Class notes
Professional updates and achievements in the past year from our graduates
1960s
Jerry Swain Jr. (BSED ’68) was profiled in Georgia Magazine’s winter 2022 edition. Swain, NASA's resident storyteller, joined the agency in 1980 after a distinguished career as an Air Force pilot. He has worked with crews ranging from the space shuttle to the International Space Station.
1970s
Byron Edwards (BSED ’70) published his seventh book, “Living in the Light,” a romantic inspirational Christian novel.
Lucy Geringer (MED ’75) built a career working as an early childhood teacher. Her experience provided a unique understanding of what children need to enjoy learning and reading. She retired after teaching for 27 years and used her teaching experience to write children’s books that teach children the basics of learning. There are six books in her series, including a bug book that Geringer co-authored with her granddaughter.
Frederick Goldman (BSA ’70, MED ’72) is Miami-Dade County Schools’ Volunteer of the Year.
Richard Harris (BSED ’75) is board chairman of the Barack and Michelle Obama Academy Community Arts Foundation.
Doina Lucas (MED ’71) retired 11 years ago from the Hamden public library system and Central Connecticut State University.
Dave Muia (MED ’79) is teaching in the Mary Frances Early College of Education’s sport management program.
Charles Winslette (BSED ’74, MED ’80) recently began year 50 in the coaching business. Winslette is synonymous with Georgia high school football, having won State Championships for West Rome High School (1985) and Greene County (1993) as well as State Championship runners-up for Greene County (1989) and Tift County (1997).
1980s
Jill Atkinson (BS ’89) is entering year 11 at Boston University Academy. Having served as director of college counseling, she accepted a new role as director of student support for the 2023-24 academic year.
Selena Blankenship (BSHE ’89, MED ’05, PHD ’09) serves as assistant superintendent of human resources for Clarke County School District. She was recently selected to participate in the American Association of School Administrators’ National Aspiring Superintendents Academy.
Debbie Clark (BSED ’83, MED ’86) recently began her 41st year in the classroom at Johnson High School in Gainesville, Georgia. A former Hall County School District Teacher of the Year as well as a national, top 20, semi-finalist for the National Teachers Hall of Fame, she is also the author of a soon-to-be-released children's book titled, “’Twas the Year of the World Series,” an Atlanta Braves World Series version of “’Twas the Night Before Christmas.”
John Guss (BSED ’88) has been the historic properties superintendent of the Alamance Parks Department in Alamance County, North Carolina, for five years.
Jeff Hubbard (BSED ’84) is president of the Cobb County Association of Educators/National Education Association’s Board of Directors.
Glynn Travis King (PHD ’86) was the graduate and undergraduate middle grades program coordinator for Albany State University in Albany, Georgia, from 1995-2000, then taught senior English from 2000-2010 at Colquitt County High School in Moultrie, Georgia.
Claire Hubbard Mann (BSED ’87) retired from the Gwinnett County School System with 25 years of experience teaching K-5 theatre arts, a position she created for her school, Riverside Elementary. She also taught second, third, and fourth grade as a classroom teacher for 14 of those years.
Jamie Mattocks (BSED ’89) received certification from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards in December 2022.
LaRon Langdale Perry (BSED ’87, MED ’95) retired from Gwinnett County Public Schools after 32 years in elementary education. She is excited to begin her fifth year (year 37) as a literacy interventionist in Charleston County School District. She keeps trying to retire (three failed attempts), but her heart keeps calling her back.
1990s
Beth Ancona (BSED ’92) is the author of three books available on Amazon: “Spies, Lies, and Teacups,” an adventure novel set in England and France, as well as “Heaven Hears Holly” and “Heaven Smiles on Smokey.” “Spies, Lies, and Teacups” was ranked on the bestseller list for new author fiction/humorous.
Evelyn Green (BSED ’90) completed her doctoral degree at Regent University in renewal theology with a concentration in practical theology. She is currently an adjunct professor at Beulah Heights University in Atlanta.
Brian Hollingsworth (BSED ’95) was voted Teacher of the Year at Herndon Middle School in Fairfax County, Virginia, this past 2022-23 school year. He teaches eighth-grade science.
Casey Jordan (BSED ’99) is starting her fifth year at Georgia Connections Academy teaching high school math. She is also proud that her daughter is starting at UGA this year and plans to major in mathematics education.
