Class Notes

1960s

 Ellen Henderson (BSED ’69) retired after 32 years of teaching.

Paulette Williams (BSHD ’68, MED ’79) completed 50 years as a registered dietitian with the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

 1970s

Jill Allen (BSED ’73) retired after 40 years of teaching.

Marilyn Atyeo (MED ’71) wrote a book titled, "The Perfect Twenty," highlighting a class of kindergarten and first-graders she taught at Barrow Elementary School in Athens. The class blended approximately 10 children from the U.S. and 10 from other countries.

Roger Bennett (MED ’79, EDS ’83), a social studies educator and executive director of the Georgia Council for the Social Studies, received the 2020 Governor’s Award for the Arts and Humanities.

Paul Chew (BSED ’77, MED ’84, EDS ’94) teaches woodworking to children ages five and older. He also makes wooden spoons, farms a raised bed garden, sells his wares and vegetables at the Franklin Farmer’s Tailgate Market, and is working on starting an intentional community in the Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina.

Michael Gilbert (EDD ’73) released a book last year titled “Saying It Right: Tools for Deft Leadership.” He has another book in press, “Surviving Adolescence: Helping Teens Endure the Roller Coaster Ride,” which will be published by Rowman & Littlefield this year.

Frederick Goldman (BSA ’72, MED ’75) was elected Miami-Dade County School’s Volunteer of the Year. He retired from the district after teaching for 26 years.

Sang-Hie Lee (EDD ’77) is the principal editor of the book “Perspectives of Performing Arts Medicine: A Multidisciplinary Approach.”

David Muia (MED ’79) retired from UGA Athletics and the UGA Alumni Association. He currently teaches in the sports management program in the Mary Frances Early College of Education.

Steve Spellman (BSED ’70, EDS ’93) retired as the president of St. Pius X Catholic High School in Atlanta, concluding a successful 51-year career in both public and private education.

Francis Towey (BSED ’76) is the owner of two pre-schools, which he started 12 years ago.

1980s

Selena Blankenship (BSHE ’89, MED ’05, PHD ’09) was named chief of human resources for the Clarke County School District.

Cheryl Chandler (MA ’82) worked as a self-employed rehabilitation counselor for 31 years in Fresno, California.

Debbie Clark (BSED ’83, MED ’86) was the only high school teacher from Georgia selected as a 2020 semi-finalist (top 24 nationally) for the National Teachers Hall of Fame. National Baseball Hall of Famer Phil Niekro visited her classroom and recorded a YouTube endorsement as a part of this honor. She has been teaching for more than 38 years in the Hall County School District in Gainesville, Georgia.

Robert Downs (BSED ’89) was included on the National Public Relations Association Buford City Schools’ Superintendents to Watch list. Each year, the program recognizes up to 25 school district leaders with fewer than five years of experience as a superintendent for demonstrating dynamic, fast-paced leadership with strong communication skills.

Susan Easterbrooks (EDD ’83) released a book titled “Oxford Handbook of Deaf Studies in Literacy,” published by Oxford University Press. Additionally, she published a biography of Gandhi’s granddaughter titled "My Time with Ela Gandhi."

Paige Johnson (BSED ’88, MED ’94) has been teaching in Georgia public schools for 33 years.

Cynthia Miller (BSED ’89) taught first and second grade before serving as a child development director for the U.S. Air Force. After her kids were born, she worked as a substitute teacher for 14 years before retiring.

Dwight Watt (EDD ’89) was elected vice governor of the Kentucky-Tennessee district of Kiwanis from 2020-2021. In 2021-2022, he will serve as governor-elect before becoming governor in 2022-2023. Additionally, he teaches information technology at Georgia Northwestern Technical College in Rock Spring and Ringgold, Georgia.

1990s

Laurie Barron (BSED ’96) was named the 2021 Montana Superintendent of the Year.

Candice Branche (AB ’90, MED ’92) is the chief juvenile judge for Newton County, Georgia.

James Brightman (BSED ’94, MED ’96, EDS ’99) recently completed his PHD in education at the University of Hawaii at Manoa.

Julie Cardwell (BSFCS ’98, MED ’01, MSW ’15) serves as a coordinator for the Exceptional Family Member Program in the U.S. Air Force at Holloman Air Force Base in Alamogordo, New Mexico.

Laura Finnell (BSED ’91) celebrated 30 years in high school education at The Cottage School, a private, nonprofit school for students with learning disabilities in Roswell, Georgia. As principal, she has the opportunity to positively impact the lives of students, parents, faculty, and staff each day.

Peggy Lawrence (MED ’99) is the executive director of school nutrition for Rockdale County Schools in Conyers, Georgia. The county has been feeding children in the community during the COVID-19 pandemic—more than 1.5 million meals so far—via daily school bus routes.

