University of Georgia Magazine Winter 2021 by University of Georgia Alumni Magazine

juicyfrtstn

jui cy fru i t How UGA supports Georgia’s burgeoning citrus industry

CONTENTS

Find out how the UGA Career Center connects graduates with jobs, p. 16.

the magazine of the university of georgia winter 2021

INSIDE 5

The President’s Pen

UGA to Z Highlights from across the UGA community.

On the Bulldog Beat The Porcelain and Decorative Arts Museum is UGA’s newest must-see destination.

40 Bulldog Bulletin News for UGA alumni.

Students write, direct, and produce in UGA’s new MFA in film, TV, and digital media program, p. 30.

President Jere W. Morehead on entrepreneurship and innovation.

Class Notes Meet a silver medalist from the Tokyo Paralympics, the star of one of the Magnolia Network’s new shows, and a greeting card entrepreneur.

56 Faculty Focus Get to know Chris Cornwell, Simon S. Selig Jr. Chair for Economic Growth in the Terry College of Business.

peter frey

FEATURE

ON THE COVER

16 Virtually Landing the Job

With the COVID-19 pandemic upending the job market for new college graduates, the UGA Career Center doubled its efforts to help UGA students get their careers started.

18 Red and Black and . . . Orange?

No, the University of Georgia has not changed its colors. But the crops some of the state’s farmers grow? That’s new. The UGA Extension and faculty at UGA Tifton are guiding Georgia farmers as they grow the state’s burgeoning citrus industry.

24 Design Dawgs

To be an interior designer is to be an artist, a business person, an entrepreneur, an innovator, an organizer, and so much more. See how these UGA alumni bring all these roles together, and check out the incredible spaces they create.

30 Lights. Camera. Action!

cover photo by peter frey

This bowl of satsuma oranges looks good enough to eat! They are also good enough to grow, right here in Georgia. Over the last decade, the number of acres devoted to citrus farming in Georgia has increased exponentially. UGA faculty and staff with UGA Extension have supported citrus farmers since the first tree was planted.

Powered by state-of-the-art facilities and talented faculty, a new UGA master’s program is training the next generation of filmmakers.

geo rgia maga z ine | winter 2 02 1

geo rg i a mag a z i ne | w in t e r 2 02 1

Good Morning, Campus sunrise is one of the rare peaceful moments at the corner of Baxter and Lumpkin. Soon the intersection will be packed with pedestrians and cars and cyclists and all manner of all activity. The Business Learning Community, Bolton Dining Hall (on the west side of Lumpkin), the Miller Learning Center, and the Tate Center (on the east) are just lighting up. Parking is plentiful in the Tate Center deck. For now.

andrew davis tucker

geo rgia maga z ine | win ter 2 02 1

winter 2021

VOLUME 101

ISSUE NO. 1

georgia magazine

Editor · Eric Rangus MA ’94 Associate Editor · Aaron Hale MA ’16 Writers · Leigh Beeson MA ’17 and Hayley Major Art Director · Jackie Baxter Roberts Advertising Director · Kipp Mullis ABJ ’93 Office Manager · Fran Burke UGA Photographers · Peter Frey BFA ’94, Rick O’Quinn ABJ ’87, Andrew Davis Tucker, Dorothy Kozlowski BLA ’06, ABJ ’10, and Chad Osburn Contributing Writers · Elizabeth Elmore BBA ’08, ABJ ’08, Alexandra Shimalla MA ’19, Clarke Schwabe ABJ ’08, Jonathan McGinty ABJ ’00, Mary Loftus, and Kelly Simmons Editorial Interns · Ireland Hayes, Rachel Cooper, Kendal Cano, and Rachel Floyd AB ’19, MA ’20

marketing & communications Vice President · Kathy Pharr ABJ ’87, MPA ’05, EdD ’11 Associate Vice President · Greg Trevor Executive Director for Integrated Marketing and Brand Strategy · Michele Horn

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 · Rahul Shrivastav 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 VP for Government Relations · Toby Carr BBA ’01, BSAE ’01 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 at news.uga.edu/georgia-magazine Submit 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

peter frey

Homecoming returned to Athens in 2021, and the festivities were organized in an orderly fashion.

georg i a mag a z i ne | fa l l 2 02 1

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/

THE PRESIDENT’S PEN

An Update on Innovation

Research, innovation, and entrepreneurship are thriving at UGA

The University of Georgia drives innovation and economic development by transforming discoveries into new products and services that enrich our lives. This fall, UGA placed second among U.S. universities for the number of commercial products created by industry partners from our faculty’s research. We also ranked in the top 5 among U.S. universities for the number of active licenses with industry. To date, more than 850 products based on UGA research have reached the market. Over 200 companies have been launched from UGA research, generating an annual economic impact of $530 million, and more are on the way. The funding raised by UGA startups has increased over 950% since FY16 to $37 million in FY20.

“The future of research, innovation, and entrepreneurship at UGA is brighter than ever as we continue to build our research capacity, strengthen partnerships, and expand our impact on the world.”

The Innovation District at UGA is contributing to this exciting growth by helping individuals and organizations—on campus and in the community—increase the impact of their research and turn their ideas into profitable ventures. One of the district’s core programs, Innovation Gateway, helps innovators move their discoveries and inventions from the lab to the market. Other core programs, including the Entrepreneurship Program, Office of Experiential Learning, Small Business Development Center, and Office of Business Engagement, facilitate learning and foster partnerships that address challenges and accelerate innovation. The Delta Innovation Hub, which opened in the Innovation District earlier this year, provides support for faculty entrepreneurship and leasable space for startup and existing businesses. Named for the Delta Air Lines Foundation, which funded the building’s renovation, the Delta Innovation Hub will be officially dedicated in December. The next development envisioned for the district is the Institute for Integrative Precision Agriculture, which will bring together government, industry, and academia to develop tools and technologies to improve the production of food and fiber—and help Georgia become a global leader in agricultural technology. Karen J.L. Burg, an accomplished scientist, inventor, and collaborator, became UGA’s new vice president for research in July and is poised to further advance our thriving research enterprise. The future of research, innovation, and entrepreneurship at UGA is brighter than ever as we continue to build our research capacity, strengthen partnerships, and expand our impact on the world.

Jere W. Morehead President

geo rgia maga z ine | winter 2 02 1

UGA Z

Highlights from across the UGA community

do rot hy

kozlo wski

s w lo oz yk oth dor

PAYING TRIBUTE

Markers Honor Black Greek Organizations At an event more than 50 years in the making, the university dedicated a group of six markers on the west lawn of the Tate Student Center that recognize UGA’s nine historically Black fraternities and sororities. The ceremony took place Oct. 15. In May 1969, the Zeta Pi Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity became the first National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) member organization to establish a charter

The nine member organizations of the NPHC include:

FRATERNITIES Alpha Phi Alpha Kappa Alpha Psi

at UGA. Six months later, the Zeta Psi Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority also established a charter. Those organizations are also the fraternity and sorority, respectively, of the late Hamilton Holmes BS ’63 and Charlayne Hunter-Gault ABJ ’63, the first two Black students to attend UGA. Mary Frances Early MMEd ’62, EdS ’67, the university’s first Black graduate, is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority.

Omega Psi Phi Phi Beta Sigma Iota Phi Theta

SORORITIES Alpha Kappa Alpha Delta Sigma Theta

Zeta Phi Beta Sigma Gamma Rho andrew davis tucker

geo rgia maga z ine | win ter 2 02 1

UGA to Z SUSTAINING EXCELLENCE

NEW DAWGS

UGA Ranks Nationally for Commitment to Student Success and Diversity

Class of 2025 Sets Records

The University of Georgia’s latest incoming class has set a new record for academic credentials. Selected from a record-setting applicant pool of 39,000, UGA’s 5,800 incoming students brought an average high school GPA above 4.0 and an average of 10 courses in Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, or dual-enrollment. The newest class is also one of the most diverse. Preliminary demographic data show that 33% of incoming students self-identify as members of a minority group, up from 31% last year. And 8% of first-year students are the first in their families to attend college, up from 6% last year.

Despite challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the University of Georgia continues to excel in key areas. UGA earned the No. 16 spot in U.S. News & World Report’s most recent ranking of America’s best public universities. This ranking marks the university’s sixth consecutive year in the top 20. Graduation and retention rates make up the largest percentage of the U.S. News & World Report ranking criteria, along with class sizes, faculty-to-student ratios, and alumni support. Among UGA students who receive federal Pell Grants, nearly 80% earn their degrees within six years, landing the university in the No. 23 spot on The Chronicle of Higher Education’s list of top graduation rates among four-year public universities. The university also earned the INSIGHT Into Diversity Higher Education Excellence in Diversity Award for the eighth consecutive year. “Seeing students thrive in their academic pursuits is immensely rewarding,” says S. Jack Hu, senior vice president for academic affairs and provost. “I am grateful for the dedication of the faculty, staff, and academic leaders who make such high levels of student success possible.”

MEET THE CLASS OF 2025

HONORING LEADERSHIP

Institute Named for Transformative Leader

The University of Georgia has named the Institute of Higher Education in honor of the late UGA administrator and state legislator M. Louise McBee. McBee (right) is a legend at UGA. She first came to campus in 1963 as the first dean of women and subsequently served in a variety of senior leadership roles. McBee retired from UGA in 1988. Three years later, she won a seat in the Georgia House of Representatives, where she served for 13 years. During her career, McBee won several awards for her service to education, including the inaugural UGA President’s Medal in 2014. McBee, who died in March, left the IHE a transformational gift of $3.5 million that will support the Louise McBee Distinguished Professorship in Higher Education and the Louise McBee Lecture in Higher Education. Additional funds will create an IHE endowment. The Louise McBee Institute of Higher Education is an academic unit committed to advancing higher education policy, management, and leadership through research, graduate education, and outreach.

graphic by lindsay bland robinson

geo rg i a mag a z i ne | w in t e r 2 02 1

l cia sp e

UGA to Z CUT THE VIDEO

FIRST FIVE

Cameras, Not Meetings, Cause Zoom Fatigue

UGA Honors First Black Football Players

In today ’s pandemicweary world, a few things have become ubiquitous: masks, hand sanitizer, and Zoom fatigue (that feeling of being worn out after a long day of virtual meetings). But new research suggests that it’s not the meetings causing the fatigue—it’s the camera. The team, led by UGA psychologist Kristen Shockley BS ’04, worked with BroadPath, an Arizonabased health care services company that has been in the remote-work field for almost 10 years. Using a sample of 103 BroadPath employees, the team randomly assigned half the participants to have their cameras on during meetings and half to have their cameras off. Participants then filled out daily assessments. The data suggested having the camera on led to fatigue, rather than just being in more meetings. The effects were stronger in women and people who were newer to the organization, perhaps because women feel heightened pressure to appear extra vigilant on camera and are statistically more likely to have children present in the background. Newcomers may feel the need to prove themselves to their co-workers.

getty images

The “First Five” Black players on the UGA football team returned to campus to celebrate the 50th anniversary of their arrival on campus. Monuments honoring each of the Five were unveiled in Reed Plaza. From left (below), the First Five are: Horace King, Clarence Pope, Larry West, Chuck Kinnebrew, and Richard Appleby.

In 1971, the first five Black football players at UGA—from left, Richard Appleby M ’02, Horace King BSEd ’77, Chuck Kinnebrew BSEd ’75, Clarence Pope M ’76, and Larry West BBA ’75—arrived on campus as freshmen. In September, 50 years later, they were honored in Sanford Stadium for their lasting impact on and off the field, moments before the Georgia Bulldogs beat South Carolina. Monuments honoring each of the Five were also unveiled in Reed Plaza. As first-year students, the First Five hit the ground running, starting school and practice on the freshman team. From the beginning, they believed they could break the Georgia football color barrier. And they did. By the time they were seniors, all of the First Five were starters and, after their time at UGA, they each went on to continue to lead inspiring lives. King played nine years with the NFL’s Detroit Lions. And Kinnebrew, who led a successful business career with DuPont, The Home Depot, and Floor & Décor, also earned the National Football Foundation UGA Chapter’s Post Graduate Achievement Award in 2013. A Grady Newsource student documentary on the group, The First Five, premiered in September and is available on YouTube.

tony walsh

geo rgia maga z ine | winter 2 02 1

UGA to Z GOOD JEANS

Scientists Develop an Eco-friendly Way to Dye Blue Jeans

Flared or skinny, distressed or acid-washed—we all love our blue jeans. But those coveted pieces of denim are wreaking havoc on the environment. That’s why researchers from the University of Georgia developed a new indigo dyeing technology that’s kinder on the planet. The new technique reduces water usage and eliminates the toxic chemicals that make the dyeing process so environmentally damaging. To top it off, the technology streamlines the process and secures more color than traditional methods. The new method of dyeing uses natural indigo (though the streamlined process could also use synthetic) and requires only one coat of the indigo to secure more than 90% of the color, significantly reducing the amount of water needed to dye the fabric. Conventional methods require up to eight dips in dye solution and secure only 70% to 80%. The process doesn’t sacrifice comfort either, keeping around the same levels of thickness and flexibility in the fabric. andrew davis tucker

A MICROBE IN THE OCEAN ‘I WOKE UP LIKE THIS’

Study Finds #nomakeup Posts Often Require Makeup

It costs time and money to look natural these days. Although popular social media trends encourage women to embrace their natural beauty and post makeup-free selfies, new research from the University of Georgia suggests that the natural beauty movement doesn’t liberate women from cosmetics. In fact, cosmetic sales have actually increased alongside the rise of the no-makeup movement. The study examined the relationship between the rise of the #nomakeup movement on Twitter from 2009 to 2016 and cosmetic sales across the United States. Researchers found that the movement was associated with an overall increase in sales across most cosmetic product categories. Additional research showed that women wearing natural-looking makeup in posts tagged #nomakeup received more likes on Instagram. In another experiment, the same selfie was shown to 633 participants with different captions: one with the claim of no makeup, one without any mention of makeup, and one that said the woman was wearing makeup. Participants who saw the no-makeup caption rated the woman as more attractive than participants shown the same woman in the other two posts.

illustration

by l isa ro bb in s

UGA to Co-lead NSF Center Studying Oceanic Ecosystems

The University of Georgia and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution will co-lead a new National Science Foundation (NSF) center to study the microscopic world of our oceans. The new Center for Chemical Currencies of a Microbial Planet, based in Falmouth, Massachusetts, is one of six new centers the NSF announced in September. The center will seek to better understand the behavior of molecules and ocean microbes that are involved in one-quarter of the Earth’s annual organic carbon cycle. By integrating research and educational activities, interdisciplinary science teams will work to isolate and identify molecules produced by marine microbes to improve our understanding of how they work and to help researchers predict future oceanic activity. Along with Woods Hole and UGA, 11 other U.S. universities and research institutions will participate in the center’s work.

