Nov. 29 was a night to remember. The Redcoat Alumni Band celebrated its 50th anniversary, and after four quarters and eight overtimes, the Bulldogs celebrated another win over the Jackets.
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Find out how you can help important creepy-crawlies, p. 20.
Building a Medical School: A Progress Report
The School of Medicine at the University of Georgia is taking shape. Significant faculty and administrators have joined the team, and a critical fundraising goal has been reached.
Preparing Public Servants
UGA’s School of Public and International Affairs produces leaders at all levels and has a high national ranking to show for it.
Bug’s Life
Love them or hate them, bugs are a fact of life in the South. But some UGA researchers are determined to make these little beasties your besties.
Radio
A new generation of music-loving students is building on the legacy of WUOG, 90.5 FM, one of the country’s most influential student-run college radio stations.
Pictured in WUOG’s archives, Mal Holmes (clockwise from bottom left), Laura Duncan, and Garrett Hudder, along with Lauren Wheeler and Katie Sawyer, are expanding WUOG’s status as one of the country’s most exciting student-run college radio stations.
COVER PHOTO BY PETER FREY
CHAMBERLAIN SMITH
After 50 years, the Redcoat Alumni Band still knows formations. See more from the band reunion and the Bulldogs’ unforgettable win over Tech on page 34.
A GOAT Among the GymDogs
FOR THEIR 2025 HOME OPENER AT SOLD-OUT STEGEMAN COLISEUM, the GymDogs invited a very special guest. On Jan. 17, 11-time Olympic medalist Simone Biles, along with her husband, Chicago Bears’ defensive back Jonathan Owens, called the Dawgs then watched from seats on the floor as the home team beat Boise State, 196.825-193.600. UGA co-head coach Cécile Canqueteau-Landi and her husband, Laurent, are Biles’ personal coaches.
DOROTHY KOZLOWSKI
SPRING 2025
VOLUME 105 ISSUE NO. 2
GEORGIA MAGAZINE
Editor · Eric Rangus MA ’94
Associate Editors · Aaron Hale MA ’16 and Leigh Hataway MA ’17
Staff Writers · Jayne Roberts and Savannah Peat AB ’19
Art Director · Lindsay Robinson ABJ ’06, MPA ’11, MA ’22
Advertising Director · Kipp Mullis ABJ ’93
Photo Editor · Peter Frey BFA ’94
UGA Photographers · Andrew Davis Tucker, Dorothy Kozlowski BLA ’06, ABJ ’10, and Chamberlain Smith ABJ ’18
Contributing Writers · Elizabeth Elmore BBA ’08, ABJ ’08, Clarke Schwabe ABJ ’08, Ireland Hayes AB ’23, Alexandra Shimalla MA ’19, and Rachael Andrews AB ’17, MPA ’21
Contributing Designers · Andrea Piazza ABJ ’12, MA ’19, Whitney Mathisen, Kaiya Plagenhoef, Justin Patton ABJ ’15, and Amy Gunby BFA ’20
Editorial Interns · Caroline Newbern, Maura Rutledge, and Navya Shukla
Research Writing Graduate Assistant · Sydney Barrilleaux BS ’24
Senior Director for Integrated Media Communications · James Hataway MA ’10
Assistant Vice President & Chief Operating Officer · Fran Burke
Project Manager · Brittney Wurdeman
ADMINISTRATION
President · Jere W. Morehead JD ’80
Senior VP for Academic Affairs & Provost · S. Jack Hu
VP for Finance & Administration · Ryan Nesbit MBA ’91
VP for Development & Alumni Relations · Jill S. Walton BSA ’99, MPA ’03
VP for Instruction · Marisa Anne Pagnattaro PhD ’98
Interim VP for Research · Christopher King
Interim
VP for Public Service & Outreach · Matt Bishop MPA ’99, PhD '12
VP for Student Affairs · Michelle Cook
VP for Government Relations · Kevin Abernathy AB ’99
VP for Information Technology · Timothy M. Chester
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“The
University of Georgia is embracing its role as a research powerhouse, and we are grateful to all who are helping us advance this vital mission.”
A Research Powerhouse
UGA is reaching new heights in research and innovation
The University of Georgia is one of the nation’s top public research universities. With expert faculty, exceptional facilities, and generous support from alumni and friends, UGA is setting new institutional records while translating discoveries into tangible solutions.
In FY24, UGA’s total R&D expenditures reached an all-time high of $628 million—a 10% increase from the previous year and an incredible 77% increase from a decade ago. Research supported by federal agencies in particular gained strength, with a 15% rise in federal research expenditures between FY23 and FY24. The U.S. Department of Commerce and U.S. Department of Agriculture led the increase, while the National Institutes of Health and National Science Foundation were significant contributors.
UGA’s presidential hiring initiatives have recruited an additional 97 highly productive research faculty since 2020, and we have welcomed five new Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholars in that time. Loyal donors have helped us increase the number of endowed chairs and professorships at UGA by 40% in the last decade, from 229 to 380, further enabling us to recruit top faculty. Meanwhile, scholars throughout campus have garnered many of the most prestigious and competitive honors, from membership in the National Academies to MacArthur and Guggenheim fellowships.
UGA faculty excel at turning their research into commercial products through industry partnerships and startups. The University of Georgia ranks No. 1 among U.S. universities for the number of products brought to market based on its research and has ranked either first or second in this annual measure for nine consecutive years. The UGA Innovation District has contributed to this success through an array of places, programs, and people working together to foster entrepreneurship.
Thanks to the commitment of government and industry leaders as well as our alumni, we have created research facilities with state-of-the-art technology and spaces that promote collaboration and breakthroughs. UGA recently completed the renovation of Cedar Street Building C, the first part of a major capital project to modernize midcentury buildings and infrastructure on Science and Ag Hill. The Medical Education and Research Building being built for the School of Medicine will further boost research and innovation at UGA.
The University of Georgia is embracing its role as a research powerhouse, and we are grateful to all who are helping us advance this vital mission.
Jere W. Morehead President
to
UGA Z
Highlights from across the UGA community
KICKIN' IT
UGA Dance Students Explore the Big Apple
In 2024, a troupe of 11 University of Georgia dance students traveled from Broad Street to Broadway to immerse themselves in the mecca of professional dance, New York City.
The trip was the first Domestic Field Study program led by UGA’s Department of Dance. UGA’s Domestic Field Study programs allow students to “Study Away in the USA” with site-specific, experiential learning opportunities across the country.
Over three weeks, students explored world-renowned dance centers and joined in more than 15 dance classes taught by professional instructors. Each student could choose the level of difficulty and dance technique for each class. Participants gained insight into the dance industry by talking to professional dancers living and working in New York and even gained audition experience through mock auditions.
Outside of the dance classes, the troupe explored historic cultural sites including the Apollo Theater in Harlem and Radio City Music Hall. They also attended a New York City Ballet performance at Lincoln Center where they had the opportunity to explore and stand on the stage.
“It was just incredible to get a taste of life in the city,” says Lily Morris (left), a third-year theatre and dance major. “And now, I’m just so excited for my future. The end goal for me is to be on Broadway, and going to New York was the best possible thing I could have ever done with my life.”
DIPLOMAS EARNED
More Than 3,000 Honored at Fall Commencement
The University of Georgia welcomed a total of 3,187 students—1,773 undergraduates and 1,414 graduate students—to the alumni community at the fall commencement ceremonies in Stegeman Coliseum Dec. 13.
Lisa Godbey Wood AB ’85, JD ’90, U.S. district judge for the Southern District of Georgia and a Double Dawg, was the undergraduate keystone speaker.
“Class of 2024, honor your Bulldog pedigree. Find your authentic passion, and as long as you breathe, don’t let go,” Wood said. “It’s not your destiny to settle having come this far.”
Hunter Fankhauser BBA ’24, who earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting and served as the student speaker during the undergraduate ceremony, shared some of the lessons that he teaches the first and second graders he coaches in basketball.
“We are much more effective in motion than we are stationary,” Fankhauser said. “You don’t have to be fast or make a beeline either. But when you don’t know what to do or where to go, listen for where your heart is beating, and start by taking that first step toward it.”
SLOWING THE SPREAD
UGA Testing U.S. Dairy Supplies for Bird Flu
The University of Georgia is partnering with the Food and Drug Administration to test U.S. dairy supplies for avian influenza.
UGA is one of five institutions nationwide helping to ensure the safety of dairy products during the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza A (H5N1) outbreak.
Commonly known as bird flu, H5N1 is found in wild aquatic birds around the globe and is now causing outbreaks and disease in a variety of animals, including people. However, the threat to the general public remains low.
H5N1 was detected in U.S. dairy cattle for the first time this year. While the virus was found in raw milk from infected cows, pasteurization appears to kill H5N1, which makes it unlikely to infect people through consumption. Raw dairy products, however, are another story.
Monitoring the presence of H5N1 in dairy products could reduce the threat of avian influenza to human and animal health.
SETTING RECORDS
R&D Tops $628M in 2024
As one of the nation’s top public universities, the University of Georgia continues to heavily invest in its research enterprise.
In another record-setting year for UGA research, total research and development expenditures totaled $628 million in 2024. This all-time high represents a 10% increase from the previous year’s research expenditures and a 77% increase over the past decade.
UGA faculty also excelled at translating their high-level research into practical solutions, with the university once again ranking No. 1 among U.S. universities for new research-based commercial products brought to the market, according to an annual survey conducted by AUTM. UGA has ranked in the top two for nine years in a row.
Formerly known as the Association of University Technology Managers, AUTM is a leading nonprofit aimed at developing academic research that changes the world and drives innovation forward.
Since UGA began recording progress in the 1970s, industry partners have brought more than 1,200 products to market based on university research, including products ranging from sustainable fabric dyeing technology to turfgrass cultivars.
CHAMBERLAIN SMITH
Virtual Reality Game Helps Students in Science Classes
Multilingual students face communication challenges that can hurt their performance in school. According to a new UGA study, virtual reality may help them.
In the U.S., most classes are taught through lectures or tests, and the primary language is English. However, in the real world, people use more than just words, often communicating with hand gestures and body language.
Researchers wanted to see how other forms of communication could help multilingual students in science classes.
GETTYIMAGES
Students were tested before and after they played a game either on a desktop or through immersive virtual reality. Researchers then compared their scores to see if the game helped them better grasp the material.
All the students’ scores improved after playing the virtual reality game, and multilingual students performed as well as their English-speaking peers.
Although virtual reality games aren’t available in every classroom, UGA researchers say educators should consider varying their forms of communication with students.
“Teachers can do a lot of different things to make this kind of nonverbal-based communications happen more in the classrooms,” says Ai-Chu Elisha Ding, lead author of the study and an assistant professor in the Mary Frances Early College of Education. “One of the key takeaways of the study is that teachers should pay close attention to using visuals and hand gestures to help students process information.”
It’s a Lucky 13 for UGA Marketing and Communications
The University of Georgia received 13 awards in the Best of CASE District III competition, and six of those were for content from Georgia Magazine. That is the most honors ever for both the university and the publication. The awards are for work that appeared in 2023.
CASE, the Council for Advancement and Support of Education, is the professional organization for staff in university marketing, communications, development, and alumni relations. District III encompasses the southeastern U.S.
Georgia Magazine associate editor Leigh Hataway MA ’17 earned two awards in the news feature writing category. An Act of Love appeared in the Fall 2023 issue, and Healthy as a Horse was the magazine’s cover story in Winter 2023.
Also published in Fall 2023, Live in the Classic City earned assistant director Cole Sosebee BS ’19 an award in the profile writing category and UGA photographer Chamberlain Smith ABJ ’18 honors in individual photography.
CASE previously recognized the magazine’s Spring 2023 cover (at left) in its Circle of Excellence, a national award. The cover picked up another award at the district level.
Finally, the magazine was honored in the Alumni/General Interest Magazines Published 3+ Times a Year category. This is the fifth time in the last six years that Georgia Magazine has received this honor from District III. In 2022, the magazine also earned a place in the CASE Circle of Excellence.
This photo of alumnus Cam Kreitner on Broad Street in Athens won UGA photographer Chamberlain Smith a CASE Award. Cole Sosebee's profile of Kreitner also won.
BEYOND WORDS
SHE’S OKAY
Megan Moroney Makes It
Megan Moroney BBA ’20 named her debut album Lucky, but luck didn’t have much to do with her success.
Hard work, a legion of dedicated fans, and a degree from the Terry College of Business have made the difference.
Originally from Douglasville, Moroney studied digital marketing and also earned a Music Business Certificate at UGA. She spent her free time posting covers of country songs on her Instagram account.
During internships in Nashville, Moroney met her future manager and producer. So when she moved to Music City after graduation, she already had strong connections to the industry.