Heather Haskell (BSED ’91) retired from teaching in Georgia after 30 years of service in 2019. In 2020, she accepted a position as a lecturer in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics at Auburn University.

Dana Miller (BSED ’99) is a formal grant writer for the Edfu Foundation and The Conservancy Corp, two United Nations-affiliated organizations dedicated to the rights and progress of minorities and indigenous peoples across the globe. Additionally, she is the managing editor of Curiosity Shots, an online news and culture publication.

C. William Norman (BSED ’91) retired after 30 years of teaching high school math in Forsyth and Cherokee counties.

Kevin Petroski (BSED ’90) was named the Georgia Athletic Directors Association’s 2019-20 Dr. Lucia B. Norwood State Athletic Director of the Year.

Jason Reagin (MED ’98) currently serves as the International Baccalaureate career-related program coordinator at Chadwick International School in South Korea. Additionally, he has a successful design education podcast called “Design Cast” where guests from around the world discuss design and STEAM education.

Stuart Saussy (BSED ’92) is the vice president and co-owner of Braswell’s Food Company, one of the largest specialty food manufacturers in the U.S.

Meredith Wilken (BSED ’99, MED ’01) opened Colorado Ear Care, an audiology practice that focuses on comprehensive ear care including hearing and vestibular/balance testing.

2000s

Tiffany Barney (BSED ’09, MS ’10, MAT ’15, PHD ’17, MED ’18) helped open a multi-million-dollar career academy in the Cobb County School District, the second-largest district in Georgia.

Evelyn Corley (BSED ’05) taught public school in a variety of roles for 12 years. Now, she is the founder and school leader of Mrs. Evelyn Educates, LLC, a diverse, inclusive, and compassionate virtual school that serves students through live one-on-one lessons. The school serves more than 90 families both in the U.S. and South Africa.

Shruti Desai (MED ’06) was named associate vice president of student affairs for campus life at Duke University.

Jenny Gregory (BSED ’05) completed her MBA from Truett McConnell University.

Janet Geddis (MED ’06), founder of Athens-based Avid Bookshop, emceed the TEDxUGA Student Idea Showcase in November 2020. The talks will be revealed in a TEDxUGA Virtual Salon Series where Geddis introduces all the speakers and interviews them about their talks. Avid Bookshop has garnered several awards over the years and was most recently named Flagpole Magazine’s Favorite Local Business for the seventh year in a row.

Alison Griffin (MED ’01) was appointed by Gov. Jared Polis to serve as a member of the Board of Trustees for Colorado Mesa University. Griffin is a senior vice president at Whiteboard Advisors, a social impact agency working at the intersection of education policy and entrepreneurship.

Erica Ligon (BSED ’07, MED ’09) accepted a position as the lead learning and simulation developer for speech-language pathology with Simucase, a developer of clinical simulations in the fields of speech-language pathology, audiology, occupational therapy, and physical therapy.

Lisa Melendez (BSED ’08) taught business education in northwest Indiana for 12 years. She received her master’s degree from Purdue University in 2013 in school administration and is now an assistant principal at East Chicago Central High School in northwest Indiana.

Michael Matthews (PHD ’02) received the 2020 Distinguished Service Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Education of the Gifted and Talented from the North Carolina Association for the Gifted and Talented.

Julie Patterson (BSFCS ’00, MED ’05) celebrated 10 years as an academic advisor in UGA’s Department of Human Development and Family Science. She also teaches courses in the College of Family and Consumer Science related to child guidance, infant development, child creativity, and more.

Rebecca Popelka (MED ’05) was promoted to executive director of transfer recruitment and admission for DePaul University in Chicago, Illinois.

Brett Savage (BSEH ’04, MED ’06) was named principal of Alton C. Crews Middle School in Gwinnett County.

Paul Schlag (MED ’05, PHD ’07) was hired as the inaugural executive director of the Honors College at Central State University, Ohio's only public HBCU. Previously, Schlag served as the associate director and director of the Centennial Honors College, the inaugural chief of staff, and the assistant department chair and professor at Western Illinois University.

Teddi Shriner (BSED ’08, MED ’13) was approved as a licensed professional counselor for the state of Georgia in 2020.

Cara Simmons (MED ’07, PHD ’18) is a co-recipient of the UGA College of Family and Consumer Sciences’ Sweaney Innovation Fund. She will use the funds to create an e-resource for the Introduction to Family and Consumer Sciences course at UGA.

Chanda White (MED ’09) retired from working in the public school system. She is now the director of social work for Brightmoor Hospice in Griffin, Georgia.

