summer 2022 ALONG CAME A SPIDER Georgia’s newest arachnid resident may hang around awhile
georgia magazine | summer 2022 1 CONTENTS Meet the moot court teams from the UGA School of Law (& Order). Dun dun! p. 16 16FEATURE Law & Order . . . and Competition
Celebrate
Class Notes Meet an entrepreneur who has shepherded several successful businesses, a rising star Atlanta attorney, an innovator in the natural hair movement, and more.
News
ALONGASPIDER Georgia’s newest resident may hang dorothy kozlowski cover photo by dorothy kozlowski
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Bulldog
The Neuromusculoskeletal Health Laboratory is giving hope to families of children with cerebral palsy. Along Came a Spider Georgia’s newest arachnid resident may hang around awhile magazine of the university of georgia summer 2022
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Expect to see a lot of Joro spiders hanging around Georgia this fall. The invasive arachnid arrived in North America less than 10 years ago, but—with no natural predators—its numbers have grown exponentially. But is the Joro friend or foe? UGA faculty have some thoughts beginning on page 28. Learn more about what UGA research is doing for children with palsy.cerebralp.
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The President’s Pen President Jere W. Morehead discusses active learning at UGA. UGA to Z Highlights from across the UGA community. the Bulldog Beat the 25th anniversary of the Performing Arts Center. Bulletin for UGA alumni.
The School of Law’s Advocacy Program—powered by its award-winning moot court teams—gives students ample opportunities to suit up on campus and against peers around the country. Destination Possible UGA’s Destination Dawgs program provides an inclusive undergraduate experience for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Getting in the Game
Faculty Focus Get to know C. Rhett Jackson, John Porter Stevens Distinguished Professor of Water Resources, in the Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources.
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2 georgia magazine | summer 2022 Let Your Colors Burst
fireworks lit up the night sky above sanford stadium, Friday, May 13, as the UGA community celebrated the Class of 2022’s Commencement. A total of 7,603 students—6,054 undergraduates and 1,549 graduates—met the requirements to walk at the ceremony and a vast majority of them did exactly that, cheered on by thousands more friends and family members packing the stands. It’s a memory that will last a lifetime. And one that many newly minted alumni captured on their phones for sharing.
georgia magazine | summer 2022 3 chamberlain smith
VOLUME 101 ISSUE NO. 3 georgia magazine Editor · Eric Rangus MA ’94 Associate Editor · Aaron Hale MA ’16 Writers · Leigh Beeson MA ’17 and Hayley Major MA ’21 Art Director · Jackie Baxter Roberts Advertising Director · Kipp Mullis ABJ ’93 UGA Photographers · Peter Frey BFA ’94, Rick O’Quinn ABJ ’87, 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, and Alexandra Shimalla MA’19 Contributing Photgraphers · Tony Walsh AB ’19 Contributing Designer · Amanda Qubty BFA ’12 Editorial Interns · Ireland Hayes, Rachel Cooper, and Kendal Cano BSFCS ’22 marketing & communications Vice President · Kathy Pharr ABJ ’87, MPA ’05, EdD ’11 Associate Vice President Greg Trevor Executive Director for Integrated Marketing & Brand Strategy Michele Horn Senior Executive Director for Operations & Fiscal Affairs · Fran Burke 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 · Kelly Kerner 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 · Victor Wilson BSW ’82, MEd ’87 Interim VP for Government Relations · J. Griffin Doyle AB ’76, JD ’79 VP for Information Technology · Timothy M. Chester Change your mailing address by contacting e: records@uga.edu or ph: 888-268-5442 Find Georgia Magazine online Submitnews.uga.edu/georgia-magazineat Class Notes or story ideas to gmeditor@uga.edu advertise in Georgia Magazine by contacting Kipp Mullis at e: gmsales@uga.edu or ph: 706-542-9877 fine print Georgia Magazine (issn 1085-1042) is published quarterly for alumni and friends of UGA. postmaster | Send address changes to: University of Georgia 286 Oconee Street, Suite 200 North Athens, GA 30602 The University of Georgia does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, religion, color, national or ethnic origin, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, or military service in its administrations of educational policies, programs, or activities; its admissions policies; scholarship and loan programs; athletic or other University-administered programs; or employment. Inquiries or complaints should be directed to the Equal Opportunity Office 119 Holmes-Hunter Academic Building, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602. Telephone 706-542-7912 (V/TDD). Fax 706-542-2822. https:// eoo.uga.edu/ summer 2022 kozlowskidorothy
Jere W. PresidentMorehead
A Culture of Active Learning
Active learning’s emphasis on the student experience inside the classroom is an important complement to UGA’s experiential learning requirement, through which all undergraduates practice hands-on learning outside the classroom. By creating a vibrant culture of active learning across the undergraduate classroom experience, UGA will enhance students’ curiosity, initiative, reflection, and recognition of connections across learning environments.
georgia magazine | summer 2022 5
To build on this momentum, UGA made active learning the focus of our Quality Enhancement Plan, a significant part of our 10-year reaffirmation of accreditation by SACSCOC. Over the next five years, the university will dedicate $6 million to instructor development programming that promotes active learning practices in the classroom, initiatives that support students as active learners, and additional classroom renovations that make learning spaces more flexible. By addressing multiple facets of active learning—faculty, students, and physical spaces— simultaneously, the University of Georgia will weave together three distinct threads to create an exciting new standard in undergraduate education.
“Active learning is the next innovation we are implementing to ensure that UGA students are equipped to succeed on campus and graduation.”after Enhancing the student experience inside the classroom
Within a culture of active learning, learning is understood as the construction of knowledge rather than its absorption, and instructors guide students to construct knowledge while actively reflecting upon the process of learning. In practice, this can include in-class problem solving, group work, individual writing and reflection, or a number of other strategies. Active learning helps students acquire, retain, and apply course content and helps them develop higher-order intellectual skills associated with lifelong learning and long-term success.
Active learning practices are not new to UGA. Based on recommendations from the 2017 Presidential Task Force on Student Learning and Success, UGA created the Active Learning Summer Institute, which has helped nearly 80 faculty members redesign courses that enroll almost 40,000 students. The university also has spent $2 million to date on classroom renovations to support active learning.
THE PRESIDENT’S PEN
The University of Georgia has a strong history of student learning enhancements that have made us a national leader in undergraduate education, from the First-Year Odyssey Seminar and Double Dawgs programs to the groundbreaking experiential learning initiative. Active learning is the next innovation we are implementing to ensure that UGA students are equipped to succeed on campus and after graduation.
The World Champion Atlanta Braves capped their first homestand of the new baseball season with a salute to another local titleholder: the 2022 College Football National Champion Georgia Bulldogs. The Braves dubbed their April 13 game against the Washington Nationals “Champions Day” and invited several Bulldogs of note to share in the festivities. Jordan Davis (left) threw out the first pitch, former head coach Vince Dooley (right) gave the traditional call to “play ball,” and Hairy Dawg and Blooper led the stands in the traditional Georgia Bulldogs cheer.
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UGA Zto Highlights from across the UGA community tony walsh/uga athletics
But that wasn’t all. The BravesVision board in center field featured a pregame hype video narrated by former UGA quarterback DJ Shockley BS ’05 and a video greeting from Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart BBA ’98 . The Who’s Baba O’Riley blasted out of the stadium’s speakers, making the whole affair feel like a Saturday in Athens.
STATE OF CHAMPIONS Braves Celebrate Bulldogs
“This latest economic impact study provides further evidence that the University of Georgia is vital to our state’s prosperity,” says President Jere W. Morehead JD ’80. “Our faculty, staff, students, and alumni create opportunities across Georgia that strengthen our economy and our future, delivering a significant return on public investment.”
THANK YOU
Georgia Giving Day, on March 31, brought in more than 9,300 gifts totaling more than $5.3 million.
Online ProgramsGraduateRankNationally
graphic by lindsay bland robinson
8 georgia magazine | summer 2022 SERVING THE STATE UGA’s ImpactEconomicReaches$7.4B
DISTANCE LEARNING
Inaugural Giving Day Nets More than $5M
UGA
The university’s original goal was 1,785 gifts, but overwhelming support pushed the campaign past that figure, then a second goal of 3,318, and even a third goal of 6,000. Gifts went to each of UGA’s 18 schools and colleges. Donors came from 50 states and 16 countries.
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The University of Georgia’s online graduate programs moved up to the No. 3 spot among all public and private institutions in the U.S. News & World Report’s most recent ranking of best online programs. A couple of key programs also made the list. The online Master of Business and Technology program in the Terry College of Business ranked third in the nation. Operating at the intersection of business management and information technology, the program is designed for working professionals who seek to lead teams that build technology-based solutions. The program boasts a 100% employment rate for its graduates. The Mary Frances Early College of Education’s online master’s program in instructional design and development ranked fifth in the nation. The college also ranked seventh in the nation for online special education and ninth for curriculum and instruction.
In fulfilling its three-part mission of teaching, research, and service, UGA generated a record $7.4 billion annual economic impact on the state of Georgia during the 2020-21 academic year. That’s according to a study conducted by UGA economist Michael Adjemian. The study assesses economic activity based on the university’s work in: • Educating for Georgia’s future, including the expected earnings of graduates.
graphic courtesy of the division of alumni relations S
• Serving Georgia’s 159 counties through the UGA Cooperative Extension and the university’s eight Public Service and Outreach units.
• Sparking discovery and innovation through federal research grants and contracts, as well as new products and startups.
The University of Georgia’s first 24-hour fundraising campaign was a rousing success, smashing goals almost by the hour and raising millions of dollars to support UGA’s priorities from research to scholarships to student support.
Some donors did even more than donate. UGA alumni chapters across the U.S. organized events for Georgia Giving Day that encouraged attendees to make gifts while participating in a variety of activities. Events from St. Louis to Dallas to Savannah to Boston saw Bulldogs giving back while bowling, brunching, wine tasting, and more. Students also played a notable role in the day’s success through the annual Senior Signature campaign. The campaign allows graduating students to have their names included on a plaque in Tate Plaza with a $30 gift supporting UGA and the school, college, or unit of their choice. More than 3,000 seniors donated to Senior Signature, setting a new 31-year record. to Zto
georgia magazine | summer 2022 9 UGA to Z
Georgia Museum of Art June 2022, 2023
African American Artists In 2012, Larry and Brenda Thompson gave 100 works of art by African American artists to the Georgia Museum of Art. In addition, the Thompsons endowed a curatorial position to steward this collection to help fulfill the museum’s vision of an inclusive canon of American art. This new exhibition, “Decade of Tradition: Highlights from the Larry D. and Brenda A. Thompson Collection,” includes works from the 2011 traveling exhibition “Tradition Redefined.” It also adds subsequent works added in recent years that have not been on view in other galleries. These works celebrate the expansion of the museum’s permanent collection through this transformative gift of works by African American artists. The exhibition is curated by Shawnya L. Harris, Larry D. and Brenda A. Thompson Curator of African American and African Diasporic Art.
The Connected Resilient Communities (CRC) program will enable counties and municipalities in Georgia to create sustainable change that enhances the state and increases economic opportunity and well-being by leveraging university resources. Partnering with UGA faculty and students, selected communities will develop resiliency plans by engaging community residents, analyzing local data, and completing three projects. Upon completion of the projects, communities will receive the CRC designation.InApril, UGA announced Thomson-McDuffie County as the first Connected Resilient Community. The projects Thomson-McDuffie submitted were: succession planning and leadership development, tourism asset development, and infrastructure improvement.UGAPresident Jere W. Morehead JD ’80 announced the program in his 2022 State of the University Address. The program is facilitated by the Archway Partnership, a UGA Public Service and Outreach unit.
through July 3,
11,
SMALL TOWN SUCCESS New UGA Program to Increase ResilienceCommunity
A new University of Georgia initiative will help communities throughout the state address local challenges and prepare for future success.
driskell special Thomson-McDuffie County, a current partner community of UGA’s Archway Partnership, has been named the first Connected Resilient Community. Masks, a 1988 painting by the African American artist David Driskell, is one of the works on display as part of the new GMOA exhibition “Decade of Tradition.”
