some of the most well-known theme parks in the U.S.

As part of the New Media Institute’s Professional Friday Initiative, students went behind the scenes at Universal Studios, Islands of Adventure, and EPCOT to see brand design, coding, and technological experiences—all themes covered in their classes—applied in the real world. They learned about user experience, career opportunities, and a passion for magic.

Match Day follows student interviews and visits to residency programs in Georgia and across the country. The students rank residency programs where they would like to complete their training while the residency programs likewise rank the student applicants.

The lists are then submitted to the nonprofit National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) in Washington, D.C., which uses an algorithm to align the choices of the applicants with those of the residency programs. Most students were matched via the NRMP, but some participated in smaller match programs, including ophthalmology. The final pairings are announced simultaneously across the U.S. at noon on Match Day in March.

The 50 graduates will head to 22 states plus Washington, D.C. Thirteen will remain in Georgia.

One trip highlight included a guided tour from UGA alumnus Eric Baker ABJ ’90, who shared insight into design decisions made during the creation of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, one of popular themed areas of the Universal park.

“Getting to talk with these industry professionals and walking through the park, seeing the projects they have worked on, it showcased the breadth of opportunities that a theme park can offer,” said Hope Thornton AB '23, an emerging media master’s student who is set to graduate in spring 2025.

“It underscores the value of diverse skills and having various passions—those can lead to where these professionals are.”

The Professional Friday Initiative began as a networking opportunity between students and industry professionals. Events range from question-and-answer luncheons to site visits and tours, and in 2023, those opportunities expanded to outof-state site visits.

Students in the New Media Institute visited Orlando, Florida, to learn more about the design and technology that goes into some of the country's most popular theme parks.

ANDREW DAVIS TUCKER

ELISA FONTANILLAS

A Healthier and Stronger Georgia

President Jere W. Morehead delivered his annual State of the University Address in February, celebrating the university's successes and its work to support the state and its citizens.

“From communities across our state to distant corners of the world—from industry to integrative agriculture, laboratories to local governments, corporations to classrooms—the positive impact of our university is felt near and far,” Morehead JD ’80 said.

He touched on several themes that highlighted these successes.

Advancing Georgia’s Health

Perhaps the biggest news, the announcement of a new UGA School of Medicine, presents an opportunity to shape the future of the state. “This new public medical school will educate more doctors to serve Georgians, advance vital research on the most pressing health concerns facing society, and help to make communities across our state healthier and more prosperous,” Morehead said.

Education and Excellence

In 2023, U.S. News & World Report ranked UGA as one of the nation’s top 20 public universities for the eighth consecutive year. Numerous online programs in UGA schools and colleges were ranked in the top 10. The UGA School of Law was again named the country’s best value in legal education, while student life at the university was rated among the top three nationally.

Advancing Research

Faculty continue to forge new paths and expand the boundaries of knowledge across campus. The number of sponsored research awards has climbed more than 40% from five years ago, and the university once again ranked first in the nation for bringing research-based products to market. Thanks to UGA’s Innovation District and other strategic initiatives, more than 200 companies have been launched from the university to date.

Community Outreach and Service

In 2023, UGA generated a statewide economic impact of $8.1 billion, a new record. Partnerships include support to college and career readiness for Georgia youth and support to the state’s hospitality and tourism sector. The university also continues to work with agricultural producers to strengthen supply chains and open new markets.

We’re in all 159 counties, ready to educate, inspire and improve life for all 10.8 million Georgians.

THE YOUNG BULLDOGS

BUILDING UGA'S FUTURE

Philanthropists under 40 are already creating their Georgia legacies.

During his senior year at the University of Georgia, Jack Bush BSME ’20 (pictured below) sat down with several advisors. These advisors weren’t checking graduation requirements or offering job interview tips. They were talking to Bush about endowments and matching gifts because he wanted to create a scholarship.

“I really just wanted to help people who didn’t have the economic means to reach their goals,” Bush says. “And I wanted to start as early as I could.”

Now an engineer with Lockheed Martin, Bush is part of a growing population of young people pledging significant sums to UGA. Since 2012, the number of donors under 40 who pledge gifts of $25,000 or more has increased by more than 400%.

More so than prior generations, younger philanthropists want to see the results of their giving, they want to support causes more than institutions, and they want to be personally involved with the places they support. UGA’s fundraising approach incorporates these attitudes, encouraging donors to focus on impact and engagement.

“Recent grads and other young Bulldogs under 40 are so important to our university,” says Jill S. Walton vice president for development and alumni relations. “We hope they mentor students, share UGA news with their networks, and leverage Bulldog connections and resources in their careers. And we hope their relationship to UGA spurs them to donate to help us solve problems and open doors for the next generations of Bulldogs.”

Sabina Ashurova AB ’22, MS ’22 is an example of how deeply held beliefs drive young donors. She came to the United States from Uzbekistan as an 8-year-old with no knowledge of English and learned the power of community support early.

“I vividly remember my classmates helping me out with assignments and trying to translate for me,” she says.

Ashurova worked hard and got into UGA, where she received a Georgia Commitment Scholarship. Her financial burdens alleviated, Ashurova excelled and became a student in the Jere W. Morehead Honors College, a member of the Blue Key Honor Society, and a finalist for the Terry College of Business Alumni Board’s Student of the Year.

Now a data scientist at Cisco in San Francisco, Ashurova’s gratitude inspired her to make a pledge to Embark@UGA, a program that supports UGA students who have experienced foster care or homelessness or are at risk of homelessness.

“Seeing others lend their support, their advice, and even their things over the years has made me want to be able to do the same,” says Ashurova. “I know I wouldn’t be here today if it weren’t for the help of others.”

PETERFREY

Jones, a Portland Bulldog who works as director of materials development for kids footwear for Nike, received a donor-funded scholarship throughout his years at UGA and now pays it forward through gifts supporting the College of Engineering and its students.

An obstetrician-gynecologist in Vidalia, Tillery and her husband, Blake AB ’06, established the Tillery Family Award Endowment, which provides an exit award for the most outstanding honors student in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.

HOW A MAJOR GIFT IS BUILT

This Bulldog couple, both associates at the multinational law firm Alston & Bird in New York, spread their UGA support across many areas, from the School of Law to the Georgia Women Give initiative to Student Affairs and beyond.

Many potential young donors might tune out when they read about donating tens of thousands of dollars. But they may be surprised to learn a major gift doesn’t mean taking a major financial hit.

Take, for example, setting up an endowment. A $25,000 gift—the minimum to establish an endowment through the UGA Foundation—isn’t expected all at once. A five-year pledge is the standard, meaning the actual cost is $5,000 a year for five years, or about $416 a month for 60 months.

The real value is in what that giving does. That $416 a month leads to perpetual, life-defining impact: someone turning their tassel every May in Sanford Stadium, a student support program guiding and enriching class after class of Bulldogs, generations of young scholars able to afford transformative study away trips. These things and more are possible through donor generosity.

PHILANTHROPY 1101

Gifts to endowments are not spent but invested to maximize the investment’s annual return and create income that funds specific areas in perpetuity as designated by the endowment’s creator.

A pledge is a promise to pay. Pledges are paid via installments, or pledge payments, the schedule of which is determined by the donor.

Planned gift is a blanket term for pledged gifts donated through a will or trust, a retirement plan, stocks or bonds, and more. Planned giving allows a donor to meet personal financial needs today and leave a legacy at UGA.

Many employers have matching gift programs that match employee giving 1:1 or more, giving donors a way to double or triple their impact at UGA.

Jonathan Jones BSBChE ’13

Ashlee Nicole Tillery BSA ’13

Leila Knox AB ’18, JD ’21

Jacob Fucetola AB ’18, AB ’18, JD ’21

Just What the Doctor Ordered

UGA is establishing a new School of Medicine. It will transform the institution and the state.

WRITTEN BY AARON HALE MA ’16

Converging factors are putting a strain on Georgia’s health care system. The state’s population is surging, and the medical workforce is struggling to keep up. With 11 million residents, Georgia is now the nation’s eighth most populous state. And yet the Peach State ranks No. 40 among U.S. states for the number of active patient care physicians per capita.

Those factors alone create longer wait times for appointments and less access to care, particularly in rural communities and other underserved areas.

Add to that, nearly one-third of the state’s physicians are nearing retirement, and one thing is clear: Georgia needs more doctors.

In January, Gov. Brian Kemp BSA ’87 addressed the looming crisis. He laid out a plan to invest $50 million in state funds to establish an independent medical school at the University of Georgia. Weeks later, the chancellor and the University System

of Georgia Board of Regents backed the proposal, and in March, the Georgia General Assembly passed a budget to put the plan into action. UGA will match the state allocation with private funds to build a $100 million state-of-the-art medical school facility.

Building a Healthier Georgia

The establishment of the School of Medicine in Athens is a bold new chapter for the University of Georgia. It’s one that will take a considerable effort in planning, hiring, and investments to get through the rigorous accreditation process.

The university is primed for the challenge.

“The University of Georgia, as the flagship, land-grant institution in Georgia, is perfectly positioned to help address the

medical doctor shortage in this state,” says President Jere W. Morehead JD ’80. Since 2010, UGA has partnered with the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University to educate physicians in the Classic City. The Augusta University/ University of Georgia Partnership has trained hundreds of doctors and elevated health programs in the region with a particular emphasis on underserved communities.

The facilities and relationships built through the partnership become part of the foundation for the independent medical school, which will be located on the Health Sciences Campus on Prince Avenue.

But the new medical school will also tap into some of the university’s other strengths. For example, UGA’s vast public service network, which reaches each of the state’s 159 counties, provides an opportunity to expand health care capacity in rural Georgia.

DOROTHY KOZLOWSKI

Georgia is the eighth most populous state but No. 40 for active physicians per capita. The new School of Medicine aims to address this disparity.

New Possibilities for Discovery

As the School of Medicine prepares to address the immediate challenge of doctor shortages, opportunities to discover new medical treatments will also arise.

In the past decade, UGA’s research enterprise has grown by 63%, reaching $570.9 million in research expenditures in FY2023. That growth signals UGA’s increasing impact on scientific discovery. In that time, funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has increased by 76%, thanks to multidisciplinary biomedical research programs like the Regenerative Bioscience Center (see page 24). In fact, UGA is the largest recipient of NIH funding among public universities without a medical school.

That research growth is poised to accelerate when the School of Medicine comes online, attracting new scientists to join UGA’s existing research programs and create new ones. The future medical school will almost certainly secure more federal funding for the university and, ultimately, life-saving advances in medicine.

What Comes Next

Shortly after the School of Medicine was officially established, UGA named Dr. Shelley Nuss the founding dean of the program. Nuss has served as the AU/UGA Medical Partnership’s campus dean since 2016. Before that, Nuss was a program director for West Virginia University's medical program and a vice president for West Virginia University Hospital.

As a physician, Nuss specializes in internal medicine and psychiatry. Peers

in her field have recognized her for her contributions to medicine and medical education.

Now, Nuss’ mission is to spearhead the work to bring the medical school to life, including preparing the program for accreditation and further developing the Health Sciences Campus. The university broke ground in April on a new medical education and research facility. When complete, the new building will provide the capacity to double the 60 students per class currently trained through the Medical Partnership.