UGA and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution will lead a consortium of U.S. institutions dedicated to understanding oceans’ processes at the microscopic level. A Woods Hole researcher is shown here. woods hole oceanographic institution

geo rg i a mag a z in e | w in t e r 2 02 1

UGA to Z HEALTHIER STATE

Grant to Grow Georgia’s Behavioral Health Workforce

peter frey

TRAILBL AZING

Civil Rights Icon Releases Autobiography

This September, Mary Frances Early released her autobiography, The Quiet Trailblazer: My Journey as the First Black Graduate of the University of Georgia, and the UGA community was proud to celebrate alongside her. In The Quiet Trailblazer, Early MMEd ’62, EdS ’67 recounts her experience of coming to campus in the summer of 1961 and making history when she graduated with a master’s degree in music education in August 1962. Early also chronicles her career, her accomplishments, and the racial barriers she overcame after her time at the University of Georgia. In celebration of Early’s book launch, the university distributed 500 copies of the book to students as part of a community reading program. The Quiet Trailblazer was published by the Mary Frances Early College of Education and the UGA Libraries and distributed by the UGA Press.

georiaoe mzni|eowri tzwwni2zoint0ori1 i

hi f0imzwzuoetzit2zi u00vsniwey m2pin2zi n1c zbim0d1zni0ki1ti 0 imeldynhi

For many Georgia residents, finding mental health care can be difficult; the state averages just eight psychiatrists for every 100,000 residents, according to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. To expand the geographic reach of Georgia’s behavioral health workforce, researchers in the Mary Frances Early College of Education and the School of Social Work will train students to deliver mental and integrated behavioral health services, both in-person and remotely, in high-need areas of the state. The $1.9 million grant from the Human Resources and Services Administration will provide graduate students with innovative training opportunities through Georgia’s statewide TeleECHO Network, a resource housed in the Georgia Department of Public Health that virtually links interdisciplinary specialist teams to rural and underserved communities. The project will also develop a new training curriculum to cover trauma and trauma-informed care with the help of faculty at the School of Social Work. The grant will expand and maximize experiential learning opportunities in multiple areas and provide intensive, holistic training and integrated behavioral health care.

TAKE A PICTURE

Museum Receives Photography Gift Worth $8M

The Georgia Museum of Art received a gift of nearly 3,000 photographs valued at almost $8 million. The gift, from three sets of donors, dramatically expands the museum’s photography collection and establishes the institution as a major repository for 20th century works in this medium. The photos capture a broad scope of subjects in the media arts: the endangered folkways of Appalachia; the plight of miners across 10 countries; the decline of major industry in Buffalo and the struggle of working people in that city’s impoverished Lower West Side; and—in a notable change of pace—the first published photos of well-known models and actors from 1960s Great Britain, ranging from Twiggy to Michael Caine. You can see selections from the gift in the exhibition “Inside Look: Selected Acquisitions from the Georgia Museum of Art,” on display through Jan. 30, 2022.

This photo, “Nellie Little and Her Brother, Lookout, KY,” was taken in 1968 by the American photographer Arthur Tress. It is among the 3,000 photos recently donated to the Georgia Museum of Art. This new acquisition establishes the institution as a major repository for 20th century works in photography.

Inside Look: Selected Acquisitions from the Georgia Museum of Art

Georgia Museum of Art On Display through Jan 30, 2022

arthur tress

geo rgia maga z ine | winter 2 02 1

UGA to Z RADIOACTIVE REPTILES

GEORGIA STRONG, DAWG STRONG

Using Snakes to Monitor Fukushima Fallout

COVID Precautions Continue in New Academic Year

Ten years after one of the largest nuclear accidents in history spewed radioactive contamination over the landscape in Fukushima, Japan, a UGA study has shown that radioactivity in the Fukushima Exclusion Zone can be measured through its resident snakes. Researchers placed tiny GPS trackers on nine rat snakes to track their movements in the Abukuma Highlands, approximately 15 miles northwest of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, the site of the 2011 nuclear disaster. The team found that the radiation in the rat snakes indicated that they are an effective bioindicator of residual radioactivity. Like canaries in a coal mine, bioindicators are organisms that can signal an ecosystem’s health. Their research indicated that the radiation in the snakes correlated to the levels in the soil where the snakes were captured. A common species in Japan, rat snakes travel short distances and accumulate high levels of radionuclides (unstable forms of a chemical element that releases radiation). According to researchers, the snakes’ limited movement and close contact with contaminated soil are key factors in their ability to reflect the varying contamination levels in the zone.

hannah gerke

A HOPEFUL FINDING

IN A HEARTBEAT

Ant Study Opens Doors to New Research

getty images

Researchers in UGA’s Odum School of Ecology have discovered a new, non-destructive method to monitor the heart rate of ants using equipment that can be found in any lab. Under a basic light microscope, assistant research scientist Andy Davis PhD ’10, recent graduate Kathleen Clancy BS ’18, MAT ’21, and assistant professor Takao Sasaki observed a heart-like vessel on the abdomen on an ant, found by illuminating the ant from below with an infrared light. They then digitally recorded the number of beats per minute. With this method, they also were able to track rapid heart rate changes. Through this simple but effective technique, Davis can compare the heart rates of ants in urban versus rural environments to see if certain stimuli or stressors lead to higher heart rates in ants. He believes this is just one of many questions the new method can shed light on.

geo rg i a mag a z in e | w in t e r 2 02 1

As the pandemic continues into the 2021–22 academic year, UGA is taking several steps to encourage campus safety. The university offers COVID-19 vaccinations to all eligible students, faculty, and staff, as well as Athens residents. UGA incentivized vaccinations among the campus community through prizes, gift cards, and even several $1,000 prize drawings. As of October, the University Health Center delivered more than 26,000 COVID-19 shots and began providing booster shots to those eligible. The university continues to offer free asymptomatic testing for all faculty, staff, and students, processed through UGA’s Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratories. The university is also continuing mitigation efforts such as strongly encouraging mask-wearing indoors, under the directive of the University System of Georgia. Similar to fall 2020, UGA saw an initial jump in COVID-19 cases in the campus community at the beginning of the fall 2021 semester, likely due to the Delta variant. Fewer than 30 cases were reported by the beginning of October, the lowest of the entire semester.

re y

Ralph Tripp, GRA Eminent Scholar of Vaccine and Therapeutic Studies, is leading a team that’s investigating whether a drug that is primarily used to treat gout could combat the virus that causes COVID-19.

FDA-Approved Gout Medicine Could Also Battle COVID-19

As the pandemic drags on, few options are available for treating patients infected with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. However, new UGA research offers hope for a viable therapeutic to combat the disease that has claimed more than 4 million lives worldwide. The study found that probenecid has broad antiviral properties, making it a prime candidate to combat not only SARS-CoV-2 infection but also other common and deadly respiratory viruses like RSV and flu. Probenecid is an FDA-approved medication that’s primarily used to treat gout, and it’s already widely available in the U.S. The drug has been on the market for over 40 years and has minimal documented side effects. Led by Ralph Tripp, GRA Eminent Scholar of Vaccine and Therapeutic Studies, the study found that probenecid has broad antiviral properties. Now the researchers are investigating what dosage of probenecid could have the biggest impact fighting viruses in people. Clinical trials of the medication begin this year.

geo rgia maga z ine | fall 2 02 1

BULLDOGS GIVE BACK

Supporting ALL of Georgia

he University of Georgia is committed to serving rural Georgia—from the Appalachian foothills to the tidal marshes of the coast to the banks of the Chattahoochee River. You can see the university’s commitment to rural communities in UGA Cooperative Extension and its offices in each of Georgia’s 159 counties, as well as in UGA’s robust Public Service and Outreach division. This commitment is also demonstrated on an individual level by UGA friends and alumni like Keith Kelly BSA ’80. A UGA Foundation Trustee, Kelly helped launch the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Rural Scholars Program with his wife, Pam BSHE ’80, and friend Robert Varnedoe BSA ’83.

education, and maybe they will return to their community and start a business.” The Rural Scholars Program offers a bevy of resources to enrich the scholars’ UGA experience and help them integrate into the campus community, which is often difficult for students moving from a small town to a big university. Because a quarter of all Georgia high school students are from rural areas, there is a significant need for services that help smooth the transition. This is precisely what the ALL Georgia Program was made to address. Based in the Division of Academic Enhancement, the ALL Georgia Program serves thousands of rural students each year. The program offers academic

“Let’s give them a chance, give them a great education, and maybe they will return to their community and start a business.”—k e i t h k e l ly, ug a f ou n dat ion t rust e e

They gave a total of $500,000 that now allows the college to provide renewable yearly scholarships for a cohort of four to six students from rural Georgia every fall. “I have a passion to see these rural communities not go away,” Kelly says. “There are kids from rural Georgia who do not even get to the starting block. So let’s give them a chance, give them a great

support and guidance via academic coaching, scholarships, student success workshops, connections to internships, and Cooperative Extension opportunities. “The purpose of ALL Georgia is to welcome students and connect them to resources that will support their academic success ,” says program coordinator Graff Wilson. “Ultimately, it’s about helping them

pet e

Keith Kelly is a UGA Foundation Trustee who helped launch the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Rural Scholars Program.

find their community and equipping them to navigate UGA.” UGA’s focus on supporting rural students gained a national stage in March with the inaugural Redefining Rural Students’ Success and Wellbeing: An unConference on Practice, Research, and Innovation. The event hosted attendees from 31 states and 70 organizations and institutions. One UGA student involved with the event was Briana Hayes BSHP ’21, who helped launch RISE, a student organization that supports rural students. Hayes, who is now enrolled in UGA’s School of Law, grew up in Baxley—a town of less than 5,000— and while she admits the transition to UGA was a challenge, it’s one she would readily accept again. “I wanted to go to a bigger place and be exposed to new people, new ideas, new cultures, new backgrounds,” she says. “You don’t grow unless you’re challenged. You can be comfortable, but there’s no growth in that. I have grown so much from sticking the challenge out.”

Help ensure that a UGA education is within reach for students from every corner of the Peach State. Your gift makes it easier for students from rural communities to succeed in Athens. | GIVE.UGA.EDU/RURAL

geo rg i a mag a z in e | w in t e r 2 02 1

rf re y

The University of Georgia was created to serve people in every corner of our state. The UGA Cooperative Extension and Public Service and Outreach improve rural communities, and programs like ALL Georgia and CAES Rural Scholars open doors for students from those communities.

100%

Over the last two years, each of Georgia’s

159

of Georgia counties have

ug a cooper ati v e e x tension su pp ort .

cou n ties has been represented in the UGA student body.

500

Every Georgian is within

pu blic serv ice a n d ou tr e ach faculty and staff work throughout the state.

m il es

of a UGA facility.

Ciara Page

ellabell, georgia Executive Director of RISE “When I came to UGA, there were classes with more people than half my high school class—which was only 130 people. But now, thanks to the ALL Georgia program, UGA feels like a home away from home.”

Briana Hayes

baxley, georgia Founder of RISE, current UGA law student “What I love is that whenever RISE has tables at events, I meet another rural student who has had a hard time transitioning to UGA and wants to be a part of RISE. When you are able to connect with people who have a similar background as you, it makes that transition a lot easier.”

Mary Anne McCord

Garrett Herold cleveland, georgia ALL Georgia Scholar

sylvania, georgia CAES Rural Scholar “Having come from a small town, I like the idea of being a part of a small college within a large university. I am looking forward to becoming involved in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences and finding my place in the UGA community.”