NEW EXHIBITION GMOA TransformativeFeatures
“Decade of Tradition: Highlights from the Larry D. and Brenda A. Thompson Collection”
• Tejas Reddy’s focus on coastal ecosystems earned him a 2022 Udall Scholarship. A third-year Honors student from Rome, Georgia, Reddy is majoring in ecology in the Odum School of Ecology and biology in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences. The University of Georgia undergraduate is one of 55 students across the nation recognized for leadership, public service, and commitment to issues related to the environment. UGA’s major scholarships office, housed in the Jere W. Morehead Honors College, provides students across campus with assistance as they apply for national, high-level scholarships.
SIMPLY THE BEST Bulldogs Earn Prestigious Scholarships
josephsinnott
10 georgia magazine | summer 2022 UGA to Z
In spring, several UGA students were recognized on the national and international stage with prestigious academic honors for their academic achievements on campus and beyond.
• Elise Karinshak is among 417 undergraduates across the nation to be recognized as 2022 Barry Goldwater Scholars. This is the highest undergraduate award of its type for the fields of mathematics, engineering, and the natural sciences. Karinshak, from Lawrenceville, is a third-year Foundation Fellow majoring in data science in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences and marketing in the Terry College of Business.
A gene that causes bacteria to be resistant to one of the world’s most important antibiotics has been detected in sewer water in Georgia.
Troubling Gene Discovered in Georgia Water
The presence of the MCR-9 gene is a major concern for public health because it causes antimicrobial resistance, a problem that the World Health Organization has declared “one of the top 10 global public health threats facing humanity.”LedbyIssmat Kassem, assistant professor in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, a team of researchers from UGA’s Center for Food Safety collected sewage water from an urban setting in Georgia to test for the MCR gene in naturally present bacteria. They were surprised to find evidence of the gene in their first sample, a sign that the gene is becoming established in the U.S. The researchers say the threat from this gene requires immediate action on the part of many industries including research, health care, and government to work together toward a solution. “If we don’t tackle it right now, we are jeopardizing human and animal medicine as we know it and that can have huge repercussions on health and the economy,” Kassem says.
SOMETHING IN THE WATER
From left: Claire Bunn, Scholar.Reddy,Scholar;BarryKarinshak,Scholar;CambridgeGatesEliseGoldwaterandTejasUdall
andrew davis tucker stephanie schupska stephanie schupska
• Claire Bunn BS ’22 of Marion, Arkansas, was one of 23 Americans selected for the 2022 class of Gates Cambridge Scholars. The scholarship fully funds postgraduate study and research in any subject at the University of Cambridge in England. The scholarship, which recognizes intellectually outstanding postgraduate students with a capacity for leadership and a commitment to improving the lives of others, was established by a gift from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Bunn graduated in May with a degree in genetics.
New Award Recognizes Alumni Social Justice Efforts
FOLLOWING THE FOOTSTEPS
Recipients of the Footsteps Award are honored for their significant positive impact in human rights, race relations, or education in their communities.
When Charlayne Hunter-Gault ABJ ’63 and Hamilton Holmes BS ’63 enrolled as UGA’s first Black students in 1961, they paved the way for generations to follow in their footsteps, as did Mary Frances Early MMEd ’62 , EdS ’67, UGA’s first Black graduate. In February, Eugenia Harvey ABJ ’82 was named the recipient of the inaugural Footsteps Award, which recognizes alumni who honor the legacy of Hunter-Gault, Holmes, and Early through exemplary social justice work. Harvey serves as the chief diversity, equity, and inclusion officer and is part of the senior leadership team for The WNET Group, home of America’s flagship PBS station. She also oversees The WNET Group’s Community Engagement team and is an award-winning producer for several programs covering social justice, environment awareness, and other topics.
From left: Elliot B. Karp, CEO, Hillels of Georgia; Renay Blumenthal, Vice President, Marcus Foundation; Stacey Fisher, Chair, Hillels of Georgia Board of Directors; Billy Bauman, Secretary, Hillels of Georgia Board of Directors; and Michael Coles, Chair, UGA Hillel Center Capital Campaign use ceremonial sledgehammers to smash a wall at the symbolic groundbreaking for the new UGA Hillel Center.
UGA Hillel recently launched an $8 million capital campaign to build a new Hillel Center for the more than 1,500 Jewish students on campus. With the help of the Marcus Foundation, UGA Hillel purchased the site of the former Baxter Street Bookstore across from the Freshman Residential Quad. The new UGA Hillel Center will serve as a Jewish “home away from home,” allowing students to gather, celebrate, and find community within the larger UGA and Athens communities. Plans for the center boast 10,000 square feet of state-ofthe-art space, including a kosher kitchen and bistro snack bar, as well as ample room for Shabbat dinners, holiday celebrations, and socializing. UGA Hillel is the second-largest Jewish student community in the state, and so far the capital campaign for the UGA Hillel expansion project has raised $6.4 million. That early success added to the celebration as ground was broken on the project on April 24. “Hillel has helped me realize that I’m proud of my culture, that there’s no reason to remain quiet about my Judaism,” says UGA sophomore Ashley Goldberg. “I am free to express myself and share that piece of me with others. The new Hillel Center will be a physical manifestation of my Jewish pride.”
HOME AWAY FROM HOME UGA Hillel to Build New Jewish Student Center
WORD IS BOND Americans Believe in Defending U.S. Allies
Inset: UGA President Jere W. Morehead speaks at the groundbreaking ceremony.
The ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine has sparked discussions about U.S. involvement in the conflict as American troops have been deployed to NATO countries that border Russia and Ukraine, but have not been directly involved in theAfighting.recentUGA study suggests this approach aligns with publicAccordingopinion.to the study, Americans are more supportive of military action in foreign countries when the U.S. has existing defense treaties with those nations. The U.S. doesn’t have such an arrangement with Ukraine, so it would be harder to drum up support for military action to defend the country. The reason for this support, it seems, is both moral and pragmatic.“Itturns out that when you remind the public of a prior alliance commitment, the public thinks that we’re morally bound to live up to our word,” Jeffrey Berejikian (left), author of the study and a Josiah Meigs Distinguished Teaching Professor in the School of Public and International Affairs. “The other reason for supporting military action was a more practical concern: If the U.S. makes a promise and then breaks it, our reputation will be damaged.”
robertnewcomb
georgia magazine | summer 2022 11 andrew davis tucker getty images UGA to Z
The findings may help researchers better understand and predict how plant species adapt over time. “If we had better knowledge of the extent and timing of pollen selection, it would help us better predict how plant species adapt to changing environments,” says Brad Nelms, lead author of the study and assistant professor of plant biology in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences. “We might even be able to use pollen selection to speed up crop breeding, selecting for more heat-tolerant crops, for example.”
getty images
UGA research on pollen made the cover of Science magazine in January. Just a few weeks later, those magazines were covered in the yellow stuff.
Coyotes Among Metro Atlanta Newest Residents
Squirrels, birds, and raccoons have all adapted to living in urban spaces. So have coyotes. A new study led by researchers at the Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources aims to shed light on how coyotes adapt to places like metro Atlanta. The goal of the three-year project is to track coyote movement and combine that data with other reports of human-wildlife interactions and human demographics to paint a fuller picture of how wildlife can adapt to human environments.
Ye Juliet Chu, a horticulture scientist in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, has produced three breeding lines that show resistance to some of the biggest threats to peanut production. UGA’s continued research in this area aims to assist Georgia peanut farmers, who produce half the peanuts grown in the U.S. each year.
The project launched in January when Summer Fink, a doctoral student and the study’s lead researcher, set out humane traps in locations inside the Perimeter in Atlanta. When a coyote is caught, Fink and a research assistant place a GPS-enabled collar on the animal to track its movements. Researchers hope this information will offer new insights into the number and distribution of coyotes, when they are in certain places, and what they are doing there.
Modern peanut varieties weren’t built to defend against some of the plant’s more devastating diseases, such as leaf spot and tomato spotted wilt virus. But peanut relatives that grow wild in South America are virtually immune to some of the diseases that can devastate the crop. UGA scientists are looking at these relatives to pinpoint disease-fighting genes that would make peanut crops naturally resistant, eliminating the need for chemicals used to prevent infections.
AH-CHOO!
12 georgia magazine | summer 2022 ages
Researchers Discover When Pollen Comes of Age
UGA to Z andrew davis tucker
SUPER GENIUS
NUTS! Peanut Researchers Create Disease-Resistant Hybrids
It cakes our cars in yellow powder every spring and taunts allergy sufferers for months on end, but pollen is more than just plant seed. New research from the University of Georgia has determined when pollen comes of age and begins expressing its own genome, a major life cycle transition in Inplants.the study, featured on the cover of Science, researchers found that each grain of pollen is actually its own multicellular organism. Pollen expresses its own genome and is genetically distinct from its parent plant. That means pollen grains from a single flower can have different traits and characteristics, like how you might be different from your siblings. When pollen grains compete to fertilize an egg, only those with the most successful traits will survive to pass on their genetic information to the next generation, preventing harmful mutations from carrying on.
Rodriguez (right) interviewed Latinos and Hispanics across Georgia who have lived here most of their lives, asking them, “What does it mean to be Latino? What does it mean to be Southern?”
georgia magazine | summer 2022 13 LANGUAGE AND IDENTITY
Exploring the Crossroads of Language in the South
What does it mean to be Latino in the South? Shannon Rodriguez hopes to shed some light on that question through the lens of language. Rodriguez PhD ’22, who earned her doctorate in linguistics at the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences this year, studies a dialect of English spoken by Latinos born in Georgia. It’s a particular blend of Southern drawl, clipped Latino vowels, and a more general American accent. Speakers pull features from each to emphasize different parts of their identities.
She wanted to know if a subject identifies more strongly with where they live, the Latino community, or a unique personal combination. Rodriguez presented her findings to the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia in January and won runner-up for UGA’s Three-Minute Thesis Competition. The big “There’stakeaway?nooneway to sound American or even Southern or Latino,” she says. “Southern Latinos are not a monolith and do not all sound the same. Within their ethnicity, they identify very differently, so variations of their ethnolect sound different. And there’s beauty in that diversity.”
peter frey
UGA to Z 2021 NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP COMMEMORATIVE ISSUES OWN A PIECE OF BULLDOG HISTORY Celebrate UGA’s national title with Georgia Magazine! You will receive the issue of your choice as a thank you for a gift of at least $10 to support UGA. | alumni.uga.edu/gamag Collect yours today!
BULLDOGS GIVE
“Whether it was GA-316, US-441, I-20, a string of backroads, or a flight to Atlanta, every Bulldog’s road to Athens leaves an indelible mark as the path to one of the best places on Earth,” says Meredith Gurley Johnson BSFCS ’00, MEd ’16, executive director of the UGA Alumni Association. “We want to connect to that memory and use alumni passion to build new roads for new students from all over.”
• Last fall, the Austin Chapter gathered over 200 Bulldogs every Saturday for its football game-watching parties, and hundreds of local alumni donated to the chapter’s scholarship throughout the championship season.
• Nashville Bulldogs established a scholarship fund in 2019, and thanks in part to the challenge, the Nashville Chapter has since raised $45,000. The chapter is on track to see its first scholar named this fall.
• Despite being the smallest participating chapter with just 567 UGA alumni in its area, the St. Louis Chapter has already raised over $25,000 and fully endowed its scholarship, which will be awarded this fall. Read more about this chapter in the Bulldog Bulletin (p. 38).
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• Dawgs from Georgia’s Golden Isles region—St. Simons Island, Jekyll Island, Sea Island, and Brunswick—raised $10,000 in less than a year thanks to significant individual gifts and successful fundraising events.
• The Dallas-Fort Worth Chapter raised $40,000 in 2021 and will award its first scholarship this fall.
Help a student from your area realize their UGA dreams by donating to one of these chapter scholarships or to the general UGA Alumni Chapters Scholarship Fund.
• University fundraisers work with alumni and supporters in the chapter area to secure at least $15,000 in seed gifts to get the ball rolling.