Nuss’ experience working with the state’s first public medical school and her familiarity with UGA will be an asset.

“What’s so amazing about this is that we can put our own stamp on this. We can create a curriculum and a faculty and staff that is just outstanding,” Nuss says. “Our goal is to produce the best practicing doctors out there in the 21st century.” GM

“Our goal is to produce the best practicing doctors out there in the 21st century.”

DR. SHELLEY NUSS, FOUNDING DEAN, UGA SCHOOL OF MEDICINE

DOROTHY KOZLOWSKI

ANDREW DAVIS TUCKER

UGA officials and state dignitaries mark the groundbreaking of the new medical education and research building for the School of Medicine on the Health Sciences Campus in Athens.

Say Goodbye to the Drawl, Y’all

UGA linguists study Georgia’s waning Southern accent.

WRITTEN BY ERICA TECHO BS '15

PHOTOS BY ANDREW DAVIS TUCKER

To better understand Georgia's changing Southern accent, linguists analyze audio recordings. Above, this waveform depicts the word "taste" with a more traditional Southern drawl, drawing out vowel sounds like tuh-eest."

All accents have stories, and University of Georgia researchers are telling them.

Linguists Margaret Renwick and Jon Forrest from the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences turned heads in 2023 after publishing a study about Georgia’s fading Southern accent.

The Southern drawl—extending and stretching out vowel sounds in words like taste (tuh-eest) or back (bahyuck)—is disappearing, and younger generations in Georgia are less likely to possess that distinctive twang.

These findings led to an outpouring of media coverage and social media reactions, ranging from, “That makes a lot of sense,” to “Not in my hometown!” According to Renwick and Forrest, both reactions are valid.

“We talk about generalizations like this change, but there are always sub-regional differences and other group differences that matter,” says Forrest, an assistant professor in the Department of Linguistics. “We’re painting a picture of what’s happening in the bigger aggregate of Georgia, but we’re also providing something concrete for people to grab onto.”

All the engagement is exciting because it highlights how linguistics impacts individuals on a personal level. For some people, this study explains a phenomenon they hear but can’t quite describe. For others, it highlights a direct connection to language and accents.

“There’s a very human side of linguistics,” says Renwick, an associate professor of linguistics and lead author of the study. “We’re helping to make sense of the world around us.”

“There’s a very human side of linguistics. We’re helping to make sense of the world around us.”

MARGARET RENWICK, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF LINGUISTICS

Curating the Soundtrack

Sometimes, linguistic studies start with a hunch.

A good example is when a nonresearcher notices that a friend or colleague speaks just a little bit differently, but they can’t quite put their finger on the difference. Linguistic studies provide the data to understand what’s going on under the surface.

“I like to think about it in terms of linguistic intuition,” Renwick says. “It starts as a gut feeling or an observation that might be informal, but then our job is to figure out how to analyze it. We can take a recording and slice it and dice it to find and measure what people are hearing.”

Researchers listen to hours of audio clips, isolating and identifying individual sounds within them, and they associate those sounds with different mouth shapes and pronunciation patterns. For their viral study, Renwick, Forrest,

Joseph A. Stanley PhD ’20, and Georgia Tech assistant professor Lelia Glass focused on the vowel pronunciations of white English speakers in Georgia. They found that features of a traditional Southern drawl have faded over generations.

The baby boomer generation, born between 1943 and 1964, pronounces “prize” as prahz, while younger Georgians say prah-eez. “Face” transforms from fuh-eece to fayce in younger speakers. And while the shift is most notable in suburbs or cities, it’s happening all over the state.

“Even in rural areas, language is changing,” Forrest says. “Maybe not as fast or in exactly the same way, but it is changing generationally too. It's never static.”

Margaret Renwick studies linguistics and the subtle shifts of accents. Her groundbreaking work on the fading Southern accent in Georgia earned media attention from national outlets like NPR and The Washington Post

Keiko Bridwell, a doctoral candidate in linguistics, holds community interviews and records the conversations in order to better understand how people relate to language and their accents. These recordings can then be used for linguistic and socio-linguistic studies. She works with Margaret Renwick and Jon Forrest.

A Historical Shift

With each generation, the accent gap has widened, but a lot of it started with members of Generation X, who were born between 1965 and 1982. Changes in pronunciation and accent are often related to how folks have moved around the country, Forrest says.

Following the Second World War, there was a large population shift from Northern industrial cities to growing metro areas in the Southeast.

New residents brought their accents with them, and younger generations from all backgrounds were exposed to a wider variety of speech.

“Kids growing up start to sound like their peers in school, rather than their parents at home—not because they ‘forget’ how language is spoken in the home but because they want to sound like their friends,” Renwick says. “At the same time, people may subtly shift their speech away from that of social groups they don’t identify with.”

View our video discussion with Margaret Renwick and Jon Forrest at NEWS.UGA.EDU/FADING-ACCENTS.

"As I look at language and how it's changing, I always emphasize that it's not getting better or worse. It's just becoming different," says Jon Forrest, assistant professor of linguistics.

Language as Identity

When Renwick and Forrest’s study was picked up by television stations across the South, some people took to social media and defended their region.

“They obviously didn’t come to my town!” was a popular refrain.

And it makes sense, researchers say, because it is important to acknowledge that, for many people, accents are a part of their identities. There is a personal connection to language and how it ties people to their family, their history, and their culture. It’s why some people were upset to hear that the Southern drawl was fading.

“The Southern accent is tied to being part of a place, the way people do things,” Forrest says. “And you get this feeling of, ‘We’re losing something important by losing this accent.’”

Change can be confusing or frustrating just because it is new, but it’s not something to associate with a value judgment.

“As I look at language and how it’s changing, I always emphasize that it’s not getting better or worse,” Forrest added. “It’s just becoming different.” GM

EXPANDING RESEARCH

Margaret Renwick and Jon Forrest are exploring accent shifts in many populations, including similar changes in regions outside the South, as well as other groups in the state. For example, Black Georgians historically have been underrepresented in previous research.

Focusing on specific groups is not only necessary from a research perspective, but it also helps connect to the history and stories of each identity group. This study can also build up archival audio and preserve the stories of Black Southerners.

In the Digital Archive of Southern Speech at UGA, which houses thousands of hours of historical recordings, about 75% of the collection consists of speakers who are white. It is one part of a greater linguistic atlas that aims to map how people speak across the country, but it’s not representative of populations across the state and region. So a lot more data collection is needed.

Linguistic interviews start as a conversation, where researchers discuss family history, colloquialisms, and even funny phrases people use. The recordings can be used to analyze speech sounds, but they are also archived in places that can share stories. When researchers enter the community, they hope these interviews provide a positive resource.

“As sociolinguists who do work with communities, we don’t want to just interview you and leave,” Forrest says. “We ask, ‘What do you need to know about language? How can we help tell and document the story of your neighborhood and community?’”

Above, a Generation Z speaker says "back" with a shorter vowel sound. Below, a speaker from the boomer generation says "back" with a longer vowel sound.

Rebuilding the Brain

Researchers in UGA’s Regenerative Bioscience Center harness the body’s natural healing ability and turn it up to 11.

WRITTEN

BY LEIGH

HATAWAY

MA ’17

In most respects, May 6, 2022, was a typical school day for Amy Paulk Grist.

Tift County High School buzzed with end-of-the-year activities. Tift County is the only high school serving Tifton, Georgia, a mostly rural community off I-75, just an hour north of the Florida border.

A veteran economics teacher of more than a decade, Amy was wrapping up another successful year at the high school of nearly 2,300 students when her vision started to blur.

Something wasn’t right. She called her brother, Dr. Eric Paulk. After describing her symptoms, the director of the emergency department at Tift Regional Medical Center didn’t hesitate.

“Amy, you’re having a stroke,” he told her. “Get to the hospital.”

When Amy arrived, the team rushed her into the back. It turned out that she hadn’t had a stroke—she’d had three.

The doctors administered the gold standard of stroke care, a medication

called tPA (short for Tissue Plasminogen Activator). The drug breaks up blood clots and restores blood flow to the brain.

But it didn’t work.

Pressure built up inside Amy’s head, becoming so intense that the doctors had to perform a craniotomy, removing a portion of her skull to give her brain some relief from the swelling.

The neurosurgeon said there wasn’t much hope. She would probably die.

A Complex Injury

Amy was only 36. Active and physically fit, she lived the picture-perfect definition of a healthy lifestyle. She even played tennis with her 10-year-old daughter the day before she was hospitalized.

About 800,000 Americans suffer a stroke each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Most stroke patients are older, but about one in seven strokes occur in people under 50, like Amy.

“Stroke is a really complicated injury,” says Steven Stice, a world-renowned expert in stem cell research, Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar and D.W. Brooks Professor in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. “When someone has a stroke, the cells in the brain start to die, and those dying cells release damaging particles that initiate a chain reaction of inflammation in the brain.”

The only treatments available are the clot-busting medication Amy received or surgery. But doctors have less than six hours after the onset of a stroke to get patients on the operating table and even less time to

administer tPA. And not every hospital has the medication or the medical expertise to perform surgery.

As a result, most stroke patients don’t receive either.

So why are there so few effective treatments for such a common condition?

While many researchers have tried to come up with new therapies to treat or prevent strokes, they’ve all failed.

“You can make a lot of things happen in a petri dish, but that just does not always translate to people,” says Franklin West PhD ’08. A professor specializing in stem cell biology in the UGA Department of Animal and Dairy Science, West is a highly soughtafter translational stroke and traumatic brain injury investigator.

The jump from the laboratory to human clinical trials is a big one, which is why that gap is often called the “Valley of Death.”

Many researchers will try, and many will fail.

But that’s often where scientists glean their most valuable insights. Why could this drug kill a virus in a mouse but not a human, for example? How can we make therapeutics

“We’re working on very complex problems, and complex problems require a diverse set of expertise to solve.”

STEVEN STICE, PROFESSOR IN THE COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURAL & ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

more translatable to the human clinical condition?

That goal of translating scientific findings into actual treatments and therapies got the two researchers thinking.

“We’re working on very complex problems,” says Stice, “and complex problems require a diverse set of expertise to solve.”

Stice and West teamed up with Dr. John Peroni, a professor focused on regenerative medicine in UGA’s College of Veterinary Medicine, to create the Regenerative Bioscience Center (RBC) at UGA.

What started in 2004 as a relatively small group of researchers has since grown to include more than 40 members spanning seven colleges, including the College of Engineering, the College of Public Health, and the College of Pharmacy.

Together, the scientists aim to tackle medical challenges and develop cures and treatments for devastating diseases like Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, and stroke.

THE NEXT GENERATION

Celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, the RBC recently added a doctoral program in regenerative bioscience to its docket. Jointly administered with UGA's College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, the degree is the first of its kind offered by any institution in the state of Georgia. Along with the undergraduate major established in 2022, the new degree demonstrates the university’s commitment to advancing research and education in regenerative medicine and improving health for both animals and humans.

PETER FREY

PETER FREY

Steven Stice, a world-renowned expert in stem cell research, leads UGA’s Regenerative Bioscience Center.

Franklin West co-founded the Regenerative Bioscience Center with Steven Stice and John Peroni in 2004.

What is Regenerative Bioscience?