“Without the ALL Georgia Scholarship, UGA wouldn’t have been an option for me. Through the program, I feel more empowered by my roots. It’s helped me see the aspects of my hometown that have benefited me and made me unique.”

geo rgia maga z ine | winter 2 02 1

Virtually

Landing the Job written by hayley major

OVID-19 forced job seekers, employers, and professionals alike to rethink their job hunting and hiring strategies. In response, the UGA Career Center stepped up to help students overcome new obstacles, resulting in 91% of graduates in the class of 2020 securing jobs or continuing their education within six months of graduation. In April 2020, the unemployment rate in the United States hit 14.8%— the highest level since the Great Depression. That same month, millions of soon-to-be college graduates in the U.S. prepared to enter the workforce. They faced rescinded offers, hiring freezes, and a new wave of competition resulting from mass layoffs. Madeline Geer, then a fourth-year student at the University of Georgia, found herself vying for entry-level positions that mid-level professionals now wanted. “Suddenly, you’re competing with people who are overqualified, and companies are snagging up talent at a lower price point,” she says. The pandemic necessitated new skills and different approaches across the board. Not only were the rules rewritten for job searching, but also for deciding a career path and finding opportunities. “COVID really made us all reexamine our priorities and our values,” says Kali DeWald, the Career Center’s associate director of alumni career services.

Addressing New Challenges Geer AB ’20, a communication studies major, knew she needed to figure out her post-graduation plan as she entered her final semester, but she didn’t know where to start. She turned to the UGA Career Center. The Career Center provides comprehensive career counseling and advising to students across a variety of topics to prepare them for life after graduation. Those areas include career exploration, job and internship searches, resume development, salary negotiation, interview prep, and graduate school placement, just to name a few. “COVID created a new jobhunting environment, so it was important to tap into the changes that were happening, hear directly from employers on their recruitment plans, and help students navigate the whole process,” says Kenyetta Nesbitt, a career consultant and assistant director of diversity programs with the UGA Career Center. What do I do if my job offer is withdrawn? How do I know who’s hiring? Is a remote job even worth pursuing right now? During the 2020-21 academic year, Career Center consultants completed nearly 7,000 career counseling sessions to help answer these questions and facilitated almost 17,000 virtual conversations between students and employers.

geo rg i a mag a z in e | w in t e r 2 02 1

peter frey

The Career Center offers free career resources beyond graduation, including webinars, a job board, a self-paced job search bootcamp, and one-on-one career coaching. To learn more, CAREER.UGA.EDU/ALUMNI

Dawgs Suit Up

ob candidates want to look their best for interviews. A partnership between UGA and JCPenney provides support for students to purchase professional clothing. “Ultimately, our goal is to not only support our students’ career success but to create a culture of student career advocacy throughout campus,” says Scott Williams, executive director of the Career Center. “It’s important to be able to offer programs and services that meet students where they are.” During the 2020-21 academic year, the Career Center awarded 541 Dawgs Suit Up Scholarships for business attire, totaling almost $110,000. “We’re here to help,” Williams says. “And we can provide that help wherever students are in their career development paths.”

The Power of Perseverance Geer credits a lot of her success to the UGA Career Guide, a 56-page PDF that walks students through every stage of career development. The Career Center also hosts dozens of career fairs annually (both virtual and in-person in 2021), as well as hundreds of events and workshops covering topics from diversity and inclusion in the workplace to acing a virtual interview. “It can feel overwhelming to see nine boxes of people in front of you on a screen, watching you present and answer questions,” Geer says. “It required more confidence on my part because I didn’t have body

language or social cues to nudge me forward.” Geer’s preparation paid off. In July, she accepted a position as a recruiter with a technology staffing firm based out of Atlanta. She found the opportunity through LinkedIn at the recommendation of her career consultant, Justin Burnley AB ’11. Today, Geer navigates the same job-hunting platforms she used as a student, matching candidates with open positions. And while it’s not the creative role she originally imagined for herself—there is still time for that—it’s a dream job. GM

2 0 2 0 -2 0 2 1 acade m ic y e ar

cla s s of 2020 ca reer out come s

71%

No. 1

UGA Career Center is the

of full-time employed

way students find employment

34,200 act i ve e m ploye rs

85,000+ and

u ni que j ob s & internships

handshake

UGA’s job and internship platform

graduates accepted employment

91%

within the employed or enrolled in graduate school within six months of graduation

state of

georgia

peter frey

Graduates accepted positions in

states from

countries

2,880

unique employers

geo rgia maga z ine | winter 2 02 1

red and black and . . . orange? written by eric rangus ma ’94

photography by dorothy kozlowski bla ’06, abj ’10

Some of Georgia’s newest cash crops are among the sweetest. Learn how UGA is helping shepherd the state’s growing citrus industry.

ike many south Georgians, Wayne Hanna’s yard includes a citrus tree. For years, he’s picked fruit from it for breakfast or an afternoon snack, but the convenience of homegrown fruit carries with it a drawback. Usually a whole bunch of them. Seeds. They are common in homegrown fruit and can make the normally satisfying experience of biting into a juicy orange a lot less sweet. Hanna (right), a legend in the plant breeding world, specifically with turfgrass, retired from the Department of Agriculture in 2002. He immediately joined the faculty at the University of Georgia’s Tifton campus. When he arrived, he asked the assistant dean if he could work on developing a cold-tolerant citrus tree that produced seedless fruit. “Go ahead,” was the answer. Hanna pursued this goal for nearly a decade and a half. Then, in 2016, he released not one, but three, new seedless citrus trees. All of them carry the brand name “Frost” to identify them as

University of Georgia products. There is a tangerine (Sweet Frost), a lemon (Grand Frost), and a grapefruit (Pink Frost). Earlier this year, the trio became a quartet with the addition of a navel orange (Southern Frost). Hanna says that the Frost line of citrus trees is aimed at homeowners like himself. “The homeowner doesn’t get much attention,” he says. “They would love to have a fruit tree in their backyard. But nobody develops them for that purpose.” Hanna does have Frost trees in his yard, and seedlings are available for purchase. For the state’s citrus lovers, though, they aren’t the only option. From morning snack to cash crop, Georgia citrus farming has grown exponentially in the last decade. And much of that growth involves the UGA community.

geo rgia maga z ine | winter 2 02 1

the case for satsumas On Aug. 22, 2013, a group of south Georgia and north Florida farmers, businessmen, scientists, and educators gathered at the Lowndes County Civic Center in Valdosta to discuss the possibility of growing citrus in the region. Conversations on climate adaptability, pricing, and possible markets filled the space. “A lot of people have five to 10 acres, and they want to make it productive,” says Jake Price BSA ’90 (inset, below), the Lowndes County Extension Coordinator and the organizer of that meeting. “It’s really not enough acreage to get into pecan production or blueberries commercially. But if you had an acre, you could plant citrus trees and produce a lot of fruit.” The fruit that came up most frequently in conversation was the satsuma orange. Satsumas, which are smaller than navel oranges, possess traits that make them

g eo rg i a mag a zin e | w in t e r 2 02 1

good candidates for success in Georgia. Most importantly, they’re cold-tolerant to 15 degrees. In fact, colder weather makes the fruit even sweeter. They are also easy to peel and seedless, which makes them popular for school lunches. So when school districts learned about local satsuma production, they were among the first customers. On the downside, while satsumas can thrive in cooler climates, hard freezes can kill them just like any other citrus trees. That’s exactly what happened in the 1950s when satsumas were first introduced to Georgia, albeit on a smaller scale. Winter weather wiped them out. Seventy years later, with advances in agricultural science, Georgians were ready to give them another chance. “Interest grew quickly. There was some buzz,” Price says. “Growers had some

questions about price. You could get 20 to 25 cents per fruit for school lunches, and a mature acre of citrus can produce 40,000 pounds. People started multiplying the numbers and getting excited.” Clearly, many prospective growers felt the good outweighed the bad, and they started planting satsumas. One of those optimistic citrus farmers was John Crawford BSA ’92 (below). He planted 100 satsuma trees in 2013; it took three years for them to bear harvestable fruit. Once they did, they were so successful, he planted 100 more trees in each of the next four years. He now has 500 satsuma trees covering five acres of land in Ocilla. “My plan was to take land that was nonproductive, like the corners of the fields and old pastureland, and see if I could make it productive,” he says. “Yields have increased every year. It’s an adventure.”

plant a tree

ccording to Wayne Hanna, citrus trees can’t grow north of Cordele because they wouldn’t survive the winter. However, if you are up to the challenge, Hanna recommends you plant your tree in a large pot. When winter comes, move it into the garage or some other protected space. That way, it’s more likely to last through harsh temperatures.

citrus collaborations UGA Extension works with the Georgia Citrus Association (GCA) and Georgia citrus farmers on a variety of projects to support the industry and grow healthier trees.

• Mark McCann, assistant dean for Extension, is compiling a statistical survey that can be sent to growers as a means to collect production data. These numbers are not only important to chart the growth of the industry, but they also help establish rates for crop insurance.

ages

getty im

• UGA Extension, through the GCA, has helped distribute sticky traps to growers to combat Asian Citrus Psyllids, which cause citrus greening disease.

• The molecular lab at UGA Tifton is studying citrus canker and other diseases harmful to fruit trees.

geo rgia maga z ine | winter 2 02 1

sweet spots in georgia

135 growers in

390,775

citrus trees planted in georgia

approximately

2,700 acres

85% of which are satsumas Other varieties include navels, Shiranui, sugar belles, kishus, Meyer lemons, and blood oranges 22

geo rg i a mag a z in e | w in t e r 2 02 1

counties and

usda-certified nurseries Camilla, Statesboro, Ray City, and Ochlocknee

the industry grows “My plan was to take land that was nonproductive, like the corners of the fields and old pastureland, and see if I could make it productive. Yields have increased every year. It’s an adventure.” —john crawford, citrus farmer and uga alumnus

By 2016, the still-fledging Georgia citrus industry maintained that buzz. And Price kept getting inquiries. One of those inquiries came from Lindy Savelle. Her family owned a farm in Mitchell County. That April, Price held a program on forming a citrus association. That inspired Savelle to start one, and, in February 2017, the Georgia Citrus Association (GCA) held its first annual meeting with 270 people in attendance. “It’s just my passion,” says Savelle, who is the GCA president. Her own nursery, Georgia Grown Citrus, sells trees to commercial farmers. “I just want to help grow this industry. The economic impact is going to be huge.” In 2013, there were about 4,500 commercial citrus trees in the state. Now there are more than 390,000 covering about 2,700 acres in 45 Georgia counties. Satsumas make up around 85% of that. If growth continues at its current rate, Georgia growers could produce upwards of 70 million pounds of fruit by the end of 2023. The only thing holding the industry back in the first few years was the availability of trees to plant. Georgia’s first satsumas originated from trees that were grown in Louisiana and Alabama. They proved to be so popular that nurseries ran out. Recently, Georgia growers have stepped up to meet the demand. Now there are four certified citrus nurseries that grow and provide trees. Lowndes County Extension has set up trials to evaluate which rootstocks and varieties perform best in Georgia. One site is at J.L. Lomax Elementary School in Valdosta where there are more than 200 trees and three separate trials that include a trio of oranges: Owari satsumas, sugar belles, and tango mandarins. Trees are being evaluated for total yield, yield efficiency, fruit quality, fruit size, and cold-hardiness. Much of the fruit is donated to school lunches and the food bank. Savelle describes the growth of Georgia’s citrus industry as a line that’s pointed straight up. Like any agricultural product, there are inherent dangers with regard to climate, diseases, and pests, but Price is also cautiously optimistic. “The acreage had gone up exponentially for several years until last year when the growth rate slowed down a bit,” Price says. “It may be a good idea to see if the market can handle what is currently planted and what will happen with citrus greening, but it’s up to individuals. There is a lot of interest in citrus. I still get calls every day. It’s exciting.” GM

Learn more about UGA’s support of the citrus industry. | CAES.UGA.EDU/SCIENCE/CITRUS geo rgia maga z ine | winter 2 02 1

From the collection of Clay McLaurin Studio.

photo courtesy of clay mclaurin studio

geo rg i a mag a z in e | w in t e r 2 02 1

Design Dawgs written by leigh beeson ma ’17

merriam-webster

design de·sign | /də’zīn/ (verb) to create, fashion, execute, or construct according to plan.

here are a lot of factors to consider when you’re designing a space. Who will be using it? When will it be used? What will it be used for? But great design goes beyond function. Great design makes your life easier and infinitely more enjoyable. It’s practical but fun, a way to express yourself and what you value. And it’s a bustling industry worth tens of billions of dollars in the U.S. alone. From designing textiles and wall coverings to restoring historic buildings or adding character to new builds, Georgia Bulldogs are at the front of the pack. They are pushing boundaries and reimagining what it means to be a “designer,” and they’re having a lot of fun in the process.

geo rgia maga z ine | winter 2 02 1

EMBRACE A VARIETY OF TEXTURES

photos courtesy of clay mclaurin studio

Clay McLaurin BFA ’00

lay McLaurin remembers scouring interior design magazines at his grandmother’s house, taking inspiration from the beautiful textile ads. “My grandmother had a passion for interiors and selecting colors and fabrics for her home. I just loved that,” says McLaurin BFA ’00. “I loved how she was making her house her home, as wonderful as she wanted it to be in her own creative way.” At the time, he couldn’t have imagined this might become a career.

georg i a mag a z i ne | w in t e r 2 02 1

“I didn’t really know what a fabric designer was until I went to UGA and took a screen-printing course, and then it all sort of came together.” He started off at the Atlanta-based children’s apparel company Carter’s, working as an artist. But it wasn’t quite the right fit. He wanted to be working in interior design, not fashion. So he got his master’s degree in textiles and landed a job working for a mill based in New York. He even came back to UGA to teach before coming to a realization.