Moroney credits her Terry music business classes on publishing, contracts, and tour planning with guiding her career.
“It’s so funny because I was one of y’all sitting here listening to the speaker who was some cool producer or something,” she told students during a campus visit in November. “I came to these meetings and RSVP’d for events. I don’t want to get preachy, but whatever you want to do is possible.”
Award-winning country singer-songwriter and UGA alumna Megan Moroney shared words of wisdom on Nov. 15 with students in Terry College's Music Business Program. Moroney’s "Am I Okay?" Tour will begin in March and will include an Athens date in April.
UGA Class Maps Out Lineage of Iconic Sanford Stadium Hedges
After a careful genome analysis, a Franklin College of Arts and Sciences faculty member and his students found that the same family of hedges have stood tall for nearly 100 years.
Since they were first planted in 1929, Sanford Stadium’s hedges have been as much a part of UGA lore as the Arch or the Chapel Bell. But when they were removed for the Atlanta Olympics in 1996 and replanted later that year, no one verified that the new plants were actually clones of the originals.
Five days after visiting Terry, Moroney was named New Artist of the Year at the 58th Annual Country Music Association Awards. Previous winners in the category include Chris Stapleton, Taylor Swift, Keith Urban, and Randy Travis.
UGA’s annual Spotlight on the Arts festival included more than 50 exhibitions and performances, such as this classical Indian dance which featured third-year student
Fueled by a love of Sanford Stadium and UGA history, James Leebens-Mack (left), a professor of plant biology in Franklin College, wanted to find out. So, he and UGA bioinformatics students tested the genome sequence of the hedges and found the plants are from the same stock as their predecessors with nearly identical genomes.
Students also compared their genome sequence with other plants in the olive family to see how the privet genome has evolved over the years. The hedges are Chinese privet plants, which are part of the olive family.
Artistic Splendor Showcased at Spotlight on the Arts
In November, the visual, literary, and performing arts took center stage at the University of Georgia’s 13th annual Spotlight on the Arts. Spotlight on the Arts is coordinated by the UGA Arts Council, as well as interdisciplinary academic units across campus.
The month-long festival involved more than 50 events and exhibitions with performances by students, faculty, and professional artists.
Highlights included the fifth annual Dodd Market featuring student artists, a concert by Grammy Award-winning violin soloist Maxim Vengerov, a UGA Theatre production of the Broadway musical 9 to 5 (featuring music and lyrics by Dolly Parton), and a theatrical performance by the genre-defying Silkroad Ensemble.
SHINE ON
Sumadyuti Venkatesh.
DOROTHY KOZLOWSKI
CHAMBERLAIN SMITH
RICHARD HAMM
& SCORING DRIVES Scholarships
UGA donors support academics and athletics at the highest level
Mark, Delores, Markel, and Chynna Jennings. Markel is a second-year UGA student and a guard on the UGA men’s basketball team, and Chynna is a 2015 UGA alumna and a design professional on all real estate projects for the family’s Athens Construction Group.
Private funding can help a University of Georgia basketball player sink a three-pointer and a Bulldog gymnast land a perfect score. It can also help students afford college and go on study away trips. And sometimes the funding for all these things comes from the same family.
There is a dedicated group of UGA donors who take the phrase “a powerhouse in academics and athletics” seriously. These donors give to both, aiming to make a transformational impact on students and student-athletes alike. Delores and Mark Jennings are among that group.
“The University of Georgia is about achieving at the highest level: on the field, on the court, in the classroom, in the lab, and out in our communities,” says Mark, a UGA Foundation trustee. “I’m so proud of what this university is doing, and I want to see it—all of it—continue to get better and better.”
The family created multiple needbased scholarships through the Georgia Commitment Scholarship program. They are planned gift donors, and they contributed to the new UGA School of Medicine. They are also dedicated supporters of UGA Athletics, earning
IF YOU’RE LOOKING TO MAKE A COMPREHENSIVE IMPACT AT UGA LIKE THE JENNINGS FAMILY, CONTACT MEGAN.JENKINS@UGA.EDU.
The University of Georgia is about achieving at the highest level: on the field, on the court, in the classroom, in the lab, and out in our communities.”
MARK JENNINGS, UGA FOUNDATION TRUSTEE
distinction as Silver Circle donors through their contributions to gymnastics, men’s and women’s basketball, football, and athletics capital projects.
Thanks in part to the comprehensive support provided by donors like the Jennings family, UGA has ranked in the top 20 of U.S. News & World Report’s public university rankings for nine consecutive years. Additionally, Georgia placed in the top 10 of the NACDA Learfield Directors’ Cup, which names the most successful overall athletic programs in each collegiate
entering stronger programs means more leaders leaving campus and improving communities here in Georgia—and wherever else they go, for that matter.”
From baseball and soccer to engineering and fashion design, donors like the Jennings family look to elevate the complete student experience. The family’s commitment and generosity lay the foundation upon which UGA students can excel, whether they are chasing a national title or a degree in medicine.
Building a Medical School A PROGRESS REPORT
WRITTEN BY AARON HALE MA '16
It’s only been a year since the University System of Georgia Board of Regents authorized the establishment of an independent School of Medicine at the University of Georgia, and the institution is wasting no time preparing to turn a vision into a reality.
The School of Medicine has already made significant faculty and administrative hires, prepared the way for a new medical education facility, and hit a critical fundraising milestone. In November, the Board of Regents gave final approval for UGA to grant a Doctor of Medicine degree.
It’s one of many steps to getting the medical school running and putting new doctors into the field.
By the fall of 2024, the medical school’s core administrative team was taking shape, with founding Dean Shelley Nuss hiring academic standouts from across the nation.
But UGA didn’t have to look farther than Atlanta to find its senior associate dean of academic affairs. Dr. Erica Brownfield, a specialist in internal medicine, previously served at Emory University as associate dean of medical education. In her new role, Brownfield will plan and implement the
medical school’s academic mission across undergraduate and graduate medical education. This includes oversight of accreditation, admissions, and curriculum.
“My excitement is matched with a profound sense of responsibility to help shape medical education and health care in Georgia,” Brownfield says.
In September, UGA announced that prominent gastric cancer researcher Yana Zavros would lead the medical school’s research enterprise. Zavros, who has been on faculty at the University of Cincinnati and the University of Arizona, pioneered
Erica Brownfield Senior Associate Dean of Academic Affairs
Yana Zavros GRA Eminent Scholar in Molecular Medicine
Brian Steele Associate Dean of Admissions
CHAMBERLAINSMITH
PETERFREY ANDREWDAVISTUCKER
organoid-based research for studying gastric cancer. The developments allow researchers to create tissue in the lab that resembles a patient’s organs.
Zavros, who also became the inaugural Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar in Molecular Medicine, will recruit faculty researchers and set priorities for the new medical school’s research center.
“My vision,” says Zavros, “is that this will be the center that other institutions will look to as an example of how to successfully connect biomedical research and medicine in a way that will rapidly translate scientific discovery to the patient.”
Zavros will continue her work with an interdisciplinary team of researchers focused on solving issues of early diagnosis and treatment for Cushing’s disease, which affects people and dogs.
Zavros’ multi-institutional work studies the disease in human and canine patients—ultimately benefiting both. That approach aligns with the university’s Precision One Health Initiative, which recognizes the connections between human, animal, and environmental health and seeks comprehensive solutions.
Then in October, the School of Medicine recruited Brian Steele from the University of Kansas School of Medicine to become the associate dean of admissions. Steele noted UGA’s land-
grant mission as one draw to the role; the other is the opportunity to build a new program almost from scratch, a recurring theme for the medical school’s faculty recruits.
As the medical school’s org chart takes shape, so does the future of UGA’s Health Sciences Campus. In the fall, UGA approved designs for the new medical education and research facility.
UGA ceremonially broke ground on the facility last spring when Gov. Brian Kemp BSA ’87 and the Georgia General Assembly approved a $50 million investment in the new School of Medicine. In a matter of months, the university matched that investment with $50 million in private funds to construct a 92,000-square-foot facility, which will feature teaching auditoriums, an anatomy lab, simulation bays, and a medical library. Construction is expected to begin this spring.
The new facility is just the start of how the School of Medicine aims to improve Georgians’ well-being and boost the state’s economy. A recent report by nationally recognized consulting firm Tripp Umbach estimated an impact between $1.8 billion and $2.3 billion on the state by 2040. The report concluded that the main drivers of economic return would be improvements to health care, research expansion, and job creation across the state. GM
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NEXT STEPS
With facility and faculty planning underway, the School of Medicine submitted an application for accreditation to the Liaison Committee on Medical Education in November 2024. The accrediting body is in the process of reviewing the application.
Help the UGA School of Medicine become a reality. Make a gift today. GIVE.UGA.EDU/MEDICINE
This artist’s rendition offers a view of the Medical Education and Research Building from the intersection of Foster and Fox Roads on the UGA Health
Preparing Public Servants
WRITTEN BY SAVANNAH PEAT AB ’19
The University of Georgia’s School of Public Affairs has been a top dog for more than 20 years.
In 2024, Lauren Curry MPA ’99 made history as the first female chief of staff in the Georgia governor’s office.
Just two decades before, however, she was a recent college graduate looking for a master’s program.
While planning that next step in 1997, Curry noticed UGA’s School of Public and International Affairs (SPIA). Its public affairs program was ranked No. 6 in the nation at the time.
“That really drew me in,” Curry says. “The reputation definitely came through with the quality of experience that I had, with professors, internships, and courses. I wouldn’t have wanted to go anywhere else, and the fact that I ended up at this level and have this opportunity to try and do so much good, I owe to SPIA.”
“I wouldn’t have wanted to go anywhere else, and the fact that I ended up at this level and have this opportunity to try and do so much good, I owe to SPIA.”
LAUREN
CURRY, CHIEF OF STAFF IN THE OFFICE OF GOV. BRIAN KEMP
A Sterling Reputation
SPIA has consistently housed a top 10 public affairs program for more than 20 years. U.S. News and World Report recently ranked the program fourth in the country in 2025.
The Department of Public Administration and Policy is the home of the Master of Public Administration (MPA) program. Within MPA fields of study, its public management and leadership specialization ranks second, public finance and budgeting specialization ranks third, and local government management specialization ranks fifth.
“We want to make sure that we maintain or enhance our reputation for excellence in the rankings and elsewhere,” says SPIA Dean Matthew Auer. “We have a correlation between the quality of our programs, the scholarly and research talents of our
faculty, and the outcomes for our students.”
Aashna Monga MPA ’24 saw that excellence and chose UGA when looking for a graduate program to suit her. Now a development impact consultant at the World Bank, Monga knew UGA was for her when faculty members went out of their way to reach out to her.
“What motivated me to join SPIA was just how invested the faculty was in your growth,” Monga says. “I remember even before coming to the U.S., I had calls with people from the program. That gave me confidence that these people are really there to help you out and figure out everything along the way.”
Faculty investment is a point of pride for SPIA.
“Some say a faculty member’s job is teaching, research, and service,” Auer says.
“At SPIA, we think mentoring is the fourth leg of the stool. The result is that students develop knowledge and skills, but they’re also job-ready and life-ready."
Beyond personalized mentorship and welcoming research participation, Curry recalls her professors readying her for anything a career in public administration could throw at her.
“In anything you’re going to do in public administration, you’re going to have to know how to manage a budget. You’re going to have to understand policy implementation, top-down versus bottomup. Administration is a very wide umbrella,” she says. “And SPIA is just so practical. You’re going to see problems you practice in your future in an academic setting. I pulled so much of that experience once I got into the working world.”
Lauren Curry made history in 2024 as the first female chief of staff for the state of Georgia. She works for the office of the governor in Atlanta.
ANDREW DAVIS TUCKER
Curriculum Based for the Real World
SPIA’s public affairs program trains aspiring public servants, whether they end up at a nonprofit or a branch of local government. Students learn the theories of public strategy, ethics, leadership, and problem solving, and then connect that through hands-on field work to make the community a better place.
“Whether it is a role in politics, city planning, or nonprofit work, it’s super important for us to walk that walk and make sure our graduates are actually public servants and that they’re serving the interests of the state,” Auer says. “I need to be able to make that impression on ordinary, traditional taxpayers who may have no connection to the University of Georgia. They need to understand the value that our students bring to what they do in a very tangible way.”
Monga cherishes the variety in her coursework and experiential learning most of all. While working toward her degree, she explored everything from
international policy and budgets to program management. Now, thanks to the MPA program, Monga can handle anything at the World Bank from a policy inspection to data and economic analysis.
“Everything was relevant to my journey as a public administrator going forward,” Monga says. “I could tailor my degree according to my own needs. My UGA journey gave me a sense of what I wanted to explore and strengthen in my work.”