You’re working in the garden, shoveling dirt to make room for a new plant. You look down and see what used to be a fully grown earthworm now bisected and missing its tail. But you don’t worry about it too much. You know the worm will regrow that missing part.

That’s regeneration.

Some worms, like the small aquatic flatworms Rachel Roberts-Galbraith studies, can even become two entirely separate, perfectly functional animals after being split in two. During this process, part of the flatworm, called a planarian, regenerates an entirely new brain.

One of the goals of the RBC is to figure out why people can’t do the same thing.

People can regrow a liver even when it’s been heavily damaged. But when human brains are injured, it’s much more of a guessing game whether the neurons and networks can heal— with or without medical treatment. Most of the time, they don’t.

“If we can figure out how brain regeneration works in animals, we might find some answers for people as well,” says RobertsGalbraith, an assistant professor in UGA’s Franklin College of Arts and Sciences. “Regeneration is an area of biomedicine that holds immense promise.

“When we find out these essential truths of how regeneration works, our goal is to try to translate that to human therapies. The RBC is the perfect place for that because we have natural partners for the next steps in that translation process.”

A Different Kind of Stroke Treatment

With proper funding, one of the RBC’s biggest successes to date will soon enter clinical trials.

Developed by Aruna Bio, a biotechnology company co-founded by Stice, the drug AB126 is the first of its kind to be used in the nervous system. Produced from neural stem cells, the therapeutic is incredibly small, which enables it to be given to a patient by IV. The treatment then crosses from the blood into the brain, directly targeting those areas affected by the stroke.

The new therapy amplifies the body’s ability to heal itself by reducing the inflammation caused by a stroke. And it has the potential to help all stroke patients without limitations.

Another promising feature of AB126 is its ability to be used multiple times. Most cell therapies rile up immune systems, causing an inflammatory storm that can negatively affect the already damaged tissue.

The tiny flatworms above might not look like much, but they may hold some answers to age-old questions about regenerative powers. When split in two, these planarians become two separate, perfectly functional animals, even regenerating an entirely new brain. If scientists can figure out how that works in animals, perhaps they can translate that knowledge into human therapies.

But the new treatment doesn’t have that effect.

The ability to administer the treatment multiple times opens opportunities for long-term therapeutic uses—and not just in the hospital right after a stroke.

Stice and his colleagues are exploring the drug’s efficacy in treating amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease. ALS is caused by aggressive inflammation in the nervous system, which leads to progressive muscle weakness. There is no cure for the condition, and it’s almost always fatal. Animal studies show early promise in reducing inflammation caused by the condition.

The researchers are also exploring ways to administer the drug through a nasal spray, which could be a game changer for chronic inflammationbased diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and traumatic brain injury.

“If we can figure out how brain regeneration works in animals, we might find some answers for people as well.”

RACHEL ROBERTSGALBRAITH, ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF CELLULAR BIOLOGY IN THE FRANKLIN COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES

COURTESY OF RACHEL ROBERTS-GALBRAITH

A Journey Toward Recovery

For Amy Paulk Grist, the new therapeutic is not just an exciting prospect. It’s a potential life-changer.

Despite doctors’ dire predictions, Amy survived her ordeal.

After 52 days in two different intensive care units and months spent on the rehab floor of Shepherd Center Hospital in Atlanta, Amy made what can only be described as a miraculous recovery.

“She’s the same Amy in a different body,” says her father, Gary Paulk.

Cognitively, Amy is all there. She can tell you her Netflix password, remembers the words to her favorite ’90s songs, and even corrected her dad when he couldn’t recall the name of the drug doctors gave her after first arriving at the hospital.

But her vocal cords and muscles are weakened, so she sometimes struggles to get the words out. When her family and friends can’t understand her, she starts using sign language, a skill she learned in the fourth grade.

She can’t swallow. She relies on a wheelchair to get around. And she’s on a feeding tube.

It’s frustrating to miss out on the things she used to enjoy, like going to UGA football games. The diehard Bulldog fan didn’t miss a game before her strokes.

When Stice and West invited Amy and her family to visit the RBC, they were all in.

They toured the facility and learned about AB126 and its potential to help patients like Amy by reducing inflammation in the brain and getting patients closer to their old selves and abilities.

“I’m just like, ‘What’s it going to take to make this thing happen?’” Gary Paulk says. “We want to help. I said, ‘Amy, you can be their poster child.’”

Although AB126 still has a long way to go to make it onto shelves, Amy’s family is encouraged by the progress the RBC is making in stroke care. In the meantime, Stice is working to connect them to other clinical trials in regenerative medicine that can provide some relief for Amy’s symptoms.

“It felt like they were saying, ‘Hang on, Amy. It’s coming,’” Gary Paulk says. “We’re just waiting for the day they call and say, ‘Bring her to Athens. It’s time.’” GM

scientists like Steven Stice by giving to

Amy Paulk Grist (shown seated in the pink chair) suffered multiple strokes but is recovering with the help of her family and loved ones.

Amy Paulk Grist (bottom left) draws strength from her close-knit family, including her children Marlee, Mason, and Miley, and husband, Derek.

The Odyssey

Set sail with UGA freshmen as they experience their First-Year Odyssey.

WRITTEN BY ERIC RANGUS MA ’94 AND NAVYA SHUKLA

A college career is a journey. At UGA, the first step for Bulldog undergraduates is the First-Year Odyssey Seminar Program.

Small classes, focused topics, accessible faculty, experiential learning—all are hallmarks of the program, which was created in 2011 to introduce college-level courses to first-year students in a low-pressure atmosphere and help these new Bulldogs establish lasting relationships with the campus and its people.

“Our goal is to build community, and having a small class with familiar faces and an approachable professor helps foster a sense of belonging,” says program director Marisa Anne Pagnattaro PhD ’98, vice president for instruction and senior vice provost for academic planning.

Each year through First-Year Odyssey, incoming freshmen choose from more than 400 one-credit-hour courses taught by tenure-track faculty members from nearly all of UGA’s 90 academic departments. Most seminars meet for one hour once a week for 15 weeks, a time frame designed to fit easily into first-year students’ busy schedules.

The wide range of seminar offerings makes it easy for students to pursue their own interests or, in many cases, unlock a passion they didn’t even know they had.

Sometimes they even get to know native Georgians like snakes and salamanders on a first-name basis.

Nick Fuhrman Associate Dean for Outreach and Meigs Professor of Environmental Education Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources

Environmental Education 101: Using Nature to Inspire Action

For his lectures—which are more like conversations, actually— environmental educator Nick Fuhrman organizes his seminar students in a semicircle. Sometimes he’ll even bring in an LED campfire.

On this day, the fake flames stay unlit, but that doesn’t mean there is nothing for the students to look at. Or, more importantly, touch. Today’s special guests are Sharon the eastern box turtle, Sanford the tiger salamander, and Snowy the albino corn snake. All of them are native to Georgia and happy to be held.

Addressing a crowd can be nerve-racking for seasoned professionals. For college students experiencing their first class on campus, that stress can grow exponentially. Fuhrman teaches his First-Year Odyssey students basic public speaking skills—while holding live animals.

“A big part of environmental education is just being in front of people and talking,” says Fuhrman, a gifted communicator who makes regular appearances as “Ranger Nick” on the Georgia Farm Bureau’s television show, The Farm Monitor. His casual, energetic approach is ideal for the First-Year Odyssey atmosphere.

“Animals can lower public speaking anxiety because the audience’s attention isn’t on you; it’s on the animal,” he continues.

All of them are hits, but 19-year-old Snowy is the unquestioned star. Students eagerly, but gently, pass her around. A few students have not touched a snake before, but all understand the importance of respecting the environment and the creatures that inhabit it.

“Ranger Nick is good with using the animals to connect with the audience,”

says Lauren Morrison, a first-year student from Canton intending to major in pharmaceutical sciences. “I might go into teaching, and that’s something I could use in the future.”

Because of its popularity, Fuhrman’s seminar is one of the few entries scheduled in both the fall and spring semesters. Most students will not major in environmental sciences, but the skills they learn in Ranger Nick’s classes are transferable and the experiences are meaningful.

Morgan Milbry, an intended exercise and sports science major from McDonough, agrees that working with the animals makes conversations with humans easier. “This has been a nice class to be a part of because it’s helped ease my nerves when talking to other people.”

CHAMBERLAIN SMITH

Nick Fuhrman introduces a variety of guests to the students in his First-Year Odyssey seminar. Snowy, an albino corn snake, is the star. Sharon, an eastern box turtle, is also popular and happy to be held.

Gregory Robinson

UGA Foundation Professor of Chemistry

Franklin College of Arts and Sciences

Molecules that Changed History

The students in Gregory Robinson’s freewheeling First-Year Odyssey course come in ready for anything. Every session, each of the dozen attendees picks a molecule, researches it, and then comes to class ready to discuss it.

The seminar illustrates one of the First-Year Odyssey Program’s primary goals: to introduce students to the basics of research.

Each week, five or six molecules are presented, and the exploration of the subject matter careens in all sorts of enlightening directions. For instance, a class discussion of the molecule dichlorodiethyl sulfide led to a deep dive

into early 20th-century history.

Dichlorodiethyl sulfide—more commonly known as mustard gas—was used to horrific effect. Robinson also introduced the class to German chemist Fritz Haber, whose work not only contributed to chemical weapons but also to wondrous ammonia-based fertilizers, many of which are still used to help produce crops today. Although Haber received the Nobel Prize for chemistry in 1918 for the synthesis of ammonia (which led to fertilizers), his legacy is permanently tarnished by his role in the development of chemical weapons.

“In most conflicts, if you drill down

For each session, Gregory Robinson's students pick a molecule to research and discuss. Through this process, his seminar illustrates one of the First-Year Odyssey Program's primary goals: to introduce first-year students to the basics of research.

deep enough, there will be a molecular basis,” Robinson says.

Another, more chemistry-specific relationship the class covered was fructose vs. glucose—two carbohydrates with the same chemical formula (C6H12O6) but notably different chemical structures. It’s that organization—the chemical structure—that ultimately determines a molecule’s function and reactivity.

“Remember our motto,” Robinson tells the class. “Hey, man, it’s structure,” they all recite together. “Not formula.”

This part, at least, is clearly not new information.

Fashion Industry: The High and Low

Katalin Medvedev

Professor of Textiles, Merchandising and Interiors College of Family and Consumer Sciences

Katalin Medvedev’s seminar on the fashion industry is a crash course on culture and agriculture, environmentalism and economics, self-expression and responsibility.

“This class helped me realize that fashion is so much more than what you are wearing,” says Makaiya Chastain, a firstyear student from Loganville who intends to major in fashion merchandising. “It says a lot about where you came from, who you are, and what you represent.”

As the seminar’s title spells out, there are highs and lows, and Chastain understands

Through a mix of film and documentary screenings, lecture and discussion, oral presentation, and readings, first-year students explore fashion's highs and lows under the guidance of Katalin Medvedev.

the balance. “Fashion isn’t something we need to get rid of,” Chastain says. “But there are ways to make the industry better. People just need to care about making a change.”

Lows, such as the environmental implications of fast fashion as well as other subjects like unfair labor practices and consumer consumption, are explored indepth. But so are the highs, such as fashion’s cultural impact, economic impact—it’s a $2.5 trillion industry that employs a lot of people—and new efforts to make the fashion world more sustainable.