“My husband (and business partner Todd Piercy) was pretty adamant that the only way I was going to be really happy, truly happy, is if I just do my own thing. So I broke away. We had some savings and started our business.” Clay McLaurin Studio started out small in 2013 with about 10 different prints. It was a quick success, landing in national showrooms and ultimately expanding to include wallcoverings and a variety of wovens, embroideries, and performance fabrics. In 2019, the New York-based McLaurin acquired a textile mill in Los Angeles. L.A. Mills weaves not only fabrics for his studio but also textiles for other clients in the industry like Holly Hunt and Clarence House. Life is busy, McLaurin says. He never knows what each day will bring. “But I think that’s maybe the side that’s really fun because you never know what to expect. And living life like that, in the moment, is good because you are more present.”

Clay’s hand-designed textiles are in showrooms across the country from San Francisco to Chicago to Atlanta. And they are regularly featured in publications like World of Interiors, Elle Decor, and Southern Living.

EXPAND YOUR COMFORT ZONE

Erika Ward BBA ’01

“You put your neck out there sometimes,” Ward says. “But most of the time, almost 100% of the time, it works and becomes the client’s favorite thing about the design. If they’re design enthusiasts or if they’re someone looking to hire us for full service, they want something that they haven’t seen before or something they wouldn’t ordinarily choose for themselves.”

photos courtesy of erika ward interiors

rika Ward wants to get to know you. No—really know you. If she’s going to design a space for you, Ward BBA ’01 wants to nail it. And to do that, she asks for three hours of your time beforehand. “Most consultancy services are about an hour, maybe two,” says Ward, founder of the award-winning Erika Ward Interiors design firm, which is based in Fayetteville. “But three gives us an opportunity to sit down, not be rushed with the potential client, and also be able to freely give them any kind of information they want.” That conversation helps Ward determine the type of service a client needs, whether that’s a full-on design refresh or just some advice on how to solve a particular problem. “Sometimes we have people who I consider design enthusiasts who just need a little handholding as reassurance and some validation,” she says. “They take the information we provide for them and go execute it on their own. And that’s okay because the end goal is really for us to help you make your home your personal sanctuary.” That relationship isn’t a one-way street. Ward is an open book. She regularly talks about her husband and kids, her religion, and her life in general on her blog and social media channels. Sitting down with clients and getting a feel for who they are and what they need from a space is key to making sure they love the end result. Sometimes that means pushing clients ever-so-slightly outside their comfort zones when it comes to colors or patterns.

Erika uses blogging and social media to reach a wider audience, writing about everything from her design process and current projects to industry events.

juicjyfr tfjfs yn ur r er roynhucrapalrrr 27

couple called it. The family moved to a small beach town for a year and then started looking south. “It was time to come home,” she says. New Orleans welcomed them back this summer—with Hurricane Ida. But Vorhoff has no regrets. Business is still booming. And she still gets to help people make the most of their spaces, now from her childhood hometown. “In New Orleans, the home has to express personality and quirky is good,” Vorhoff says. “Everyone’s got a voice. So I try really hard to help my clients express that and really lean into those odd-in-a-good-way choices.”

ADD SOMETHING A LITTLE QUIRKY

Jenny Vorhoff

In 2019, Studio Riga was named to Luxe Magazine’s Gold List, an annual listing of top interior design firms from across the country.

BFA ’02

brantley photography

of Art. “And then I think I realized I have been interested in design my whole life.” She spent a summer at Parsons Institute of Design in New York, and when she graduated, Vorhoff started designing hotels. In 2006, Vorhoff opened Studio Riga—a nod to her maiden name, Rigamer—aimed at designing homes across the country. The opportunities in New York were great—a “never-ending” list of potential clients eager to make their houses homes. “I joke that I went up to New York for two years,” she says. But before she knew it, it was 20 years and four children later. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit and both Vorhoff and her husband’s work went fully virtual, the

geo rg i a mag a z in e | w in t e r 2 02 1

brantley photography

rom Creole cottages to historic mansions to the balconies of the French Quarter, Jenny Vorhoff grew up surrounded by design and by history. But it wasn’t until she moved to attend the University of Georgia that she truly gained an appreciation for the quirkiness that makes her hometown an architectural masterpiece. “Finally living somewhere other than New Orleans helped me recognize how the unique architecture and design world in New Orleans operates as part of the fabric of life,” says Vorhoff BFA ’02. “Growing up, people designed their own homes here. Great taste seems innate in New Orleans.” So halfway through her freshman year, Vorhoff switched her focus from journalism to the Lamar Dodd School

Andrew Malec and Zack Brendel ABJ ’04

BSES ’03

FOCUS ON CHARACTER You can check out Andrew and Zack’s handiwork all over Athens—from Terrapin Brewery’s and Creature Comforts Brewing Company’s tasting rooms and shops, to Avid Bookshop and Condor Chocolates in Five Points, to Bear Hug Honey and Trappeze Pub downtown.

ndrew Malec ABJ ’04 was planning to go into photojournalism after he graduated from the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication. Zack Brendel BSES ’03 majored in economics in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. But both discovered that construction was a fun way to make money after graduation. Occasionally, they’d cross paths, working on the same projects from time to time. “I think we’re both visually capable, and that’s a pretty important part of construction,” says Malec. “And it’s pretty cool to be able to take a stack of lumber and turn it into something.”

peter frey

After working on various crews for a few years, each broke off to establish their own respective companies. Malec’s Timberlane Construction focuses on residential work, while Brendel’s Oneta Woodworks began as a custom furniture business and grew into craft woodworking. The timing wasn’t great. “It’s kind of funny thinking back now that we both started our businesses like right there in 2008-ish when the economy was tanking,” Brendel says. “Other construction companies that looked a lot like ours today were falling left and right. But because we were young, pretty dumb, and nimble, it made us kind of valuable.”

Business was good, and the two kept finding projects where collaborating made sense. In 2016, they formalized their partnership. The duo co-founded Character Built, an Athens-based construction and design group that does everything from new construction to historic restoration. They started off doing everything themselves, but now partner with local interior designers and architects to bring commercial visions to life. The pair share a passion for Athens and particularly enjoy working with local clients on projects they think will benefit the community. “Sometimes, selfishly, I just want to see a building that’s been downtown abandoned for 40 years or something fixed,” Brendel says. They did just that with an old building on East Washington Street, once the Lamar Lewis Shoe Store. Now Tweed Recording and Audio Production School, the space needed revitalization. And Character Built was up to the challenge. “I didn’t really understand the history of that building that had been sitting downtown, largely underutilized and underappreciated,” Malec says. Working with owner and CEO Andrew Ratcliffe, Character Built created more than just a recording studio. They created a space for people to learn the ins and outs of the music business, from recording to engineering to performing. “These old buildings, specifically downtown and in these historic buildings that look kind of terrifying, the bones are there,” Brendel says. “The construction methods, 100 to 150 years ago, are far superior to what they are today. They’re easier to fix. They’re worth fixing.”

geo rgia maga z ine | winter 2 02 1

Khristian A. Howell ABJ ’02

AND, MOST IMPORTANTLY, HAVE FUN

Face look familiar? You may have seen Khristian featured as a design expert on the Today Show or NBC News, or in HGTV Magazine or Domino.

hristian A. Howell’s journey to the design world wasn’t the traditional path. She earned a bachelor’s degree in advertising from the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication. After graduation, she headed straight to Austin, Texas, because a friend was moving there. Howell ABJ ’02 hopped around the country for a while, never living anywhere for more than a couple years. When she met her now-husband, former CNN International Anchor George Howell, the couple moved to Seattle for his job with a TV news station. Howell researched what she could do in the new city and her heart landed on Nordstrom, which is headquartered in the Emerald City.

g eo rg i a mag a z in e | w in t e r 2 02 1

photos courtesy of khristian a. howell

“I had no fashion degree, no art degree, no nothing,” Howell says. “I was applying for jobs online and getting no response. I was getting really annoyed because I just knew that this is where I should be, and this was work I could do. I always follow my gut.” She got dressed and marched into Nordstrom’s corporate offices, talking her way into an interview and a temp position in the kid’s department that ultimately turned into a full-time gig analyzing colors for fabrics. Howell made it her mission to learn as much as she could, from design programs to textile printing to supply chains and the buying process. Trade shows inspired her to strike out on her own, launching her own namesake

business in 2009. The company’s website sells everything from throw pillows and wallpapers to T-shirts and gift wrap. She also lends her voice as a design expert for various media outlets. Howell engages a limited number of one-on-one clients, reimagining what their homes can be based on their desires and needs. “I always go into their closet first. People think they don’t know what they want. I tell them ‘Well, you get dressed every day, right? You do know something!” Howell says. “It’s about making people have a better sense of themselves. There’s nothing to be afraid of. Design is supposed to be fun. It really is just paint.” GM

learning how to

Design W

hat is design? How do you brainstorm and come up with ideas? How do you execute those ideas? Helping students figure out the answers to those questions is Lilia Gomez-Lanier, associate professor of textiles, merchandising, and interiors in the College of Family and Consumer Sciences (FACS). “Even though you might have a different area of design where you’re designing products for home or for apparel, it’s the same process,” she says. “You have to understand the client, what are they asking for, and where are they coming from, and then explore and finalize your ideas.” Her students work on practical projects that prepare them to jump right into the design world after graduation. On one

recent project, students worked in teams to develop of a variety of redesigns for UGA’s ASPIRE Clinic, a holistic counseling and education service for the UGA and Athens communities. After meeting with ASPIRE Clinic coordinator Megan Ford, students developed new layouts, determined color palettes, and sourced furniture and accessories to optimize the clinic’s floorplan and maximize functionality. FACS isn’t the only option for budding interior designers at UGA. The Lamar Dodd School of Art also boasts an interior design program, with a heavy focus on creativity and fine arts knowledge. “We try very hard to communicate to students that what we’re doing is creating experiences,” says Tad Gloeckler, interior design chair and professor of art. “To do that, you need to understand natural and artificial light, proportion, movement through space, construction, color, materials. That’s what it takes to be a very good designer. You need to work with the details and understand how materials go together, and you must have a

vision for what the experience of the building will be.” The program is also focused on practicality, incorporating the business side of design into its coursework and requiring an internship for graduation. “The art of design is applied art,” says Saral Surakul, interior design co-chair and associate professor of art. “Beginning with art creates a very good foundation for students to understand aesthetics. Our students are required to take studio art classes, and those help expand their creative horizons.” Graduates from both programs go on to work in commercial design, found their own firms, or even go into urban planning. The possibilities are really endless. “There’s a misconception of what interior design is all about,” says Surakul. “We have HGTV and it’s nice to watch that on TV, but that’s not all that we do. When you hire a designer, you’re not just hiring a decorator. You’re getting someone to come in and really improve your quality of life, whether it’s residential or commercial.”

Fourth-year furnishings and interiors major Sarah Grace Tatum presents her team’s redesign of the ASPIRE Clinic, featuring moveable furniture and white boards with a permanent decorative design.

Meet more Design Dawgs online at NEWS.UGA.EDU/DESIGN-DAWGS peter frey

geo rgia maga z ine | winter 2 02 1

Actress Kaelyn Cooper prepares for a scene in Katy Warren’s short film, “Just Another Murder Mystery.”

geo rg i a mag a z in e | w in t e r 2 02 1

Lights. Camera. Action. written by aaron hale ma ’16 photography by peter frey bfa ’94

A new MFA program is training the next generation of filmmakers.

n a large house nestled in an affluent Snellville neighborhood, a young woman reclines on a fluffy white sofa wielding a card and a pen. She wears a formal scarlet gown, a matching hat, and a focused stare— like someone straight out of an Agatha Christie mystery—which isn’t too far off. A voice calls out, “Scene one. Shot A. Take one.” A pair of hands smacks a movie clapperboard, and then on cue, the actress’s stare transforms into a devious smile. Seconds later, this short film’s writer/director calls, “Action.” In the scene, the scarlet-clad woman pens an invitation to a dinner party inevitably fraught with death, deceit, and, of course, plot twists. After several takes, Katy Warren AB ’20 is satisfied. “One shot down. A million to go,” says Warren, a student filmmaker in UGA’s new Master of Fine Arts in

Film, TV, and Digital Media program. At this point, Warren and her crew, made up of fellow student filmmakers, have spent weeks helping each other on film projects. And Warren is just getting started on the first of several consecutive, all-night filming sessions for her 10-minute short, “Just Another Murder Mystery.” In an alternate timeline, Warren would be fighting to get ahead at a marketing job in the bustle of New York. Instead, she’s chasing her dream to become a filmmaker—a dream she was ready to give up until a pandemic brought a new opportunity into focus.

Rewriting the Script In early 2020, Warren thought she had her career pretty much mapped out. The University of Georgia advertising major had some connections in New York. She intended to pursue a career in marketing and advertising, what she calls a “structured career track.” Still, Warren was intrigued when she learned about UGA’s new graduate film and TV program, offered by the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences and the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication in partnership with Trilith Studios (one of Georgia’s most prolific studios). The MFA program prepares students for careers in writing, directing, and producing by equipping them with a broad set of skills, connecting them with seasoned professionals, and giving them hands-on experience with Georgia’s multibillion-dollar film industry. Suddenly, Warren pictured a route for her moviemaking ambitions, so she applied. Then in March, she got the fateful email announcing that UGA was postponing classes for two weeks because of the pandemic. That same day, she also learned she earned a spot in the MFA program’s inaugural class. “I took it as a sign,” says Warren, who had a hunch that COVID-19 would make the next year or so a tough one to start even a traditional career in a new city. Suddenly, the MFA program looked like a golden opportunity. “I figured there was no better time than now to go for it.” So Warren and about a dozen other students took the plunge in fall 2020.