At a state level, Curry is responsible for communicating to the public, managing policy agendas, and coordinating with teams across all levels of government. Handling the expected and unexpected is what is required of her, and it’s a skill not easily taught.
“The world is a very imperfect place. But SPIA faculty always tried to show us that there are departments and people trying to improve things,” she says. “People have now said to me, ‘Oh, we see how hard you work and how
passionate you are about what you do.’ And I try to tell them that there are a lot of folks out there, like me, who are very passionate about what they’re doing.”
Even when the going gets tough, Curry emphasizes the importance of public servants. Most people rely on them daily even if those same people rarely notice.
“We need to recruit good folks in this area because it’s just such positive work. If you’re part of the solution, you’re leaving a legacy and trying to make things better,” she says. GM
Dean Matthew Auer also teaches a course in SPIA and encourages other faculty to teach and explore research.
Aashna Monga chose to attend UGA because of SPIA. She now works at the World Bank.
CHAMBERLAIN SMITH
BUG’S LIFE A
Love them or hate them, bugs are a fact of life in the South. But some UGA researchers are determined to make these little beasties your new besties.
WRITTEN BY LEIGH HATAWAY MA ’17
They’re creepy, and they’re kooky. Mysterious and spooky. Some might even say they’re all together ooky.
But instead of being beloved and quirky like the Addams Family, bugs are decidedly less welcome in our homes.
While bees and butterflies often feel the public’s love, less conventionally attractive creepy-crawlies like cicadas and Joro spiders are left out in the cold—or, worse, squished.
“I think insect conservation is one of the most overlooked areas of conservation biology,” says William Snyder, a professor of entomology in UGA’s College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CAES). “They’re not huggable; not many species of insects are charismatic. But insects support so many
Why should you care? Well, for starters, bugs are everywhere.
Insects alone make up more than half of all the animals on Earth. Add in the rest of the terrestrial arthropods, like arachnids, centipedes, and millipedes, and you’re looking at millions of species, many of which have yet to be identified, according to the U.S. National Park Service.
But don’t let their overwhelming numbers freak you out too much. Many of these bugs—like the ones you’ll meet in the coming pages—are harmless or even beneficial. And they need our help to keep doing what they do best. They pollinate our fruits and veggies, help decompose organic waste that would otherwise pile up, serve as an integral food source for other creatures big and small, and so much more.
INSECTS, ARACHNIDS, AND OTHER CRITTERS. OH MY.
Ever wonder what makes an insect an insect and a bug a bug? Or are you more in the camp of “I don’t care what it’s called. Just keep it away from me”? Here are a couple of key tricks you can use to tell the difference.
Number of body segments
Insects have three: a head, thorax, and abdomen. Sometimes it can be difficult to tell where one segment ends and another begins.
The dragonfly, for example, has clearly defined segments. The segments on beetles, like ladybugs, are a little harder to spot since their wings fold over a chunk of their body.
Meanwhile, an arachnid, like a spider or scorpion, has two body regions and lacks the antennae present on actual insects.
Number of legs
This is where it gets a bit creepier. Insects typically have three pairs of legs, so six in total. That means that critters like centipedes, spiders, and roly-polys (also known as pill bugs) actually aren’t insects.
Instead, think ants, bees, and flies. You probably aren’t taking the time to count the legs on the mosquito that just landed on your arm before smacking it, but if you did, you’d find this blood-sucking bane of our existence also
An Insect Apocalypse?
Insects are one of nature’s best adapters to change. Whether that change is in their environment or their climate, many species do a great job adjusting to new challenges. Take the Joro spider.
After hitching a ride to the U.S. on shipping containers from Asia in the 2010s, the Joro spider found itself in new terrain on the East Coast. And the bright yellowand-black arachnid is making the most of its migration, ballooning from a few spiders here and there to being spotted between powerlines, on top of stoplights, and even hanging above gas pumps.
thrive where other spiders don’t. That adaptability leads researchers to believe these invasive creatures are here to stay. (Don’t worry, though. They’re pretty much harmless.)
There are legitimate concerns about the insect world’s well-being, but it’s more complicated than rumors of a mass bug die-off imply.
“On the one hand, you hear that all the insects are going to be lost,” Snyder says. “On the other, you hear that mosquitoes
that carry malaria are becoming more widespread and that agricultural pests are increasing due to changing climates.
“What we do know is that some insects are probably going to be harmed while some insects will benefit. You really have to take that big picture at a more continental scale over a relatively long time period to get the true picture of what’s happening.”
Royalty Among Butterflies
Insects are also incredibly resilient, regularly bouncing back from bad weather events or disease outbreaks.
Monarch butterflies are an ideal example of how an insect in trouble in one part of the world can thrive in others.
In recent decades, researchers have become increasingly concerned about the popular monarchs, watching closely as the number of migratory monarchs reaching their winter destinations continued to fall.
Studies from UGA scientists suggest that summer populations of monarchs in North America have remained relatively stable during the past 25 years. These breeding populations may help compensate for the species’ losses on its annual journey south.
Still, concerns about the insect’s migration persist, with recent work led by Andy Davis, an assistant research scientist in UGA’s Odum School of Ecology, and Snyder finding that monarchs are dying off at very high rates as they fly thousands of miles each winter to sites in Mexico.
Facing an increasingly common parasite called Ophryocystis elektroscirrha (or OE for short), decreasing habitat, increased insecticides, and changing weather patterns, monarchs appear to be facing an uphill battle. But it’s not a hopeless one.
“Monarch migration is in trouble,” says Sonia Altizer, the Martha Odum Distinguished Professor of Ecology. “But a single female monarch can lay 1,000 or more eggs, so they have the potential to recover. They’re pretty durable as far as insects go.”
People know monarchs are in a vulnerable position, and they want to help. Unfortunately, many of the efforts to “save the monarchs” may be harming them.
Home gardeners know that milkweed provides food for monarchs at their caterpillar stage and nectar for adults. But they may not realize there’s a huge difference in the growing season of our native milkweeds and that of non-native tropical milkweeds.
Native milkweed dies in the fall and winter, encouraging monarchs to begin their southward journey in a non-reproductive state, which is critical for them to survive their five-month
stint in Mexico. Tropical milkweeds continue to flower until they’re hit by a hard frost, providing a resource for monarchs to keep eating and reproducing when they’re supposed to be migrating and overwintering.
“They see this milkweed, and it’s like candy to them,” Altizer says. “They can’t resist it. Some of those monarchs flying south will drop out of the migration and start breeding again. If they can, they’ll do that all winter long.”
That ramps up transmission of the OE parasite, which spreads from adults to eggs and caterpillars, and the burden of infection ratchets up with each generation.
Rather than discouraging gardeners from helping the cause, scientists want them to grow plants that will help monarchs stay on their journeys.
“We want people to plant native milkweed, and we want them to plant nectar plants for butterflies,” Altizer says. “But we need to do it in a way that mimics natural habitats.”
Sonia Altizer didn’t set out to study monarch butterflies. But when she saw the species was in trouble, plagued by an understudied parasite, she knew she’d found her calling.
ANDREW DAVIS TUCKER
Joining the 10% Club
It’s not just butterflies that would benefit from this approach. Most, if not all, insects thrive in natural habitats, and it wouldn’t take much to make an impact.
“I know the public loves their grass, but what if everyone could give up about 10% of their yard to help create wildlife corridors?” asks Jennifer Berry BSA '98, MS '00, PhD '24, an entomologist and outreach specialist with CAES and UGA Cooperative Extension. The corridors don’t have to be complicated. In fact, making a difference might just mean planting a single tree.
“Trees are particularly great for honeybees,” says Lewis Bartlett, an assistant professor of entomology in both the Odum School and CAES at UGA. “A couple of mature tulip poplars are going to do a lot more than acres and acres of clover. These big old landscaping trees are absolutely critical to insect health.”
For some of our native bees that can only travel 100 feet or so, having these little pockets of habitat and food could mean the difference between a thriving colony of pollinators and death.
Lately, Berry’s been working with Scott Griffith, the assistant manager of UGA’s golf course and associate director of agronomy, to turn unused areas on the award-winning public course into pollinator habitats with trees, shrubs, and wildflowers.
“If we can do this at a golf course, we can definitely do it in someone’s back or front yard,” Berry says.
QR CODE Want to help? Learn how to transform part of your outdoor space into a pollinator habitat: T.UGA.EDU/4FHUOZM
Lewis Bartlett always liked bugs, particularly bees. He describes bumblebees as the “Tauruses of the bee world, slow to anger but very slow to forgive” and says that while carpenter bees “look like they might kill you, they’re really just big cinnamon rolls.”
Bee Healthy
Bees aren’t the only insects being ravaged by parasites and disease outbreaks. But there are reasons to be hopeful.
Innovative discoveries include the world’s first bee vaccine from the UGA Innovation District’s Dalan Animal Health in partnership with CAES, the UGA Bee Lab, and the College of Veterinary Medicine.
In addition, UGA researcher-led efforts like Project Monarch Health, a citizen science project that harmlessly samples wild monarch butterflies to track the spread of parasites, and Joro Watch, which monitors the proliferation and expansion of the Joro spider, help protect our creepy crawly buddies and educate the public about the crucial roles insects and other bugs play in our ecosystem.
“Insects and spiders are so different from us,” Altizer says. “Their bodies are different. Their brains and sensory systems work differently. And I think maybe that’s one reason why a lot of people get put off by insects: because they’re so different and maybe seem strange. But for me, that fact makes them incredibly fascinating.
“I wish I could see what a butterfly sees and feel what a butterfly feels because I would be able to answer so many questions if I knew how they were experiencing their world. But the one thing I do know is it’s really different from how we see the world.” GM
"Insects and spiders are so different from us. But for me, that fact makes them incredibly fascinating."
SONIA ALTIZER, MARTHA ODUM DISTINGUISHED PROFESSOR OF ECOLOGY
Jennifer Berry was a comedian and actress. But when she decided to go back to school at UGA, all it took was a couple entomology courses with Professor Keith Delaplane for her to realize she wanted to center her life’s work on bees.
Radio, Radio
A new generation of music-loving students is building on the legacy of WUOG, one of the country’s most influential student-run college radio stations.
WRITTEN BY ERIC RANGUS MA ’94
PHOTOGRAPHY BY PETER FREY BFA ’94
Sometime last year, Rissa Rogus and Elizabeth Kim found a cardboard box in the WUOG music room. There wasn’t anything particularly odd about that. WUOG—the University of Georgia’s student-run radio station—collects boxes like paper clips.
But something about this box stood out, so the two music directors opened it. They found treasure.
The neatly filed records and CDs inside included a first pressing of Substance, a classic two-record compilation from New Order. Additional rarities from Blondie, David Bowie, Fugazi, and others—all legends of alternative music—were mixed in. So was a handwritten note.
Written in cursive on a piece of notebook paper, Lars Gotrich introduced himself as a former WUOG staffer. In 2008, when WUOG was clearing out its studio atop Memorial Hall and preparing to move into its current location in the Tate Student Center, stacks of records and CDs were being thrown out. There was no room in the new archive.
Gotrich AB ’05, who now works for NPR Music, was horrified. He filled a box with rescued music from the trash bin and took it home. In 2023, he mailed it back.
Gotrich felt bad about taking everything without permission, and while none of the artists in the box would make today’s WUOG playlist—they’re too mainstream for college radio these days—he wanted the station to have its music back.
“One beautiful thing about radio is the focus on physical media,” says Laura Duncan, WUOG’s program director. “We have record players; we have CD players and old cassettes in the archives. We provide a nice space for this media to be used, and even if people listen to us online, they still get that feeling of physical media and connection.”
The music classified as “alternative” is ever-changing, but the spirit behind it is always vibrant. WUOG is now 52 years old but far from settling down.
Rissa Rogus, WUOG’s local music director, leads the station’s outreach to the Classic City’s still-vibrant live music scene. She helps book bands for WUOG’s Live in the Lobby series and highlights Athens-based talent on her show, Sound of the City
Come as You Are
For as long as she can remember, Katie Sawyer has loved music. She was a drum major in her high school band, so when Sawyer got to UGA, she sought a place where she could share that love of music with others. So in the first semester of her first year on campus, Sawyer attended an interest meeting at WUOG. And she hasn’t left.
“Something about this station is just special,” says Sawyer, a fourth-year entertainment and media studies major. “I needed this to be part of my life.”
As a freshman, Sawyer trained to be a DJ and adopted the on-air handle DJ Muppet Man. (All 132 WUOG DJs have handles.) Then she earned a promotion to internal affairs director and became general manager in 2024. She oversees the station’s 17-member executive committee as well as its 300-plus member staff.