“The negative impact of fashion has been

eye opening,” says Nick Yath, an intended finance major from Athens.

“I like to buy clothes, but I won’t do fast fashion,” he says, referring to fashion houses that make cheap clothes that last a short time. When they fade or shred, consumers buy more, perpetuating a cycle that ranks as one of the seminar’s biggest “lows.”

“What I like about First-Year Odyssey is that it’s not just fashion merchandising students,” Medvedev says. “When an English or business major comes in, they bring different topics. I really enjoy that.”

ANDREW DAVIS TUCKER

Baseball by the Numbers

Geoffrey Smith Professor of Chemistry

Franklin College of Arts and Sciences

Sometimes a First-Year Odyssey course is an opportunity for instructors to explore subjects that personally interest them while inviting students along for the ride.

Like his colleague Gregory Robinson, Geoffrey Smith is a professor in the Department of Chemistry. But as far as their courses are concerned, the similarities end there. Through his course, Baseball by the Numbers, Smith discusses one of his life’s passions in an educational setting.

“This way, I get to see business, sports science, psychology, biology majors—just a real cross-section of freshmen,” he says.

“And they all like baseball. It’s a lot of fun.”

Smith divides meeting times into innings, and the three periods of individual presentations that end the course are the World Series. On day one, Smith hands out packs of baseball cards, and the class goes over the basic stats of home runs, RBIs, and wins and losses on the back. From there, they dive into content that would warm the

On this first day of his seminar, Geoffrey Smith hands his students packs of baseball cards. They discuss the classic stats on the back—home runs, RBIs, wins and losses. Over the course of the semester, the class dives much deeper into newer, more advanced statistics.

heart of Brad Pitt’s hero in Moneyball. While baseball’s advanced statistics may resemble chemical formulas (BABIP, wOBA, WAR, ERA+), Smith admits there isn’t a lot of crossover between this course and his typical subject matter. There is, however, detailed study of the math behind those stats and exploration of topics like machine learning, which is part of Smith’s chemistry curriculum.

Smith grew up in Atlanta and is a lifelong Braves fan. Since his family hailed from Massachusetts, he adopted the Boston Red Sox as his favorite American League team and Ted Williams as his favorite player. Smith never saw Williams play in person, of course, but the advanced statistics he goes over with his class allow him to compare modern players to classic counterparts.

“We have the stats to help us appreciate how good of a player he was,” Smith says. “It links you to the whole of baseball history.”

FAST FACTS ON FIRST-YEAR ODYSSEY

• More than 400 seminars are available, representing each of UGA’s colleges and schools. Tenure-track faculty teach them all. Students can register for any of them regardless of intended major.

• Class size is capped at 18, but most seminars are smaller than that.

• Seminars meet for one hour a week, and students receive letter grades for their work and participation.

As part of their seminar, all first-year students are required to attend three on-campus events. Options include musical performances, films, lectures, visiting speakers, and events like the Study Away Fair and Student Affairs’ Involvement Fair.

• Some of the university’s most senior leaders teach seminars, including Grady College Dean Charles Davis MA ’89, who taught “From TikTok to the Times: Journalism in a Changing World” last fall, and UGA President Jere W. Morehead JD ’80, whose “Exploring Current Issues in Law” seminar with Dean of Students Eric Atkinson MEd '99, PhD '10 has been a staple of the program since its inception.

• In fall 2023, UGA launched the First-Year Odyssey Global Citizenship Seminar Cluster of 10 global education courses, with sessions about scholarship support for experiences abroad and questions related to international study. The program has contributed to an increase in scholarship applications for study away coming from first-year students.

CHAMBERLAIN SMITH

Red & Black Takes Gold

Athletes from the University of Georgia have excelled on the Olympic stage for nearly 90 years. Here's hoping the 2024 Olympics turn UGA gold again.

WRITTEN BY JAYNE ROBERTS

With 10 medals across four Olympics, Allison Schmidt BS '14 is the most decorated Bulldog in Olympics history.

ROBERT HANASHIRO-USA TODAY NETWORK

1996 Atlanta Olympic Games women’s soccer gold medal match between USA and China in Sanford Stadium.

ANDREW D. BERNSTEIN/NBAE VIA GETTY

Bulldog legend Teresa Edwards BSEd '89 won four gold medals and one bronze medal during her illustrious Olympic career.

RICK O'QUINN

1936, Berlin

One of UGA’s first Olympians was also its first gold medalist. Forrest “Spec” Towns was one of three Bulldogs to compete in the 1936 Summer Olympics. He set a world record of 14.1 seconds on his way to gold in the 110-meter hurdles. Later that year, Towns lowered his world record to 13.7 seconds, a mark he held until 1950.

In 1938, Towns returned to the University of Georgia to serve as head track and field coach, a position he held until 1975. UGA’s Spec Towns Track facility is named in his honor.

1984, Los Angeles

The LA Games marked the first year UGA athletes represented countries other than the United States. They competed for Antigua, Canada, Jamaica, and the Bahamas and accounted for more than half the Bulldogs in Los Angeles. UGA athletes won three medals in 1984, including the first won by an international athlete: Norman Edwards’ silver in the 4x100 meter relay for Jamaica.

1992, Barcelona

Gwen Torrence’s performance in Spain solidified her as one of the world’s best sprinters. She won three Olympic medals (two gold, one silver) and would add another gold (in the 4x100 meter relay) and a bronze four years later in Atlanta on her way to the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame and the USA Track and Field Hall of Fame.

1996, Atlanta

The 1996 Atlanta Olympics marked a bit of a homecoming for Cairo, Georgia, native and Bulldog legend Teresa Edwards. She delivered the Olympic Oath on behalf of all athletes at the Opening Ceremonies (on her 32nd birthday). And then she took the court. Following a disappointing (for them) bronze medal in 1992, Team USA, led by Edwards and Bulldog teammate Katrina McClain refocused and steamrolled the world-class competition on the way to Olympic gold. Edwards would finish her Hall of Fame career with four gold medals and a bronze. Fellow Hall-of-Famer McClain earned two golds and a bronze. In 2012, Edwards became Chef de Mission for the U.S. Olympic Team and served as a liaison between her team and the Olympic committees, an incredible honor for Olympic athletes.

2004, Athens

Swimmers Kara Lynn Joyce and Amanda Weir won silvers in both the 4x100m free and 4x100m medley relays. Bahamian track star Debbie Ferguson won her third medal (and first individual medal, a bronze in the 200-meter dash) in as many Olympics. But perhaps the most impressive Bulldog performance was by an athlete who had yet to don the red and black. Gymnast Courtney Kupets won an individual bronze on the uneven bars and a team silver in 2004. The following year, Kupets entered UGA as a freshman and led the Bulldogs to four consecutive national titles in women’s gymnastics. Kupets—now Courtney Kupets Carter—coached at UGA from 2017 to 2024.

2012, London

Swimmer Allison Schmitt won a bronze medal at the 2008 Beijing Games, but London is where she really broke out. Schmitt set an Olympic record in the 200m freestyle and earned five medals—three golds, one silver, and one bronze—in London, the most won by any Bulldog in a single Olympics. Over the next two Olympics, Schmitt would add four more medals (including a relay gold) to her collection for a total of 10—the most of any UGA athlete. Schmitt was recently named to the SEC’s 2023 Class of Women’s Legends, and she delivered the Commencement address for the university’s Class of 2024.

2020, Tokyo

UGA athletes made headlines at the pandemicdelayed Tokyo Games. Shaunae Miller-Uibo of the Bahamas defended her Olympic title in the 400 meters. Lynna Irby won two relay medals (one of them gold) on the track, and Chase Kalisz won a gold in the pool in the 400m individual medley.

2024, Paris

Miller-Uibo will return in Paris but possibly in a new event. With Olympic trials and qualifiers taking place around the world, the Bulldogs joining her have yet to be determined. But one hope is for sure: that those gold, silver, and bronze medals in the City of Light will have a bit of a red and black glow.

NEWS.UGA.EDU/2024OLYMPICS for additional photos as well as highlights of Bulldog Paralympics medalists.

Don’t Miss Out!

UGA NIGHT AT THE BRAVES

June 17

Join Bulldogs from across the metro area as the Braves take on the Detroit Tigers at Truist Park at 7:20 p.m. All ticket holders are invited to a pre-game gathering at ASW at The Battery starting at 2:30 p.m.

Find more details at braves.com/uga.

BULLDOG 100 NOMINATION DEADLINE

July 31

They’re the night owls, the movers and shakers, and the passionate pioneers. They’re the Bulldog 100. Nominations for the 2025 class of fastest-growing businesses owned or led by UGA alumni are open through July 31.

Details at alumni.uga.edu/b100.

See these events and more at alumni.uga.edu/calendar.

Five Ways To Support UGA From Your Couch

1. Serve as a UGA Mentor via text, video conferencing, and phone calls. Sign up at mentor.uga.edu.

2. Donate to your passion at UGA at give.uga.edu.

3. Reshare exciting UGA news with your networks by following @UGAAlumni and @UniversityofGA on social media.

4. Update your contact information at alumni.uga.edu/update.

5. Nominate a Bulldog business for the 2025 Bulldog 100 at alumni.uga.edu/b100.

New Parents Leadership Council Chairs

Lonii BBA ’93 and Will Herman BBA ’92 are Terry College graduates who met while attending UGA, and today, they are the proud parents of third-year twins attending UGA. Will is a managing partner with Deloitte and has been a champion for growing the company’s partnership with the university. On July 1, the Atlanta-area couple will deepen their dedication to their alma mater by beginning their two-year term as chairs of the Parents Leadership Council (PLC). Learn more about the PLC at give.uga.edu/plc.

Chapter Spotlight

CHATTANOOGA ALUMNI CHAPTER

Chapter President: Brandon Blakeman BSEd ’04

Number of Local Alumni: 2,913

The Chattanooga Alumni Chapter is young and still growing, with new faces joining its leadership board each year. It hosts a variety of gatherings for local Bulldogs, such as welcoming new grads to the area, game-watching parties during football season, a Family Fun Day, and outings to watch Chattanooga FC and the Chattanooga Lookouts. This vibrant chapter offers activities to bring the Bulldog community together for fun and fellowship—no matter if they live on the Tennessee or Georgia side of the border (or are just in town for a visit)!

Find your chapter at alumni.uga.edu/chapters

2024 Alumni Award Honorees

class notes

Compiled by Navya Shukla, Caroline Kostuch,

ALUMNI PROFILE

Literary Dreams Realized

Aline of excited readers gathers at the inaugural Love Y’all book festival in Decatur.

They weave out of a conference room, through a lobby, past a stall of booksellers, and line the walls of a hallway. More than 100 people hold stacks of books, ready to get them signed.

At the end of the line is New York Times best-selling author Rebecca Ross AB ’12, marker in hand.

It’s a scenario Ross couldn’t have predicted when her debut novel, The Queen’s Rising, published in 2018. But now, six years and eight books later, it’s an opportunity she relishes.

“If I could go back and tell 2018 Rebecca, ‘This is where you’re going to be in 2024,’ it would have been hard for me to believe,” she says. “It’s really neat to see how I’ve changed and grown throughout the seasons and all of the books I have written.”