ALUMNI.UGA.EDU/ROADTOATHENSBACK
The UGA Alumni Association and UGA Foundation saw an opportunity to address this issue while also engaging alumni chapters. So, they created a plan.
• Once each chapter meets a donor goal relative to its size, the UGA Foundation adds $10,000 to the chapter’s scholarship fund, at which point the fund meets the university’s endowment minimum and the scholarship can be awarded in “UGA’sperpetuity.academic reputation and its steady growth year after year are no secret to Georgians or Bulldogs, but as that reputation grows, so too does interest from students across the nation,” says Neal J. Quirk Sr. BBA ’82, JD ’87, chairman of the UGA Foundation Board of Trustees. “We owe it to those students to do everything we can to help them make their way to Athens, where they can enjoy the same transformational experiences we did.”
• The Houston Chapter, which awarded its first scholarship in 2020, has now reached $50,000 in total donations.
The challenge began in July 2021 and stemmed from a desire to provide prospective students with additional aid in pursuing their educational goals in Athens.
While a few chapters had previously raised money for similar scholarships, support for and interest in these fundraising campaigns soared with the challenge.
• UGA staff help chapter leaders identify ways to continue the momentum by encouraging local alumni to become donors.
The University of Georgia’s 80-plus alumni chapters gather Bulldogs around the world to cheer for the red and black, volunteer in their communities, and revel in some Classic City camaraderie. And now, several chapters are opening new paths to Athens for students from their Throughcities.theRoad to Athens Challenge, participating alumni chapters (see graphic at right) are raising money to create scholarship funds that will help students from their areas afford an education at UGA.
This fall, the San Diego Chapter hosted a silent auction that raised $14,855 for its scholarship fund. The chapter raised an additional $740 during the SEC Championship game by encouraging attendees to donate while cheering on the Dawgs or, as they put it, “give back while barking.” The first chapter to establish a scholarship fund for a local student, the Tampa Chapter set the stage for the Road to Athens Challenge. With nearly $65,000 raised since 2017, the chapter awarded its first scholarship in 2018 to Lindsey Marie Gabler, pictured above with Hairy Dawg, and is now supporting a second student from the Tampa area.
Over 3,000 Atlanta-area alumni raised more than $12,000 for their chapter’s scholarship fund while they watched the Atlanta Braves win their fourth-consecutive NL East title as part of the chapter’s annual UGA Day at the Braves. The chapter’s next trip to Truist Park is on Aug. 30, and registration is open at braves.com/uga.
GOLDEN ISLES
As of March, chapters participating in the Road to Athens Challenge raised more than $385,000 for student scholarships. All 10 are expected to reach their endowment goals by the challenge’s conclusion on June 30. “This scholarship has eased the financial burden on my family,” says Lindsey Marie Gabler BBA ’22, AB ’22, an anthropology and marketing double major from Tampa who was the first recipient of the Tampa Chapter’s scholarship. “Without it, I don’t know if I would have been able to go to UGA and get these amazing experiences. I am filled with gratitude for this chapter.”
The Charlotte Chapter awarded its first scholarship in 2020. Thanks in part to the Road to Athens Challenge, Charlotte-area alumni have given nearly $100,000 in just three years, and their fund is on track to award a second scholarship this fall.
ATLANTA HOUSTONATHENSTAMPA SANCHARLOTTEDIEGOAUSTIN DALLAS-FT. WORTH ST.NASHVILLELOUIS
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BULLDOGS PAVING THE WAY
16 georgia magazine | summer 2022 law&order...andcompetition
At the University of Georgia School of Law, moot court is serious business. And business is going very well. Third-year law students (from left to right) Taylor Lear, Haley Kairab, and Navroz Tharani, made the Final Four at the most recent Na tional Moot Court Competition, which brought together teams from some 120 law schools from around the country.
“This is as close as a law student can get to playing sports. Everything you do in high school sports, you do in moot court,” says third-year law student Haley Kairab. She and her teammates, Navroz Tharani and Taylor Lear AB ’16, ABJ ’16, made the Final Four at the most recent National Moot Court Competition, which brought together teams from some 120 law schools around the country. “You get yelled at by your coaches. You face teams that have practiced differently than you have,” she continues. “You feel adrenaline, and you feel Welcomeexhaustion.”toMootCourt. The School of Law’s Advocacy Program gives students ample opportunities to prove themselves on campus and against peers around the country. written by eric rangus ma ’94 photos by andrew davis tucker
georgia magazine | summer 2022 17
Not every Georgia Bulldog wears red and black when they step on the court. Or into the court, as it were.
Sometimes, it’s a dark jacket and dress shoes. But those buttoned-up threads don’t make these Bulldogs any less competitive. That’s the uniform of the students who compete in the School of Law’s Moot Court program.
It’s “It'scompetitive.agoodproblem to have, but it’s very difficult to pare it down to 24 when 100 students try out,” says Kellie Casey AB ’87, JD ’90, UGA’s director of advocacy and coach of the Moot Court and Mock Trial teams since 2000. As a law student, Casey competed in Moot Court during her second and third years, winning several oralist titles along the way.
Learn more about the Kellie R. Casey Scholarship Fund. GIVE.UGA.EDU/CASEY
“What makes my job easier here is that the students at UGA are so bright and hardworking. We have faculty who care, and many of the second-year students stay to coach in their third year. There is a lot of institutional knowledge that rolls Preparingover.”for a moot court competition typically lasts six weeks. After all competing teams receive their cases, each team has a few weeks to write briefs arguing each side of the case. Those can count as much as 40% of the finalNext,score.teams prepare oral arguments, again exploring both sides of the case before finally delivering their closing arguments to the judges. Competitors are scored on their ability to answer questions and persuade, as well as their knowledge of the case and the law.
kellie casey, director of advocacy and coach of the moot court and mock trial teams the verdict is in The School of Law sent two teams of second-year students to April’s Intrastate Moot Court Competition. The trio of Nick Lewis, Kiyah Bussie, and Claire Kimbrell (foreground, from left to right) won the championship. The team of Alex Balser, Christian Sullivan, and Destiny Barnett (background, from left to right) made it to the semifinals.
Just two dozen spots are available each year on UGA’s Moot Court teams.
“I wanted to sharpen my public speaking skills,” say Kiyah Bussie, a member of the state championship team. “I wanted to get that confidence about standing up in front of a group.”
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Moot Court competitions simulate an appellate court proceeding where student competitors aim to sway the verdict of judges as if they were arguing before them in the Supreme Court. Mock Trial, which is also part of UGA’s Advocacy Program, is a simulated jury trial with a prosecution and a defense.
“What makes my job easier here is that the students at UGA are so bright and hardworking. We have faculty who care, and many of the second-year students stay to coach in their third year. There is a lot of institutional knowledge that rolls over.”
The School of Law's advocacy program, of which Moot Court is a central part, dates back 90 years. Early on, most moot court competitions pitted UGA law students against each other. The idea of intercollegiate competitions took hold in the 1950s. Since the 1960s, UGA Moot Court teams have won a world championship, 30 national titles, and nearly 90 regional ones. The trophies claimed by Bulldog Moot Court competitors in just the last 20 years don’t even fit in the two trophy cases at the back of the Hatton Lovejoy Courtroom in Hirsch Hall. A table next to the judge’s bench is covered with them, and a few more spill into the room next door.
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From left to right: In January, second-year law students Rachel Byers, Molly Laughlin, and Lindsay Adams won the National Online Moot Court Competition. It was UGA’s second consecutive title in the event.
UGA’s most recent national championship— from this past January—spoke not only to the students’ skills but also the pandemic world in which they have been competing. Second-year law students Molly Laughlin, Rachel Byers AB ’20, and Lindsey Adams AB ’20 won UGA’s second consecutive title in the National Online Moot Court Competition. A great deal of the trio’s law school experience has been virtual, so online competition didn’t represent a huge jump, but there were still skills to be “Welearned.hadto teach ourselves to look at the judges and not our notes,” Byers says, noting that reading directly from pages—something many online competitors do—is an easy way to lose points. “Usually, you can read the judges' reactions, too, but online you really don’t have thatAsability.”competitions leave Zoom and return in person, the students are adjusting. “I try to be the most prepared person in the room,” Laughlin says. In addition to competing with the team that won the National Online Moot Court competition, she competes with the School of Law’s Mock Trial teams. “Whatever happens, it’s fine,” she continues. “You can respond to things in the moment. That’s what the judges see, and that’s how UGA wins.” For many School of Law grads, the moot court experience was foundational to their career as attorneys. And they continue to be involved. They serve as mentors or even judges. In some cases, they give back to the university directly in honor of the faculty who inspired them. For example, in 2019, three of Casey’s former advocacy students, Kevin Epps JD ’08, Jeffrey DeLoach JD ’03, and Adam Hoipkemier JD ’08, created the Kellie Casey Scholarship Fund through their Athens law firm. The fund supports one annual scholarship for a law student with an interest in advocacy. “I’ve never been so shocked in my life,” Casey says. “It really is the greatest honor.” After mentoring hundreds of law students and winning multiple national championships, her former students were delighted to recognize her. The program is also a source of pride for the School of Law at large. “Advocacy at the University of Georgia enjoys a great tradition of excellence thanks to the dedicated students and great directors like Kellie Casey and, at one time, President Jere Morehead,” says Dean Peter “Bo” Rutledge. From 1986 to 1995, Morehead JD ’80 served as the program’s advisor and annually judges the finals of the first-year competition, when the Morehead Best Oralist Award is presented to the winner. “Against that tradition, the School of Law is proud to celebrate those students and the incredible successes that they posted this year,” Rutledge continues. “Great advocacy training helps to produce great lawyers, and it helps to fuel our vision to be the nation’s best return on investment in legal education.” case history jury award GM
written by alexandra shimalla ma ’19
peter frey Emily White never thought she’d attend college, much less graduate. But that’s exactly what she did on Friday, May 13. White was one of the thousands of newly minted UGA grads to walk across the stage at Commencement. White is a member of the Destination Dawgs program, which provides individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities with an inclusive undergraduate experience. Sitting to White’s right and lending support is academic development program director Lisa Ulmer.
“The program is awesome, and the staff are great. They help me get to where I need to be, to grow independently, and to reach the goals I have set and created for myself while in Destination Dawgs.” emily white, destination dawgs class of 2022
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“Access to higher education is one of the biggest barriers to youth who are classified into special education in primary school,” says Carol Britton Laws, director of Destination Dawgs and an associate clinical professor of disability studies. Inspired by the university’s Student Government Association, Destination Dawgs launched in spring 2017. Based in UGA’s Institute on Human Development and Disability, 19 students have graduated from the program since its “Gaininginception.knowledge, skills, and independence is important to all youth who are transitioning from high school into adult life,” Laws says. “Students with intellectual disabilities should have that opportunity as
andindividualsundergraduateprogramUGA’sPossibleDestinationDawgsprovidesaninclusiveexperienceforwithintellectualdevelopmentaldisabilities.
Emily White never thought she’d attend college, much less use it as a springboard for starting a career. It’s not uncommon for students with intellectual or developmental disabilities to expect their educational experiences to end after high school. That’s what UGA’s Destination Dawgs aims to change.
Destinationwell.”
The “dignity of risk” means safe, supported exposure to new things. For example, many students in the program have never ridden a bus on their own before. As part of Destination Dawgs, they gain a sense of independence through a safety net of support.
The Dignity of Risk
“Destination Dawgs gives those with disabilities a choice about their future,” says Lisa Ulmer PhD ’08, the academic development program director. “If students want to continue to grow and learn but they’ve aged out of the public school system, they can come to UGA and have the opportunity alongside ageappropriate peers in college.
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“The biggest barrier for our students is that most of them haven’t experienced a lot of independence. Our goal is to let our students experience the dignity of risk.”
There are similar programs at other universities in Georgia, but Destination Dawgs stands out in how students integrate into campus. In other programs, students enroll in courses separately. In Destination Dawgs, students take classes with other UGA students and, like UGA’s Experiential Learning program, are required to complete an internship.