“Just like me, everyone else here is just so passionate about radio and music and just Athens in general,” says Sawyer, who spends between 20 and 30 hours a week
on station business. “I definitely expected some of the stresses that come with the job, but I really didn’t anticipate how eager everyone is to help.”
Shiny, Happy People
The most eager WUOGers (pronounced woo-AWG-ers) are Sawyer’s 17 lieutenants on the executive committee. They serve as leaders in programming, outreach, operations, digital media, and archives. And they also draw strength from those around them.
“I came here, and I found my people,” says William Sealy, a third-year double major in business and history. As WUOG’s community outreach director, Sealy leads efforts to reconnect with station alumni across the country.
Over the years, WUOG alumni outreach has been spotty, but since the station’s 50th anniversary celebration in 2022, the current staff’s efforts have met with a lot of success.
Current staff frequently interact with
Programming director Laura Duncan, like so many WUOGers—as they call themselves— has a mix of new and throwback tastes. “I think one really beautiful thing about radio is the focus on physical media. The station provides a really nice space for it to be used.”
alumni through social media groups and in person. For example, former staff come back to campus to host hour-long shows where they get to “seize the airwaves” and play the classics, new and old. Alumni even take part in WUOG-sponsored events like concerts and panel discussions with ample room for telling stories.
Katie Sawyer walked into the WUOG studio as a freshman and never left. In 2024, she served as the station’s general manager, balancing inspired leadership with a love for all that WUOG represents.
ONCE IN A LIFETIME
With thousands of records and CDs filed in WUOG’s archive, what is the executive team’s favorite? The answer is unanimous.
It’s a first-run copy of Talking Heads: 77, the band’s landmark debut. WUOG’s copy went missing, and through the years, the album achieved something approaching mythic status.
“I remember my freshman year, people were talking about it like it was this legendary thing, and then I went and found it,” says Elizabeth Kim (above), a fourth year double major in English and journalism.
“Where did you find it?!?!?” asked her incredulous co-workers.
“It was in the Talking Heads section.”
But perhaps the best part of the discovery was a chippy WUOG review from the time that was stored with the record. “Beats are funky. Vocals are a little weak.”
Later that fall, Kim leaned into her newfound celebrity at the station and dressed as Talking Heads’ leader (and vocalist) David Byrne, complete with the oversized suit from the concert film Stop Making Sense
“I think we forget how important radio is,” she says. “It’s interesting to think something that goes through our hands now and onto the shelf will generate excitement 20 years from now.”
A spiky sense of humor is a WUOG hallmark that dates back to the 1970s. These days, the station’s back room includes a collage that memorializes the least artistic, most embarrassing, and simply mind-boggling CD cover art DJs have collected over the years.
One of the busiest staff members, training director Jake Martinez teaches every one of the 130-plus WUOG DJs how to do the job before they go on air.
Tuesday nights at WUOG are for Live in the Lobby, the station’s showcase for local bands. The Howdies performed last fall and drew a standing-room-only crowd.
Love Shack
WUOG 90.5 FM first hit the airwaves on Oct. 16, 1972. Since then, it has remained one of the most influential college radio stations in the country. Members of R.E.M. were DJs. So was 2000s super-producer Brian Burton, better known as Danger Mouse.
Athens was one of the epicenters of the alternative music boom, and WUOG both reflected and drove it. But the station has always been more than just a jukebox. It has covered news, sports, weather, and campus activities. It’s also given voice to thousands of students.
For 36 years, WUOG broadcast from Memorial Hall. For the students who worked there, the location was a shrine. As grubby as it was beloved, WUOG’s headquarters resembled the living room of a 1970s sitcom, and the staff embraced it.
Fashion and music styles changed through the years, but WUOG always kept its edge. And that edginess, that anti-establishment attitude, is something WUOG alumni still keep close to heart. But they also understand that times change.
“I’m excited by what they are doing,” says Jennifer Griffith ABJ ’86, MA ’92, PhD ’01, who was a WUOG staff member all four years of her undergraduate career and is now
faculty in the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication. Current staff members first reached out to her during the 50th anniversary celebration, and now Griffith checks in periodically.
“The students have so much enthusiasm,” she continues. “They don’t do anything the way we did, and you can’t hold their feet to the fire to get them to, but I’m letting go of that,” she laughs.
Broadcasts from building roofs and smoke-filled control rooms are a thing of the past.
“Have fun,” Griffith says. “Do what you want to do. It’s your space now.”
“We all understand that we have a duty to uplift smaller voices.”
KATIE SAWYER, WUOG GENERAL MANAGER
New Adventures in Hi-Fi
While WUOG’s Memorial Hall studio wore its grime as a badge of honor, the station’s Tate Center space is bright, airy, welcoming, and well put together.
Student staffers come and go seemingly non-stop; they pause to eat lunch, study, or just hang out. The raised stage in the corner hosts bands every Tuesday night for the Live in the Lobby concert series. At other times, it serves as ample space to stretch out.
“I live here,” says Megan Dawson, a second-year public relations major and WUOG’s external affairs director. “In between classes, I’ll come into the lobby to talk to people or do my homework. It doesn’t feel like a job or a big time commitment because I love it so much. This is where I want to be all the time.”
Anyone who claims that radio is dying has never visited the studio. And all those staff members bring their own perspectives with them. These days, diversity of taste keeps WUOG alternative.
“We have some people who nerd out to hyper-pop and others who like 1930s union strike music,” says Sealy, pulling two of WUOG’s more exotic genres out of the air.
While alternative music aficionados have historically delighted in breaking rules, WUOG does have a major one. DJs cannot play any artist who has made the Billboard 200 album chart or has more than three million listeners on Spotify. Sometimes underground artists will play their way off WUOG’s playlist. Chappell Roan is a recent example.
“She doesn’t need us anymore,” Sawyer says. “We all understand that we have a duty to uplift smaller voices. We are individually picking out music that we want people to hear. We want to share it with people.”
LIVE ONLINE TO WUOG: WUOG.ORG/LIVE-STREAM
WUOG doesn’t broadcast 24 hours a day anymore, but that doesn’t mean DJs don’t take the programming schedule seriously. And with DJ-produced art to advertise each show, the staff makes the calendar fun too.
This Must Be the Place
While the lobby is the station’s hub of activity and the booth is its flash, the archives are WUOG’s beating heart.
Its shelves contain thousands of meticulously filed records and CDs. Many of them one of a kind.
“There are so many local bands who sent us CDs in the ’90s and then just faded away,” says local music director Rissa Rogus. “We are the only people who have a copy of their music, and that’s such a privilege.”
But that’s not all that the archives hold.
On a bottom shelf in the back is a box of journals, many of them dating back decades. Eventually, the journals will be sent to UGA’s Special Collections Libraries as part of the new WUOG Collection, which will include decades of playlists, program guides, promotional material, and correspondence.
For years, DJs have scribbled their thoughts or doodles in these journals, each of which covers a year. Much of it cannot be reprinted in a family magazine.
“We’re still making the same jokes,” says Elizabeth Kim. “It really makes you feel like you are a part of something very important and very special.” GM
In 2024, Garrett Hudder served as WUOG’s internal affairs director. He was in charge of the station’s massive archive (seen here) and also built a partnership with UGA’s Special Collections Libraries to store 50 years’ worth of station material. “We are pieces of something far larger than ourselves,” Hudder says. In 2025, Hudder was named general manager, a role he’ll keep for the calendar year.
launched from the top floor of Memorial Hall on Oct. 16, 1972. The occasion was so grand that UGA President Fred Davison (seated) was on hand to congratulate the faculty and WUOG student staff involved.
WUOG
SPIRITS IN THE MATERIAL WORLD
In 1979, a ragtag group of radio staff started their own band, calling themselves the Wuoggerz. Sometimes there’d be more than a dozen people on stage playing a wide range of instruments with various success. One of them, drummer Bill Berry, was pretty good. He would soon join R.E.M.
Talent aside, the Wuoggerz earned a slot opening for The Police at the Georgia Theatre. The band was so impressed by the Wuoggerz performance and the crowd’s reaction—made up primarily of musician girlfriends and other pals—that The Police invited the group to open for them on the rest of their southeastern dates.
The Wuoggerz had to decline. They had class in the morning.
at
Scenes of LOVE AND HATE
With the convergence of the Redcoat Alumni Band’s 50th Anniversary and Bulldogs’ annual battle with Tech, the day after Thanksgiving was one to remember.
WRITTEN BY ERIC RANGUS MA ’94
Thanksgiving celebrations are frequently overstuffed affairs. Gettogethers involve guests traveling from distances both long and short. There is food, excitement, togetherness, music, and drama. Lots of drama.
But even by those standards, Friday, Nov. 29, at Sanford Stadium was a table-flipper for all time.
As is tradition, UGA’s Thanksgiving included a healthy dose of Clean OldFashioned Hate, with Georgia Tech coming to Athens to close out the 2024 college football regular season.
New guests included the more than 400 Redcoat alumni participating in the Redcoat Alumni Band’s 50th anniversary celebration. Typically, the Redcoat alumni reunite on Homecoming weekend. But for their silver anniversary, the rendezvous shifted to the Tech game.
PHOTOS BY CHAMBERLAIN SMITH ABJ ’18
The alumni band’s halftime performance capped a day that started with a 9 a.m. practice. If there was a letdown following a sluggish first half that saw the Bulldogs trailing 17-0, it was impossible to tell.
As the temperature in Athens dropped into the 30s, UGA’s fortunes rose dramatically. The Bulldogs overcame that three-score deficit to tie the game at 27 as the fourth quarter ended.
Eight overtimes later—the second longest FBS game since OT was instituted in 1996—Georgia triumphed 44-42.
The win kept Georgia in the top 10 and, coupled with a victory over Texas in the SEC title game, propelled the Bulldogs into the first-ever 12-team College Football Playoff. The victory was Georgia’s seventh straight over Tech, and the Bulldogs now hold a 72-41-5 advantage over their in-state rivals.
The Redcoat Alumni Band’s day started
9 a.m. Under the direction of alumni drum major John Mote, more than 400 Redcoat alumni lined up on the practice field.
Nazir Stackhouse (No. 78) and Smael Mondon (No. 2) introduce Tech quarterback Hayes King to Clean Old-Fashioned Hate.
Trumpet player Kim Hoang, a member of the Redcoat class of 2020, traveled the farthest to attend the reunion. She flew in from San Francisco.
Tom Jackson (below right), voice of the Redcoats for 50 years and former UGA vice president for public affairs, was honored at halftime for his service to the band and the university. Brett Bawcum, director of athletic bands, presented Jackson with an official red coat.
Derik Clackum, a clarinetist from the Redcoat class of 1965, was the oldest member of the alumni band to participate in the 50th reunion.
After eight overtimes and more than four-and-a-half hours, Nate Frazier’s 3-yard plunge sealed Georgia’s 44-42 victory over Georgia Tech and helped send the Bulldogs into the first-ever 12-team College Football Playoff.
Redcoat majorette alumnae came ready to twirl.
With more than 960 yards of offense from both teams combined, Sanford Stadium saw a lot of fireworks.
dates to remember!
WOMEN IN THE WORKPLACE MENTORSHIP DINNER
March 14
Designed to cultivate and celebrate mentorship among UGA alumnae and students, the Women in the Workplace Mentorship Dinner provides a welcoming space for women to engage in meaningful conversations about personal and professional development. Details at alumni.uga.edu/calendar.
WOMEN OF UGA MENTORSHIP MONDAY
March 17
(Noon-1:30 p.m. EST on Zoom)
Join Women of UGA for virtual panels designed to empower women through professional development and advice from successful alumnae. Details at alumni.uga. edu/calendar.
DAWG DAY OF GIVING
March 27
Get ready for this year’s 24-hour fundraising extravaganza! Every gift—no matter the size—supports the university’s mission. Join in this powerful campaign that celebrates the Bulldog Nation’s collective impact. Details at givingday.uga.edu
chapter spotlight
DC DAWGS
Chapter President: Nav Singh BS ’20 Number of Local Alumni: 5,491
The Washington, D.C., Alumni Chapter proudly represents the Bulldog community in the nation’s capital. The chapter is led by a passionate group of graduates who plan and host networking, community, and social events for alumni and friends throughout the D.C. area. The group is a strong supporter of students living in Delta Hall, UGA’s residential facility in the city that allows students to work and study in D.C. for a semester. Follow them on Instagram to learn more: instagram.com/dcdawgs
CLASS OF 2025 SENIOR SIGNATURE DEADLINE
March 31
Any student graduating in May or December 2025 is encouraged to contribute $30 to the annual Senior Signature campaign by March 31. Of that gift, $20 can be directed to a fund of the student’s choice on campus, and the remaining $10 supports the Class Gift initiative. Learn more about Senior Signature at alumni.uga.edu/seniorsignature
88TH ANNUAL ALUMNI AWARDS LUNCHEON
April 4
The university will celebrate this year’s honorees for the annual Alumni Merit, Family of the Year, Friend of UGA, Faculty Service, and Young Alumni awards. Honorees will be announced in April at alumni.uga.edu/alumniawards.