Ross majored in English at Gainesville State College (now the University of North Georgia), but she got tired of always being asked about what kind of job that might lead to. So when she transferred to UGA, she changed her major to nutrition and dietetics—something with a more obvious career path.

“I had this moment where I sat back and said, ‘Rebecca, what are you doing sitting in this organic chemistry class? It’s not how your mind works,’” says Ross.

It was time to return to her passion: writing. And when she arrived, Park Hall welcomed her with open arms.

“I walked into the building not very confident about myself because I had just had this really hard year,” Ross says. “But in the breezeway—and I’m sure this has been painted over—there was a hobbit

foot drawn on the wall that said ‘Frodo lives’ underneath it. As soon as I saw that, I knew I was with my people.”

Ross’ English coursework brought stories to life and helped her develop

her voice as a writer. To this day, she still has her annotated books from courses on Jane Austen and narrative structures of classics like The Woman in White, Frankenstein, and Jane Eyre

Cassidy Hettesheimer AB '24, and Ireland Hayes AB ’23

Rebecca Ross is known for her world building, which draws readers into her popular romance and fantasy novels.

dorothy kozlowski

1960-1964

Robert Millikan BSPH ’61 retired from his job as a pharmacist. Butch Miltiades BBA ’64 retired from his business, The Stagg Shoppe, after 50 years and lives on Skidaway Island.

1965-1969

Charles Cox BSF ’68 is owner and consulting forester at Cox Forestry.

Hamp Dowling BSF ’69 founded an indoor firearm range that is now 26 years old.

Phyllis Chastain BSEd ’69, EdS ’86 retired as a teacher and administrator after 33 years of service in public education.

1970-1974

Donna Day BS ’70 is a licensed physical therapist,

entrepreneur, and founder or co-founder of five businesses. She and her husband, Clint Day, are mentors in entrepreneurship at Terry College and the UGA Innovation District.

Ross has published eight fantasy novels, including her New York Times best-selling Divine Rivals duology. She has written novels for young adult and adult audiences alike, and her storytelling skills sharpen with each project.

In some ways, those voices are reflected in her novels.

Ross’ work immerses readers in new worlds, blending romance and fantasy with a lyrical writing style.

While she’s had a strong reader base since her 2018 debut, her 2023 novel, Divine Rivals, was a breakout book. It has lived on The New York Times Best-Seller List for almost 40 weeks, and its highly anticipated sequel, Ruthless Vows, debuted

Written by Erica Techo AB '15

at No. 1 in the young adult (YA) hardcover category.

“I started writing it at the end of 2020, and I just wanted it to be unapologetically romantic,” Ross says of the duology. “It was a book that found me at the right time, and it feels like it was a time when readers also needed it.”

With each book, Ross aims to learn. Sometimes that means trying a new narrative structure or weaving together

multiple points of view. Sometimes it means transitioning from YA books to an adult audience, like she did with A River Enchanted and A Fire Endless. In the end, it all boils down to reader experience.

“I want my readers to be swept away by the story if they’re looking for an escape. Sometimes it’s a new comfort read or a character that resonates with them,” she says. “I just want my readers to not feel alone.”

Rebecca Ross AB ’12

dorothy kozlowski

David Chatham BBA ’72 was inducted into the Hall of Fame of the Home Builders Association of Georgia.

Cheryl Gosa ABJ ’73 retired from her position as a commercial real estate broker for Keller Williams Realty Atlanta Midtown after 22 years. She is also an ordained Presbyterian minister.

Gary Klepak AB ’73 transformed his law practice in Columbus, GA, into a remote firm operating from Panama City Beach, FL. Harry Charbonneau BS ’73, MS ’78, PhD ’81 retired from his position as a biochemistry professor at Purdue University.

Sandra Almy AB ’73, JD ’02 retired last July after serving more than 17 years as a staff attorney at the Supreme Court of Georgia.

1975-1979

Dr. Brenda Manley BSA ’75, MS ’83, DVM ’86 is the statewide veterinary supervisor for the Georgia Department of Agriculture.

Philip Craig AB ’75, JD ’79 released his second book, Saving English

Richard Erwin Owens BLA ’76 earned a master’s degree in divinity from the Metro Atlanta Seminary in Johns Creek.

Will Harris BSA ’76 released his book, A Bold Return to Giving a Damn: One Farm, Six Generations, and the Future of Food, last October. He is the owner of White Oak Pastures, a ranch and farm in Bluffton. Stu Wittner BSEd ’77 released his book, A Win a Day: What I Learned from Basketball That Made Me a Sales Professional, in August 2023.

Karen Hoey McCrea BBA ’78 performed a stand-up comedy show in New York City at The Comic Strip. She is also a parttime actress and appeared in Spider-Man: Homecoming

Mike Orsino BSEd ’78 retired from his position as head arborist for the New York Zoological Society and New York Botanical Gardens.

Myra Model ABJ ’79 is a manager and producer at Myra Model Management, which she launched in 2010 after a successful career in production and creative story and script development.

1980-1984

Paul Klimp BBA ’80 is the former regional vice president of sales with US Express and owns Island Dog, a pet store on St. Simons Island.

YOUR CONFERENCE , OUR CAMP US

Angela DeLorme BSA ’81, JD ’84 is the owner of her namesake law firm, a licensed insurance agent, and vice president of the Fannin Co. Scholarship Foundation Board of Trustees.

Kathy Gamble BFA ’81 is a professional photographer in the greater New Orleans area working under her self-owned business, Kathy Gamble Art & Photography.

Ricky Puckett BS ’81 retired from his position as a computer systems architect and former distinguished member of technical staff at Bell Laboratories, AT&T, and OFS.

Debbie Clark BSEd ’83, MEd ’86 is a teacher at Johnson High School in Gainesville. She is the author of a soon-to-be-released children’s book,’Twas the Year of the World Series, and was selected as a semi-finalist for the National Teachers Hall of Fame.

Herbert Denmark Jr. AB ’83 published his book, Brush Harbor Free Haven Georgia City: The Story of Pastor Paul Peter, in 2019, his first of five self-published books.

Pam Morse BS ’83 is the department chair of mathematics, computer science, and statistics at Columbia Gorge Community College and is co-chair of the Oregon Computer Science Major Transfer Map Committee.

Located in the heart of the University of Georgia campus, the Georgia Center is the perfect place to dine, stay, learn, and meet.

Firm Leadership

Altera Investments recently placed first in the University of Georgia’s Bulldog 100, a ranking of fastestgrowing businesses owned or operated by UGA alumni. David Fershteyn BBA ’17 is co-founder and CEO, Carlos Alcala BBA ’17 is CFO, and Mitch Reiner BBA ’05 is a co-founder and board member.

Fershteyn and Alcala met during their sophomore year at UGA. Fershteyn first connected with Reiner his junior year of college through UGA’s Student Managed Investment Fund (SMIF), a club that teaches students to invest and manage a $3 million portfolio for the UGA Foundation. At the time, Reiner served as chairman of the board of SMIF.

After graduating, Fershteyn and Alcala went to opposite ends of the country. Alcala took a job at Goldman Sachs in New York, and Fershteyn went to work for Barclays in Silicon Valley. Reiner was leading Capital Investment Advisors, a large wealth management firm in Atlanta.

When Fershteyn decided to return to Atlanta, he knew he wanted to start an investment firm that focused on the lower middle market—a thesis that he had been interested in since college when he worked with a local investment bank helping private equity executives buy small businesses. Fershteyn met with Reiner, who at the time was looking for a private investment solution for his clients.

“Mitch very quickly realized the merits of the lower middle market investment thesis and stepped up as Altera’s first investor,” says Fershteyn. “The investors and capital that Mitch brought to Altera’s investment strategies was foundational to the business.”

Shortly after, Fershteyn began expanding his team and called his longtime friend Carlos Alcala to join the firm.

“I’d been wanting to do something more entrepreneurial,” says Alcala. “When David called, it seemed like a great opportunity.”

Altera’s success has come from investing in the lower middle market,

Written by Heather Skyler

which includes companies that have between $15 and $100 million in annual revenue. The company focuses on three asset classes: private equity, real estate, and private credit.

“We’re generally investing in smaller assets that are often overlooked by large, institutional investors,” says Fershteyn. “There are a lot of opportunities to invest in really interesting strategies in this part of the market.”

The idea was to bring those types of investment opportunities to investors who wanted exposure to the lower middle market, Fershteyn explains. Altera typically works with investors who are looking to allocate a meaningful portion of their net worth into alternative investments.

Altera’s investment team conducts extensive research to find compelling opportunities in the private markets.

“Hundreds of ultra-high-net worth individuals and family offices have invested in Altera’s flagship strategies and thematic investments,” says Fershteyn. “These investors work with us because we underwrite hundreds of opportunities across private equity, real estate, and private credit every year and select what we believe will produce the highest riskadjusted returns.”

Fershteyn and Alcala have now grown Altera to nearly half a billion dollars in investor commitments by staying focused on the lower middle market thesis. Reiner adds, “It has been great to see the success David, Carlos, and the rest of the Altera team have had in building Altera.”

Fershteyn attributes Altera’s rapid growth to having strong investor relationships, great investment ideas, and a talented team.

David Fershteyn BBA '17, Carlos Alcala BBA '17, and Mitch Reiner BBA '05

ALUMNI PROFILE

Carlos Alcala, David Fershteyn, and Mitch Reiner (from left to right) all play key roles with Altera Investments, this year's top business in the Bulldog 100. The firm, which focuses on the lower middle market, holds nearly half a billion dollars in investor commitments.

Wil Bosbyshell BFA ’83, MBA ’90 held his Climate Conversations interactive art exhibit in April, highlighting a variety of current climate challenges.

Rob Owen AB ’84, MA ’86 has been appointed as an attorney advisor in the Office of the Pardon Attorney of the United States Department of Justice.

1985-1989

Brenda Morris BSEH ’85 is the director of produce safety for the Association of Food and Drug Officials.

Jeff Payne BBA ’85, JD ’90 was appointed as a shareholder at the law firm Turner Padget.

Robin Perdue Geiger ABJ ’87 is the chief of marketing and communications at the Fairfax County Department of Transportation.

Les Simpson ABJ ’87 was elected in June to serve a two-year term on the city council in Amarillo, TX.

Dan Reuter BBA ’88 is executive director of Chattanooga-Hamilton County Regional Planning Agency and administrator of the Department of City Planning in Chattanooga, TN.

Dr. Loy Cowart BS ’88 was named the 2023 Family Physician of the Year by the Georgia Academy of Family Physicians. He is currently the chief medical officer of Candler County Hospital and the medical director of the Hearts and Hands Clinic at Statesboro.

1990-1994

Dr. Joseph Pressey BS ’91 is the director of the Musculoskeletal Tumor Center and co-director of the Young Adult Oncology Program at the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center in Ohio.

Kanita Watters BS ’91 is a program analyst III at Georgia Student Finance Commission.

Maureen Finneran Hetrick AB ’91, MEd ’03 was the 2022-23 teacher of the year at Holcomb Bridge Middle School in Fulton County and currently teaches sixth grade math.

Theresa Kahrmann BBA ’91 is now the federal compliance specialist at Lexington County School District One after 17 years as a behavior specialist assistant.

Trish Powell BSEd ’91 is a teacher in the Cherokee County School District.

Harry Dinham BBA ’92 joined The Signorelli Company as chief financial officer.