For White, a 2020 cohort member, Destination Dawgs helped her discover her passion for marketing and communication. Coming from a family of UGA alumni, White was thrilled to experience college life for herself. “I really wanted to go to college to focus on my career. I wanted to explore different areas to find my area of interest,” says White, who plans to apply for jobs after graduating this spring.
White was heavily involved in the UGA community during her time in the program. She delivered speeches to groups around campus, participated in the Student Government Association, served as the vice president of advocacy for the nonprofit Extra Special People, and joined the newly established Students for Disabilities Advocacy club. This spring, White began an internship in event coordination at Bethlehem Church, near her hometown of Winder. And she’s grateful for how Destination Dawgs staff and volunteers helped empower her. “They help me get to where I need to be, to grow independently, and to reach the goals I have set and created for myself while in Destination Dawgs,” she says.
Top: Emily White and "Bethlehem Buddies" director Nan Britt meet to discuss upcoming event planning at Bethlehem Church, near Winder. White interned at the church as part of the Destination Dawgs curriculum.
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Joining Dawg Nation
Above: As the director of academic development, Lisa Ulmer runs the day-today operations of the Destination Dawgs program. dorothy kozlowski dorothy kozlowski
Students begin the program with foundational courses, such as Learning to Learn, Health and Wellness, and Introduction to Personal Finance. They also complete a battery of personality tests and career quizzes to pinpoint their passions.Intheir second year, students work with staff and their support systems to determine which classes and potential internships can help them meet their goals. One student was interested in outdoor recreation and wildlife management, so his final semester included a course in park management and an internship at a local park. Others have worked with Athens businesses, nonprofits, and even within UGA, with the ultimate goal of finding jobs afterDestinationgraduation.Dawgs leave the program with a transcript full of continuing education credits from the Georgia Center for Continuing Education.
Another unique facet of Destination Dawgs is that the program’s peer mentors are volunteers. Student volunteers work flexible hours, and the program has anywhere from 35 to 45 volunteers a semester. Ulmer explained that individuals with disabilities often have enough paid support in their lives, so having a fellow peer or friend who volunteers their time creates a more balanced relationship.
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“The desire to be a meaningful part of society is inherent in all of us, so programs like Destination Dawgs give students a chance to be part of the university community and for others to recognize them as part of that community,” Ulmer says. “This program gives students with disabilities a choice about their future.”
Winning Over Campus and the Community Emily White, left, enjoys lunch with other students and peer mentors at the Tate Student Center. All of the program's peer mentors are volunteers, and between 35 and 45 take part each semester. GM dorothy kozlowski
“It happens all the time. By the end of the semester, professors or instructors will be playing pickup ball with our students at Ramsey or they’ll eat together,” Ulmer says. After the program’s first semester, the team received an anonymous letter that made Ulmer proud to be part of an inclusive campus. “The letter said we had cheerleaders on campus that we didn’t know about. ‘Thank you for changing the lives of those with disabilities and making the university a better place for all.”
To date, students have attended classes in 12 UGA schools and colleges taught by more than 100 UGA instructors. It’s not uncommon for Ulmer and her team to get emails from professors at the end of the semester, explaining how grateful they were to have a Destination Dawg in their class.
Learn more about the Destination Dawgs program at FCS.UGA.EDU/IHDD/DESTINATION-DAWGS
Noah’s first word was “ball.” As a toddler, he could sit through an entire Washington Nationals game, and he started playing T-ball as soon as he was old enough.Noah’s condition doesn’t prevent him from running the bases, but it does affect his everyday life. “He straddles both worlds,” Cindy says. “He looks and acts like a neurotypical kid, but he has to work very hard to participate in activities that most kids do without thinking.”
It’s like something out of the movies. Noah steps into the room, suited up in black athletic wear. Starting at his feet and moving up to his neck, two graduate assistants take turns sticking small, reflective markers on him—about 50 in total. They reinforce the markers with tape and attach six larger, blinking sensors to each leg. One person wraps the sensors in black felt while the other ties a thick band around Noah’s forehead.
The work of an innovative research lab at UGA is giving hope to families of children with cerebral palsy. written by hayley major ma ’21
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Noah was diagnosed at 2 years old. Now 9, he’s taking part in a UGA study to test the effectiveness of a new treatment that, if successful, could help him and other children with more severe forms of CP.
GAME
When they step away, Noah* rolls back his shoulders and shakes out his arms. He looks ready to take on a Camerassupervillain.aroundthe room record the movement of the markers as Noah walks, jumps, and stretches. A computer translates the data into a figure of yellow lines and blue dots, matching Noah step-for-step. Hollywood uses this technology to capture realistic human movement for CGI characters and monsters on the big screen (think the apes in Planet of the Apes or Gollum from The Lord of the Rings). But in the Neuromusculoskeletal Health Lab at the University of Georgia, this data may help improve lives. *Names have been changed to protect privacy.
From left to right: Research coordinator Sydni Whitten and graduate research assistants Simin Rahman and Shelley Jakiel place motion sensors on a child.
Getting in the
Noah was born with cerebral palsy (CP), which affects his muscles and coordination. His right leg is more rigid than his left, and his right hand is weaker. But you might not know it just by looking at him. His CP is mild, which means he can do things like play baseball, his favorite sport. “He’s an athlete at heart,” says his mother, Cindy.*
dorothy kozlowski
Researchers collect data to assess their movement, muscle strength, dexterity, balance, and other measures during sessions that last up to two days. But the study’s primary focus is an alternative treatment: whole-body vibration therapy. “There are preliminary studies suggesting that vibration has a positive effect on muscles and on balance,” Modlesky says. “The focus of this study is to look at a mild vibration intervention and determine if it can improve muscle size and quality and if it can improve balance, ultimately increasing the child’s participation in physical activity.” Participants stand on a small, square platform that looks like a scale. When activated, it emits almost imperceptible vibrations that travel from the feet to the head. Electromyography sensors track muscle responses as participants bend, jump, and balance, recording changes over time. Living with Cerebral Palsy dorothy kozlowski peterfrey
26 georgia magazine | summer 2022 CP results from an injury or malformation in the brain before, during, or shortly after birth. “Because it occurs so early, the impact is dramatic,” says Christopher Modlesky MA ’95, PhD ’02 (right), the Georgia Athletic Association Professor of Kinesiology in the Mary Frances Early College of Education and the study’s lead investigator. CP affects muscle quality, bone health, and motor skills. Roughly 75% of children with the condition experience spasticity, or muscle stiffness, making it difficult to move. It can also cause uncontrollable movements or loss of balance and coordination. Many children, like Noah, experience a combination of these effects. Treatment options vary as much as the condition does, and the costs add up. Botox injections may help temporarily relax overactive muscles, and surgery can correct posture and misaligned joints. Physical therapy can also help, but more research is needed, Modlesky says. “There are not nearly enough people who could recognize CP and recognize it early enough where children can get the support they need,” he says. “And for those who get support, we don’t know enough about what the most effective treatment strategies are.”
The clinical trial is taking steps to change that. Forty-four children like Noah, aged 5 to 11, visit the lab five times over a year.
Researchers capture live motion data from sensors attached to a participant. They will superimpose a figure onto the data points to continute their analysis.
The study results could make alternative therapies like whole-body vibration more accessible and affordable. In the meantime, the lab is helping families learn more about how CP affects their children’s daily lives. For Owais Khan, a graduate research assistant in the lab, that’s one of the most important aspects of the study. “We’re giving them more information about their child’s body capacities and abilities while letting them explore a therapy that does not require the sort of financial input that traditional occupational or physical therapy does.”
Originally from Mumbai, India, Khan is a trained pediatric physical therapist. He enrolled as a graduate student at UGA in 2019 to work under Modlesky. The multidisciplinary nature of the lab lets him and other graduate students explore different research areas, from biomechanics to neuroimaging. The facilities and technology within the lab are unmatched, he says. “We’re using so many different tools to learn about CP from different perspectives; the opportunities are endless. All that’s required is a willingness to put in the work, a desire to work with children, and the initiative to take the first step,” Khan says. Every student in the lab—seven graduate assistants and six undergraduate volunteers—supports a piece of the study, from writing data analysis programs to conducting tests. They, along with two staff members, dedicate their weekends to working with the children and families in the clinical trial. Khan found his niche in upper limb rehabilitation. He works with the research participants to measure handeye coordination. They use game-like scenarios to make the tasks relevant and fun, like catching a ball, pouring from a cup, or hitting a moving target, ultimately determining if the vibration intervention improves performance over time.
“Almost universally, all the children I’ve worked with have a sort of innate grit,” he says. “I admire their resilience, and I hope to learn from that in whatever little way I can.”
dorothykozlowski
Breaking it Down dorothy kozlowski
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Research assistant and doctoral student Owais Khan shows a child the result of a body image scan. A child's hand is adjusted for scanning in a DEXA machine, which measures bone density through non-invasive scanning.
This is Noah’s second visit to the lab. He will return twice in the summer and again next January for his final session. The family travels from out of state to take part, but for his mom, the distance is more than worth it. “Typical medical doctors have been pretty dismissive because his case is mild, and he doesn’t deal with the common medical complications that come with CP,” she says. “Having the people at UGA as a resource and knowing they are working to improve the lives of kids like [Noah] gives us so much hope. They understand at a scientific level what is going on in his body and have helped explain it to me when no one else has.”
The study, made possible through an NIH grant, is 20 years in the making.AfterModlesky earned his doctorate in exercise science from UGA in 2002, he joined the University of Delaware, where he helped develop new approaches for working with children with CP. “If you have an injury to the brain, depending on how it happened, it can affect other areas. It can impact your behavior and sensitivities, cause education delays,” Modlesky says. Last year, Noah’s parents discovered that he struggled with reading. Testing revealed that he may have“Asdyslexia.amom,you’re always wondering, is the CP causing this, and how else is it manifesting?” Cindy says. “We have to do additional digging to figure out what is going on in his brain.” In 2017, Modlesky returned to his alma mater as a faculty member to continue pursuing his work through an endowed professorship. The clinical trial employs child-friendly practices he helped develop over the years, including special MRI techniques.“Tomake small steps in our research takes a lot of effort, thought, attention to details, and persistence,” Modlesky says. Living with cerebral palsy takes that too. But Noah isn’t fazed. When he leaves the lab, he’s headed to try out for his school’s travel baseball team. And he’s ready to hit it out of the park.
Beyond Mobility Learn about all of the Early College of Education labs at COE.UGA.EDU/RESEARCH/LABS GM dorothy kozlowski Sometimes special guests drop by the lab.
The Ramsey Student Center may be known for its Olympic-sized pool and three floors of exercise space, but take a right at the main entrance, and you’ll find the Department of Kinesiology, home to dozens of research labs. For the vibration study, the Neuromusculoskeletal Health Lab works in conjunction with two others:
• The Brain and Action Lab – directed by Deborah Barany, an assistant professor of kinesiology. The lab explores goal-directed movement (like pointing or grabbing an object) in people with neurological diseases or injuries.
COLLABORATION IS KEY
• The Cognition and Dexterity Lab –directed by Jing Xu, an assistant professor of kinesiology. The lab helps patients with neuromuscular injuries regain motor skill functions.
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“When we do research with the community, it isn’t a one-way street,” McCully says. “We should be giving back, and the best way for me to do that is through this wellness class.”
From left: Students Jade Wester and Annalisa Finamore help Ricky Durden with movement exercises. Durden is a participant in the Moving Towards a Better Life Program.
The class is currently open to adults, but McCully and Modlesky hope to expand it to younger participants.Seetheclass in action @MovingTowardABetterLife on Facebook.
Kinesiology professor Kevin McCully leads Moving Toward a Better Life, which advocates for disability awareness and community wellness.
BUILDING A COMMUNITY
McCully, a professor of kinesiology, directs the Mary Frances Early College of Education’s NonInvasive Exercise Physiology Lab, where he studies muscles in people with spinal cord injuries or other central nervous system illnesses.