PARTNERSHIP WITH TRILITH STUDIOS

Katy Warren is in the first cohort of UGA’s MFA in Film, TV, and Digital Media program. She’s now in her second year.

he learning-in-residence program at Trilith Studios sets UGA’s MFA program apart from other film schools in the South. Students live in apartments across the street from the studios and study at the nearby Georgia Film Academy. New UGA facilities at Trilith are opening in the spring. The opportunity for a residence program at Trilith Studios was first conceptualized by Jeffrey Stepakoff, executive director of the Georgia Film Academy, and John Stephenson BS ’97, JD ’00, head of the Cathy Family Office. Trilith Studios, which has housed the Georgia Film Academy since its inception, is partly owned by Dan Cathy, who has driven significant financial support to the program. The program’s second-year residency at Trilith results from a partnership among the studios, UGA, and the Georgia Film Academy.

Learn more about the MFA Program at MFAFILM.UGA.EDU

g eo rg i a mag a z in e | w in t e r 2 02 1

The Synopsis UGA’s rigorous new program takes place over two years with no summer breaks. The first year is set in Athens, where students throw themselves into the crafts of screenwriting, directing, producing, and the technical aspects of moviemaking. They have access to equipment and UGA’s new MFA Film Suite, an on-campus studio space in the Journalism Building. The

year ends with each student writing and directing a 10-minute short. In the second year, the students move to Fayetteville, Georgia, and study in residence with working professionals at the Georgia Film Academy at Trilith Studios (formerly Pinewood Studios Atlanta), where Marvel’s Avengers: Endgame, DC’s The Suicide Squad, and a host of other blockbusters have been shot. The future

filmmakers continue to take courses, work on their thesis projects (a polished screenplay or TV pilot, or a completed film), and find internships to build their resumes. At the end of two intensive years, the MFA students will be ready to take on the film and TV industry, whether in Georgia’s exploding entertainment landscape or traditional hubs like Los Angeles and New York.

Setting the Scene Georgia’s growing film industry makes UGA the perfect place to launch this program, says MFA director Jeff Springston. Ultimately, it might be able to cement the state’s place as a permanent home for media production. A state tax credit for filming in Georgia combined with a gold mine of filming locations and a temperate climate has drawn studios to Georgia for more than a decade. A handful of new soundstages and an investment by the state in the Georgia Film Academy, which trains locals to work on film crews, has helped Georgia become one of the top filming locations in the nation. Beyond the Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Walking Dead, the rebooted Jumanji franchise, ATL, and Stranger Things have called Georgia home. Warren and Eli Saliba on set for Warren’s short film “Just Another Murder Mystery.”

The Georgia Film Academy, a partnership with the University System of Georgia and the Technical College System of Georgia, trains the so-called “below-the-line” workforce (from set dressers and makeup artists to camera operators and production assistants). UGA’s new MFA program aims to add the “above-the-line” talent (writers, directors, and producers). Right now, most of those jobs are still going to New York- and Hollywood-based creators, but Springston envisions a landscape where writers and producers can thrive right here. “Ultimately, we’re building out the ecosystem in Georgia,” Springston says. And they’re doing it with a focus on affordability (especially for in-state students), which draws a diverse pool of applicants into the program.

geo rgia maga z ine | winter 2 02 1

Casting Calls That vision appeals to new faculty members like Neil Landau MFA ’18, a veteran screenwriter (Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead) and the former assistant dean for UCLA’s School of Theater, Film, and Television. “Imagine if a script was written here in Georgia, developed in Georgia, and got shot here,” says Landau. “I think that’s very exciting.” For his part, Landau teaches screenwriting workshops in Athens, where he encourages his students to tell compelling, sometimes personal stories. Katy Warren found her passion in those workshops last year. They inspired her to focus on screenwriting, and now she’s angling for jobs writing

“I need to leave this and producing in television. Landau is one in a deep bench of experienced faculty with Hollywood and independent credits, including Bryan Cole (an editor of the Emmy-nominated miniseries Who Killed Malcolm X?) and Nate Kohn (who produced Zulu Dawn and directs Roger Ebert’s Film Festival). Those faculty members bring their experiences but also recruit other industry veterans to speak with students. Warren recalls feeling a little starstruck during a class Zoom meeting with Nicholas Pileggi, co-screenwriter of Goodfellas. Those conversations help the students make crucial connections and start to envision a path into this competitive field.

program with a portfolio that’s ready to go off and show the world. They give you the resources, and it’s up to you to take the necessary steps.” —katy warren

Left: Veteran screenwriter Neil Landau is one of the industry professionals teaching in the MFA program. Below: Students act out a scene in Shandra McDonald’s directing class at Trilith Studios.

geo rg i a mag a z in e | w in t e r 2 02 1

Atlanta-based independent filmmaker and MFA faculty member Shandra McDonald.

The second-year students have taken to calling their experience at Trilith “film camp” because they are practically living, breathing, and eating film and TV together. Most of the students live in a new apartment complex in the planned community Town at Trilith, a development to house the studios’ creators. When the students wake up, some can look out their windows to see the studios’ soundstages. When they get out of class, they might be in the studio audience at Steve Harvey’s Facebook show Steve on Watch or go to trivia night at the neighborhood pub, where they might brush elbows with working professionals. While networking opportunities surround the students, their main goal during

their second year is to take what they’ve already learned and turn it into a substantive portfolio to submit to film festivals and find work. This fall, Shandra McDonald, an Atlanta-based independent filmmaker and a newly hired faculty member, taught a directing course at Trilith. She focuses on working with actors, understanding the impact a camera lens and angle can have on an audience, and bringing the most out of the script. Ultimately, she’s helping students express their artistic visions while being prepared for the chaos that comes with directing. “Murphy’s law (‘anything that can go wrong will’) is this big old Godzilla monster of a beast who is going to be on every single set,” McDonald says. “But I try to teach them how to have enough preplanning and preproduction so that they can

feed his belly, so that when he shows up on your set, he’s just not as hungry.” In other words, McDonald, along with her colleague at Trilith, Sanghoon Lee, is preparing them to weather the adversity that comes with creating meaningful work. McDonald, who earned her MFA in film from Howard University, says graduate programs are a golden opportunity to learn the discipline, discover an artistic vision—and, practically speaking, create projects that win film festivals and jumpstart careers. And with less than a year remaining, Katy Warren says the program is giving her the tools and opportunities she needs to make a go of her dream career. Now, she’s focused on making the most of it. With a 10-minute short in the can, a few short screenplays, and a thesis project to work on, she’s come a long way. GM Watch a short documentary about the MFA program. | NEWS.UGA.EDU/MFA-FILM

geo rgia maga z ine | winter 2 02 1

ON THE BULLDOG BEAT

a rt & nature

written by kelly simmons photography by shannah montgomery

he newest tree at the State Botanical Garden of Georgia needs no water or sunlight. Its 75 blossoms are made of kaolin and bone china. They bear images of Danish botanicals, meticulously reproduced from folio-sized illustrations drawn in the late 1700s and early 1800s for the Flora Danica. “The Tree of Life” is on a wall of the main gallery at the Porcelain and Decorative Arts Museum. The building houses more than 1,000 pieces of porcelain and botanical art. The museum is part of the Botanical Garden’s Center for Art and Nature, which opened in 2021. “What we’re doing is different than how typical art museums would approach displaying these items,” says Jenny Cruse-Sanders MS ’97, PhD ’03, director of the State Botanical Garden of Georgia, a UGA Public Service and Outreach unit. “We are presenting these items in context with natural history, biology, and nature. So, the idea is to showcase what we can learn about our world by observing these decorative arts.” Gardens appear to cascade outside the windows of the museum gallery where the Dorothy Doughty birds are exhibited—one of the largest collections of the noted sculptor’s birds on public display. Throughout the new museum there are countless examples of porcelain inspired by botanical exploration and scientific studies in botanical gardens and nature settings.

geo rg i a mag a z in e | w in t e r 2 02 1

Natural light flows through the museum, illuminating the ceramic figurines, plates, tea sets, chocolate pots, and urns. One case holds more than a dozen iris figurines, in yellow, purple, white, orange, and pink, several by artist Diane Lewis, who studied under Doughty. Another notable piece is a church from the Porcelain Manufactory in Meissen, Germany. Believed to be one of only several in the world, it was displayed for years at Bellmere in Duluth, home of Deen Day Sanders. She is a longtime supporter of the State Botanical Garden. The Porcelain and

Decorative Arts Museum holds significant items donated from her collection, and she is the sole donor to fund its establishment. “This church is very dear to me because of my faith,” says Sanders (opposite page), who served as president of the Garden Club of Georgia and later president of National Garden Clubs, as well as vice president of the World Association of Floral Artists. “You don’t get anything on your own,” she continues. “If somebody helps you along the way, you need to give back. If it’s been given to you, you need to share it.” GM

The Porcelain and Decorative Arts Museum offers free timed ticketing for small group tours from Wednesday through Saturday. Visit BOTGARDEN.UGA.EDU to reserve your time.

THE NATION

Don’t Miss Out!

Bulldog Bites IYKYK: UGA ALUMNI TIKTOK

From seasoned Dawgs to Bulldog pups, the UGA Alumni TikTok gives followers a sneak peek into campus life in Athens. Get your red and black fix 24/7 at tiktok.com/@ugaalumni

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

WINTER WONDERLIGHTS

Dec. 1 - Jan. 9 Enjoy a half-mile trail of lighted displays for children and adults at the State Botanical Garden of Georgia. Festive sections include a Garden of Delights, Candy Cane Lane, and Cone Tree Plaza. wonderlights.uga.edu

WORKIN’ LIKE A DAWG

Show your Bulldog pride by wearing an official UGA Ring. Check out styles for both men and women at alumni.uga.edu/ring

Chapter Spotlight

Jan. 27 UGA turns 237! The University of Georgia is the birthplace of public higher education in America, and UGA alumni can be proud of their role in UGA’s history of commitment to improving lives. alumni.uga.edu/foundersday

2022 BULLDOG 100 CELEBRATION

The 2022 Bulldog 100 list has been revealed! These Bulldog entrepreneurs and business leaders are growing their companies at astounding rates, and we’re proud to recognize their achievements. See who made the list at alumni.uga.edu/b100

PUT A (UGA) RING ON IT

2022 FOUNDERS DAY

Feb. 5 This annual event recognizes the 100 fastest-growing businesses owned or operated by UGA alumni. Check out which companies made the 2022 list at alumni.uga.edu/b100

ADVANCED RESUMES AND COVER LETTERS

Jan. 25 | Noon This free webinar will provide more seasoned job seekers with tips on how to perfect their resumes and cover letters. Learn more and check out other career offerings at career.uga.edu/alumni

Find your chapter @ alumni.uga.edu/chapters

TAMPA BAY ALUMNI CHAPTER

Chapter President: Annalise Levandoski BBA ’14, MMR ’15 Number of Alumni in the Area: 2,287 The chapter is committed to connecting Tampa Bay-area Bulldogs through a variety of events that include game-watching parties and Welcome to the City gatherings. The chapter was the first to endow a scholarship for a local UGA student. Meet the first scholarship recipient: Lindsey Marie Gabler, Class of 2024 Major: Anthropology and Ecology Hometown: Tampa, Florida “This scholarship has eased the financial burden on my family. 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!”

geo rg i a mag a z in e | w in t e r 2 02 1

LAST CALL: $60-FOR-60 Sixty years ago, Hamilton E. Holmes BS ’63 and Charlayne Hunter-Gault ABJ ’63 became the first Black students to register for classes at UGA—and were soon followed by UGA’s first Black graduate, Mary Frances Early MMEd ’62, EdS ’67. In recognition of the anniversary of desegregation at UGA, join the 1961 Club by participating in its $60-for-60 fundraising campaign by Dec. 31. Create your legacy at gail.uga.edu/60for60

Alumni Trivia Test your Bulldog knowledge! Answers below—but no peeking!

How many student organizations are registered on campus? A. Nearly 500 B. More than 800

C. More than 1,000 D. Approximately 150

Which college was most recently established at UGA? A. Jere W. Morehead Honors College B. Mary Frances Early College of Education

C. College of Public Health D. College of Engineering

Which class year holds the record for number of donors to Senior Signature, UGA’s senior class gift program? A. 2011 B. 2021

C. 2018 D. 2001 Answers: 1. B , 2. A , 3. B. 2021, with 3,009 students participating

SHOW YOUR UGA PRIDE with a state decal Purchase an exclusive, state-specific UGA decal to show your Bulldog pride no matter where you live.

The $9.99 price of each decal includes a $5 gift to the UGA Alumni Chapters Scholarship Fund. alumni.uga.edu/statedecal

Stay Connected! YEAR-ROUND, WORLDWIDE, AND LIFELONG.