NOMINATIONS FOR THE 2025 CLASS OF 40 UNDER 40
They are movers and shakers, pioneers and philanthropists, and they are all Bulldogs 40 or younger who are making waves in their companies, industries, and communities. This February, nominate a young graduate for UGA’s 40 Under 40 list. Learn more about the program and nominate a deserving individual at alumni.uga.edu/40u40.
JOIN THE PARENTS LEADERSHIP COUNCIL
The Parents Leadership Council (PLC) is a group of parents who are eager to be involved on campus and directly impact undergraduate student life. By joining, PLC members’ minimum annual gift of $5,000 enhances the undergraduate student experience and helps make a great university even better. PLC members will:
• Meet other UGA parents from across the country.
• Be invited to attend two annual Parents Weekends on campus.
• Create their own UGA experience alongside their child while learning about the university.
• Financially support student organizations and President Jere W. Morehead’s JD ’80 campus priorities.
Learn more at give.uga.edu/parents
EXPAND STUDENTS’ MINDS BY FUNDING STUDY ABROAD EXPERIENCES
At UGA, students are required to participate in an experiential learning opportunity to graduate. In fact, UGA was a pioneer in beyond-theclassroom education when it rolled out the program in 2016. One option to satisfy this requirement is to study abroad, but for some students, that life-changing experience can be out of reach financially. This is why many in the UGA community step up to support scholarships for students seeking to explore other places. If you are interested in making international study an option for all students, visit give.uga.edu/abroad.
Check out what's going on for alumni and update your email or mailing address with UGA.
class notes
Compiled by Caroline Newbern, Maura Rutledge, and Navya Shukla
A Doctor’s Journey
Dr. Colby Ruiz was a teenager when he watched his first surgery.
He volunteered in the operating room at Valdosta’s SGMC Health, where his parents worked as nurses.
Ruiz BSA ’15 could have ended up in any of the hospital units except, at 14, he really didn’t want to wear the pink “candy striper” uniform of most hospital volunteers. When Ruiz learned that OR volunteers wore green, he was all in.
Even then, most volunteers didn’t actually cross the red line into the operating room. But Ruiz was offered an intriguing opportunity.
“Some of the doctors started to recognize me,” he recalls. “And then one day, one of the surgeons was like, ‘Hey, do you want to come and watch a case?’”
It became a regular occurrence as the young volunteer bonded with the surgeons.
He also met with patients during difficult times in their lives and developed empathy for their situations. These experiences ultimately set Ruiz on the path to becoming a vascular surgeon.
But before he graduated high school and left Valdosta behind, some of the doctors offered advice and a challenge.
First, they suggested he study in-state for college, telling him he “couldn’t get a better education anywhere” than at the University of Georgia.
The challenge?
“Don’t forget about us when you’re done.”
They meant: Don’t become another bright rural student who goes off for an education and never returns home.
Ruiz went from volunteering in the operating room as a high schooler to running an OR as a surgeon.
ALUMNI PROFILE
Colby
1964-1969
Henry Duggan BBA ’64 published two novels of historical fiction, Silver’s Odyssey and Savannah On Fire. He’s also canoed more than 100 rivers.
Muriel Pritchett ABJ ’67, MA ’78, MFA ’85 released her seventh book, Aliens Spurlock, her first foray into science fiction.
Jere Henderson ABJ ’69 received the circumnavigator award for
the San Francisco Bay Area Ridge Trail, a trek of more than 400 miles.
Jack Hood AB ’69, JD ’71 retired after 33 years as an assistant U.S. attorney for the Middle
Setting Off
Ruiz came to Athens as a pre-med student on a scholarship from UGA’s Center for Undergraduate Research Opportunities (CURO). He conducted research as a freshman in the lab of Walter Schmidt, a professor of biochemistry and molecular biology and a Georgia Cancer Coalition Scholar. There, Ruiz experimented with a protein associated
Written by Aaron Hale MA ’16
with pancreatic cancer. He continued in the lab through his UGA tenure, eventually speaking at conferences with Schmidt and was even published in a research journal.
After earning his degree in biological science in the UGA College of College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Ruiz attended medical school at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He earned his M.D. and stayed five more years for his residency at UNC,
District of Georgia and the Northern District of Alabama. He has authored or coauthored 63 law books and nine novels.
specializing in vascular medicine.
As a vascular surgeon, Ruiz helps people manage conditions ranging from blood clots to strokes and aneurysms. His patients are at risk of losing limbs or even death.
When operating, he might perform surgery to repair an aorta, insert a stent to open an artery, or remove plaque from a vessel.
His skills as a surgeon can literally be a matter of life and death. But his ability to show empathy when helping patients manage their care is just as essential.
“You’re managing people’s emotions, feelings, and thoughts, and helping them make decisions because it’s all about what the patient wants to do.”
The Decision
Ruiz’s residency ended last summer, and it was time to figure out what he wanted to do. A fully trained surgeon with a wife and children, Ruiz hadn’t forgotten about Valdosta or the challenge from the surgeons who inspired him.
“I came home, after all, to that same hospital that I started volunteering in back in the day,” Ruiz says.
In July, he returned to SGMC Health to join the vascular surgery team.
His work in Valdosta is just getting underway, but he’s already looking to establish opportunities to bring high school students in to follow him and learn about becoming a doctor.
And who knows? Maybe Ruiz will inspire future doctors to come back and practice medicine in their hometown.
Colby Ruiz BSA ’15
Ruiz, left, operates on a patient. As a vascular surgeon, Ruiz helps patients manage precarious conditions such as blood clots, strokes, and aneurysms.
ANDREW DAVIS TUCKER
In the University of Georgia’s ongoing mission to serve our state, UGA is building a new independent School of Medicine in Athens to directly address Georgia’s critical need for doctors. UGA is uniquely positioned and ready to address the health care challenges of our state — from the hills of Georgia’s northland to the Coastal Empire — and we need your help.
The Institutionalist
Leigh Hildebrand works on Capitol Hill, right in the middle of the sharply divided American political system.
Her role in the U.S. Senate, however, is strictly nonpartisan.
Hildebrand JD ’00 is the senior assistant parliamentarian, second in command on the team that reports to the lead Senate parliamentarian, Elizabeth MacDonough.
The role of parliamentarian is often referred to as the Senate’s referee with the legislative body’s rulebook as a guide.
And much like a referee for, say, an SEC football game between heated rivals, the role can come with a great deal of scrutiny. Over 19 years, Hildebrand has advised senators from both parties and five vice presidents. Her job is not to take sides but to uphold the rules and integrity of the Senate.
“It’s really about giving our best advice about what is appropriate for the Senate as an institution,” she says. “It’s important during these very contentious times to have people who are institutionalists.”
Ms. Hildebrand Goes to Washington
Hildebrand, who comes from a family of rice farmers in Stuttgart, Arkansas, got her first taste of Washington, D.C., and the Senate when she was 16.
As a junior in high school, she earned a spot in the U.S. Senate Page Program. It was her first time away from home. The experience made an impression.
“I decided I’m going to come back here someday,” she says.
After attending Westminster College in Missouri, Hildebrand went looking for a larger program for law school. And that’s when she visited Athens for the first time.
“Love at first sight,” she says. She also became a diehard Bulldog, coming back to Athens annually to attend games at Sanford Stadium. She may be completely nonpartisan in politics but not when it comes to football.
Written by Aaron Hale MA ’16
Career Nonpartisan
After earning her Juris Doctor and litigating for the Federal Election Commission, Hildebrand found a position on a public service job listserv that went to School of Law graduates. It was an assistant parliamentarian job in the Senate.
During her interview, her experience as a Senate page came up. And the man who would become her boss asked her what she remembered of him from that time.
She drew a blank. Rather than concocting something flattering, Hildebrand recalls admitting, “I actually don’t remember you.”
He was impressed by her willingness to tell him the truth. Uncomfortable honesty is part of a parliamentarian’s job. Sooner or later, she’ll upset people on both sides of the aisle.
She got the job.
While the the duties of the position can vary from reading bills and designating them for committee or preparing scripts to open the Senate, occasionally parliamentarians make decisions that can capture the political spotlight.
Those familiar with American politics know that passing most major bills through the Senate requires a 60-vote majority to avoid a filibuster. One way around that threshold is a complex process called reconciliation.
It allows for certain budget-specific bills to pass the Senate with a simple majority. However, the rules for this process are complex. One threshold that must be passed to comply with federal law is that the policy impact of the bill cannot outweigh the budgetary impact.
You can’t, for example, outlaw people from wearing the color orange and pass it through reconciliation. It has a huge policy impact on UGA’s SEC rivals and has very little impact on the federal budget.
Hildebrand has helped advise the Senate on more contentious matters, such as health care policy and the federal minimum wage. When these matters come up every few years, parliamentarians work around the clock studying the bills, the rules and precedents, and the policy implications. Once in 2022, Hildebrand was up for 60 hours straight reviewing provisions in and amendments to one of these reconciliation bills.
The advice given by the office on these and other weighty matters often draws intense public scrutiny of the Senate’s complex rules and its interpreters.
For her part, Hildebrand believes those rules, which can slow or even throw wrenches in the legislative process, have an important purpose.
“It’s good to have consensus or to work toward that,” she says. “And we can help. That’s what we do.”
Leigh Hildebrand JD ’00
DOROTHY KOZLOWSKI
Leigh Hildebrand meets with UGA students at Delta Hall in Washington, D.C.
1970-1974
Bill King ABJ ’74 published Large Time: On the Southern Music Beat, 1976-1986, a book based on his career as a music journalist.
Ted Stewart ABJ ’74 had his short story, “Occurrence at Antioch Cave,” published in Fate Magazine.
1975-1979
Aimee Malik BSHE ’75 retired in August 2023 after more than 26 years as a paralegal.
Anne Martin BSHE ’75, MEd ’80 is dean of the School of Interior Design at Anderson University in South Carolina.
Robert Fore EdD ’76 was named professor emeritus by the University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Medicine.
Rob Hooks AB ’76 retired from NetJets Aviation where he was a captain on the Citation XLS. He also served 22 years in the Air Force and retired as a lieutenant colonel.
Phil Cuthbertson AB ’77 is the director of Olmsted Plein Air Invitational, a nonprofit dedicated to art education.
Cal Massey ABJ ’78 had his short story, “The Best Version of You,” published by
New Critique, a UK literary journal.
Steve Kleber ABJ ’79 was named chairman of the National Association of Home Builders’ Global Opportunities Board.
Tim Dodd BS ’79 retired as a principal engineer at Arbor Networks and holds five patents in software engineering and network security.
1980-1984
Matt Davis BBA ’81 retired after 43 years in risk management with insurance companies Aon and Marsh McLennan.
Walter Cromer BSAE ’82, MS ’84 is the founder of Eden Concepts, a precision agriculture technology development and consulting firm.
Debbie Clark BSEd ’83, MEd ’86 received the 2024 National Family Choice Award for her Atlanta Braves-themed book, ’Twas the Year of the World Series. The book has been featured at events with the team. She is in her 42nd year of teaching.
Chris Sumner BSEd ’83, MEd ’84 retired after 40 years of working in southwest Georgia as a school psychologist. He continues to conduct research studies for educational publishers.
From the Ground Up
Growing up a young Dawgs fan in Jacksonville, Florida, Andrew Dill had no idea how tied his life would be to the University of Georgia—or the impact he would eventually have on his alma mater.
Although he considered other universities, the decision was never truly in question—deep down, he always knew exactly where he belonged.
“I grew up a Georgia fan; my dad was a Georgia fan. I’ve been coming to Georgia games since I was 3 years old,” Dill says. “The heart was always on UGA.”
From his first days on campus, Dill BBA ’06, AB ’07 recognized that no other institution could match the experience and network UGA offers. He quickly found a group of influential mentors to guide his future.
After graduating with dual degrees in risk management and insurance, and political science, Dill returned to Florida. He’d found a job in insurance that provided financial security.
But this didn’t sit well with one of Dill’s most trusted mentors, Earl Leonard ABJ ’58, LLB ’61, executive-in-residence at UGA’s Terry College of Business and
Written by Cole Sosebee AB ’19
former senior vice president at The CocaCola Company. Leonard shared blunt advice.
If you take the job that pays the most, someone’s going to pass you because they built their experience, Leonard told him. And in five years, they’re going to blow past you because they have the talent and skillset they needed to be successful.