Families are more than research participants— they’re part of the university community. That’s what led Kevin McCully to start a communitycentered wellness class in 2012.
The class offers customized exercise plans for people with disabilities by pairing participants with kinesiology students. Students gain experience working with real people, and participants get oneon-one support to help them lead healthier lives.
georgia magazine | summer 2022 29 peter frey peter frey
30 georgia magazine | summer 2022 along came a spider Hello. Just thought I'd hang around a while. written by leigh beeson ma ’17
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dorothy
Joro spiders are polarizing figures. If you live in Georgia, you’ve likely seen the massive-but-harmless spiders hanging between power lines or from the eaves of your house, their golden webs glistening in the sunlight. While some find them a fascinating effect of globalization, others don’t care how they got here. They just want them gone. But don’t grab the flamethrower just yet. kozlowski
The East Asian Joro spider, officially known as Trichonephila clavata, likely arrived in the U.S. on a shipping container around 2013. The species is native to Japan, Korea, Taiwan, and China. Female Joros have bright yellow and blue-black markings with red underbellies. They can grow up to 3 inches across when their legs are fully extended, which is similar in size to the common banana spider.
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Often, you’ll see one or more smaller, brownish-red spiders hanging in the same web as a female. Those are male Joros. They float into the female’s golden web, riding the breeze on a strand of silk, says Byron Freeman, director of the Georgia Museum of Natural History and faculty in the Odum School of Ecology. That silk is stronger and, some think, stickier than your average garden spider.
If those dates are successful, the female Joro lays as many as 1,000 eggs before dying in late fall. The spiderlings overwinter as eggs and hatch in the spring, when they use their silk to float to new locations, a common spider behavior known as ballooning.Jorosare typically rather timid and are more likely to run away from you than try to bite. Even if they try, most of them have fangs that are too small to puncture human skin, according to Andy Davis, an assistant research scientist in the School of Ecology who studies the spiders. andy davis what is a joro spider?
carlymirabile
Joro spiders' golden webs glisten in the sun light.
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The dewdrop spider, a species that steals its food from other spiders, appears to be one fan of its new neighbors. The spiders have been seen hanging around in Joro webs, hoping to pilfer their next meal. kozlowski do joro spiders pose a threat to local environments?
gettyimages
The Joro spider is one of few species that eats stink bugs.
dorothy
Data is derived from iNaturalist website. Map shows user-contributed sightings of the Joro spider in the southeast United States. when they’re done taking over georgia, where will joro spiders go next?
34 georgia magazine | summer 2022
Potentially the entire Eastern Seaboard. Davis partnered with undergraduate researcher Benjamin Frick to track Joro sightings and test the spider’s biological functions for a paper published in February. The scientists found that the species has a high metabolism, high heart rate, and a high ability to withstand the cold. That suggests Joros can likely exist beyond the borders of the Southeast. Plus, the East Coast lies at similar latitudes to the spider’s native Japan, another indication that the species could spread. “The potential for these spiders to be spread through people’s movements is very high,” Frick says. “Anecdotally, right before we published this study, we got a report from a grad student at UGA who had accidentally transported one to Oklahoma.”
Nothing, really. Davis and Frick suggest we learn to live with the new species because it is not going away any time soon.
EDDMapS is one of many center-developed apps and websites that enables citizen-scientists to contribute to the mapping and tracking of non-native species.
What won’t help is spraying pesticides and squishing spiders right and left. Sure, you’ll kill individual spiders, but they’ll just be replaced with new ones. “Spraying too many pesticides for something that may not even be a problem is going to impact other species and is not the answer,” Bargeron says. “It goes back to the fact that people are scared of spiders, so they kill the spider when they see it. Pesticides just aren’t an appropriate way of dealing with these spiders.”Suchresistance is futile anyway. There’s really no stopping the Joros—with pesticides, a shoe, or a blowtorch. The spiders are here now, and they’re making the best of their situation. “Humans are at the root of their invasion,” Frick says. “Don’t blame the Joro spider.” GM carly mirabile
Learn more about the UGA Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health at BUGWOOD.ORG
“We’ve been encouraging people who see a Joro spider to take a picture of it and report it through EDDMapS,” he continues. “That helps us keep track of the species’ spread over time.”
One thing people can do is report sightings to help researchers track the species’ spread. “The best thing we can do with the introduction of a new, non-native species is to catch it in the early stages,” says Chuck Bargeron, director of the Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health. A UGA Cooperative Extension and Outreach Center, the center is jointly housed in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences and the Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources.
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what can we do about the joro spider? Joro spiders rarely bite, and even if they try, most have fangs that are too small to break the skin.
The PAC is located in the university’s Performing and Visual Arts Complex on East Campus, which is also home to the Georgia Museum of Art and the Lamar Dodd School of Art. The complex came to be after thenuniversity president Charles Knapp recognized a need for improved fine arts facilities. His vision of developing a “cultural fabric” at UGA led to the contruction of the PAC.
GM Top: The UGA Symphony Orchestra took the stage in 2008 for one of its many concerts at the Performing Arts Center.
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ON THE BULLDOG BEAT
The week of festivities kicked off with a gala performance by Tony Awardwinning soprano Audra McDonald. Other events included an Arts Chat about the various pieces displayed in the center and performances by the UGA and Atlanta Symphony Orchestras.
The celebrations this year mirror the events of the opening week at the center, which took place in April 1996.
The PAC may be 25 years old, but its core values and mission haven’t aged— presenting world-class artists to the UGA and Athens communities and providing a space for students to immerse themselves in the arts. “I think it's critical at a major university to expose our students, faculty, and community to all types of performing arts events,” says Jeffrey Martin, the director of the PAC. “We need people to have positive arts experiences so that they can go into their community, wherever they go, and participate in and support the arts.” anniversary song
Left: The Performing Arts Center, which opened in 1996, would not have come to fruition without the efforts of (from left to right) Dan Hodgson, Betty Edge, Frances Hodgson, Lynne Knapp, President Charles Knapp, and Robert Edge.
specialtuckerdavisandrew written by ireland hayes
This year saw a return to in-person performances, following a year-and-ahalf of virtual-only programming due to COVID-19. This year also marked the 25th anniversary of the PAC, commemorated in April with a week-long celebration.
R egarded as one of the best concert halls in the state, the University of Georgia Performing Arts Center (PAC) has hosted thousands of world-class performers over the last quarter century.
georgia magazine | summer 2022 37 1995 “I think it's critical at a major university to expose our students, faculty, and community to all types of performing arts events.” jeffrey martin, director of the performing arts center 2001 2021 Left, Audra McDonald, Tony Award-winning soprano, and right, the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra perform at the 25th anniversary of the Performation Arts Center.specialspecial special dorothy kozlowski special
38 georgia magazine | summer 2022 THE NATION Chapter Spotlight ST. LOUIS AREA CHAPTER Chapter Board Members: Dessi Zaneva BBA ’06 Heather Kinney AB ’07 Seela Jacobs AB ’08 Number of Alumni in the Area: 581 The St. Louis Chapter connects UGA alumni “from Arch to Arch” and ensures local Bulldogs never bark alone. The chapter hosts monthly volunteer, social, and philanthropic events that are open to all St. Louis-area residents and visitors. The chapter recently endowed its first scholarship fund to help support a local student’s journey to enroll at the University of Georgia. You can learn more about supporting their efforts on page 15 or by visiting alumni.uga.edu/scholarship Find your chapter @ alumni.uga.edu/chapters Don’t Miss Out! BULLDOG 100 NOMINATION DEADLINE July 31 is the deadline to nominate a Bulldog-owned or -led business for the 2023 Bulldog 100. alumni.uga.edu/b100 WELCOME TO THE CITY August | Cities around the world Each fall, UGA alumni chapters host events to welcome new Bulldogs to the area and introduce them to each other and fellow local alumni. alumni.uga.edu/welcome-to-the-city UGA DAY AT ATLANTA UNITED August 6 | Mercedes-Benz Stadium Join fellow Bulldogs to cheer for the Atlanta United against the Seattle Sounders at 3 p.m. UGA DAY AT THE BRAVES August 30 | Truist Park Join the Atlanta Alumni Chapter to cheer on the World Series Champion Braves against the Colorado Rockies. Ticket packages include a co-branded stadium seat and a $4 gift to the Atlanta Chapter Scholarship Fund. braves.com/uga See these events and more @ alumni.uga.edu/calendar
georgia magazine | summer 2022 39 Stay Connected! Check out what's going on for alumni and update your email or mailing address with UGA. Missing out on Alumni News? SHOW YOUR UGA PRIDE with a state decal We get it. Sometimes you receive too many emails. If you opted out of UGA Alumni emails months or years ago, you might wonder why you missed out on an event, a profile of a former classmate, free career resources, and more. If you’d like to welcome alumni news back into your inbox, visit alumni.uga.edu/reconnect and we’ll take care of the rest! Purchase an exclusive, state-specific UGA decal to show your Bulldog pride no matter where you live. Each decal includes a $5 gift to UGA to support the university’s greatest needs. alumni.uga.edu/statedecals YEAR-ROUND, WORLDWIDE, AND LIFELONG. Alumni Trivia Test your Bulldog knowledge of alumni events and programs. Answers below—but no peeking! How much does it cost to join the UGA Alumni Association? A. $5 per month B. $100 per year C. Nothing, it’s free! D. $50 per year Answers:C.Nothing,it’sfree!AllalumnicantakeadvantageofAlumniAssociationprogrammingandevents.;C.NYC /NJ;D.Forever!Visitcareer.uga.edu/alumniformoreinformation. Which metro area outside of Georgia is home to the largest number of UGA alumni? A. Nashville B. Metro Jacksonville C. New York City / New Jersey D. D.C. / Maryland / Virginia How long after graduation can you use UGA Career Center resources? A. 1 year B. 5 years C. 10 years D. Forever
That’s His Story Compiled by Ireland Hayes, Rachel Cooper, and Kendal Cano BSFCS ’22 notes Management. Finance. Strategic think ing.AspiringVision.entrepreneurs can obsess over what skills might yield their startups’ successes.ForMarc Gorlin, the founder and CEO of Roadie who was recently named a 2021 Entre preneur of the Year by Ernst & Young, his most valuable ability has always been storytelling. It’s where everything starts. “If you can’t get people to believe and come along with you, then you don’t have anything but yourself and a silly idea,” says Gorlin ABJ ’95 Gorlin’s success story has brought along plenty of believers. The journalism graduate has appeared on UGA’s Bulldog 100 list of fastest-growing alum ni-led businesses seven times. He earned the No. 1 spot in 2015 with Kabbage, which he cofounded in 2009. And in all five of his startups, Gorlin has perfected his elevator pitch with simplicity, practicality, and a helping of South ernHere’swit. how he explains Roadie, a crowd sourced delivery platform that tapped into a need so obvious it’s stunning that no one else thought of it first. “There’s this unbelievable natural resource: all of us who go everywhere—250 million pas senger vehicles hit the road every day with almost 4 billion cubic feet of excess capacity,” he“Sosays.what would happen if you could put some of that wasted space to use? That’s more vehi cles than UPS, FedEx, the Post Office, and all the couriers you could slap together combined.
“That’s how we created Roadie, which matches up big businesses, small businesses, special
40 georgia magazine | summer 2022
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When the pandemic hit, “when everybody wanted everything delivered,” as Gorlin puts it, Roadie was well suited to respond to the breakdown of supply chains. The growth was remarkable.Ontheheels of that success, UPS acquired the company in 2021; and Gorlin still gets to run it as an independent operation.
For this next chapter in Roadie’s narra tive, Gorlin himself couldn’t have scripted a better story.
1960-1964 Jean Vining BSEd ’60 is an adjunct professor of business and technical writing at Houston (TX) Community College and is a writer and editor through her company, Vining and Associates.
Gorlin now admits that he was exhausted after a long day of such questions from re porters and let his “inner redneck come out a little.”Instead of his scripted answer, Gorlin ad-libbed, “Well, if you live in the South, you can’t throw a dead cat without hitting a Waffle House.” That quote made its rounds through media outlets and eventually to writers at the Jimmy Kimmel Show. Based on Gorlin’s off-beat remark, Kimmel did a minute-long piece about Roadie, bringing the business to the attention of a national audience. That exposure came at a critical time in Roadie’s growth. And the company hasn’t looked back.