Todd Daughtry AB ’92 is partner and COO at C&C Containers and its subsidiary, MedState. He is also a Marine Corps veteran and previously operated We-Haul South delivery services.

Will Herman BBA ’92 is the new Atlanta and Birmingham managing partner at Deloitte, a multinational professional services network.

Jennifer Grout BSEd ’93 recently published Accidentally in Hate, the second book in her contemporary romance trilogy, in May.

Laura Petrides Wall BFA ’93 won the 2023 OZZIE Award for Design as creative director of WALTER magazine.

Cecilia Russo Turner BSFCS ’94 is owner and founder of Cecilia Russo Marketing, which recently awarded $15,000 in grants to three small businesses in Georgia.

1995-1999

Charlie Peeler BS ’95, JD ’99 was appointed office managing partner at Troutman Pepper in Atlanta.

Jim Exley BBA ’95, MS ’20, PhD ’21 and Patrick Doyle PhD ’21 are co-founders of Wealth Science Advisors and published the book, Money Happiness: Five Wealth Lessons with Professor Ocean, in November with UGA psychology professor, Keith Campbell.

Michael Diaz BSAE ’95, MS’ 98 was sworn in as a councilman for Brookhaven City Council District 1 in January.

James A. Ball AB ’96 joined the Norfolk Convention and Visitors Bureau as digital content manager for the VisitNorfolk website.

Tory Wozny AB ’97 is a partner and C-level executive coach at Spectacular at Work, a Chicago-based management consulting firm.

Gina Rosen BBA ’98 is vice president of the IT Project Management Office at S Phase in Atlanta.

Han Vance AB ’98 released his book, Georgia’s Long Road to Glory, last August.

Travis Fain ABJ ’98 started a communications consultancy in Raleigh, NC, after 25 years in journalism.

Bianca Watkins AB ’99 is an insurance agent and the owner of BB Watkins State Farm Agency in Lawrenceville.

2000-2004

Amber Hamilton BS ’00, AB ’00 has been appointed chief talent officer at Perkins & Will, an international architecture and design firm.

David Patrick AB ’00 is the chief acquisition executive at the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.

John Amos Ward III BSEd ’00 was appointed as the county manager for Walton County, GA.

Heather Moody Breeden AB ’01 joined Georgia First as director of advocacy and engagement.

Beth Friedrich AB ’02 joined Moore & Van Allen in Raleigh, NC, as the firm’s director of public affairs.

Dr. Sonbol Shahid-Salles BS ’02, AB ’02 is an emergency medicine physician at AdventHealth Redmond in Rome, GA. She is on the executive board of the Osteopathic Political Action Committee and a board member of the American Osteopathic Foundation, the Open Door Home, and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Northwest Georgia.

Turmel Kindred BBA ’02 was promoted to the rank of colonel in the U.S. Army.

Brennan Leathers ABJ ’03 is an enterprise IT architect for the Florida Department of Revenue in Tallahassee.

Jigisha Pardanani BBA ’03 is the senior director of privacy compliance at Ally Bank. She was also selected as one of the company’s LEADing the Way Award recipients for 2022.

OUR GEORGIA COMMITMENT

Jeanna PharmD ’00 and Travis Bryant BBA ’99 are supporting UGA students from Southwest Georgia.

For many University of Georgia alumni, leaving Athens closes one door but opens another. Travis BBA ’99 and Jeanna Bryant’s PharmD ’00 journey took them more than four hours away to Thomasville, but the distance did not lessen their love for campus. Instead, they deepened their connection to the university.

When Travis and Jeanna’s oldest son, Will, decided to follow in his parents’ footsteps as a Georgia Bulldog, they reengaged with UGA in new ways. Travis joined the UGA Alumni Association Board of Directors, and they both set their sights on strengthening their ties to the university.

“Once it became clear that he was going to be a future alumnus, it felt like it was a great way for us to stay connected in that way as well,” Travis says.

The Bryants’ involvement didn’t stop with volunteering their time; they wanted to foster a future at UGA for other young people from Southwest Georgia, specifically Thomas and Grady counties. They made the initial financial commitment to create the Southwest Georgia Alumni Scholarship Fund through the Georgia Commitment Scholarship Program and now are garnering additional support from other Bulldogs in the area.

“We felt this was a small way for us to give back and help ensure that others from similar backgrounds would have the opportunity to attend UGA like we did,” Travis says.

The couple also recognized

that they had each benefited from valuable financial assistance while attending UGA.

“We were part of the first class of students that benefited from the HOPE Scholarship, and without that, UGA may not have been accessible for us,” Jeanna says. “The financial challenges that exist for kids, particularly in the southern part of the state, are very much still there.”

Travis and Jeanna quickly learned that the opportunities are endless for alumni and parents to make a meaningful impact by finding an area

of need that meets their passions. Whether it’s creating a scholarship fund for students in rural Georgia, volunteering with an advisory group on campus, or serving as a mentor to students as part of the Mentor Program, the Bryants feel as close to UGA now as they did as students.

“We’re blessed to be a part of such a fantastic community in Athens,” Jeanna says. “Getting involved has allowed us to experience things through the eyes of our son and the scholarship recipients in a whole new way.”

There are many ways for alumni to help put students on a path to prosper, but the best way to get involved with UGA is the one that means the most to you. Learn more at give.uga.edu or alumni.uga.edu.

Travis and Jeanna Bryant, with their sons Will (left) and Sam. The Bryants support UGA by volunteering their time and by establishing a scholarship for future UGA students from Southwest Georgia.

CLASS NOTES

It Takes Two

Friendships forged on campus at the University of Georgia can be among the most meaningful in alumni’s lives.

For Emily Curl and Kevin Schatell, the friendship they began at UGA has been a calming, sustaining force as they navigate New York’s entertainment world—in front of and behind the camera.

“I think when you go into entertainment, it’s painted in a competitive light,” says Curl ABJ ’14, a digital host for iHeartRadio. “‘Scrap your way to the top,’ you know? And it’s so nice to have a confidant and a best friend in Kevin who works in the same industry.”

Schatell is a producer for NBC’s TODAY Show. They work about a block from one another in Manhattan and live in each other’s phones and Zoom rooms.

“Our wins are each other’s wins,” Curl

continues. “There’s no holding back. If we do something exciting, we share every detail. There is no diminishing the other’s light. It’s just pure, celebratory success for each other.”

They are finish-each-other’s-sentences kind of friends, and their bond has only gotten stronger in the 12 years since they met as tour guides for the UGA Visitors Center.

“There’s no one I can so ‘be myself’ around than Emily because she is that level of welcoming,” Schatell says. “Thoughtful, intentional, aware. No one has a higher emotional intelligence than Emily.”

Curl was two years ahead of Schatell ABJ ’16 at UGA, but they had an easy chemistry. They found out how well they gelled in exactly the place you might expect two aspiring broadcast professionals would: in front of the camera.

In 2013, they created an entertainmentbased talk show on YouTube much looser than the Grady Newsource material they did for class. For a studio, they set up in the Visitors Center at night after it closed (with the permission of Visitors Center director Eric Johnson ABJ ’86). All they had to do was put the furniture back where it was supposed to be for opening the next morning.

They are quick to credit Johnson’s mentorship and trust.

“Eric set up this environment that changed the way that I view working, and I didn’t realize it until later,” Curl says. “He was collaborative, inviting, and calm but not shy about giving feedback. I understand what a great relationship with a manager looks like because of Eric Johnson.”

PETER FREY

ALUMNI PROFILE

Best friends Emily Curl and Kevin Schatell met as tour guides at the UGA Visitors Center. They now navigate New York's broadcasting world together and serve as each other's most treasured cheerleaders and sounding boards.

'You have nothing to prove. Only to share.'

Schatell has adopted that quote as his mantra. It’s advice a friend gave him at a particularly anxious time during an internship in New York. While Schatell came out fine on the other side, it wasn’t always easy.

“Your worth is not in what other people think of you, and your worth is not getting that one job,” he says. “That, I think, is a little foolproof, evergreen piece of advice for anybody but students especially. Take a breath.”

Three months after graduating, Schatell moved to the city for good. He began his NBC career in the iconic Page Program, which included responsibilities like leading tours, something he was well qualified for.

He also assisted with managing the outdoor stage for the TODAY Show, and he kept that role when he was hired as an associate producer in 2017. Four years later, Schatell was promoted to producer at the show, where he is a driving force behind the venerable and immensely popular morning program.

“Kevin is one of the most respected people at the TODAY Show, but he would never say that,” Curl says. “Hoda Kotb, Savannah Guthrie, the biggest names at the network, want to work with him, and they compliment his work. He can chat with anyone.”

'It’s your girl, Emily Curl!'

Curl adopted her personal tagline with her first on-camera job at the digital media site Refinery29. She kept it when she moved to iHeartRadio in 2020 and continues to lead with it every time she grabs a mic.

“It’s funny that Emily works at iHeart because that is the No. 1 word to describe Emily: heart,” Schatell says. “It’s in the little moments. It’s in check-ins on how your family is doing or calling back to that thing you did that other day. But it’s also the big things.”

Written by Eric Rangus MA ’94

For instance, stars like pop singer/ songwriter Tate McRae and Grammywinner Lainey Wilson both specifically sought out Curl on red carpets—greeting her as “Your Girl.” Payback for Curl’s kindnesses when they were unknowns.

Curl moved to New York just a few months after graduating. When she interviewed with Refinery29, the company thought she was already living in the city. In truth, Curl had decamped to Atlanta. When she got the job with one week to prepare, she packed everything she could carry into two suitcases and crashed on a friend’s couch before getting her feet underneath her.

It’s that ability to improvise, work hard,

and think fast that serves her well as a celebrity interviewer.

“The biggest thing that I tell students is to get good at anything, you have to practice,” says Curl, who mentors students from UGA—often with Schatell—anytime she can. “There are so many tools available now, and it’s easy to consume media. But you need to find your voice.”

“The essence of what we both do is ask questions,” Schatell adds, not quite finishing Curl’s sentence but deftly playing off it. “Emily asks questions on camera, and I’m prepping our hosts. That work has made us more thoughtful, and it’s inspiring. And it’s made us even better friends.”

Emily Curl ABJ ’14 and Kevin Schatell ABJ ’16

Emily Curl and Kevin Schatell are inseparable. They were even named to UGA's 40 Under 40 list together in 2022.

Danielle McGivney AB ’04, ABJ ’04 was promoted to senior director of change management at KWI Communications in Atlanta.

Jonathan Dalrymple AB ’04 started a new position as chief executive officer at Chugach Alaska Corporation.

2005-2009

Joshua Waterston AB ’05 is an award-winning director, actor, fight choreographer, arts producer and administrator, and ensemble theater maker in the San Francisco Bay Area. He is a professor at Foothill College Theatre, staff at the Yat/Bentley Center, and digital technical director at The Theatre of Others.

Dustin Gibbons BSFR ’07 began a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree program in

Fall 2023 at the University of Tennessee.

Edward Gerety III AB ’07 earned his doctorate in business operations and marketing from Drexel University in Philadelphia.

Hannah Oldham BSEd ’07, AB ’07 won the 2023 Women in Technology Woman of the Year in STEAM Education award and was the Georgia winner of the National Center for Women & Information Technology Aspirations in Computing Educator Award for both 2022 and 2023.