Leonard’s words gave Dill the push he needed to change course. He landed in the office of the late Sen. Johnny Isakson BBA ’66, where he worked as a staffer and became well-versed in the essentials of government relations.
Then, yet another mentor, Trey Paris AB ’84, MBA ’85, opened a new door and guided Dill toward General Electric in California. He began his journey at the intersection of business and politics, navigating industry-impacting policies and building relationships with policymakers to shape and respond to regulatory shifts.
Rising through the ranks, Dill eventually served as director of government relations at GE until 2012. That’s when Dill felt the call to return to UGA. As director of federal relations,
he helped establish the Chambliss Leadership Forum, named for former Sen. Saxby Chambliss BBA ’66. The forum funded student participation in the Washington Semester Program. Dill also helped establish the university’s 40 Under 40 award. (Both Dill and his wife, Caitlyn Cooper Dill AB ’07, later received 40 Under 40 awards.) He continues to serve as a mentor to UGA staff and students alike.
Today, Dill leads government relations for Lockheed Martin’s Fort Worth, Texasbased aeronautics division, managing extensive U.S. operations, including a key presence in Marietta. In this role, he coordinates with domestic and international partners; oversees major initiatives like the F-16 fighter production line in Greenville, South Carolina; and guides efforts within the innovative Skunk Works division, known for pioneering advanced and experimental aircraft technologies.
Dill’s work involves meeting with local, state, and federal government partners to address everything from noise complaints to complex aircraft deliveries. His role also involves collaborating with foreign defense representatives on Lockheed Martin aircraft use in national defense programs.
Though his job keeps him busy, Dill always makes time to give back to UGA, the institution he credits with his success. A frequent guest speaker in classes taught by Josiah Meigs Distinguished Teaching Professor Audrey Haynes and Richard B. Russell Professor Charles Bullock (another of his collegiate mentors), Dill also stays in touch with Delta Hall, the home base for Washington Semester students in D.C.
Additionally, Dill works closely with the UGA College of Engineering, which serves as a growing pipeline for future Lockheed Martin employees.
“What UGA built in the College of Engineering here is phenomenal,” Dill says. “The quality of students we’re hiring from Georgia—they’re not only brilliant engineers but also team leaders.”
CHRIS HANOCH
Andrew Dill, director of government relations at Lockheed Martin, stands on the C-130 production line in Marietta, where the iconic Hercules aircraft has been built for nearly 70 years.
Andrew Dill BBA ’06, AB ’07
Larry Williams MEd ’83, EdS ’96 is the founder of Agrimissions, an international agricultural missions group. He also served in the U.S. Navy from 1967 through 1971.
Bob Keyes AB ’84 is the editorial director at Colby College in Waterville, ME. He became chair of the Maine Arts Commission last spring, and in 2017, he won the Rabkin Prize for excellence in visual arts journalism.
1985-1989
John Cleaveland BFA ’86 created an exhibition of his landscape paintings at the Carter Center library opening in celebration of Jimmy Carter’s 100th birthday.
Lisa Knighton BSHE ’87, MS ’96 is the CEO of AtHomeBeFIT, a hybrid movement and bodywork studio in New Mexico. She also writes “Getting Fit,” a fitness content column in a local magazine.
Brian Krapf AB ’88 released A Churchill Treasury, a biography focused on Winston Churchill’s career of public service. Illustrations are compiled from Krapf’s personal collection of Churchill memorabilia.
Jill Atkinson BSEd ’89 is the director of student support and liaison to Boston University for Boston University Academy, where she supports students in grades nine through 12 who take courses at the university. She previously served nine years as director of college counseling at Boston University Academy.
1990-1994
Stacy Jo Hawthorne BBA ’91 was elected to serve on the Consortium for School Networking Board of Directors through 2027. The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) also announced Hawthorne as a 2024 ISTE 20 To Watch awardee.
Kenny Capps AB ’93 is the founder and executive director of Throwing Bones, a patient-focused nonprofit supporting healthy and active lifestyles in the blood cancer community. He also graduated from the University of Denver College of Law and is working on a Master of Public Health degree from the University of North Carolina.
Lisa Gunter Leabo BSFCS ’93 is the business manager of Secure Records Solutions, which was named to Inc.'s 2024 list of the 5,000 fastest growing private companies in the U.S.
Joanne Blamire Schimelman ABJ ’93 has worked in the cruise industry for more than 30 years and is the Royal Caribbean International’s vice president of sales and national accounts for North America. She also volunteers for the Young Men’s Service League.
1995-1999
Michelle Johnson Pagano BBA ’95 was promoted to vice president of compensation for Genuine Parts Company, a motor vehicle manufacturing company. She has been a part of the company for six years.
Carlos Coria-Sanchez MA ’96, PhD ’99 is a professor in the Department of Languages, Cultures, and Translation at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.
Kelli Grant Bivins AB ’97, MEd ’02, EdS ’11 participated virtually in the second International TESOL Conference in Rabat, Morocco, presenting on the power and potential of place-based learning. She has also done place-based projects while teaching at Cedar Shoals High School and Madison County Middle School.
Morris Butler BBA ’97 and Marsh Butler Jr. BBA ’97 have purchased Bulldog Kia in
Athens. The brothers are co-presidents of Butler Automotive Group.
Laresa Jones BSFCS ’97, MEd ’08 is a senior supply chain and learning and development manager at Smurfit WestRock, a global leader in sustainable packaging.
Katharine Mobley BBA ’98 is chief marketing officer for All My Sons Moving and Storage, the nation’s largest privately held moving and storage company.
Phenizee Ransom III AB ’98, Jason Goldenberg BSEd ’07, and Tyler Ricks BBA ’16 are NBA referees.
Shawanda Daniel BSFCS ’99 is a sociocultural epidemiologist. She has 23 years of clinical research experience.
Brian Nixon BBA ’99 was promoted to senior vice president of customer leadership for The Coca-Cola Company’s North American operating unit.
Tony Ventry III BBA ’99 was promoted to senior vice president and chief human resources officer at packaging, print, and facility solutions provider Veritiv.
2000-2004
Mia Hardy AB ’01 is the dean of liberal arts at Oakton College in Illinois.
T E A M W O
MY GEORGIA COMMITMENT
Acclaimed bridal gown designer Anne Barge Clegg fashions new experiences for UGA students
Anne Barge Clegg grew up with a sketchbook in hand. Raised by a family of artists, Clegg BSEd ’69 was exposed to music and art from an early age. Her mother, a UGA alumna and talented organist, often played at weddings and brought Clegg along. The young artist would use her imagination to design wedding gowns and then transfer them to her trusty sketchbook. From those elementary school sketches to the runways of New York and Europe to brides on their wedding days, Clegg’s designs are now part of a legacy that has lasted well over 50 years.
Clegg, a native of Cordele, graduated from UGA in 1969 and moved to Boston, where she developed her skills with the worldfamous Priscilla of Boston. She eventually opened her own store
in Atlanta, Anne Barge For Brides, and ran it for 13 years before selling to Kleinfeld Bridal, of Say Yes to the Dress fame. In 1999, she launched the Anne Barge label, which has earned international fame over its 25 years.
“My goal has always been to make sure that people feel their most beautiful, even when they cannot imagine it,” Clegg says.
Clegg’s use of classic silhouettes reflects a focus on timeless pieces. This approach is at the heart of why she is providing materials from her design journey, dozens of gowns, and significant financial support to enhance the UGA College of Family and Consumer Sciences’ (FACS) (now renamed) Anne Barge Historic Clothing and Textile Collection.
The collection is housed at the UGA Special Collections Libraries and
Anne Barge Clegg (center) celebrates the 25th anniversary of her namesake brand in New York with Shawne Jacobs (left), Anne Barge president and creative director, and Jill S. Walton, vice president for development and alumni relations at UGA.
features 3,000 garments, accessories, and textiles dating from the 1800s to present day.
The collection is a vital teaching and research asset. Clegg’s gift will provide support for both FACS and UGA Libraries, funding the physical care, organization, and preservation of the collection as well as providing resources to hire staff to oversee it. UGA Libraries will exhibit her gowns and other design materials to the public in fall 2026.
Clegg’s gift includes a designation to establish the Jean Williams Support Fund in the Lamar Dodd School of Art. Williams was Clegg’s aunt, a UGA art education faculty member and a sculptor who further developed her passion on UGA’s Cortona, Italy, campus.
“My years at the University of Georgia were instrumental in fulfilling my lifelong dream of becoming a bridal designer,” Clegg says. “This historic clothing collection provides a rare hands-on resource for UGA students to research clothing trends and details of design, and it grants them access to numerous examples from history.
“My support to permanently preserve this collection is made with hopes of inspiring students on their own journeys to fulfill their dreams and preparing them for opportunities in the world of fashion.”
WILLETT PHOTOGRAPHY
Tara DeLoach Rocker BBA ’02 published My Sweet Home Georgia Cookbook. Rocker has also served as director of marketing for TideWater Landscape Management since 2006.
Summer Duperon BBA ’02, MAT ’06 is vice president of collective impact for GirlTrek, a nonprofit centered on using walking groups as a tool to improve health outcomes for Black women and girls.
Tyler Duckworth AB ’03 is a financial analyst for Parker’s Kitchen in Savannah, serving as an operator of convenience stores across Georgia and South Carolina.
Jim Jenkins II BBA ’03 is managing partner for Dyal Jenkins, a law firm with offices in Atlanta and Elberton.
Tina Taylor BBA ’03, MAcc ’05 received the UGA Arch Award, which celebrates former Georgia athletes excelling in the business world. A former UGA basketball player, Taylor
has worked at EY for more than 19 years and serves as a partner in the company’s private client services division.
Jonathan Rue AB ’04, AB ’04 is the deputy assistant secretary of defense for force development and emerging capabilities in the U.S. Department of Defense.
2005-2009
Steve Bauhan BBA ’05 joined The Paces Foundation, an affordable housing developer and consulting firm, as chief development officer.
Dominic Brown II ABJ ’05 works at NBC 10 Boston as a weekday meteorologist.
Catherine Moore AB ’05 is the senior women’s protection adviser for the United Nations office in Haiti. She was also involved in the U.N.’s investigative team and the Francophone U.N. peacekeeping operations.
Kevin Planovsky ABJ ’05 sold Vert, a digital marketing agency, to Croud, a global digital agency. He is also the principal and head of growth for Croud, working alongside the agency’s global and U.S.based leadership teams.
Justin Moseley BBA ’06 was promoted to vice president of underwriting for Striior Insurance Solutions.
Jordan Tippett BBA ’06 is the chief operating officer for Corinthian Foods, a food wholesale distributor.
Kendal Lewis Crawford BBA ’07 received her doctorate in educational technology and was promoted to director of instructional technology and medicine for Valdosta City Schools. She was the Valdosta High School Teacher of the Year for 2022-2023.
Kevin Rabinowitz BBA ’07 was promoted to chief operating officer for Relation Insurance Services.
Kirk Shook BSEd ’07, MPA ’13, EdD ’24 graduated in May with a doctor of education in educational leadership from UGA.
Morgan Montgomery Runkel AB ’08 has been named by the Georgia Council for Social Studies as the 2023 Gwen Hutchinson Outstanding Social Studies Educator and was selected to participate in the Bill of Rights Institute’s teacher fellowship in 2025. She also wrote and now teaches a civic engagement course and pathway for Seckinger High School in Gwinnett County.
Matt Beacham BBA ’09, MAcc ’11 co-founded GoodDays, a line of canned cocktails. He is the owner of Beacham Accounting Advisors.
Rainey Copps Campbell BBA ’09 is chief of staff with Secure Records Solutions, which was named to Inc.'s 2024 list of the 5,000 fastest growing private companies in the U.S.
Growing
Lessons in Leadership
In September, Paul Shoukry, the president and then-CFO of Raymond James Financial, visited North Georgia. He’d scheduled team and client meetings in Atlanta and Athens, but perhaps the highlight of his trip came when he addressed 30 students from the Terry College of Business.
A Double Dawg Terry grad, Shoukry BBA ’05, MAcc ’05 bonded with his audience immediately. This was the first year Raymond James, a global leader in financial management and services, formally recruited on campus. Some of the gathered students had interned with the firm. Others were new to the process. All of them focused on his advice.
“Your career path is not going to be a straight line,” Shoukry said to them. “The role you fill 15 to 20 years from now may not even exist today. What you really need to focus on is what you learn in
Written by Eric Rangus MA ’94
the two to four years after you graduate. What skills and relationships do you want to develop? Play the long game.”
When he lowered the pressure of finding that first job, there was a collective exhale in the room.
“It’s a liberating piece of advice for them,” Shoukry says. “‘If I want to be a CEO someday, I don’t have to get this particular job right out of college.’ Even my own career path wasn’t linear. It was very organic.”