“As a founder, I want to build something that lasts,” he says. Roadie is now part of one of the biggest shipping networks worldwide. Gorlin says his kids can use his company for years to come. “And that’s pretty cool.”
John Godfrey BBA ’64, PhD ’76 was named a fellow by the Na tional Association for Business Economics in September. 1965-1969 Patrick Pittard BBA ’67 was elected to the board of directors at Lincoln National Corporation.
Muriel Pritchett ABJ ’67, MA ’78, MFA ’85 released Sour Grapes and Balmy Knight, the fourth book in her Feisty Women’s Fiction series, in December. Her young adult adventure book, Drowning Days, was released in March.
Gary McElhenney BSA ’69 retired from his position as the Putnam CLASS
NOTES
Marc Gorlin ABJ ’95 written by aaron hale MA ’16
you and me, people with stuff to send, with drivers who are ideally already going in that direction.” journalism and entrepreneurship Charles Davis MA ’92, dean of the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Commu nication, was at the Bulldog 100 celebration in 2015 when Gorlin took first place. And they’ve kept in touch ever since. For Grady College, Gorlin has been an ambassador for the practicality of journalism education, which has become the backbone of his en trepreneurial career. “He’s constantly reminding me that build ing, pitching, and inspiring investors and employees comes down to strong storytell ing,” Davis says, “and that he learned those skills at GorlinGrady.”agrees. He still vividly recalls the challenging but illuminating classes taught by legendary Grady professor Conrad Fink. “Everything about telling a story—writ ten, spoken, defending it— just got tighter,” Gorlin says. scattered, smothered, and covered In 2015, Roadie got a major publicity breakthrough.Stillinitsinfancy, the startup found a reputable partner to serve as a drop-off loca tion—one that was ubiquitous in the South (where Roadie was getting its start) and open 24 hours a day. Who else but Waffle House? That peculiar partnership between a tech company and a blue-collar restaurant raised some eyebrows. During a news interview about the pairing, a reporter asked Gorlin, “Why would you ever do this?”
Frank Brumley BBA ’62 was inducted into the South Carolina Business Hall of Fame in 2021. Henry Newton III BSAE ’62 is a volunteer contributor to InfraGard’s National Disaster Resilience Council in New Orle ans and the Cyber and Infra structure Security Agency under the Department of Homeland Security.
georgia magazine | summer 2022 41 ALUMNI PROFILE
1975-1979 Bill Crump BS ’75 published his first book, Savannah’s Hoodoo Doctor: The Tyranny of Dogma, in January.
CLASS NOTES
John Sheppard BBA ’79, MBA ’81 is CEO of OttLite Technologies in Tampa, FL. The company recently received a patent for its product SanitizingPro, a virus-killing desk lamp. 1980-1984 Jon Dial BS ’80 is a city council member and the mayor pro tem for the city of Walnut Grove.
Vanessa Dameron BS ’81 retired from her position as a senior quality safety specialist at Piedmont Healthcare after 41 years in the health care industry. Krysta Harden ABJ ’81 was selected as the first female president and CEO of the U.S. Dairy Export Council in February 2021 and was elected chair of the National 4-H Council Board of Trustees in January.
Scott Mahone BBA ’78 was named one of 19 inaugural Veteran Champions of the Year in Higher Education by G.I. Jobs magazine.
42 georgia magazine | summer 2022 County coroner in November and is the county commissioner for District One in Putnam County.
Stuart Cofer BBA ’81 is celebrating the 100th anniversary of his family business Cofer’s Home and Garden Showplace, in Athens and is chairman of the 2022 execu tive board of the Oconee County Chamber of Commerce.
Charlie Read II ABJ ’81 was a fourth-genera tion custodian and is currently an ambassa dor of the Bowers House Writers and Cre ative Retreat in Canon. He is the co-owner and creative director of Firewater Creative, a small advertising agency in Atlanta and South Florida.
Christopher Phillips BSFR ’83, MFR ’85, JD ’88 is a partner in the Savannah office of Hun terMaclean Attorneys and has been recog nized as a 2021 Georgia Super Lawyer.
Tina Roddenbery ABJ ’84, JD ’87 is a partner at the Atlanta law firm Boyd Collar Nolen Tuggle & Roddenbery and was recognized among the top 100 list of Georgia Super Lawyers for 2021 in the area of family law. She was also named among the top 50 women lawyers.
1970-1974 Janet Jordan AB ’72 worked as a director and site manager for the Department of Defense and has continued her career as a social worker with DLA Aviation in Richmond, VA. Mike Adams BSPH ’73 co-ran a pharmacy in Decatur for 27 years. Richard Taylor BBA ’73 was recognized by Andrew College through the naming of its Richard B. Taylor Music Center.
Shaun Toole ABJ ’76 is the owner of Shaun Toole’s Turn-Key Audiobooks, an audiobook post-production service.
Mary McFadden BBA ’82 is the division al vice president of product compliance for Great American Insurance Group in Cincinnati.
Andy Brantley BBA ’84, MA ’86, EdD ’21 is president and CEO of the College and University Professional Association. He is also co-chair of the Washington Higher Education Secretariat steering committee and the Secretariat’s representative to the American Council on Education board of directors.
The cheeky names of the Poncey-High land eateries speak to a Southern-based cuisine that embraces new influences driven by the many new cultures that now call Atlanta home. “Atlanta is no longer the Antebellum South,” Ward says. “We have a dish on our menu called a Trip Down Buford Highway because that’s one of our favorite parts of Atlanta. The city is so diverse and has a fantastic food community. We want to cel ebrate it. That’s our Southern Belle; that’s our new SouthernAtlanta.”Belle is the more casual of the two, while Georgia Boy gives off a fine dining air within a speakeasy vibe. Each of them frequently hosts legal community events as well. “Who knew opening a bar would bring the lawyers?” she laughs.
From the outside, the legal commu nity may appear rather cutthroat. But like any profession, there is a lot of camaraderie and mutual respect among its members. Promoting those positive aspects of the job is the role of the 6,300member Atlanta Bar Association. It’s one of the largest associations of its kind in the country, and one of its biggest champions is Emily “WorkingWard.with the bar is a great way to be not just a well-rounded attorney, but a well-rounded human,” she says. Ward JD ’13 was elected treasurer of the organization during the 2021-22 year. She also serves as chair of the criminal law section. And in three years, she will step into the pres idency.“There really are no negatives,” she says. “With younger attorneys, the advice I give them is to go to one thing a week, whether it’s a breakfast, lunch, happy hour, or CLE (Continued Legal Education). You’re tired and stressed out all the time anyway, so take an hour, and you might find something you are interested in, or you might make a connection.”
Raising the Bar by eric rangus MA ’94
Ward started attending bar events as an associate. Now a partner in the Atlanta firm of Smith, Gambrell & Russell, she special izes in white-collar defense. Her career path has included some in teresting turns. After moving to Kennesaw as a teenager, she graduated from the Uni versity of Miami with a degree in music. Shortly after, Ward won the 2009 Miss Georgia title and competed in the 2010 Miss America pageant. She used the scholarship money from her pageant wins to pay her tuition at UGA’s School of Law. That’s not the only way Ward’s pageant experience paid off. “In pageants, you stand at a podium, people grill you about political events for 10 or 15 minutes, and you have to sound intelligent and non-offensive,” she says. “In moot court, for instance, you’re grilled for 10 or 15 minutes by a bunch of judges while not being offensive and advocating yourAfterposition.”graduating, Ward moved to Atlanta, where she began climbing the legal ladder, starting first at small firms, and eventually joining Smith, Gambrell & Russell.
As her legal career grows, so does her side hustle as co-owner of Atlanta restaurants Southern Belle and Georgia Boy. Fellow coowner—and Emily’s husband—Joey Ward recently earned a prestigious 2022 James Beard Award nomination as Best Chef: Southeast for his creative work there. He is one of just three Georgians in the category.
written
georgia magazine | summer 2022 43 CLASS NOTES
peter frey
Emily Ward JD ’13 ALUMNI PROFILE
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44 georgia magazine | summer 2022
Youth substance abuse is a serious public health concern. According to the National Center for Drug Abuse Statistics, overdose deaths are on the rise, and an estimated one-ineight teens abused an illicit substance in the last year. The correlation between teen drug use and adult substance abuse compounds theAcrossproblem.thecountry, state and local govern ments and other organizations are trying to dissuade teens from taking this path.
Brown BSEH ’00 is a behavioral scientist who manages a substance use prevention, evaluation, and research program at RTI In ternational, a nonprofit research institute that works with governments, businesses, universities, and other organizations. At the heart of Brown’s work is his mis sion to address inequities that factor into teen and adult substance abuse.
Brown discovered and committed to his mission as an undergraduate at the Univer sity of Georgia. But first, he had to find his footing in “SteppingAthens.onthe campus, a fresh-faced undergrad straight out of high school, it
Fighting Substance Abuse with Data
“We still talk about the health disparities that exist among disenfranchised groups, such as racial, ethnic, and sexual minori ties,” he says. “We also see health disparities among people of different socioeconomic strata and among rural residents versus those who live in more urbanized areas.”
Behind the scenes is Darigg Brown. His job is to assess which strategies are working and which are not, so policymakers and practi tioners can invest in the best solutions.
written by aaron hale MA ’16 peter frey
Now, Brown leads a team that evaluates public health prevention programs that target substance use among adolescents and young“Theseadults.types of evidence-based strategies, if given enough time and if implemented ap propriately, can really make an impact on decreasing substance use among youth,” Brown says, especially when they focus on fostering connections and trust. In the past five years, Brown has led the evaluation of Georgia’s Alcohol and Substance Abuse Prevention Project, an ini tiative funded by the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Dis abilities. The project helps local providers build partnerships and community buy-in while working with youth and young adults. Brown’s team has found evidence that these programs can reduce substance use in teens and help them see the risks of these substances more clearly. It’s a signal of hope that there are paths to narrow the gaps in behavioral health outcomes.
Pate Neely BSFR ’96 is a registered for ester, licensed real estate salesperson, and licensed insurance agent specializ ing in the forest products industry.
1990-1994 Blake Kiger AB ’90 is the vice chair of the Cabarrus County Board of Com missioners in North Carolina.
Renà Means BSEd ’90 is a special education teacher at Franklin County Public Schools in Carnesville.
Kara Cooper BBA ’03 was named direc tor of economic development for the Atlanta BeltLine in March 2021.
georgia magazine | summer 2022 45 1985-1989 Terri Fish BSEd ’87 is the founder of Neely’s Nest, a luxury rattan dog bed business based in Greenwich, CT.
Nicole Metzger BBA ’03 was named senior vice president of national sales at JMI Sports, a media rights and venue development company based in San Diego.
Joann Cebulski BSHE ’89 published her children’s book Be Kind: How One Kind Act Can Change the World in February.
NOTES
“This research is necessary for figuring out what works and what doesn’t and taking that information to decision-makers and commu nities, where it can have the biggest impact.”
David Ansari BBA ’89, JD ’93 was named partner at Arnall Golden Gregory in Atlanta.
Febbie Dickerson ABJ ’88 was promoted to vice president for academic affairs at American Baptist College in Nash ville, TN.
Darla Edge AB ’92 is the director of learning product development for performance support at Infor, an enter prise software company.
Jonathan Tuggle BBA ’95 is a founding partner at the Atlanta law firm Boyd Collar Nolen Tuggle & Roddenbery and was recognized among the top 100 list of Georgia Super Lawyers for 2021 in the area of family law.
Chris Hornsby BBA ’97 was named a partner at the executive search firm CarterBaldwin; he leads the K-12 edu cation practice.
Scott Rockfeld BBA ’94 is the chief marketing officer for Novel Effect in Seattle.
Donna Fee AB ’91 is the director of con tent for the microlearning app Learnie.