James Kahrs (EDD ’91) retired from Georgia State University on October 1. He served as associate professor of educational leadership and executive director of the Principals Center.
M. Ann Levett (EDD ’92) curates and serves as a mentor/advisor for the “Rising Voices: Celebrating Girls of Color” book collection for Scholastic, Inc. She retired after six years as superintendent of Savannah-Chatham County Public Schools, effective July 1. She was selected to serve as assistant executive director of the Leadership Network for the American Association of School Administrators in July and was sworn in as commissioner of the Housing Authority of Savannah in August.
Sean McBride (AB ’96, MMED ’99) was elected band division chair of the Georgia Music Educators Association for the 2025-27 term.
Jeremy Scott Peacock (BSEH ’99, MED ’09, EDD ’13) was selected to serve as the Jackson County School System’s director of secondary education this year, after serving four years as the K-12 science and STEAM specialist.
Heather Harris Wright (BA ’94, MA ’96, PHD ’00) will step into a national role with her new appointment to the sixth cohort of the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities’ Council on Research, Research Leader Fellowship Program. Designed to cultivate and prepare up-and-coming institutional chief research officers, the program provides training and skill development as participants expand their connections among other research institutions.
2000s
Stephen Bismarck (PHD ’09) was promoted to professor of middle/secondary mathematics education at the University of South Carolina Upstate.
Carrie Booher (EDD ’01) was appointed superintendent of the Social Circle City Schools district in October 2022.
Drew Bragg (BSED ’09) began his third year as principal of Valley Point Middle School in Dalton, Georgia.
Thomas Callahan (BSED ’09) worked as an elementary P.E. teacher for Asheville City Schools at Jones Elementary for the past seven years. Now, he is moving to the Rochester area of New York to work at Saint Mary’s Catholic School, teaching preK-6 health and physical education.
Kameron Carden (BSED ’05) received a doctoral degree in special education from the University of Alabama and started a postdoctoral position there as an associate research professional in the Department of Psychology.
Bud Cooper (EDD ’04) gave a live interview on the Weather Channel, was quoted in a WSB TV news report, and published two manuscripts in the International Journal of Sports Science & Coaching on preventing heat-related illnesses in athletics.
Brian Culp (EDD ’05) was awarded the Distinguished Service Award from the National Association for Kinesiology in Higher Education (NAKHE). The award recognizes individuals who have been a member of NAKHE for at least 10 years with outstanding service contributions to NAKHE as evidenced by achievement in at least five categories.
Marques Dexter (MS ’09) was promoted to associate director for faculty and staff initiatives in UGA's Office of Institutional Diversity.
Emily Gardner (BSED ’09) was named a Henry County Star Teacher for the 2023 school year and completed her master’s degree in curriculum and instruction from Georgia College & State University with a 4.0.
Clayton Kitchings (BSED ’02, MED ’08, PHD ’14) was named assistant dean of the College of Science and Mathematics at the University of North Georgia.
Matt Koperniak (BMUS ’02, MMED ’04) served as president of the Georgia Music Educators Association (GMEA) from 2021-23. During that time, GMEA increased membership, expanded program offerings, and received the national Excellence in Advocacy Award from the National Association for Music Education.
Michelle Mickens (BSED ’03) helped work on “Teacher Burnout in Georgia: Voices from the Classroom,” a report commissioned by the Georgia Department of Education. She was invited to be a part of this project as the 2022 Georgia Teacher of the Year runner-up.
Colin Muething (BSED ’07, MED ’09) received the Outstanding Young Alumni Award from the University of Texas at Austin and was promoted to associate professor at Emory University’s School of Medicine and director of the Severe Behavior Program at the Marcus Autism Center. Muething also was named to the Atlanta Business Chronicle's 2023 40 Under 40 Class.
Darrell Ray (PHD ’03) retired after a 25-year career as a university administrator and professor. He also launched Systematic Equity Solutions, an equity-centered organizational development and process improvement consulting firm that works with a wide range of clients to lead work in organizational transformation, design professional development curricula, and enhance organizational culture.
Emily Robinson (MED ’05) was a 2023 Fulbright-Hays Seminars Abroad participant in Argentina and Brazil.