Check out what's going on for alumni and update your email or mailing address with UGA.

geo rgia maga z ine | winter 2 02 1

class notes CLASS NOTES

1955-1959 Beverly Copen ABJ ’58 released the book It’s Your Life, Isn’t It? in February 2021. 1965-1969 Mary Britt AB ’67, EdS ’81 is a volunteer leader and trainer for Alberta Health Services in Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada. Mark Warren BS ’69 is a western historian and author and has released several novels this year including Indigo Heaven; Song of the Horseman; The Cowboy, the Librarian, and the Broomsman; and Last of the Pistoleers. 1970-1974 Gerald Gill AB ’71 is professor emeritus at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, VA. Chris Roesel BS ’72, MS ’78 released How to Improve the World Quickly in August 2021. Rick Brown BFA ’73 is the co-founder of Handshouse Studio, a nonprofit educational organization in Norwell, MA. David Burch BBA ’73 was recognized by Cambridge Investment Research for achieving Cambridge’s Premier Club 2021. 1975-1979 Greg Pitts ABJ ’77 retired from his position as career center manager at the Georgia Department of Labor. Billy Cheney BFA ’79 retired after a 37-year career as a graphic designer for the U.S. Army Signal Corps at Fort Gordon. Peter Stoddard BBA ’79 is an author and public speaker, and published Lewis Grizzard: The Dawg That Did Not Count.

Compiled by Ireland Hayes, Rachel Cooper, Kendal Cano, and Rachel Floyd AB ’19, MA ’20

APPLAUSE FOR ALUMNI

Silver Lining

t’s the moment athletes train for. The ball is in your hand. The game is on the line. Win or lose, it’s up to you. With 18 seconds left in Team USA’s goalball semifinal against Brazil at the Tokyo Paralympics, the Americans were down, 2-1, and Amanda Dennis held the ball. A three-time Paralympian at 27 and a bronze medalist at the 2016 Rio Games, she understood pressure. And she slapped it aside. With a spin and roll that approached 50 mph, Dennis BSEd ’19 rocketed the ball past the Brazilian defenders and into the net, tying the game and sending it into overtime. Eventually, it went to a shootout, where a Dennis goal would put the Americans ahead and propel them into the gold medal game. Unfortunately, she missed that contest, which was won by Turkey. It wasn’t public at the time, but Dennis had been playing through two separate injuries, and she needed several weeks to recover after the Games. Dennis (third athlete from the left, opposite page) is already looking ahead. “I think our path is really clear. Bronze in Rio. Silver in Tokyo. Paris?” Dennis says, leaving the host city of the 2024 Paralympics and the Americans’ unfinished business hanging in the air.

the goal of goalball

Goalball is specifically designed for athletes with visual impairments. Dennis was introduced to it at a camp sponsored by Blaze Sports America when the Peachtree City native was 7 years old. Teams of three players on each end of the court take turns hurling a nearly three-pound ball about the size of a basketball toward goals written by eric rangus MA ’94

g eo rg i a mag a z in e | w in t e r 2 02 1

spanning the width of the court. Players track the ball using only the sound of bells inside it while throwing their bodies in front of it to stop it. Players have a half-second to react from the moment a ball is thrown to when they can block it. “You have to have good spatial awareness,” Dennis says. “You have to sense where people are; your reflexes and lateral movement have to be fast. You need speed and power, and, of course, your hearing has to be good. And you have to always be willing to learn something new.” While she has some vision, Dennis was born with two genetic conditions, anirdia and nysagmus, that render her legally blind. On the court, her eyes are covered with patches, and she wears an eyeshade to level the playing field with the athletes who have no vision at all.

training montage

Dennis was already a world-class athlete when she came to UGA in January 2013. She was acquainted with kinesiology professor Kevin McCully, who wanted to help Dennis with her conditioning. He introduced her to Lauren Peterson Higgins MS ’14, who was working toward her master’s in exercise physiology. For the next two-and-a-half years, Higgins served as Dennis’s strength and conditioning coach. For Dennis, who had previously trained on her own, it was a revelation. “With visually impaired people, you can’t just say, ‘Go do that, then do this,’” says Dennis, who graduated with a bachelor’s degree in sports management. “Lauren had to describe things in ways that helped me visually picture them in my head. I could never be more thankful to her and to Dr. McCully.”

CLASS NOTES 1980-1984 Mike Breedlove BLA ’80 retired from Breedlove Land Planning after 36 years. Stephen Cheney BBA ’81 is chairman of the board and CEO of Thomasville National Bank, and was elected as a member on the board of directors of the Georgia Bankers Association. Ellen Crane ABJ ’81 was elected to the 2021 College of Fellows, an

honorary organization in the Public Relations Society of America. Beth Harrison AB ’81, MA ’81 is CEO of MetaSystems Group in Boston. Myrna White ABJ ’81 is the assistant general manager at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta. Pam Morse BS ’83 is an instructor in the math department at Columbia Gorge Community College in

el a. clubine/whee micha lcha ir s por ts

The Dalles, OR, and is a recipient of the college’s Reine Thomas Faculty Excellence Award. Sally Williamson ABJ ’83 is president and founder of Sally Williamson and Associates, an Atlanta-based communications and executive coaching firm. She also published her book, Disrupted! How to Reset Your Brand & Your Career, in April 2021. W. Franklin Evans BS ’84 is pres-

ident and CEO of West Liberty University in West Liberty, WV. John Reynolds BBA ’84 is an IT director at United Solutions Group in Lawrenceville. 1985-1989 Paquita Adkins BBA ’85 retired from her position as a casualty delivery senior manager at Allstate Insurance after 35 years. Connie McSwain BSHE ’85 is

Amanda Dennis BSEd ’19

us a

the tokyo experience

Dennis is one of the top goalball athletes in the world, and she plays with some earned swagger. She left Tokyo as the top American blocker and the tournament’s third-leading scorer. As a left-handed thrower, her ball moves differently than a righty, which gives her an advantage on offense. On defense, she plays center, the most important position. And when she’s locked in, she wags her tongue, a la Michael Jordan. It’s a habit she picked up as a youngster and jokingly refused to believe she did until she saw it on television. Dennis trains and competes in club ball in Germany, where she lives with her husband, German Paralympic goalball athlete Michael Feistle. She regularly returns to Team USA’s base in Fort Wayne, Indiana, to work with the national team. Without a doubt, the 2024 Paralympics in France are front and center in her mind, but it’s the 2028 Games in Los Angeles that will be particularly special for Dennis. She wants to play on her home court in front of family, friends, and—intriguingly— even people she has yet to meet. “When you host a Paralympics, you are impacting people who may be disabled. Those who don’t know anything about the game,” she says. “I want to be the person who inspires them.”

joe kusumoto

geo rgia maga z ine | winter 2 02 1

CLASS NOTES a media specialist at Bartow County Public Schools in Cartersville. Doug Rankin AB ’87 is the chief vision officer at Apexx Martial Arts and is the owner of Splinters Axe House in Warner Robins. Martha Elliott BBA ’88 is a self-employed special event producer in Dallas. 1990-1994 Deena Bell-Llewellyn BLA ’91 is assistant director of public works for Greenspace Management at the City of Coral Gables, FL. Stewart Marshall Jr. AB ’91 is a realtor with Cella Dunn Sotheby’s International Realty in Savannah. David Hines BSEd ’92 retired this year from his position as a teacher and coach at Paulding County Schools. Charles Robinson ABJ ’92 published his eighth book, Taming the Tongue: How the Gospel Trans-

forms Our Talk, in April 2021. Keith Pepper ABJ ’93 is the owner of Springs Publishing in Atlanta. Elizabeth Dunn AB ’94 is executive director of SEEDS (Supporting Educational Excellence in Daphne Schools) at Daphne, Alabama’s Nonprofit Education Foundation. Scott Gary Grant ABJ ’94 and Lisa Wilbanks Grant BSEd ’02 welcomed their fourth child, David John Grant in November 2020, Scott is the client services director at Private Client Advisory in Gainesville, and Lisa is a kindergarten teacher at Lanier Christian Academy in Flowery Branch. Rhodes McLanahan BBA ’94 was elected as chairman of the Georgia Bankers Association. 1995-1999 Jude S. Walko AB ’95 won an Eclipse Award for Best Direction for his work directing the feature film The Incantation.

geo rg i a mag a zin e | w in t e r 2 02 1

Melvin Glover BS ’98 was inducted into the Lima County Schools Distinguished Alumni Hall of Fame. C. Trent Rosecrans ABJ ’98 is president of the Baseball Writers Association of America and the senior Major League Baseball writer at The Athletic. 2000-2004 William Fitzpatrick AB ’00 is director of professional services at Paywerx. Durkhy Haque BSW ’00 is a career specialist at Vocational Rehabilitation in Lilburn. Ryan Sarks BBA ’00 was promoted to executive manager of human resources, risk management, and fleet and safety at the Cherokee County Water and Sewage Authority. Andrew Dunn ABJ ’02 is vice president of sales and operations and marketing for Everywhere Wireless in Chicago. James Elrod BSA ’02 is the

finance manager for the city of Commerce. Kathleen Joyner AB ’02, ABJ ’02 is a public information officer for the Supreme Court of Georgia. Jonathan Harwell-Dye BFA ’03 is director of programs for the Arts and Business Council of Greater Nashville. Lisa McFarlin ABJ ’04 is an account manager at Nashville Public Radio. 2005-2009 June Johnson AB ’05 is a model at Look Model Agency and is co-founder of Collective High, a modern social community dedicated to changing the stigma around cannabis. Matthew Krivanek BBA ’05 is vice president of marketing at Incident IQ in Atlanta. Brittany Lavalle AB ’05, AB ’05 was named the education and training attorney for the Tennessee District Attorneys General Conference.

CLASS NOTES APPLAUSE FOR ALUMNI

Musical Mashup

special

shley Danyew didn’t invent the term “musicpreneur,” but she is working hard to perfect it. Simply put, the mashup word refers to professional musicians adept at managing the business side of their careers. Danyew AB ’07 is certainly qualified. She is a pianist and vocalist who earned her degree in piano and organ performance at UGA. She is also a writer, a business owner, and a highly skilled teacher. In addition to her UGA bachelor’s, she holds a master’s and a doctorate in music education from the prestigious Eastman School of Music at the University of Rochester.

“A lot of musicians have multiple interests; they just don’t know how to tie them together,” Danyew says. “For a long time, I felt like I couldn’t be all those things. But I think more and more, we are seeing encouragement to embrace who you are—all the different facets of yourself. That’s what sets you apart in this field.” Danyew’s first foray into musicpreneurship came with her first job following her master’s program. Make that “jobs.” Danyew and her husband, Steve, a composer, moved to rural Massachusetts, where she directed adult and children’s choirs, taught at a local college, ran a chamber music festival, and taught at two different piano studios.

Ashley Danyew AB ’07 Danyew says that the variety of music work kept her fresh and engaged. After living and working in Massachusetts for two years, she and Steve moved back to Rochester, where she continued her education. They decided to stay. Danyew didn’t originally see herself as a teacher. She’d been a performer since she joined her church choir in Woodstock at age 11. But she credits her piano professor in the Hugh Hodgson School of Music, Evgeny Rivkin, for encouraging her to go in that direction. “He said I would make a great teacher someday because I could break things down into small steps and explained things well,” Danyew recalls. “That really stuck with me. No one had given me that kind of affirmation before.” Danyew has embraced a variety of modern tools to reach her audience. She’s blogged since 2010 and in recent years has reangled her content to focus on music teachers. She and her husband co-founded Musician & Co., which offers tips to fellow musicians on how to become entreprenuers. In 2020, she expanded her “teach the teachers” reach into podcasting, with Field Notes on Music Teaching & Learning, which features a variety of pedagogical observations and insights. By necessity, Danyew has taught much of the past year and a half remotely, and it has been a learning experience not just for her students but also for herself. She readily admits that listening to a student play over Zoom is not the same as sitting in the room with them, but online teaching has helped her students develop greater musical independence and allowed her to teach students from outside Rochester, and screen sharing can offer a fresh take on musician development. Still, she looks forward to the return of in-person teaching. Until then, Danyew continues to produce engaging, thoughtful content for her online platforms and her email subscribers, who number more than 18,000. “When I started my blog, I didn’t think anyone would read it,” Danyew says. “It was just for me. Then I realized that maybe I could help others.”

written by eric rangus MA ’94

geo rgia maga z ine | winter 2 02 1

CLASS NOTES APPLAUSE FOR ALUMNI

Finding Your Ministry

peter frey

rowing up, Artis Stevens remembers sitting in the church pews listening to his father preach. His dad was a minister, his grandfather was too. Many believed that Artis, the youngest child in a large family, would follow in their footsteps. At a young age, Artis even asked his father if he should be a minister. The response stuck with him. “Everyone has their ministry in the world,” he said. “You have to find yours.” He did. Stevens AB ’97 discovered his ministry in mentorship and supporting others, particularly young people. In January 2021, he became the first Black CEO in the 117-year history of Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, the largest donor- and volunteer-supported mentoring network in the country. Stevens credits his student

written by eric rangus MA ’94

g eo rg i a mag a z in e | w in t e r 2 02 1

experience at the University of Georgia for guiding him on his first steps. “The university has been reflective of my life’s journey,” says Stevens, a native of Brunswick. He was the first member of his family to go to college. He speaks of his immediate family and home community as the village that raised him and helped him grow. When he came to Athens, he found a new village that taught him new lessons. “One of the first times I had the opportunity to work with different personalities and different groups was Freshman Council,” he says. “What the university meant for me was not just the learning, but cultural awareness. I could walk into any room and understand how to relate to and connect to different audiences because the university was so diverse.” At UGA, Stevens got involved everywhere

Artis Stevens AB ’97

he could. He became an RA; joined Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, where he volunteered for various community projects; and was named president of the Black Affairs Council. After he graduated, Stevens thought he might go to law school, but a trip home led to his first job helping reshape a community. He worked at the housing authorities, first in Brunswick, then Atlanta, before moving to Boys and Girls Clubs of America as their vice president of marketing, strategy, and operations. In 2014, he was named senior vice president of the National 4-H Council. In 2020, Big Brothers Big Sisters of America reached out to Stevens to encourage him to apply for the CEO position. He knew it was the right move. “It was like looking in a mirror. I saw myself in the experiences of these kids and of the community,” he says. “I knew that was where I was supposed to be.” More than 70% of the children served by Big Brothers Big Sisters of America are from communities of color. Having a mentor who looks like them can be a turning point in the life of a boy or girl. It’s something Stevens stresses frequently. “I grew up in a community where people were willing to work with and encourage me,” he says. “Some of the hurdles in getting involved with mentorship is that people may think it’s too hard. The beauty of mentorship isn’t that you have to be perfect. You just have to be authentic.” Stevens says that mentorship is about legacy. It’s a term he doesn’t use lightly. He is proud of the legacy he left at the University of Georgia, where he was one of the co-founders of the Rite of Sankofa, a riteof-passage ceremony that has its origins in West Africa and is now a tradition among the university’s Black graduating students. Stevens also thinks about the legacy his father and one of his older brothers left him. They both died earlier this year. “You do what you do so the next generation has it better,” Stevens says. “That’s your hope and aspiration.”