Queen Harden AB ’98, DrPH ’21 grad uated with a Doctor of Public Health degree from the University of Georgia College of Public Health in 2021.
Jennifer Nix BSEd ’99 was named Georgia 2019-2020 Civic Engagement Teacher of the Year.
2000-2004 Viva Steed BS ’00 was appointed as clinical director of behavioral health at Unison Behavioral Health in Hortense. She has worked at the company for 21 years.
Chris Konke AB ’04 is the first supervi sory immigration officer in the history of the Administrative Appeals Office in the USCIS in Camp Springs, MD.
2005-2009 Jessica Beegle AB ’05 was appointed senior vice president and chief innovation officer at LifePoint Health in Nashville, TN.
CLASS
Brown soon discovered the Office of Mi nority Services and Programs, now the Office of Multicultural Services and Programs. The staff helped him navigate campus, find re sources, and connect with mentors. As an environmental health major, he became more aware of health disparities. And he developed confidence as a leader while serving as a student ambassador for the College of Agricultural and Environmen talBrownSciences.went on to earn a Master of Public Health degree from Saint Louis University and a doctorate at Penn State. He then com pleted a postdoctoral research fellowship at the CDC before landing at RTI International.
Darigg Brown BSEH ’00 ALUMNI PROFILE was honestly a little overwhelming,” Brown says. “I knew it was a large campus with a huge student population, but nothing really prepares you until you step onto campus.”
1995-1999 Yasmin Khan BSEd ’95 is the founder and CEO of Khalm Skincare.
Aaron Pennington BBA ’02, MAcc ’02 is an assistant professor of accounting and law at the University of Cincinnati.
Marissa Maldonado BBA ’10 is the CEO of Proda Technology, the secretary for the planning committee of Community Health and Men’s Promotion Summit, and serves on the board of Atlanta Inspiring Connections Outdoors.
Brittany Holston BSHP ’10 accepted a new position in October as the unit director for the operating room and sterile processing department at Emo ry University Hospital Midtown.
Jessica Drun AB ’11 was selected as a Center for a New American Security 2022 Next Gen Na tional Security Fellow with S&P Global in Washington, D.C.
Maria L. Kelly AB ’11 was appointed assistant curator of photography at the High Muse um of Art in Atlanta. Brittany Wilson AB ’11 was named the assistant director of compensation at University of Georgia Human Resources.
Rebecca Law BS ’07 earned her PhD of philosophy in interna tional studies from Old Domin ion University in Norfolk, VA, in July 2021.
46 georgia magazine | summer 2022
Brian Gura AB ’14, MEd ’17 is an academic instructional designer
Lee Dinning AB ’11, BS ’11 married Jordan Ernst, currently a PhD student at UGA, in April 2021. Dinning is a family medi cine physician at Wills Memori al Hospital in Washington, GA.
Mark Sanford BLA ’08 is the de sign-build operation manager for Lifescape Colorado in Denver.
Erin Tatum AB ’08, BBA ’08, MPA ’14 launched the consulting agency Nonprofit Nomad in December. Hillyer Jennings BBA ’09 recently founded the nonprofit One People Flags and is a senior associate at King & Spalding in Atlanta. Tyler Torres AB ’09 serves in the U.S. Army Reserve and is a mortgage loan officer at Cardinal Financial Company in Columbus, OH. 2010-2014 Jason Chaliff BBA ’10 is the man aging director of Denali Invest ment Group, which completed three acquisitions in 2021.
CLASS NOTES
Stacy Willingham ABJ ’13 pub lished her first novel, AFlickerin theDark, in January.
Kim Hector BBA ’06 is an ac counting manager for FLS Trans portation Services and started a travel agent concierge business, K. Hector Consulting, in 2021. Shauna Anderson BBA ’07 is a film producer and talent man ager for Shauna D. & Company and lives in Atlanta.
Amy Rowan AB ’10 was appoint ed to the Lutzie 43 Foundation 2022 Board of Directors in February.
Sara Dunn BSA ’05 is vice pres ident of deposit operations at Classic City Bank in Athens.
His current role is the chief technology officer and senior vice president and general manager of the Software and Advanced Tech nology Group at Intel. Lavender might not have grown up to be a mad scientist, but he jokes that supervising 20,000 staff around the globe can be a bit crazy sometimes. The international team’s work includes Intel’s worldclass Research Labs, which includes projects in quantum computing, artificial intelligence, and security.
magazine | summer 2022 47 CLASS NOTES
Lavender credits his UGA professors, Jeffrey W. Smith, associate professor emeritus in the Department of Computer Science, and B. J. Ball, a late professor of mathematics, as the two people who advised him and helped set the stage for his career. “I’ve been very fortunate in my life and career of being around really smart people,” says Lavender, who gives back through endowed scholarships and fellowships at multiple institutions, including one named for Smith at UGA. “The success I’ve had in my career, I attribute to having had great mentors who took the time to encourage me.” by alexandra shimalla MA
Greg Lavender BS ’83 grew up in a tech-savvy home. His father taught him about computers at an early age. In elementary school, he learned about mainframe computers through his father’s work. He was inspired by great scientists as a child, learned to program at the age of 14, and built his first microcomputer—all before graduating from high school.
“From a young age I was interested in science and good at mathe matics,” says Lavender. “I was always reading, and one of my favorite books was The Mad Scientists’ Club.”
“I enjoy being at an international company like Intel because of the breadth and depth of talent, the diversity of people and ideas, and challenging technical problems. Innovation comes when people can look into the future and create new technologies that allow us to be more productive as individuals and as a global society,” he says.
’19 Greg Lavender BS ’83 special ALUMNI PROFILE
Lavender derives as much satisfaction from mentoring his staff as he does from the technical aspects of his job.
at Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced Internation al Studies in Washington, D.C.
Conner Reed BBA ’14 married Courtney Clinton AB ’12 in June 2020, and he is the director of partner development at OM NIA Partners in Franklin, TN. 2015-2020 Melanie Charyton BBA ’15, MA ’17 is a senior media planner at Razorfish, a digital media and advertising agency in Atlanta. Reagan Dye AB ’15 is a profes sional staff member for the House Oversight and Reform Committee Republicans in Washington, D.C. Yash Patel BBA ’15 is a program manager 2, working with the power platform suite of prod ucts at Microsoft. Savannah Viar AB ’15, ABJ ’15 is georgia
The Tech Mentor written
“I’ve always worked in advanced research and development—the leading edge of technology,” says Lavender. “I encourage people to always learn something new, acquire new skills, and work on something that’s bleeding edge. Do not linger in your comfort zone because things will change very quickly.”
His curiosity and desire to understand how things worked has served Lavender well. After earning a degree in computer science at UGA, he earned master’s and doctoral degrees at Virginia Tech. Lavender’s resume includes highlights such as a network software engineer after graduating from UGA, 14 years at the University of Texas-Austin, co-founder of two tech startups, and senior roles at various Silicon Valley companies.
Cherokee Henry ABJ ’17 married John Layfield BBA ’15 in Milledgeville in October. Wells King BSFCS ’17 is a financial advisor at Northwestern Mutual in Atlanta. Lucy Xiao BBA ’19 was awarded the UWorld Chartered Financial Analyst Career Advancement Scholarship in November.
Hannah Farhadi BS ’17, BBA ’17, MPA ’20 is the new giving and stewardship manager at the Atlanta Humane Society.
Jessica Maksimik BSHP ’20, MPH ’21 is an infection preventionist for Ascen sion Healthcare in Detroit. Claire Peoples BFA ’20 is a dancer and social media manager for Con fluence Ballet Company in Pitts burgh. She is also a dance instructor at LDI DanceWorks in Pittsburgh. 2021 Devin Hajjari BS ’21 is a software implementation consultant for Manhattan Associates in Atlanta.
48 georgia magazine | summer 2022 the Republican National Commit tee’s southeast regional communi cations director and is based in Atlanta. Alexander Davis BSEd ’16 earned a doctoral degree in physical therapy from Georgia Southern University in 2020 and is a physical therapist in Rome. Marshall Morgan BBA ’16 and Madi son Morgan BBA ’16 welcomed their second child, Mclain Alerie Morgan, in 2021. Marshall is a financial advi sor at Merrill Lynch in Athens.
CLASS NOTES
GIVE.UGA.EDU
Global financial technology firm Fiserv has strong ties to Geor gia with multiple Atlanta-area offices and a long list of Bulldog staff ers. More than 125 UGA alumni are employed by Fiserv, including several in senior leadership roles. “Our commitment to Georgia runs deep,” says Vivian Greentree ABJ ’00 , AB ’01, Fiserv’s senior vice president of global corporate citizenship. “We’ve seen time and time again that UGA graduates are ready to be significant contributors from day one. Our alumni associates are testaments to the skills earned and values instilled through a UGA education, which are tremendous assets for us at Fiserv.”
The multifaceted Fiserv commitment to UGA shows just a few of the many ways you—or your company— can support the university’s students and mission. Through UGA, you build a better tomorrow by giving to the causes that matter to you. helping students, veterans, entrepreneurs, and more allison chesnutt Fiserv supports the University of Georgia with a focus on innovation, inclusion, and entrepreneurship.
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our georgia commitment
In 2020 and 2021, Fiserv was named a top 25 employer of UGA graduates. The company funded the 2020 Student Idea Accelerator, which regularly provides projects to financial technology courses, and sponsored UGA Hacks, an annual programming event for UGA students. “With UGA, we have a deep pool of talent right in our backyard,” Greentree says. “It benefits us all to help pro vide these students with high-quality learning experiences and professional connections.”From2014to 2015, Fiserv made mul tiple donations to the Student Veterans Resource Center, including a single gift that led to the dedication of the Fiserv Student Veterans Lounge in the Tate Student Center. And last year, the Fiserv Student Veteran Scholarship Fund was established.Thecompany also donated to expand UGA’s Small Business Development Center at Morehouse College, enhancing resources offered to Atlanta entrepre neurs through the UGA-Morehouse collaboration and creating a full-time business consultant position. “These are causes we believe in: Stu dents who have given our country so much should be supported, and entre preneurs ready to forge their own paths and innovate should be empowered,” Greentree says. “The work that UGA has done in both of these areas is impressive and commendable, and we are proud to help drive that work forward.” Fiserv continues to explore new ways to support the university in areas such as student veteran support; the UGA Innovation District; entrepreneurship; and diversity, equity, and inclusion. Whatever form that support takes, it will be the latest expression of a part nership that has strengthened UGA, empowered Fiserv, and helped UGA students succeed.
Fiserv’s Greentree (second from left) and Kelly Higgins (far right) tour UGA’s Student Veterans Resource Center in 2021 with Assistant Director Mandy Levi (far left) and Director Jon Segars.
georgia magazine | summer 2022 49
CLASS NOTES
Pete Mastin MA ’88 is CEO of the microlearning app Learnie. Todd Copeland MA ’91 won the Barry Spacks Poetry Prize from Gunpowder Press in Santa Barbara, CA, for his book Like All Light.
50 georgia magazine | summer 2022
John Reed PhD ’96 published his book, Pinpointing Excellence: Succeed with Great Executive Coaching and Steer Clear of the Rest, in June. Wagner Pierre MEd ’12 teaches middle school abroad with the U.S. Department of Defense Schools. Vicki Hale MEd ’18 was select ed by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs for the 2021-22 English Language Fellow Program in Visakhapat nam, India.
public & international affairs J. Michael Bitzer PhD ’04 pub lished Redistricting and Gerryman
notesgrad arts & sciences
CLASS NOTES
Thomas Chase Hagood PhD ’11 is the senior associate vice pres ident for academics and dean of undergraduate studies at the University of Utah. Lee Pierce PhD ’15 is an assistant professor of rhetorical commu nication at the State University of New York Geneseo and was featured as a political rhetoric expert in The Washington Post in January.
Karen Dauenhauer MFA ’21 is the technical director and clinical faculty at Coker University in Hartsville, SC. education Lawrence Gerstein MA ’76, PhD ’83 is the immediate past president of the International Psychology Division of the American Association.Psychological Katherine May MEd ’77 is a free lance copywriter, producer, and a piano teacher in Atlanta.