Katherine Treppendahl AB ’07 opened the architecture and interiors firm Trade Architects in 2021 after a decade spent working at award-winning architecture firms throughout the country.

Patricia Nielson AB ’08 was recognized as Utah School Counselor of the Year for the 2023-24 school year.

John Sandlin BBA ’09, MAcc ’12 was promoted to tax director at the alternative investment firm Angelo Gordon in New York.

Kimberly Carter BS ’09 is a renewable project manager for Georgia Power.

Mary-Frances Morgan BBA ’09 and her husband, Michael, founded and opened Fitted Fairways Golf Studio in St. Simons Island in October 2023.

William Carter BS ’09 is a shift manager and senior reactor operator at Southern Nuclear for the Vogtle 1 & 2 plant.

2010-2014

Adam Kaufman BS ’10 is an internal revenue agent in the Tax-Exempt and Government Entities Division of the Internal Revenue Service.

Will Keyes BBA ’10, BS ’10, MA ’10, JD ’13 was promoted to deputy criminal chief for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Georgia. He is also a captain in the Army Reserves and recently qualified as a paratrooper.

Dr. Neil Linder BS ’11 is an attending hospitalist at Piedmont Hospital.

Dr. Allesyn Young BS ’12 is a pediatric anesthesiologist at Beverly Knight Olson Children’s Hospital in Macon.

Kate Klein BSEH ’12 is the city research scientist for a mental health crisis intervention program at the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.

Kaya Grace Porter AB ’13 is an associate at the Atlanta and Nashville offices of the law firm Jackson Lewis, with a focus on employment law.

Nekhil Patel AB ’13, BS ’15, BS ’15 is a first officer for United Airlines and completed a Master of Public Health at Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine.

Ian Little ABJ ’14 and Erica Lee BSFCS ’16 were married on Dec. 16, 2023.

2015-2020

Arthur Machado BS ’15 is a hydrogeologist based in Los Angeles at Woodard & Curran. He focuses on sustainable groundwater management throughout California.

William Treadwell AB ’15, AB ’16 is a helicopter pilot for the Atlanta Police Department and has been flying professionally since 2017.

The Red Nose Knows

When you can get Paul Rudd to stick a puffy red ball on the tip of his nose for your organization’s website, you’ve got some serious influence.

Of course, it’s not like Alison Moore reaches out in person to the army of celebrities, politicians, influencers, and everyday folks who celebrate the worldwide phenomenon of Red Nose Day each spring. But through the years, the effect of those red noses worn to support children and young people facing poverty has been remarkable.

“I think the red nose is a symbol that connotes something good,” says Moore AB ’92, CEO of Comic Relief US, the New York-based nonprofit behind Red Nose Day, which takes place this year on May 23.

“It evokes laughter,” she says. “It breaks down walls and barriers. It’s a shared experience. Our world needs laughter and community more than ever.”

Comic Relief US is the stateside headquarters of Comic Relief, the UKbased charity that created Red Nose Day as well as a number of other efforts aimed at combatting poverty in 1985. Since its launch in 2015, Comic Relief US has raised more than $436 million and positively impacted over 35 million children in the U.S. and around the world. Funds raised support programs that ensure children are safe, healthy, educated, and empowered.

At its core, Red Nose Day is an annual campaign, with one big day of promotion in May. The campaign lights up social media with red nose-wearing celebs and grassroots fundraising across all platforms (including a new digital red nose that offers multiple ways to give). It culminates with special Red Nose Day programming on NBC between May 21 and May 23.

Moore joined Comic Relief US in 2019, but her journey to that role began much earlier.

She studied political science at the University of Georgia just as the Cold War was ending, and literal and figurative

Written by Eric Rangus MA ’94

walls were falling around the world.

Moore credits her time at UGA, and specifically the influence of political science faculty members like Loch Johnson and Han Park, for giving her the tools to navigate the turbulent time.

“It really opened up my mind,” Moore says of her experience. “I developed a curiosity about how things work, where you pull your inspiration from, and how you analyze situations. That kind of education can be applied anywhere.”

After graduating, she began a distinguished career in marketing and branding that included stints at Turner Broadcasting, HBO, NBCUniversal, and Condé Nast. At Comic Relief US, Moore leads a professional staff of 32, plus additional consultant teams who help with campaign efforts.

“My role is to kind of open doors and facilitate movement so we can get the work done. I do what I can to build a

culture where we all feel good about what we’re doing,” she says. “I’m not interested in just doing a job just to do it. I have to find that satisfaction and inspiration at the same time.”

And that includes networking at the highest level. Moore has attended the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, for three years running. While there, she collaborates with some of the world’s largest foundations, such as The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and The Global Fund. In the U.S., she always puts Red Nose Day front and center whether across social platforms or at the Christmas tree lighting in Rockefeller Center. It is all part of the job.

“It’s a frenzy for us, but every piece of frenzy means something’s happening,” she says.

“I love it.”

Best known for its signature Red Nose Day campaign, Comic Relief US has raised $436 million to combat poverty. CEO Alison Moore leads the nonprofit. Sometimes with her nose.

Alison Moore AB ’92

ALUMNI PROFILE

Covering All the Bases

Nancy Elder used to sit around the kitchen table with her older brothers, talking about the latest sports news. Janey Murray grew up rowing competitively and tagging along to her brother’s baseball tournaments, eventually developing a love for the tales of “America’s pastime.”

Both women knew they wanted to be storytellers.

“From an early age, I started thinking about how writers shape the stories of these games,” Elder ABJ ’88 says. “I got more interested in who’s behind it.”

Now, Elder and Murray shape those stories for Major League Baseball’s New York Mets.

Since being appointed the Mets chief communications officer in 2022, Elder has overseen the franchise’s communications strategies and public affairs. Sometimes that means organizing press conferences for coaches and prepping players for interviews. Other times, it’s publicizing events at Citi Field, the Mets’ home park in Queens.

As a social media coordinator, Murray AB ’19 handles planning posts, covering games, and producing content like a recent behind-the-scenes video that gave fans a glimpse into the long days of the team’s clubhouse staff.

Elder and Murray often collaborate, like they did when the Mets launched the lifestyle-focused podcast Meet at the Apple, which showcases the lives of current and past players and staff members beyond simple stats.

“It was a fully integrated effort among comms, social, marketing, and the folks who host the podcast,” Elder says. “And we’ve seen that there’s a real appetite for getting a different side of what happens here. It’s an example of teams coming together, seeing where there’s a gap, coming up with something cool and then launching it in in a unique way.”

The reputation of the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication drew both the aspiring storytellers to UGA. While on campus, Elder served as president of the university’s Public Relations Student Society of America

Written by Cassidy Hettesheimer AB ’24

and worked with community clients while still in school. Murray completed the sports media certificate program and covered Georgia football and baseball for The Red & Black.

“Writing for The Red & Black was what really taught me how to write, how to interact with athletes, how to cover a game, and everything I still use today working in social media,” Murray says.

After college, Murray took several sports internships and worked for the National Baseball Hall of Fame before landing a full-time job with the Mets. Elder’s previous work included several high-level communications positions, ranging from MasterCard to JetBlue to Mattel.

“I’ve worked in so many different industries from airline to financial

services, and sports are such a unique space because of the level of passion that the fans have,” Elder said. “Baseball means a lot in their life, and it is a very special experience being part of that.”

Working in sports can entail long, odd hours, especially in a 162-game baseball season—plus spring training and, possibly, the postseason. But Murray and Elder recognize that each game is a chance to connect with others who are just as passionate about the Mets as they are.

“I love the number of people I get to interact with on a typical game day,” Murray says, “from the security guards to the players, to fans, to coaches, to coworkers to everyone in between.”

MARC LEVINE/NEW YORK METS

Nancy Elder (left) and Janey Murray serve as the chief communications officer and social media communicator, respectively, for the New York Mets.

Nancy Elder ABJ ’88 and Janey Murray AB ’19

ALUMNI PROFILE

Dr. Steven Salinas BS ’15 is completing anesthesiology residency and will begin as an attending anesthesiologist in Atlanta in August.

Ian Webb AB ’17, MA ’18 started a new position as director of institute strategic priority communications at the Georgia Institute of Technology.

Leighton Carlock AB ’17, AB ’17 is an associate attorney at Cranfill Sumner, with a focus in international law and business law.

John Petty BBA ’18 is the owner of Strategic Painting and Contracting in Athens.

Sam Wilburn MBA ’18 joined Gentry Law Firm in Marietta, GA, as an associate attorney. Advait Ramanan AB ’19 graduated from the University of Michigan Law School and started as an associate attorney at Gibson Dunn in San Francisco.

Brendan Abernathy AB ’19 is a singersongwriter signed to High Road Touring with multiple Spotify editorial placements and a debut LP releasing in 2024.

Joseph Holguin BBA ’19 is an associate attorney at Cranfill Sumner with a focus in civil litigation matters.

Luciana Diaz BBA ’19 recently joined Family Missions Company, where she will be commissioned as a full-time foreign missionary for two years.

Nate Byrd AB ’19 is a visual artist in Atlanta, showcasing his work in several galleries and online spaces.

Sloan Lewandoski AB ’19 is a marketing manager at Comcast with Xfinity residential services. She is also the president of the Colorado UGA Alumni Chapter.

Mac Willingham BS ’20 married Caroline Head AB ’21 after graduation.

Walker Smith BSEd ’20 is a sales representative at Griffin Lumber and Hardware in Milledgeville.

2021-2023

Buck Blalock BSA ’21 began a new job as a commercial loan officer with AgGeorgia Farm Credit in Perry, GA.

Jade Ledford BS ’21 graduated last July with a Master of Science in criminology from London Metropolitan University.

Jordan Elliott AB ’21, BS ’21 is an administrative assistant at the Spalding County District Attorney’s Office. She also signed a contract with Simon & Schuster after illustrating a book map for Lauren Roberts’ New York Times Best Seller Powerless

Serenity Moore BSFCS ’21 is founder and creative director at Planet Posh Media creative agency and is completing her Master of Science in marketing at Georgia State University.

Taylor Farmer BSEd ’21, MEd ’22 is teaching third grade in Gwinnett County.

Andi Cunard BSES ’22, MS ’23 started a new position as energy and sustainability program manager at RaceTrac in October 2023.

Christos Costarides BS ’22 is a project manager at CC Land Surveyors in Metro Atlanta and writes screenplays.

Maanasa Javangula AB ’22 is a medical student at the Medical College of Georgia.

Sid Amonchomchupong BSME ’22, MS ’23 started a new position as a mechanical engineer at the Northrop Grumman plant in Palmdale, CA.

The Pajama Game

When Cassandra Cannon was a new mother, she and her friend, Anne Read Lattimore, decided to start a pajama company.

Both women were spending a lot of time at home with their babies, and they wanted something to wear that was more comfortable but also a little nicer looking than the oversized T-shirts and boxer shorts they often wore around the house.

“All of the pajamas we saw were either the traditional, button down, boxy menswear style or lingerie inspired. We wanted something more comfortable and put together,” says Cannon BS ’08

Inspiration hit one day when the two women noticed their infants’ clothes were incredibly soft. “We saw that our babies wore mostly Pima cotton, and we realized it is the softest thing ever and we should make pajamas out of this for adults,” says Cannon.