CLASS NOTES

APPLAUSE FOR ALUMNI

From Athens to Athens

special

hen Tassos Haniotis MS ’84, PhD ’87 arrived on UGA’s campus, everyone joked that he simply replaced one Athens for another. A native of Greece, Haniotis attended college in the original Athens, earning a bachelor’s degree in economics. His sights were already set on the U.S. for graduate school, and a graduate research assistant position at UGA sealed his decision to come to Georgia. “I wouldn’t have been able to come to the U.S. without the financial means to complete my studies,” he says. “I don’t regret a single moment. Attending UGA was the best part of my life.”

Haniotis wanted to continue studying economics. He focused on agricultural economics at UGA as a way to serve his country and the rest of Europe. “I already knew I wanted to work for the European Commission and work in a policy area that was very important to Greece,” Haniotis says. Beginning in 1989, Haniotis has risen through the ranks at the European Commission. Part of the European Union, the commission has multiple branches that have legislative power. Agriculture is one of them. His work has included a stint in Washington, D.C., as the European Commission delegate to the U.S. Haniotis is now the director for strategy, simplification, and policy analysis in the

Tassos Haniotis MS ’84, PhD ’87 Agriculture and Rural Development of the European Commission. Haniotis spends his days connecting with farmers across Europe, addressing the continent’s agricultural problems, and preparing reforms for agricultural policy. Haniotis relies on both his theoretical understanding of agricultural economics from his UGA graduate studies and his practical experience from his time in the commission to address the day-to-day challenges. One of the biggest of those is dealing with the economic and environmental impact of climate on farming. Having effective communication strategies for all parties involved in these global questions is important too. “I’m a city boy, so I entered the agricultural area from the outside,” he says. “My feeling is that this gives me a potential advantage of seeing the problems the farmers face while also seeing from the side of the consumer.” For his job, Haniotis has traveled the globe—about 50 countries and 22 states, in all—to connect with other policymakers and to visit farmers. Much of Europe is farmland, Haniotis says. That’s a lot of ground to cover, but it has provided him with invaluable perspectives in the often-heated discussions of agricultural policy. “What I see has broadened how I understand the challenges we face. You need to understand the starting point of others before you search for common ground,” Haniotis says. “There’s a natural tendency to put much more focus on what divides people and miss the big picture of what we have in common. I could make jokes about American football or basketball, or talk about the Georgia Bulldogs. These might be the areas that we disagree, but at least amongst ourselves, we can find something to talk about.” And it just might be the Dawgs.

written by alexandra shimalla MA ’19

Ivy Le ABJ ’05, AB ’05 is the host of FOGO: Fear of Going Outside, a nature podcast recently highlighted on Spotify Today. Lindsay Mason BSW ’05 is the senior manager at the Rite Aid Foundation and is part of the Creating Healthier Communities Corporate Leadership Council.

Candice Nanney BBA ’05, MAcc ’06 was elected as chair of the Georgia Bankers Associatoin Leadership Board of Directors. Will Argo BBA ’06 is chairman of the Independent Insurance Association of Georgia’s Young Agents Committee. Heather Huffman AB ’06 is a

small business consultant and lobbyist for entrepreneurs and is CFO of The Grand Ole Creamery in St. Paul, MN. Jane Outlaw BFA ’06 is the first woman Mayor of Wrightsville, GA. Joseph Piergrossi BS ’06, AB ’06, MEd ’09 is the host of 50 Ways to Say Science, a science podcast

that explores stories from across Europe. Nicole Hayes AB ’07, BSEd ’07 is an English teacher at Fulton Virtual Schools in Fulton County. Cara Hicks AB ’07 is CEO of The MOMentum Network, a support network for single mothers pursuing degrees at the University

geo rgia maga z ine | winter 2 02 1

CLASS NOTES of Tennessee Chattanooga. Jori Baldwin Cox BSHP ’08 is quality, learning, and development manager at Kaiser Permanente in Duluth. Mallorie Muller BSFCS ’08 is a member of Paretta Autosport, the first majority female race team to compete in the Indianapolis 500. Kendall Connell BBA ’09 is a cybersecurity leader at Accenture Security. Susan Sloan ABJ ’09 published A Seat at the Table: Women, Diplomacy, and Lessons for the World in April 2020. Milner Staub BS ’09, AB ’09 is an infectious disease physician and the medical director of outpatient antimicrobial stewardship at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. 2010-2014 Mahsa Masoudi AB ’10 is an ocular disease resident at Omni Eye Services in Atlanta. Andy Conn BBA ’11, JD ’14 is a partner at Harris Lowry Manton in Savannah. TJ Halsema BBA ’11 is director of sales at LiveTime, a software company based in De Pere, WI. Matt Lavender BBA ’11 is a surface warfare officer in the U.S. Navy. Chadwick Jump BSA ’12 is a foreign service officer with the United States Agency for International Development. Justin Kennedy BSFCS ’12 is the head of the faith division at Vimeo in Atlanta. Rachel Regal Melvin BBA ’12 is the founder of Sage Media Collective in Atlanta. Laura Trout ABJ ’12 is associate head softball coach at The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Steph Turnbull AB ’12 is a surface warfare officer in the U.S. Navy. Jordan Anderson AB ’13 is a talent booker at the Troubadour in West Hollywood, CA. Mallory BSEd ’14 and Corey Jones BBA ’13, MBA ’18 welcomed their first son, Cooper, in August. Michael Moldoveanu BS ’13 is co-founder of Sweater, a social stock streaming platform in Brooklyn. Danhely Cruz BS ’14 is an internal medicine resident at Piedmont Athens Regional Hospital in Athens. Meredith Dean ABJ ’14 is the manager of on-air personality for Seacrest Studios, and the CEO and founder of The Dean’s List, a digital branding and career consult-

g eo rg i a mag a z in e | w in t e r 2 02 1

CLASS NOTES

our georgia commitment funding crucial professorships

Raj Chokshi BBA ’94 always knew the University of Georgia was home, which is why he has remained engaged since graduation and seeks to improve students’ lives.

t started with a simple, unexpected postcard. Raj Chokshi had long dreamed of attending the University of Georgia but was unsure if he would qualify for admission. After beginning his college career at Georgia Southwestern State University in Americus, he was considering transferring to another school in the region when that singular postcard showed up in his mailbox encouraging him to apply at UGA. The rest was history. “The first time I set foot on campus was the day I packed up my car and drove up to my dorm in Athens,” Chokshi laughs. “I had never visited the campus, but I was just so excited to be there. I knew I wanted to go to Georgia, and I knew I wanted to study accounting when I got there. It has been in my blood since middle school.” Today, Chokshi is the CEO and wealth manager at Bluerock Wealth Management in Alpharetta. A graduate of the Terry College of Business’ J.M. Tull School of Accounting, Chokshi puts the skills and experiences he gained at UGA to work for his clients, crafting financial plans that point them on the pathway to success. His successful career is partially why he and his wife, Shruti, generously gave to the College of Family and Consumer Sciences’ (FACS) Department of Finan-

GIVE.UGA.EDU

special

From left: Shruti, Milan, Ria, and Raj Chokshi at Sanford Stadium. Milan is a second-year UGA student, and Ria attends John’s Creek High School.

cial Planning, Housing, and Economics to establish the Bluerock Professorship in Financial Planning. Designed to enhance the program’s ability to recruit and retain the brightest faculty and students to its award-winning financial planning program, it is the first professorship of its kind in FACS. Its initial recipient is Swarn Chatterjee, whose research focuses on measuring the value of financial advice and determining the association between household financial decision-making and food insecurity. The Bluerock Professorship will enhance Chatterjee’s research endeavors and allow him to bring valuable insights and

perspectives to the classes he teaches. Giving back to UGA was important to Chokshi, as was his desire for his gift to make a difference for students on campus. Establishing a professorship offers greater study and research opportunities for FACS students. “In the past five or so years I’ve been blessed enough to be able to give back,” he says. “Part of it is becoming mature enough to understand what an impact my gift can make to the university and how it can help the students. But I also believe that it’s important to give back because I believe the University of Georgia has helped me become as successful as I am today.”

Bulldogs believe in the promise of tomorrow. Professorships attract and retain high-caliber faculty to UGA— leaders in their fields who prepare students for successful careers and conduct research that improves lives.

geo rgia maga z ine | winter 2 02 1

CLASS NOTES

geo rg i a mag a z in e | w in t e r 2 02 1

CLASS NOTES

APPLAUSE FOR ALUMNI

Homegrown Groundbreakers

special

edia does more than just entertain or inform. For Rara Reines, it’s the path to social change. The idea took shape in early 2018 as Reines wrapped up her third year at the University of Georgia’s School of Public and International Affairs. She was interning at Ashoka, a global organization headquartered in Virginia. The company is considered a pioneer of social entrepreneurship, a practice that applies innovative solutions to address deep-rooted cultural, societal, and environmental issues. There she met Sebastian De Beurs, a student at the University of Texas at Austin. The pair had seen firsthand how racial and gender inequality and lack of access to education affected their home communities and populations around the world. “We were both at the point where we wanted to be more entrepreneurial and address a lot of these issues,” says Reines AB ’19. Their idea was to create a digital network

called GroundBreakers that promotes and connects leaders around the world who are driving change in their communities in focus areas including public health, education, human rights, and racial equity. Through Reines’ and De Beurs’ connections at Ashoka and other networks, the media hub began to take shape—first as a podcast and blog, eventually growing into an innovative, worldwide network of leaders and volunteers. With articles and interviews, the platform highlights the impact of these leaders and spurs others to action. In three short years, the virtual hub has grown to support 75 leaders in 65 countries around the world. These GroundBreakers include Zarlasht Halaimzai, who is expanding trauma-informed support for refugees in Greece through the Refugee Trauma Initiative, and Dave Okech, who is addressing food security in Kenya through aquaculture.

Rara Reines AB ’19

“Media is such a big piece of this, of how people change,” says Reines. “We’ve seen people turn to GroundBreakers as a source of solutions in many ways—and action, more importantly.” The platform also supports leaders and communities through its own initiatives. Currently, the team is developing a racial equity guidebook, which will address racial equity on global scale, centralize best practices, and connect leaders. Clearly, GroundBreakers is global, but its Athens roots run deep. A native of Clarke County, Reines’ passion for community building began at a young age. In 10th grade, she received a grant from HERLead, a fellowship program for young women leaders, to fund a local art enrichment project in Athens community centers. HERLead also paired Reines with an international mentor— Kah Walla, a social activist and political figure in Cameroon. This engagement sparked Reines’s interest in social entrepreneurship and eventually led to seed funding that helped launch GroundBreakers. Reines says that having these formative experiences between the ages of 14 and 16 is critical. “They affirmed my commitment to the idea of a mutual, global learning exchange,” she says. Her passion has taken her from Athens to New York to Rwanda and many places in between. She currently resides in Washington, D.C., working as a research associate with Ashoka while also advising and supporting GroundBreakers. But Athens is never far out of mind. Reines works closely with UGA students and alumni to continue growing the GroundBreakers network. One is Briana Hayes BSHP ’21 (see page 14), who established RISE, an organization to help rural UGA students find community and empowerment. “I will always have engagement in Athens,” says Reines. “I think there are incredible leadership efforts going on, and I’m deeply invested in working towards a more inclusive Athens.”

written by hayley major

geo rgia maga z ine | winter 2 02 1

CLASS NOTES APPLAUSE FOR ALUMNI

Disease Fighter

Michael Conner DVM ’79

wingate downs

hen Michael Conner DVM ’79 flashes onto the Zoom screen for an interview, his background is a low, flat building with a woodpile on the front porch. “This is the one-room shack I lived in during vet school, at the chicken farm I used to work on,” Conner says. “There was no A/C, a beehive in the wall, copperheads and moccasins on the porch, and bats flying through.” All creatures great and small, indeed. The philosophy at UGA’s College of Veterinary Medicine, Conner says, was that you can’t know everything when you leave, but you should be able to do the basics and do them well. “It doesn’t matter what species,

you should be able to do a physical exam, come up with a diagnostic plan, and understand basic surgical procedures.” Forty years later, Conner isn’t examining or doing surgery on animals. But that broad education has come in handy in a career spent fighting diseases. He pursued postdoctoral training in veterinary and comparative pathology at Harvard Medical School and in comparative pathology and toxicology at MIT, eventually becoming faculty at Boston University and adjunct faculty at Tufts before joining the pharmaceutical industry at SmithKline Beckman (now Glaxo-SmithKline) and Merck.