Shoukry’s career path will reach a new summit in 2025—he was selected as Raymond James’ next CEO. He credits his UGA experience for getting him started.
During his junior year, Shoukry attended a session of the Terry Leadership Speaker Series. Guest speaker John Allison, chair and CEO of the financial services firm BB&T at the
Paul Shoukry BBA ’05, MAcc ’05
time, was talking about free markets and client-first culture. Shoukry, who thought he wanted to be a tax attorney, was intrigued.
Shoukry introduced himself, and Allison gave him the card of an HR representative. The summer following his graduation, Shoukry got his first job as a commercial banker at BB&T’s office in Jacksonville, Florida.
Shoukry’s connection to the Terry speaker series is so profound that his family endowed it last year. It’s now known as the Shoukry Leadership Speaker Series.
“That’s another piece of advice I gave to the students: Go to as many events as possible,” Shoukry says. “One of the easiest and most effective ways to get exposure to different people, cultures, businesses, and functions is hearing from the people that are actually at those firms.”
Shoukry’s stay at BB&T lasted two years before he took a consulting job in New York and earned an MBA at Columbia Business School. In 2010, he joined Raymond James as assistant to the chairman. As Shoukry climbed the internal ladder, he worked in investor relations and started the firm’s financial risk management function. By 2020, he’d worked his way up to chief financial officer and then president.
When Raymond James CEO Paul Reilly announced his retirement after almost 15 years at the helm, Shoukry was one of four internal candidates considered to replace him. In March 2024, after a two-year process, Shoukry was the choice.
In the months since, Shoukry has spent a lot of time on the road meeting with financial advisors, stakeholders, staff, clients old and new, and UGA students.
“The role of CEO is not only about business results or financial results. I mean, those things are critical. But beyond that, it’s about what you and the firm have done for the lives of the people we touch,” Shoukry says. "What have we done to give back to our communities and make them better?”
PETER FREY
This year, Terry College Double Dawg Paul Shoukry will step into the role of CEO at Raymond James Financial.
ALUMNI PROFILE
The Forecast Is Sunny
As Hurricane Milton barreled east through the Gulf of Mexico toward the west coast of Florida, Leigh Spann, like many residents of the Tampa Bay area, wandered her home carrying a huge Rubbermaid container.
She had to decide—quickly—which possessions she would save.
“This is a picture I’d like to save. Here is a book. I guess everything else can go,” she recalls.
Spann BS ’01 lives in South Tampa, an area that floods during a simple summer rainstorm. Milton packed 100+ MPH winds and a possible storm surge of more than 15 feet.
Perhaps more than most, Spann knew the dangers. For the last 17 years, she’s been the morning meteorologist for WFLA, Tampa Bay’s NBC affiliate. A storm like Milton could wipe out large
portions of a metro area that numbers 3 million residents.
“I try to keep that thought in my head when I’m talking about severe weather,” Spann says. “I know it’s scary. I know it’s not what you want to hear, but we are going to get through it.”
In the hours before Milton made landfall, Spann stayed on 24-hour call and didn’t leave the station. Heeding the warnings delivered by Spann and other meteorologists, millions of Floridians evacuated before the storm hit. In the aftermath, while property damage in Florida was massive, there was very little loss of life.
It’s not hyperbole to credit Spann’s work, and that of other area meteorologists, with saving lives. After the storm made landfall south of the area and passed out of the state, Spann
finally left work and returned home. The neighborhood was spared. She unpacked her Rubbermaid.
Clear Skies Ahead
Spann grew up in Hazlehurst, Georgia, a town in the southeastern part of the state with a population around 4,000. She was the valedictorian of her high school class of about 120, and the University of Georgia was the only place she wanted to go. What to study was another matter.
Starting in fifth grade, she competed in—and won—public speaking contests. She also loved math and science. So, after she took a weather and climate class at UGA, Spann realized that a meteorology career might be ideal. She
For 17 years, Leigh Spann has delivered the morning forecast for WFLA, the NBC affiliate in Tampa-St. Petersburg. Her days start in the middle of the night, and when she has good weather to report, she calls it, what else? SPANN-tastic.
While still a UGA student, Spann landed an on-air meteorologist position at WMAZ in Macon. That job became permanent shortly after graduation.
After 25 years in the business, Spann is embarking on a new adventure.
“What I always tell kids when I go to speak is how lucky am I that I found a job that had two passions that I didn’t think had anything to do with each other: math and science, and public speaking. And I got to bring them together.”
LEIGH SPANN
majored in geography and completed the atmospheric sciences certificate program, interned as a meteorologist at WMAZ in Macon during her senior year, and took a full-time job at the station the following spring.
Spann worked in Macon for two years before moving on to a station in Charleston, South Carolina. Since coming to WFLA in 2007, Spann has worked the morning shift—first on weekends, then Monday to Friday. She arrives at 2 a.m., reviews the forecast, builds the graphics, and creates a rough script in her head about what she’ll say. The first broadcast is at 4:30 a.m.
Throughout her career, Spann has
Written by Eric Rangus MA
’94
carried UGA with her. She keeps one of her UGA textbooks, Atmospheric Physics, with its highlights and margin notes still as clear as the day they were scribbled, in her desk at WFLA. And on football Fridays, she always wears red and black.
“What I always tell kids when I go to speak is how lucky am I that I found a job that had two passions that I didn’t think had anything to do with each other: math and science, and public speaking. And I got to bring them together,” Spann says. “And now I’ve had an almost 25-year career.”
And it’s a career that’s just pivoted in a new direction.
In the fall of 2024, she announced her
retirement from broadcasting. Following a bit of a victory lap that included station tributes and even a public meet-and-greet, Spann’s last day on air was Nov. 8. At the end of the month, she moved to northern Ohio to join her husband, who is a general manager of a TV station there.
She’ll be working as an agent for meteorologists and other television journalists. It’s a change that’s connected to the work she’s always loved but also a fresh, exciting challenge.
“If I can help someone find what I found in my career—how happy I’ve been—it would be worth it,” she says. “Hopefully, I’ll have another 25-year career.”
Leigh Spann BS ’01
Donavan Eason AB ’09 is a partner at Moseley Marcinak Law Group, a national transportation and logistics law firm based in Greenville, SC.
Dr. Carson Strickland BS ’09 is an orthopedic surgeon for Tennessee Orthopaedic Alliance Columbia.
2010-2014
Rodd Cargill BBA ’10 was promoted to senior territory manager for pulmonary hypertension at Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine.
Beth Giddens BSEd ’10 is an administrative associate for the Terry College of Business. Christopher Jones AB ’10 is owner, CEO, and chief problem solver for Secure Records Solutions, which was named to the 2024 Inc. 5000 list of the fastest growing private companies in the U.S.
Will Keyes BS ’10, BBA ’10, MA ’10, JD ’13 was promoted to deputy criminal chief for the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Georgia.
Lindsey Epperly AB ’11 is the founder of Jetset World Travel. She is stepping down from her position as chief executive officer to be chairwoman of the board. Her husband, Jeremy Sulek BBA ’12, is
transitioning from his role as chief operating officer to CEO.
Mandy Lancour BS ’11, AB ’11 earned her master’s degree in higher education and student affairs from NYU Steinhardt and her MBA from NYU Stern. Lancour is a client services manager for Training the Street, a training and coaching company for finance professionals.
Ron Moses BSEd ’11 was named president of N4A, the National Association of Academic and Student-Athlete Development Professionals.
Charlese Cobb Newsome BBA ’11, MAcc ’12 was promoted to associate director at The Siegfried Group, an entrepreneurial leadership organization.
Dr. Caitlyn Duffy BS ’12 is part of the leukemia/lymphoma treatment team at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, TN.
Audrey Tamez ABJ ’12 leads the ASPCA’s legislative engagement team, seeking to pass stronger animal protection laws across the nation.
Ray Brady BBA ’13 was promoted to senior manager for transaction advisory services at Aprio, a Top 25 premier business advisory and accounting firm.
Adrienne Graham BS ’13, MS '21, PhD ’24 accepted a visiting assistant professor position at Lenoir-Rhyne University in North Carolina and works as a mental health counselor.
Emily Haddock BS ’13 is owner of Music City Nutrition & Wellness, a private practice that provides medical nutrition therapy and counseling. She is married to George Haddock BBA ’13.
Brian Jungles ABJ ’13, MBA ’18 was promoted to account director of enterprise transformational accounts for Adobe.
Michael Tumey BBA ’13 directed and produced Frontin’, a full-length special from stand-up comedian Rob Haze AB ’11
Jessie Cragg AB ’14 is the curator of exhibits at the UWF Historic Trust, and vice president and founding board member of the Northwest Florida Maritime Landscape Alliance for Preservation. She co-authored a chapter in Dead Man’s Chest: Exploring the Archaeology of Piracy.
Park MacDougald AB ’14, AB ’14 was named one of seven outstanding recipients of the 202425 Robert Novak Journalism Fellowship award. Saheedat Onifade BBA ’14 was named to the 2023 Black Women in Asset Management 40 under 40 in the client sales and investor relations category.
Campus to Couture
Since its launch five years ago, contemporary clothing brand
Cara Cara’s warm, sun-drenched prints have provided a source of light for shoppers. Co- founder and UGA alumna Katie Hobbs' BBA ’01 eye for fashion and skills in marketing have helped the brand flourish from the beginning.
Hobbs took her first steps into the fashion industry at the University of Georgia, where she earned a degree in marketing. After graduation, she moved to New York for an advertising sales position at New York magazine.
“Fashion had always been something that I loved and appreciated, and I loved clothes, putting together outfits, following trends, and reading about fashion,” Hobbs says. “I didn't know anybody in the industry. I had never lived in New York City. I really didn’t know how to get there, but it was a path I was passionate about pursuing.”
Throughout her early years in New York, Hobbs cut her teeth at a variety of coveted, fashion-focused brands such as Elle, Harper’s Bazaar, and Carolina Herrera. She became skilled in e-commerce and digital media and content, and the experience gave her some insight about where she wanted to go next.
“I was at Elle during the first season of Project Runway. I made a lot of amazing connections and learned so much about the industry,” she says.
In 2019, Hobbs decided to take a big chance. While her UGA education gave her the foundation for her career, her experience on campus—she served Panhellenic as VP of recruitment and was a leader in Greek life—provided the confidence she needed to do her “own thing,” as she says.
With the help of friends Julia Brown and Sasha Martin, the trio began brainstorming what would become Cara Cara out of Brown’s Upper East Side apartment. Brown was skilled in fashion design while Martin came from the financial giant Barclays. With Hobbs’ marketing background, digital and otherwise, they formed a dream team of sorts.
Written by Maura Rutledge
“The stars aligned in terms of each bringing something unique to the brand. And it just worked,” Hobbs says.
Cara Cara’s first collection was released in March 2020. The brand’s bright floral signature prints provided a welcome contrast to shoppers’ gray, pandemicdriven, work-from-home sweatpants. The dresses and sets served as happy reminders of summers to come. This success inspired the team to release more collections that same year, which they have continued in the following seasons.
As Cara Cara grew, Hobbs wanted to celebrate the work of women entrepreneurs and instill that feeling into the brand.
“We started as three working moms,” Hobbs says. “We now have a diverse team that includes some fabulous men. But the brand was founded and funded by women. We’ve taken no outside investment.”
Cara Cara celebrates its fifth anniversary this spring and plans to open a storefront in New York, its first brick and mortar presence. Hobbs hopes the brand will continue to grow.
“Fashion and media are changing daily,” she continues. “You need your team to be super engaged in what’s happening and to keep everybody on their toes.”
YVONNE TNT/BFA.COM
After graduating from UGA, Katie Hobbs moved to New York, where she began her journey in the fashion industry.
Today, she is celebrating the fifth anniversary of the launch of her brand, Cara Cara.
Katie Hobbs BBA ’01
Megan Powell Paulson BS ’14 is a registered nurse for Emory Healthcare in Atlanta.
2015-2019
Alexandra Hanna BBA ’16 is vice president of Newmark, a commercial real estate company.
Denali Hazen BSFCS ’16 is a school counselor at Dakota Ridge Senior High School in Colorado.
Emily Grace Demoss BSFCS ’17 is a web and visual design intern for CrowdStrike, a global leader in cybersecurity. She is also an art and design student at the NC State College of Design.
Nikki Eggers BBA ’17 is Aptean’s Global Regional Account Manager of 2023. She has been with Aptean, an enterprise software development company, since 2017.
Jared Farrell BBA ’17 was promoted to senior finance manager of Xbox for Microsoft. Forrest Russell Jr. BSEd ’17 is a physical therapist for ATI Physical Therapy.