Kimber Shelton (PHD ’09) was named the 2023 Distinguished Practitioner of the Year by the Black Mental Health Symposium. Additionally, “A Handbook on Counseling African American Women (2022),” edited by Shelton, Michelle Lyn (PHD ’01), and Mahlet Endale (PHD ’07), received the 2023 Association for Women in Psychology’s Distinguished Publication Award. They will host the Freedom Movement: Liberating Black Women's Mental Wellness Conference in Atlanta on October 13.
Lisa Christian Tolliver (MED ’07) began serving on the Board of Trustees for Morris Brown College in Atlanta as of July 1.
2010s
Julie Alford (MED ’11, EDS ’22) received the Georgia Library Media Association’s 2023 Exemplary Library Media Program Award for the high school level.
Geoff Bathje (PHD ’10) was promoted to full professor at Adler University in 2022 and, in 2021, co-founded Sana Healing Collective, a nonprofit organization.
Heather Boyd (MED ’19) started a new job as a learning technologies specialist at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and began a doctoral program in information science and learning technologies at the University of Missouri.
Kelsey Brown (BSED ’17) opened a private practice that provides neurodiversity-affirming speech and language services to children with complex brains and bodies in the Washington, D.C. area. Brown specializes in augmentative and alternative communication, emergent literacy, and gestalt language processing and provides services in home and community settings.
Cristalis Capielo (PHD ’16) achieved tenure and promotion to the associate level at Arizona State University and became an associate editor for the journal Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology.
Brittany Carter (BSED ’19, MED ’20) was recently admitted to Mercer University’s School of Law and is attending this fall.
Liaquat Channa (PHD ’14) secured the Syed Babar Ali Postdoc Fellowship at the Mittal South Asia Institute at Harvard University in 2022.
Kendall Deas (PHD ’13) received the coveted 2023 MLK Social Justice Award from the University of South Carolina for his research on models to improve public education and public education advocacy work in South Carolina as co-founder and director of the Quality Education Project.
Catherine De Lucien (MED ’18) began a new position this year teaching gifted and talented students at Lakewood Elementary School and Melrose Elementary School in Florida with an emphasis on identifying new scholars.
Tonia Dousay (PHD ’13) currently serves as dean of the School of Education at the University of Alaska Anchorage and is the incoming president-elect of the Association for Educational Communications and Technology.
Jason Edwards (BSED ’15, MS ’18, EDD ’23) was a recipient of the UGA President’s Fulfilling the Dream award in January. This university-wide award recognizes individuals in the UGA and Athens-Clarke County communities who have worked to make Martin Luther King Jr.'s dream of equality and justice a reality. He graduated with a doctorate in educational leadership in May, his third degree from the Mary Frances Early College of Education. In August, he accepted a faculty position at UGA’s J.W. Fanning Institute for Leadership Development.
Cavana Epps (BSED ’15) received a master’s degree in statistics from the UGA Graduate School in May.
Christy Finley (EDD ’19) was promoted from diversity and inclusion program coordinator to assistant director of diversity and community partnerships at PCOM Georgia, effective July 1. She was named to the 2023 Under 40 Class by the Georgia FirstGen Foundation and is a recipient of the 2022-23 PCOM Faculty/Staff Lavender Award.
Brian Garsh (MED ’18) became the inaugural director of student engagement and belonging at Kennesaw State University.
Phillip Grant (PHD ’18) recently accepted a position as assistant professor in the Department of Educational and Organizational Leadership Development at Clemson University.
Aisha James-Johnson (EDD ’19) was awarded the 2022 Region III Education Support Person of the Year II for DeKalb County School District. This August, she was promoted to assistant principal of instruction at Stephenson High School.
Christina Landrum (MAT ’17) started working at Gaines Elementary School as a special education teacher in the adaptive program in January. This will be her tenth year of teaching children in Georgia (daycare, private school, and public school), and she is starting her seventh school year as a certified special education teacher.
Mary Anne Lane (BSED ’14) is a two-time Emmy Award-winning producer for Georgia Public Broadcasting's education division. This year, she was nominated for two 2023 Southeast Regional Emmy Awards for her work on a live program teaching students about the history and impact of Georgia's cotton industry and for “Hope Givers,” a mental health series for teens. She also received two Public Media Awards in the categories “Live Events” and “Overall Excellence in Education.”