He later went to the West Coast where has worked for the last 22 years, settling in a home near the ocean in Half Moon Bay, California. “The examination of tissues is part and parcel of how we evaluate drugs for risk,” says Conner, who led programs in toxicology and pathology that resulted in several useful drugs being marketed, including therapeutics for unstable angina and drug-resistant bacterial infections. At Global Blood Therapeutics in South San Francisco, he continues to work on developing and improving drugs for sickle cell disease. “I came here,” says Conner, “because if you’re successful, you can have a real impact on human health, not just make incremental changes.” As a teacher and a researcher himself, Conner would like to see more education and understanding around the fact that science is a process, with knowledge building upon itself and evolving over time. This is a lesson that’s true for the ongoing pandemic, he says: “People get confused and frustrated when experts change their recommendations. But we, as scientists, prove or disprove our hypothesis through experimental challenges and react as we learn more.” Conner, who received the Distinguished Alumni Award from the College of Veterinary Medicine in 2019, says his motto—and why he chooses to donate to student scholarship at UGA—is this: “If you’ve had some modicum of success in life and you think you did it on your own, that means you’re forgetting all the people who helped you along the way. You need to become that person to someone else.”

written by mary loftus

ing agency in Charlotte. Sophia Latz AB ’14, MHP ’19 is a preservation planner for the city of Norfolk, VA. 2015-2020 Ronnie Kurtz AB ’15, MPA ’15 was named director of planning and community development for

Grovetown, GA. Mallory Blount ABJ ’16 is the press secretary for Gov. Brian Kemp BSA ’87. Iqbal Khan BBA ’16 is a customer engineer at Microsoft in Atlanta. Alyssa Paris BSEd ’16 is account director for brand sales at In Style magazine in New York City.

geo rg i a mag a zin e | w in t e r 2 02 1

Genevieve Boyle BBA ’17 was promoted to client and community relations assistant director at PNC Financial Services Group in Atlanta. Jessika Douglas BSHP ’18 is a social science research analyst for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Mallory Haak BS ’18 is a business

information developer at Anthem in Denver. Brittany Paris AB ’19 is a social media producer for Barbara Corcoran in New York City. Chason Dean BBA ’20, BBA ’20 is a treasury analyst at The Savannah College of Art and Design. Jordan Stein BSEd ’20 is a spon-

CLASS NOTES

APPLAUSE FOR ALUMNI

The Thought that Counts

martin bentsen

ill Rulli BS ’11 says she hopes to impact the world in a positive way, one greeting card at a time. After a successful career as a political consultant, Rulli is now dedicated to helping others be a little more thoughtful. “We all say it’s the thought that counts.” she says, “If the card makes you stop and you feel seen and appreciated, or heard or not alone, or like your moment of whatever experience is shared, then mission accomplished.” Rulli’s career has been anything but conventional, starting with her academic journey. She transferred into the University of Georgia her junior year but left before receiving her diploma. After five years away from the university, Rulli returned and, in between working on political campaigns, earned her degree in political science.“It is the thing that I’m probably singularly most proud of now,” she says. “I love Georgia, not because I had a very typical four-year love affair with Georgia, but because I chose it and it chose me in a very personal way.” Rulli also credits much of her professional success to her time as a UGA student volunteer on then-congressman Johnny Isakson’s BBA ’66 2004 campaign during her first stint at the university. written by ireland hayes

“There are very few people that I think of as highly as I think of Johnny Isakson,” Rulli says. “I really couldn’t have imagined a better first political experience than to be with good people who believe in what they’re doing and are working in the name of somebody who is honorable and decent.” Rulli went on to work with Isakson in several positions throughout her career. However, after more than 15 years in the world of politics, Rulli felt it was time for a change, but she wasn’t sure of her next steps. But she did know what it was like to have a busy schedule, and to miss important events such as a her parents’ anniversary or her

Jill Rulli BS ’11 brother’s birthday. “That’s not okay, and why is that so hard?” she recalls thinking. “Hallmark for sure has to have this figured out, right?” But after some research, she realized no major greeting card company had found a solution, so she decided to take it upon herself. “I never envisioned myself being a business owner or an entrepreneur, but if there is a problem that needs a solution, why not give it a shot,” she says. Through this, her company, The Thought, was born. Shoppers can find distinctive artisanal cards, (stamp included) in her online store. They can also select from an array of add-ons, such as handwritten notes, cash, or gift cards. The best part, however, is their free reminder service that allows customers to create an account and set important dates they want to remember. “Tell us what you want to remember or who you want to remember, and we’ll make sure you never forget it,” she says. One of The Thought’s core values is “adamant about authenticity.” After her career in politics, she has come to deeply appreciate sincerity, and wants people to be unafraid to be themselves. “Even if I disagree with a person on absolutely everything under the sun, I always want to say, ‘That’s still OK. You do you,’” she says. “I think we’re all better off as families and communities when we’re considerate of all of our differences, and we still show up as ourselves, instead of something other than that.”

liza suh

geo rgia maga z ine | winter 2 02 1

CLASS NOTES APPLAUSE FOR ALUMNI

Farm to Table to Television

magnolia network

magnolia network magnolia network

n February 2020, Jamila Norman took a meeting. A local Atlanta production company had contacted her about an idea for a TV pilot. Norman BSBE ’06 was intrigued. She is the owner of Patchwork City Farms in the Oakland City

neighborhood, and a staple of Atlanta’s urban farming community for more than a decade. The idea centered on a home gardening makeover show. The producer recorded the conversation and sent the video to her client: home renovation and

written by eric rangus MA ’94

geo rg i a mag a z in e | w in t e r 2 02 1

lifestyle superstars Chip and Joanna Gaines. The Gaineses were launching Magnolia Network—a media joint venture with Discovery comprising a cable and streaming presence—and they enthusiastically signed off on the show. Norman had just become one of its stars. Welcome to Homegrown, the latest episode in Norman’s life, which—like her farm—is bursting with abundance. Since Norman was born, fresh and healthy food has been a part of her life. She hails from New York City, but the culinary influences of her mother (a native of Jamaica) and her father (from Trinidad) made quite an impression. “I read gardening books like other people read novels. Front to back. I absorb everything,” says Norman. After her family moved to Atlanta, Norman tended small gardens, and while an undergraduate in Athens, she taught children the principles of growing food through the Boys and Girls Club. She worked as an engineer for 10 years after graduating, farming on the side for much of that time. After renting land in various locations for years, Norman purchased the land that became Patchwork City Farms in 2018. The former environmental engineering major transformed what had been a vacant lot bisected by a drainage ditch into a bountiful 1.2-acre agricultural plot. Farming, always a love,

or k magnolia netw

became her full-time occupation. Norman built a loyal customer base. The crops that didn’t go to Atlanta’s many farm-to-table restaurants, she sold at farmer’s markets across the city. Becoming a TV star was never a consideration. But for someone new to the genre, Norman is a natural. “I’m just being myself,” she says. “This is not reality TV; I’m not playing a character. We want to keep it authentic and capture moments where the audience is learning, they are entertained, and they see a lot of things they can implement at home.” Each episode of Homegrown begins and ends with Norman at Patchwork City Farms. In between, viewers meet a new family and their soon-to-be-transformed yard. An illustration of Norman’s plans is then sketched out on screen, accompanied by her voiceover describing each step. The show then follows the process as Norman and her team transform the yard into a functional garden that doubles as a food source. During the shows, viewers visit local gardeners, craftspeople, farmers, growers, and other members of Norman’s wider

CLASS NOTES sorship coordinator at Maxxis International in Suwannee.

Jamila Norman BSBE ’06

community—many of them personal friends. And it all plays out like a loving postcard from Atlanta, wrapped up in a brisk 24-minute package. Season 1 of Homegrown, one of Magnolia Network’s original offerings when it launched in July 2021 on discovery+, was a rousing success. Season 2 debuted in late October with an episode order that doubled from six to 12. The newer episodes include a revisit to homes about two months after completion. “We get to see the gardens in abundance,” Norman says. “We can also talk to the audience about the importance of when to harvest food.” With such a busy schedule, Norman could be excused for putting other plans on hold. Instead, she is expanding Patchwork City Farms in hopes of turning it into a wellness and retreat center complete with a pavilion to teach classes and host events. Norman also promotes other women of color in urban farming. In a matter of seconds, Norman lists a half dozen Black women farmers in Atlanta. One of them, Haylene Green, aka “the Garden Queen,” was featured on Homegrown. Promoting her fellow neighborhood farmers is just one way Norman gives back to her Southwest Atlanta community. “I wasn’t the first Black woman to farm in Atlanta, but I became visible,” she says. “Urban farming is a way to reclaim underdeveloped land. We don’t have a lot of fresh and healthy food here, but this is where the need is. Our long-term goal is to overcome the barriers—income, transportation, awareness, cultural relevance—to get the food to the people who need it.”

2021 Nick Dasoveanu BS ’21, AB ’21, MA ’21 is co-founder of Sweater, a social stock streaming platform in Brooklyn. Emmi Totten BFA ’21 is an interior designer at TKC Architecture & Engineering in Franklin, TN.

gradnotes agricultural & environmental sciences Jennifer Henke MS ’05 is vice president of the Entomological Society of America. Tamara Cushing PhD ’06 is an extension forest business specialist at the University of Florida. Tongyang Yang MS ’15 is an assistant professor of economics at Widener University in Chester, PA.

arts & sciences Fleming McClelland MA ’74, PhD ’81 co-edited Thomas

Carlyle: Essays on Literature. It is the final academic work of his career, which began 40 years ago. McClelland donated a signed copy of the book to UGA. Katie Nall MS ’84 is a keynote speaker and emotional freedom technique trainer focused in math anxiety in students, and is the owner of NallEdge in Vero Beach, FL.

and Evaluation at Tennessee Technological University. Barry Shealy PhD ’94 is director of learning at Sekolah Pelita Harapan in Jakarta, Indonesia. Tammy Bankus EdS ’06, MEd ’09 is director of quality assurance at Fort Benning. Lisa Conley MEd ’09, EdD ’20 is president of the Clayton State Alumni Association.

business

journalism & mass communication

Tanea Jenkins MBT ’20 is an IT product manager at Healogics in Jacksonville, FL. Tammy Williams PhD ’21 is an adviser at Elwood & Goetz Wealth Advisory Group and was named National Rising Star by Financial Planning Magazine.

education Michael Gilbert EdD ’73 released two books in 2021: Saying it Right: Tools for Deft Leadership and Surviving Adolescence: Helping Teens Endure the Roller Coaster Ride. Tricia Jones MEd ’75 retired from Anderson County Schools in Tennessee after 32 years. She is now an adjunct professor in the Department of Research

keep up with the bulldog nation

social work Jeffrey Yarvis PhD ’04 was named a Social Work Pioneer by the National Association of Social Workers. Ashley Stroud MSW ’14 is the founder of Angela’s Aging Services in Norcross.

veterinary Pablo Castro Sr. PhD ’21 is a field veterinary specialist in parasitology at Zoetis in Athens.

@universityofga

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 award-winning Georgia Magazine, contact gmsales@uga.edu or 706-542-9877.

send us your notes

Richard Baxter MA ’77 was awarded the title of Dean Emeritus from Columbus State University.

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.

Quickest way to send Class Notes E: gmeditor@uga.edu W: ugamagazine.uga.edu Or send a letter to: Georgia Magazine 286 Oconee Street Suite 200 North University of Georgia Athens, GA 30602-1999 UGA Alumni Association Please submit online at alumni.uga.edu/classnote

geo rgia maga z ine | winter 2 02 1

FACULTY FOCUS

Chris Cornwell Head, Department of Economics Simon S. Selig Jr. Chair for Economic Growth Terry College of Business

“What distinguishes economics from the other social sciences is its conceptual framework, which balances human objectives with the constraints posed by life’s circumstances. This framework lies at the heart of my research and is the basis for the economic way of thinking I strive to impart to my students.” Chris Cornwell’s research spans appraising the impact of the HOPE Scholarship to determining best management practices and ways to maximize worker productivity. But the core lesson that runs through all his classes? Economics isn’t just a subject taught in school. Influential English economist Alfred Marshall defined the discipline as the “study of mankind in the ordinary business of life.” Professor Cornwell wholeheartedly agrees.

peter frey

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.

g eo rg i a mag a z in e | w in t e r 2 02 1

geo rgia maga z ine | fall 2 019

286 Oconee Street, Suite 200 North University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602 Change Service Requested

g eo rg i a mag a z in e | w in t e r 2 02 1

Non-Profit Org. US Postage PAID University of Georgia