Kurt Geisinger MS ’77 is the president of the International Psychology Division of the American Association.Psychological Antonio Puente MS ’78, PhD ’78 is president-elect of the Interna tional Psychology Division of the American Psychological Association.
Tony Guisasola MEd ’88, EdS ’06 was appointed to the Georgia State Board of Drivers Services in June 2021.
AB ’05 ALUMNI PROFILE
The natural hair movement celebrates Black hair by nurturing its natural textures. PATTERN Beauty contributes by developing in novative products for curly, coily, and tight-textured hair. Torvikey is responsible for the development of those products. Combining technical skills and creative finesse, she manages every aspect of the product development process from the idea to the finished product.
georgia magazine | summer 2022 51 special CLASS NOTES
written by kendall cano BSFCS ’22 Torvikey
Torvikey knows she is a part of a bigger picture, and she’s working hard to paint more people into it.
To Akuba Torvikey, hair is a tool of expression and a symbol of Shestrength.isone of many in the natural hair movement working to make Black hair not only accepted but celebrated. Torvikey AB ’05 is the director of product development for PAT TERN Beauty, a hair care brand founded by Tracee Ellis Ross, the Golden Globe-winning star of Black-ish “When it comes to Black women, hair is an expression of how we feel,” she says. “It is like time-honored traditions that have been passed down from generation to generation, and so hair has more
meaning and depth to it than what we see on the surface. To be al lowed into that process and those traditions is sacred. It’s something I don’t take for granted.”
Torvikey stays busy with PATTERN Beauty, but she is steadfast in her mission to ensure there’s a seat at the table for everyone. In 2020, she launched the Breedlove Accelerator for Black-owned beauty and wellness companies. She’s also the founder of a profes sional community called Beautywise, which brings together Black product developers for networking and introducing grade school students to product development as a career option.
Akuba
Product development wasn’t always what she had in mind for her career. It came organically and started in an unlikely place: job in terviews with the CIA. It took only a few conversations for Torvikey, an international affairs major, to realize that governmental secrecy wasn’t for her. So she set aside her plan to become a diplomat. Sort of. As the director of product development, Torvikey leads com munication across her internal teams, outside vendors, and internationally, something that requires the diplomatic skill she gained at UGA. After her post-grad epiphany, Torvikey did a stint in IT before landing a position as marketing manager for Bronner Brothers, a legacy Black hair care brand that was struggling to adjust to the modern market. Torvikey’s strategy to use influencers as brand ambassadors proved ahead of its time. She built relationships with the godmothers of the natural hair influencer movement, a now booming community of social media influencers who create content devoted to Black hair care. “We had no idea what the lasting effect of it would be,” she says. “We were just trying to get through the day-to-day, from this hair style to the next. We didn’t know that we were laying a foundation for a Shemovement.”continued to push the natural hair movement forward as a product developer and tester for Strength of Nature. Dozens of her products line the shelves anywhere you can buy hair products, many of which are the biggest names in the game. “When it comes to African American women, in terms of brands I’ve worked with, I’ve touched everyone’s hair. In one way or an other, I’ve touched your hair,” she says.
Starting at the Roots
PhD ’16
Motion written by alexandra shimalla MA ’19
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For her, it’s about access. “We need people to bridge that gap, to speak the language, to access the literature and apply it to a setting like Orangetheory, where we have millions of people doing these workouts. I’m just a small piece of the puzzle, but I’ve got a lot of fight in me to keep going.”
Reed also spearheaded the creation of online content for the company at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic—just a few months after she began. The work her team did over a single weekend earned her an employee of the year award. “We wanted to provide a bright spot in people’s days and show them that you can exercise anywhere,” says Reed. Her role has also allowed her to pinpoint an area where she feels she can make an impact: connecting exercise research and the pro fessionals who work with clients every day.
dorothy kozlowski
W hen Rachelle Reed MS ’12, PhD ’16 attended a UGA football game as a child, her fate was sealed: She was determined to be a Bulldog. She achieved that goal by earning her master’s and doctoral degrees from UGA’s Department of Kinesiology in the Mary Fran ces Early College of Education. Reed was a competitive cheerleader as a child and throughout college. She worked as a personal trainer and earned group fitness certifications as an adult. That lifelong in terest soon became something more. During her time at UGA, Reed began consulting with fitness companies, redesigning exercise sci ence curriculums, attending conferences, and speaking with the media about physical activity and the science of behavior change. Soon, she took a position that seemed to be created just for her: senior director of science and research for Orangetheory Fitness. “I love the science and the research, but I also love the application of the research,” Reed says. “Physical activity behavior is hard to change. The question is: How can I get the information into the community and help peopleOrangetheorymove?” provides variable inten sity interval training with the mission of giving “more life” to members through ev idence-based physical activity—which is where Reed and her team come in. Members wear sensors during their work outs to track their heart rate, which tells them when to work harder or decrease effort, in addition to tracking their calories burned. Using this data, Orangetheory customizes their“Myprograms.teamworks with our data analysts and machine-learning scientists to figure out what the data say about improvements in performance and health metrics for mem bers,” says Reed, who works remotely from her home in Athens. “My team and I come into play as subject matter experts on exer ciseWhenscience.”Orangetheory wants to incorpo rate a new exercise or adjust anything, Reed consults existing research to see how those changes can improve member experience and health.
Rachelle Reed ’12,
Research in
georgia magazine | summer 2022 53 CLASS NOTES
MS
“The research and publication process is a long cycle where it takes forever for infor mation to be relayed to people who are boots on the ground, doing the work,” Reed says.
Flight
54 georgia magazine | summer 2022 CLASS NOTES
BSFR ’19
W ill it bite me?” Sarah Lynn Bowser hears this question from children quite a bit. For many, it’s the first reaction when she introduces them to a new animal—something Bowser BSFR ’19 does every day as the program manager for ambassador animals at Califor nia’s Oakland Zoo. “Anything with a mouth can bite you,” she responds. “You have a mouth. You can biteThistoo.”almost always elicits a laugh. It de fuses a lot of the tension and trepidation too. “But you aren’t going to bite, are you?” Young heads shake. “Because you don’t have a reason to.” Young heads shake again. “If you don’t give the animal a reason to bite you, it won’t bite you.” The youngsters smile. Bowser, a native of south Georgia, was about the same age as her young visitors when she decided to become a wildlife educator. “My class went on a field trip to St. Simons Island when I was in the fifth grade,” she re calls. “I remember seeing a guy come out with an owl on his arm, and I was, like, ‘That guy, right there. I don’t know who you are. I don’t know how you got here, but I want to be you.’
Taking
The hardest part of that is finding people to pay you to be that person.” But it’s not impossible. Particularly with the right Bowser’seducation.desireto become a naturalist brought her to UGA’s Warnell School of For estry and Natural Resources. She earned her degree in parks, recreation, and tourism management and added a certificate in envi ronmental education. After graduating she quickly got out into the field, so to speak. She served as a ranger at the Fernbank Museum of Natural History in Atlanta and a naturalist at the Chattahoochee Nature Center, which is where she first worked directly with native raptors, like owls and hawks, as well as mammals like opossums. Bowser also worked for an animal advocacy nonprofit called Fanimal. During the pandemic, Bowser conducted her programming online. She got restless and turned her sights westward. She got a job at the Randall Museum of Science, Nature, and the Arts in San Francisco, and soon moved across the bay to the Oakland Zoo, where she works with ambassador animals—those that are used for education. Bowser has a particular affection for animals native to North America. She no ticed that students could easily recall facts about animals like Bengal tigers or African elephants, but they couldn’t identify the creatures that visited in their backyards. The Overlooked Opossum is Bowser’s online store where she draws and sells original prints of native wildlife and plants. A portion of the proceeds is donated to a variety of wildlife organizations. Bowser’s first series was bark beetles—the creature she did her Warnell thesis on—and more recent subjects range from turkey vultures to banana slugs to alli gatorBowsergars. loves her job and is excited about the return of in-person education programs, but she does have long-term ambitions that blend her interests in education, animals, and“Iart.have hopes to write and illustrate a chil dren’s book about native wildlife.”
written by eric rangus MA ’94 Lynn Bowser special “
Sarah
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georgia magazine | summer 2022 55 CLASS NOTES advertise in Georgia Magazine Published quarterly and mailed to the household, your advertising message reaches your audience directly, giving you one of the strongest demographic buys in the region. For information on advertising in the awardwinning Georgia Magazine, contact gmsales@uga.edu or 706-542-9877. Quickest way to send Class Notes E: gmeditor@uga.edu W: ugamagazine.uga.edu send us your notes Help UGA and your classmates keep up with what’s happening in your life—both personally and professionally—by sending Class Notes items to one of the addresses listed below. And please include your current address to help us keep our alumni database up to date. If you send a photo, please make sure it is a resolution of 300 dpi. Class Notes is the first section we work on, so keep these deadlines in mind: for the Spring (March) issue, submit by December 1; for Summer (June), submit by March 1; for Fall (September), submit by June 1; for Winter (December), submit by September 1. UGA Alumni Association Please submit online alumni.uga.edu/classnoteat Or send a letter to: Georgia Magazine 286 Oconee Street Suite 200 Athens,UniversityNorthofGeorgiaGA30602-1999 @universityofgakeep up with the bulldog nation
veterinary Morgan Coslett DVM ’20 is an associate veterinarian with Lap of Love veteri nary hospice serving Athens, Conyers, Greensboro, and the surrounding areas. law Gary Jackson JD ’75 was inaugurated for his seventh term in the Municipal Court of Atlanta.
dering in North Carolina: Battlelines in the Tar Heel State in September.
social work Jennifer Richardson MSW ’81 retired from her private practice, Phoenix Psycholog ical Associates, and released her fourth book, Olmsted’s Linear Park. She performs classical music with Wind and Wood Chamber Players and is the editor of two newsletters.
Lauren Lisauskas JD ’20 and Carter Tilashalski JD ’20 were married in December in Atlanta.
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
C. JacksonRhett
Human land use activities, particularly urbanization, have done extensive harm to the environment. Now, it’s up to people to fix it. UGA’s Rhett Jackson believes even small steps can go a long way to improving our water quality. But to tackle the problem, people must know about it.
Excessive and inefficient fertilization of farm fields and lawns is one of the most important water quality problems in the U.S. Too much nitrogen from fertilizer flows down our streams and rivers causing eutrophication of estuaries and near-shore environments. (Eutrophication is the process by which a body of water becomes so full of minerals and nutrients that it overproduces plant life and kills off animal life.)
What are some of the biggest concerns when it comes to water quality in the U.S.?
An enormous dead zone forms in the Gulf of Mexico to the west of New Orleans each summer as fertilizer-driven algal blooms suck up the oxygen from the water. In Georgia, the phosphorus in chicken litter is a particular problem. It causes eutrophication of our reservoirs if not properly managed. What should people know about being stewards of water resources? I wish people knew that urban streams are the most polluted streams in the U.S. Over-fertilization of our lawns, unneeded application of pesticides, and trash are the causes. Urban streams make agricultural streams look good. How can people help? People can reduce their water quality and carbon footprint by re-thinking their landscaping. A large, dense, weed-free lawn requires a lot of water, pesticides, and fertilizer (which is made with fossil fuels). And the lawn doesn’t provide habitat. Minimize the amount of lawn you grow, and minimize your chemical application. Plant more trees and shrubs. Tell us about your involvement with UGA’s Institute of Resilient Infrastructure Systems (IRIS). Water issues transcend disciplinary boundaries. They involve my field of hydrology but also ecology, marine sciences, geology and geomorphology, meteorology, engineering, economics, politics, law, and social sciences. IRIS recognizes the interdisciplinary nature of water issues and incorporates expertise from all these fields. We mix nature-based solutions into traditional infrastructure engineering to increase the durability, sustainability, and ecological function of water systems.
peter frey
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John Porter andWarnellDistinguishedStevensProfessorofWaterResourcesSchoolofForestryNaturalResources
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