Two years later, after extensive research, Lake Pajamas launched in 2014. The founders’ idea was to make very soft pajamas with a classic American style and a nautical look. Today, the company is thriving, with its headquarters in Savannah and storefronts in Atlanta and Charleston, South Carolina.

Born and raised in Savannah, Cannon attended the University of Georgia where she majored in biology and psychology, with a tentative plan to go to medical school.

But then she had second thoughts.

Back in Savannah she tried a few other options: an anesthesia assistant graduate program and a year of art classes at the Savannah College of Art and Design. Then she did clerical work for her parents’ industrial contracting business.

In her mid-20s, she decided to apply for medical school and was accepted at Mercer University.

At the same time, she began talking to Anne Read about starting a business. Being a new parent made her realize med school wasn’t the best option now. So, she took a leap of faith in her entrepreneurial skills and started a business with Lattimore.

In the beginning, Cannon and Lattimore didn’t really know how to

Written by Heather Skyler

make clothing. “It’s crazy looking back how we made it all happen. We searched online for suppliers, drawing the designs on paper. We were scrappy that way,” says Cannon.

Cannon provides the creative vision for Lake Pajamas, and Lattimore handles the business side, though during the first four years they each did a little bit of everything, working together from home with their kids running around them. Now they have an office in Savannah with close to 70 employees.

One key to the company’s success is being savvy on social media. “Instagram was fairly new when we started, and it allowed us to connect to an audience inexpensively,” Cannon says.

founded the company with a close friend when they were both new mothers and wanted lounging clothes with style.

Lake Pajamas has worked with a few influencers, and the company’s pajamas have been seen on celebrities including Jennifer Garner and Jenna Bush Hager.

Lake Pajamas has expanded its clothing line to include dresses, pajamas, men’s robes, and clothes for kids. Cannon, who is married to UGA alumnus Pierce Cannon BSFCS ’06, now has four kids under 10, and she said they wear the pajamas as do some of their friends.

Cannon says filling a specific niche was also a big part of the company’s success. “We had a product, and we knew our audience, and we were making it for them. It grew organically by word of mouth in a way we didn’t expect.”

Cassandra Cannon, photographed at the Savannah headquarters of Lake Pajamas, co-

Cassandra Cannon BS ’08

CATCHING THE VIBE

Georgia volleyball star Kacie Evans BSEd ’23, has advanced to the groundbreaking next level of her sport.

In December, Evans signed as a free agent with the Atlanta Vibe, one of seven franchises in the new Pro Volleyball Federation. A month later, Evans was among the players suited up for the federation’s inaugural match—a five-set win for the Vibe over the host Omaha Supernovas in front of 11,000 fans.

The last professional women’s pro volleyball league in the U.S. folded in the 1980s. So the Pro Volleyball Federation marks a huge step forward for the sport domestically. A half-dozen members of the U.S. gold medalwinning women’s volleyball team from Tokyo now suit up in the federation.

Evans, a 5-foot-11 outside hitter, is a threetime all-SEC performer and the 2019 SEC Freshman of the Year. She is Georgia’s alltime leader in sets played and a member of the 2,000 Point, 1,000 Kill, and 1,000 Dig Clubs. She also played in two NCAA tournaments.

Evans, the federation’s only Bulldog, is currently a graduate student at UGA pursuing a master’s degree in kinesiology.

Collin Hendley AB ’23, AB ’23 wrote and composed the original musical, Brighter Than the Sun, which he produced off-Broadway in New York alongside director Caroline Leggett AB ’23, AB ’23, co-producer Hannah Grace Laughlin AB ’23, and choreographer Emma Ruth Mathews AB ’20, BBA ’20, BBA ’20. Hendley also plays the leading role.

Joselin Ortuno BSME ’23 works at the NASA Johnson Space Center as a flight controller supporting ISS missions in Houston, TX.

Rajin Karpen BSBE ’23 started a new position as senior project engineer at Boehringer Ingelheim.

Shaely Cannon BSA ’23 will attend the Southern College of Optometry in Memphis, TN.

GRADNOTES

BUSINESS

DeWayne Ray MMR ’97 is vice president of account management at Burke.

Pramod Arora MBA ’00 has been appointed president and CEO of Wireless Maritime Services, a maritime cellular network provider with bases in Atlanta and Miami.

EDUCATION

Damon Eubanks MEd ’01 is a technical writer for Five Stones Research Corp. in Redstone Arsenal, AL.

Kimberly Osborne PhD ’06 was inducted into the International Adult and Continuing Education Hall of Fame in October.

Deidre Ann deLaughter MEd ’07 released her second book, A Rose in Little Five Points, last October.

Rebekah Adams MAT ’17 teaches English at Jefferson High School in Jackson County, GA.

Ayca Fackler MA ’18, PhD ’23 started a position as an assistant professor of science education at the University of Missouri.

Cameron Shuler MEd ’21 is a first-grade teacher at Greene County Primary School and was awarded Greene County School System 2023-24 District Teacher of the Year.

TONY WALSH/UGAAA

Bugging Out

Dragonflies are recognizable thanks to their glimmering, delicate wings and their long bodies. But Emma Grace Crumbley wants people to know that’s not the full story.

These insects start their lives underwater as vicious, alien-looking predators whose mouths gape open to capture prey. And as an entomologist, that unexpected element makes dragonflies Crumbley’s favorite.

“You look at an adult dragonfly, and it’s dainty and beautiful, but underwater it is a whole new world,” says Crumbley BSAB ’21, BSES ’21. “That’s always my fun fact. I try to hook people with that.”

Crumbley—also known online as Emma the Entomologist—is a scientific communicator with a passion for bug facts. And whether she’s sharing a recipe for cricket cookies or highlighting insect names with Star Wars origins (ever heard of Agathidium vaderi, AKA the Darth Vader beetle?), she is dedicated to making insect education accessible.

Crumbley was fascinated by the world around her from an early age. But she didn’t pay much attention to insects until her first entomology class at UGA.

“I grew up curious about public health

Written by Erica Techo BS '15

and diseases, so I thought it would be neat to learn more about the vector that spreads many of those diseases—insects— instead of just the diseases,” she says. “After taking that class, I wondered why more people weren’t learning about bugs and talking about bugs. It was all I could think about.”

She changed her major the following spring.

Crumbley became a zookeeper at UGA’s Insect Zoo, a home for dozens of insect species in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences and a hub for education and outreach.

She thrived sharing her knowledge. Now, Crumbley is a little less hands-on but continues to educate others through her role as Mosquito Squad’s subject matter expert and her personal TikTok.

She’s inspired by ’90s television scientist Bill Nye and educational YouTube and TikTok star Hank Green, and Crumbley hopes her blogs and videos make entomology approachable. While some of her work takes a fun spin on education—including a Mosquito Squad blog on insects and their love languages— she also discusses important updates on malaria transmission, pest control

tactics, and invasive species.

“My goal is to break down information and make it more digestible,” she says. “I could talk forever about bugs, so my hope is that people come away with some nuggets of knowledge. I want to spark fascination in the field.”

That’s why some of her favorite interactions come from her youngest audiences. Kids’ curiosity challenges Crumbley to think about her field in a new way and address questions that spark intriguing answers, including, “What does a chrysalis feel like?”

Crumbley is prepared to explain how chrysalises, the protective covering in which caterpillars transform into butterflies, are hard on the outside with a sort of caterpillar soup on the inside. But she can’t predict how kids might interpret that information.

“They’ll compare this information to things they see in real life, and someone asked if a chrysalis was like a Reese’s peanut butter cup because it’s hard on the outside and gooey on the inside,” she says. “For me, that was a ‘Yes! That is so cool’ moment. That’s my favorite question I’ve ever been asked.”

Emma Grace Crumbley BSAB ’21, BSES ’21

Insects do not phase Emma Grace Crumbley. Not at all. The entomologist and science educator loves sharing her knowledge about fascinating creatures that crawl and fly.

PUBLIC & INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

Ray Merrill MPA ’71 retired from more than 24 years of service in the Army, after which he worked at the Oak Ridge Nuclear Plant in Tennessee as the director of emergency preparedness and at General Motors before retiring.

SOCIAL WORK

Anne Layton MSW ’84 is a retired counselor who worked at Georgia Southern University, Advantage Behavioral Health Systems, and UGA.

LAW

James Ney JD ’67 was named the Furman University 2024 Gordon L. Blackwell Alumni Service Award recipient, recognizing his service to the university and the greater community.

VETERINARY MEDICINE

Ashley Beavis PhD ’21 moved to Boston after accepting the role of principal scientist of vaccines and virology at Sanofi, a global health care and pharmaceutical company.

AGRICULTURE & ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

James Wilkins MS ’67 retired from a job in banking and commercial insurance at Nationwide Insurance.

ARTS AND SCIENCES

Kang Sun MS ’83 is CEO of Amprius Technologies, which has been listed on the New York Stock Exchange. He is also the founder of two other companies in the renewable energy industry.

Carolyn Brooks MA ’08 was appointed to the board of trustees for The Rippel Foundation, which aims to improve public health and well-being.

KEEP UP WITH THE BULLDOG NATION

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Kira Epstein

Snyder Distinguished Professor in Large Animal Medicine and Surgery

DEPARTMENT HEAD, LARGE ANIMAL MEDICINE

When people think of large animal veterinarians, they might imagine The Incredible Dr. Pol or All Creatures Great and Small author Dr. James Herriot. Birthing calves, treating injured barnyard animals, and performing emergency procedures in the middle of a farm field during an average workday.

While that is part of the job description for many large animal veterinarians, Dr. Kira Epstein was drawn to different specialties: surgery and emergency and critical care, and large animal veterinary medicine in a large referral hospital setting.

“Veterinary medicine is advancing and improving all the time,” Epstein said. “We can now treat and manage many more conditions than we could before.”

In the world of veterinary medicine, owners ultimately make the call of what treatments to pursue for their animals. But it’s veterinarians like Epstein who provide owners with detailed options to help them make the right call.

What drew you to large animals?

I was focused on equine veterinary medicine from the beginning of my training because of a connection that I developed through years of working at barns and riding and showing horses. Horses are only one species that I see as a large animal veterinarian. They are, admittedly, my favorite, though.

I initially chose to specialize in surgery because of the answers you could find and the definitive nature of the treatment you could provide. With further training in surgery, I realized that I had a passion for gastrointestinal surgery related to colic, which is abdominal pain. I also realized I had a passion for colic cases, not just colic surgery, because they were challenging cases that needed intensive management before and after surgery. As a result, I pursued a second board certification in large animal emergency and critical care.

What is the most rewarding part of your job?

Helping animals and their owners is extremely rewarding. However, for me, I find clinical teaching of veterinary students, interns, and residents most rewarding. Not only am I helping the future of the profession, but it keeps me asking questions and looking for answers. I love that it helps me keep learning and growing professionally.

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

DOROTHY KOZLOWSKI

Your advice was so helpful!

The interview is scheduled for tomorrow.

Thanks so much for the connection.

THE MOMENT WHEN YOU SEE YOURSELF IN THEM.

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The UGA Mentor Program provides a convenient way for you to invest in a student’s future by connecting you with students no matter where you live and on your schedule.

Sign up to be a mentor at mentor.uga.edu