2010s

Rouhollah Aghasaleh (PHD ’16) accepted a position as an assistant professor at Humboldt State University’s School of Education in Arcata, California.

Leslie Blevins (PHD ’18) founded Enilda Clinic, a child psychology practice in Spokane, Washington. She provides weekly educational videos on child development, behavior, and education and was featured in Spokane Living Magazine’s 2020 20 Under 40.

Megan Brock (PHD ’18) started M&M’s Comfort Zone, a small restaurant in East Atlanta Village.

Kelsey Brown (BSED ’17) accepted a position as a speech-language pathologist at St. Coletta of Greater Washington, a specialty public charter school in Washington, D.C.

Lamesha Brown (PHD ’19) is the director of advising, testing, and career services at St. Cloud Technical and Community College in Minnesota. She was named the Region IV-East Outstanding Mid-Level Professional by the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators and was invited to serve on the editorial board of the Journal of First-Generation Student Success.

Amy Clines (EDD ’19) was named the director of undergraduate admissions at Georgia Southern University.

Tanner Davis (BSED ’11) accepted a position as an assistant general manager with Crunch Fitness. He serves on the leadership team and works to expand the brand across Georgia and Florida.

Christy Dinkins (EDD ’19) co-authored a book review that was published in the Journal of Critical Thought and Praxis. Most recently, she was accepted as a member of the New Professionals and Graduate Student Board for the Journal of Women and Gender.

Ayca Fackler (MA ’18) received the Jhumki Basu Fellowship from the National Association of Research in Science Teaching. The fellowship affirms her commitment to pursue equity issues in science teaching, learning, and research needed to reach underrepresented groups.

Marsha Francis (PHD ’17) was named the executive director of talent management for the Clarke County School District. 

Zach Garrett (MED ’17) launched a broadcast video production program at Riverside Military Academy in 2016. Garrett’s cadets earned their first national award for a submission to a Student Television Network contest.

Karina Green (MED ’13, EDS ’13) was promoted to International Baccalaureate coordinator and instructional coach at Decatur High School.

Hannah Hempel (BSED ’16) received her doctor of medicine degree from the Medical College of Georgia in 2020. She is currently pursuing an internal medicine residency at the University of Cincinnati.

Alex Issa (BSED ’12) was named director of championship hospitality for the U.S. Golf Association.

Sydney Jensen (BSED ’13) received a MED in educational leadership from Doane University in Crete, Nebraska last year.

Stacy Joseph (BSED ’18) received a JD from Georgia State University’s College of Law this spring.

Katherine Keese (MED ’15) is a licensed professional counselor who recently opened Feeling Alright Counseling, a private practice focused on mental health services in Madison, Georgia.

Jordan Lee (BSED ’18) received an MED in mathematics education from Georgia State University.

Cara Martin (BSED ’15) completed an orthopedic residency in 2019 and will begin her neurological specialist certification this fall.

Amanda Morris (BSED ’19) received an MS in strategic human resources from the University of Denver in Colorado.

Paige Muma (BSED ’16) received a master’s degree in occupational therapy and began her professional career in a private practice, outpatient setting.

Darius Phelps (BSFCS ’15, MED ’19) was selected to serve as one of the first African American co-chairs for the National Council of Teaching English ELATE-GS Strand.

Levi Shanks (MED ’12) received a PHD in higher, adult, and lifelong education from Michigan State University.

Gabriel Snell (MED ’18) was selected as a training and operations officer for an Army Engineer Battalion, making him the third in command of the organization, which consists of over 750 people. He was also awarded the Bronze Order of the de Fleury Medal, which is presented to those who render significant service or support to an element of the Engineer Regiment.

Elise Tallent (BSED ’19) works as a content manager for the Professional Golf Association Tour and moved to Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.

Christopher Williams (MED ’13) received his PHD in educational leadership, policy, and human development from North Carolina State University.

Qiana Williams (EDS ’10) was named vice president of total rewards and human resources operations at OhioHealth, a nonprofit system of hospitals and healthcare providers in Columbus, Ohio.

Sarah Woods (BSED ’13) received her PHD in reading education from Auburn University in Alabama.

Whitney Young (MED ’11) was named assistant principal of Cooper Elementary School in Loganville, Georgia.

 2020s

Katheryn Carlton (MED ’20) recently began providing in-home care for individuals with autism spectrum disorders.

Tycie Coppett (PHD ’20) was named director of master’s studies for the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Terri Parker (MED ’20) was promoted to senior director of education for Ethica Health and Retirement, a nonprofit consultative and support organization, in 2020.

David Stanley Jr. (PHD ’20) accepted a position as a tenure-track assistant professor in the counseling psychology program at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana.

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Email Haley Avery, associate director of alumni relations, at havery@uga.edu if you have any questions.