Zoe Falkenstein Sellers BFSCS ’17 is the assistant director of engagement and operations for URJ 6 Points Sports Academy. She married Henry Sellers BFSCS ’17, a program manager for HopeLink Behavioral Health, in October 2023, and they now live in northern Virginia.
Claire Gordon BBA ’18 was promoted to senior vice president and senior relationship manager for commercial banking at Bank of America.
Clark Sukaratana BBA ’18, MA ’20 is a donor analytics manager for Make-A-Wish America.
Patrick Baughman BBA ’19, BBA ’19 was promoted to vice president of JLL, a real estate and investment management firm.
Brett Moran BBA ’19 is a forensic technology specialist for Alvarez & Marsal Holdings in Chicago. He will marry Haley Planson BBA ’19, AB '19 this year.
Keval Patel AB ’19, MBA ’23 is a government relations advisor for Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton, an international law firm.
2020-2024
John Crosby BBA ’20, JD ’23 is an associate attorney for Weiner Shearouse Weitz Greenberg & Shawe. He concentrates on real estate and corporate law.
Michael Crute AB ’20 is the CEO and coowner of Welcome Home Atlanta | Keller Williams Realty First Atlanta.
Chase Dean BBA ’20, BBA ’20 is a treasury financial analyst for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Trenton Draper BBA ’20 is the CEO and owner of a video and audio installation company called Hang With Us! He was also a sergeant in the Marine Corps.
Rusty Miller ABJ ’20 graduated in May from Marquette University Law School.
Madison Mueller AB ’20, MA ’21 is the manager of cinematography for the Baltimore Orioles.
Saajan Patel BBA ’20 is co-owner of Prince Market, a full-service grocery store near downtown Athens.
Ryan Vetter BBA ’20 is co-owner of Prince Market, a full-service grocery store near downtown Athens.
Kimberly Whiting BS ’20 conducts preclinical investigations of novel treatments for alcohol and opioid use disorder for the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
Jose Chavez AB ’21 is a lifestyle producer for FOX31 KDVR / Channel 2 KWGN in Denver.
Diana Courson BBA ’21 received a master’s in architecture from Clemson University and is now an architectural designer for DP3 Architects in Greenville, SC.
Jordan Elliott BS ’21, AB ’21 works for the Solicitor General’s Office in Fayette County. Her artwork is also featured in three New York Times bestselling books by Lauren Roberts, Powerless, Powerful, and Reckless.
Destiny Favors BBA ’21 was promoted to assistant vice president - risk analysis senior specialist for Bank of America.
Lui Suzuki-Williams BS ’21 is entering the medical scientist training program at the University of California, San Diego. He received a full scholarship to pursue a dual M.D.-Ph.D. degree.
Erika Bowen BSBE ’22 is pursuing a Ph.D. in biomedical engineering at UGA and leads a project focused on optimizing bioreactors for mesenchymal stem cell osteogenic differentiation.
Titiana Marsh BS ’22 placed sixth at the 2024 USA Olympic Trials in the women’s triple jump.
Christell Foote BBA ’22 was crowned Miss Tennessee USA 2024 and was third runnerup at the 73rd Miss USA competition. She works for Northeast Sales Distributing as a district sales manager.
Caroline Rykard AB ’22, AB ’22 is enrolled in the Charleston School of Law.
Ben Teipe BBA ’22 is the head of risk management for BLADE, an air mobility platform.
Elise Dijkstra BSAB ’23 works for RWDC Industries, a biotechnology company.
Collin Hendley AB ’23, AB ’23 is starring in the Actor’s Equity National Tour of Don’t Let The Pigeon Drive The Bus! The Musical
Jade Hensel AB ’23 works as a public affairs specialist at the Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s Office of Public and Governmental Affairs.
Jeff Kelsch BBA ’23 is a client relationship manager for Morgan Stanley.
Gray McGee BBA ’23, BSEd ’23, MS ’24 graduated from UGA with a master’s in kinesiology with an emphasis in sport management and policy. She is an executive recruiting coordinator for Parker Executive Search, a global executive search firm.
Mary Butler Adams BBA ’24 is an analyst on the banking and private capital team for Russell Reynolds Associates in New York.
Camryn Ann Fulkerson AB ’24 is a tax consultant for Deloitte in San Diego.
Logan Griffith BS ’24 is training to be a medical scribe and applying to EMT school.
Daylon Rutledge BS ’24 is a medical assistant in Forsyth County and a volunteer at Gwinnett Northside.
GRADNOTES
EDUCATION
Kathleen Sancken Albe MEd ’03 married Brian Albe in Charleston, SC.
Sara Tolbert MEd ’06 is an associate dean of research and a professor for the University of Canterbury’s School of Teacher Education. She was a speaker for the annual international event, Raising the Bar, hosting a public discussion about Mātauranga Māori and indigenous knowledge in science education.
Taylor Gibson MEd ’07 has been a mathematics instructor for the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics for 11 years, serving most recently as the dean of data science and interdisciplinary initiatives. He founded the school’s data science program.
Donna Davis Sullins MEd ’08, EdD ’16 was awarded the Early Career Teaching Award in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Texas A&M University.
Janna Pennington MEd ’08 is directing a new master’s program in innovation and leadership at Furman University.
Kari Smith-Murphy MEd ’19 is a Ph.D. candidate at Auburn University pursuing educational leadership.
Mi'Esha Frierson Reynolds MEd ’15 was named the 2024 Georgia School Counselor Association Counselor of the Year and the 2024 GCPS Elementary School Counselor of the Year.
He Speaks for the Trees
For
Andres Villegas knows a thing or two about trees, and he wants you to know them as well.
Throughout his career in the agriculture and forestry industry, Villegas BSA ’98, has become an advocate and bridge builder connecting rural and urban communities through sustainable food and fiber products.
Villegas was born in Colombia but moved to Athens at 8 months old when his parents, Pedro Villegas PhD ’75 and Angela Villegas MS ’75, returned to UGA for his father to become a professor in the College of Veterinary Medicine.
From a young age, Villegas was interested in natural resources and agriculture. He grew up surrounded by farms on the edge of the Classic City, spent summers on the family farm in Colombia, and he admired the work his
Written by Ireland Hayes AB ’23
father did at the UGA vet school focused on vaccine development for the state’s growing poultry industry.
“Spending time around animals, on farms, and in places where people were working with their hands and their minds, thinking about how they could solve problems and make their farms better every day, was something that I liked,” Villegas says.
Villegas’ career has taken him around the world and back, working in international trade for the Georgia Department of Agriculture, where he helped open exports of poultry to Cuba and pecans to Asia. He eventually transitioned to the private sector and was hired by the Langdale Company, a large timber producer in Valdosta, as its vice president of international sales, domestic marketing, and government affairs.
After his stint at Langdale, Villegas moved on to Weyerhaeuser, another timber giant. While there, he worked in North Carolina, Oregon, and Uruguay. In late 2015, he came back home to Georgia to lead the Georgia Forestry Association (GFA), where he spent nearly a decade as president and CEO.
Georgia is the No. 1 forestry state in the nation and has an extensive international trade network. While working with GFA, Villegas learned how to advocate for Georgia timber farmers—from those working on small family farms to those running large operations spanning thousands of acres.
Today, Villegas is the vice president of public affairs and communications for Rayonier, a timber real estate investment firm with approximately 2.7 million acres of timberland in the U.S. and New Zealand.
Because of Georgia’s status as the No. 1 forestry state in the nation, the state serves an important leadership role. Georgia’s working forests are a model of sustainable forestry, balancing timber production with the conservation of air, water, and wildlife resources.
“With the help of researchers at UGA, we’ve been fine-tuning our forestry practices for over 100 years to improve the sustainability of our working forests while supporting a vibrant forest economy that supports over 140,000 jobs in our state and has a $42 billion impact on Georgia’s economy,” Villegas says.
Although Villegas no longer lives in Athens, he stays connected to the university, serving on the UGA Alumni Board and the board of UGA’s Advancing Georgia’s Leaders in Agriculture and Forestry.
“The greatest lesson that I have learned from my lifelong association with the University of Georgia is that it is an institution with the power to change the world for the better,” Villegas says.
“That power comes from the people, who make UGA a truly special institution that empowers everyone who is a part of it to do better for their family, church, community, and professional endeavors.”
more than 25 years, Andres Villegas has dedicated his career to promoting agriculture and the healthy, sustainable management of forests.
ARTS AND SCIENCES
Seretha Williams MA ’94, PhD ’98 retired from Augusta University and is now the associate dean of undergraduate studies at Agnes Scott College.
Tasneem Campwala MS ’24 is completing research at Blue Lake Biotechnology.
BUSINESS
Dorrie Farlee MAcc ’87 is a firm administrator at Chambless, Higdon, Richardson, Katz, and Griggs.
Tommy Harris MA ’87 retired from The Citadel in 2017. He also served 25 years as a commissioned officer in the U.S. Army and Army Reserve.
Scott Lange MBA ’00 is a strategic development manager at St. Joseph’s/Candler Health System in Savannah.
Dave Lockney MBA ’05 is a member of the Defense Acquisition Corps and writes a weekly biblical devotional called “Word Wednesday.”
Josie Jiang MAcc ’10 was appointed as diversity and inclusion director for the Financial Planning Association of the Triangle. She is a tax manager for Lifetime Asset and Tax Management, a dual wealth management and tax service firm.
Lindsey Neal MBA ’11 was promoted to executive vice president for Depth, a provider of B2B marketing, and public relations and reputation management services for technology companies.
Cope Rowell MBA ’18 was selected to oversee a major subordinate command for the Georgia National
Guard, leading more than 1,200 soldiers. He is chief information officer and joined the Georgia National Guard in 2009 after serving six years of active duty.
Jeremy Meeks MBA ’20 was promoted to vice president of technology engineering for QTS Data Centers. He has been with the company for seven years.
Danielle Smith-Tillman MBA ’21 received i9 Sports’ Operational Excellence Highest Revenue Growth Award. She is a franchise business owner for i9 Sports and Perspire Sauna Studios. She is also a public affairs and protocol officer for the U.S. Army.
Spencer Devine MBA ’22 is a regional sales manager for Juniper Networks, a technology company in Silicon Valley.
Ansley Howze MBT ’22, a regional executive director for the American Heart Association, is one of the Kappa Alpha Theta sorority’s 35 under 35 honorees for 2023.
Priscilla Muiuane MBA ’23, MS ’23 is a senior outbound product manager for ServiceNow, a software development company.
ENVIRONMENT AND DESIGN
Stuart Borrett PhD ’05 is the rotating program director at the U.S. National Science Foundation for the 2024-25 academic year. He also served as the associate provost for research and innovation at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington.
KEEP UP WITH THE BULLDOG NATION
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Pejman Rohani
Regents' Professor
UGA Athletic Association Professor in Ecology and Infectious Diseases
ODUM SCHOOL OF ECOLOGY
When Pejman Rohani visited the coast of Wales with his high school biology class in 1987, he was immediately enthralled by the variety of marine creatures he saw there. Whelks, mussels, barnacles, and so many different plants populated the shoreline.
But why were those species there? What made this chilly, rocky coastline their perfect environment?
That experience led Rohani down an unexpected path. He majored in mathematics in college, and now he uses mathematical modeling to answer those questions and so many more.
When we talk about the “ecology of infectious diseases,” what does that mean?
The traditional medical approach to studying pathogens is focused on the health outcomes of infection and how to ameliorate them. The microbiological approach aims to understand the details of the microbe’s replication and interactions with host cells and the immune system.
The ecology of infectious diseases is instead focused on understanding factors like host population size and spatial distribution, birth rates, and movement of those infected that might affect the transmission of the pathogen and its long-term survival.
What are some things you wish people understood about infectious diseases?
One of our biggest challenges is the resurgence of vaccinepreventable diseases such as pertussis, measles, and mumps. For these infectious diseases, increasing vaccination coverage is key. This requires continued dialogue with the public about the excellent safety and efficacy of vaccines.
For new and emerging infectious diseases, we need to highlight the important links between climate change, the ecology of those wildlife species that harbor potential human pathogens and their exposure to livestock and, ultimately, humans. This requires a holistic approach, which is referred to as One Health.
What do you hope students take away from your classes?
We get to study fascinating and deeply puzzling systems that have important societal impacts. If successful, not only do we answer interesting scientific questions, but we contribute to the control of infectious diseases with a tremendous human burden.
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
Thank you!
ADP
Amazon AT&T
Bank of America
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Chick-fil-A
Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta
Cox Enterprises
Deloitte
Delta Air Lines
Emory University
EY
Georgia Institute of Technology
Data from the UGA Career Outcomes Survey was used to identify the employers that hired the most graduates from the Class of 2024 (public school systems not included). If your company is interested in opportunities to connect with UGA students and graduates, visit hireUGA.com