Kate Long (BSED ’18, MED ’18) was hired as director of the Emmanuel Episcopal Day School in Athens, Georgia. The school is home to 85 students, aged 2-4 years old in eight classes, using a play-based, child-centered approach.
Scott Peacock (MED ’14) was promoted to senior director of data analytics within global security, aviation, and investigations at Walmart.
Kathleen Rigsbee Pittman (BSED ’18) was promoted to manager of suite sales for the San Francisco 49ers.
Amanda Taylor Solomon (MAT ’17) has been working with Creative Community Foster Agency for the past two years as a behavior specialist and will begin her BCBA certification this year. She currently serves as board president for the Athens Area Arts Council and is focused on creating resources for CCSD art teachers.
2020s
Mykhael Briones (BSED ’20) was named the special teams coordinator, defensive backs, and strength and conditioning coach at Leaman Junior High School in Fulshear, Texas.
Myka Bussey-Campbell (MED ’22) finished her term as interim chair for the former Department of Diagnostic and Therapeutic Sciences at Georgia Southern University in the Waters College of Health Professions, located on the Armstrong campus in Savannah, Georgia. She was recently promoted to assistant chair for the newly developed Department of Clinical Sciences and will also remain the Diagnostic Medical Sonography program coordinator, a position she’s held for approximately 20 years. Her daughter will be starting her sophomore year at UGA as the third person in her immediate family to attend UGA.
DeLauren Davis (MED ’20) is a project manager with a direct impact on the U.S. supply chain industry. She uses the personal and professional skills she gained in the College’s graduate program to help people outside of academia.
Madison Drummond (BSED ’21) was named the NASPA Student Affairs Administrator in Higher Education Region III Leftwich New Professional of the Year in June. She also graduated from Florida State University with a master’s degree in higher education and began a new role at the Carl Vinson Institute of Government as a program coordinator for student initiatives and programs in May.
Taylor Farmer (BSED ’21, MED ’22) started her second full year of teaching in August. She was asked to start a Lego Robotics team at her school and is a site liaison for the school’s Girls on the Run club.
Regina Finan (PHD ’21) accepted a faculty position as an assistant professor in the clinical mental health counseling program at Agnes Scott College. This program specifically focuses on using an intersectional approach to prepare clinicians for compassionate work with diverse populations.
Morgan Hall (MED ’20) has taught elementary school general and special education for five years in Georgia. This school year, she will be an Orton-Gillingham specialist at a private school for students with dyslexia in Charleston, South Carolina.
Haley Hulsey (BSED ’23) is attending Mercer University’s Doctor of Physical Therapy program.
Nicole Kogan (EDD ’22) started as the assistant dean/director of student conduct and conflict resolution at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton in August.
Katy Manley (MED ’22) started a new position as a customer success manager for ServiceNow, a Fortune 500 company.
Sara Moeller (BSED ’20) graduated from Augusta University with her doctoral degree in physical therapy, passed the licensing exam to become a physical therapist, and began working as a physical therapist at a Piedmont hospital.
Rhia Moreno (PHD ’20) received Augusta University’s Online Teaching Excellence Award and Outstanding Teaching Award.
Catherine Osborn (BSED ’23) started a position as a graduate assistant at Georgia State University, where she is completing a master’s degree in sport administration.
Tammy Rosner (EDD ’23) received a 2023-24 Fulbright Scholar Award.
Allison Smith (MED ’23) will earn her STEAM endorsement in December, one year after graduation. She also serves as a special education lead teacher for her school.
Jessica Stutler (BSED, MED ’20) transitioned her career from a traditional classroom setting to virtual instruction and freelance curriculum design.
Helena Thomas (EDD ’20) is principal of Carrboro High School in Chapel Hill-Carrboro High City Schools in North Carolina.
LeDajah Williams (BSED ’23) started a position as a graduate resident of residential services at the University of Georgia.
Tom Willner (MED ’21) gave a TEDx Talk called, “Transforming Learning Through Stories and Music,” and launched his company, Stories and Music.
Katherine Wood (PHD ’23) started a tenure-track assistant professor position at Tennessee Tech University in counseling with a focus on school counseling.
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