2026 Connection Summer

MISSION DRIVEN Celebrating 30 years as Georgia’s public liberal arts university

Also inside TOURISM DE FORCE • GEORGIA EDUCATION LEADERS

LEVERAGE AI. LEAD WITHOUT LIMITS. NEW FULLY ONLINE

Master of Science in AI Strategy • Prepare for high-impact careers in industries including healthcare, finance, retail, consulting and more.

• No computer science background required.

• Finish in as little as one year.

LEARN MORE WWW.GCSU.EDU/AISTRATEGY

From the Vice President O F U N I V E R S I T Y A DVA N C E M E N T

“

L

ike sands through the hourglass, so are the days of our lives.”

Those familiar words still echo in my mind from childhood afternoons spent in the living room with my beloved babysitter, Ms. Charlotte, as she faithfully watched her favorite daytime drama, “Days of Our Lives.”

Most of us rarely realize we are living through history when it is happening. We are simply trying to get through another Tuesday. Yet, dates matter.

They anchor us. They mark anniversaries, celebrations and losses in our personal lives. They also mark defining moments for communities and institutions, moments that shape who we are and who we become.

At Georgia College & State University, one of those defining dates is July 9, 1996. That was the day our institution was designated as Georgia’s public liberal arts university and transitioned to university status. Within a few months, we embraced a new name, new school colors and a new mascot: the Bobcats.

At the time, those changes may have seemed incidental. In hindsight, they were transformational.

The leaders who guided that transition, some of whom are featured in this issue of Connection, understood the influence their decisions would have on the future of the university. Their vision ensured that we would not simply preserve our legacy of excellence but strengthen it. They positioned Georgia College to thrive under our new designation and to expand the resources necessary to support a distinctive liberal arts mission.

Today, we are beneficiaries of that leadership, and the results are evident across our campus. We see it in record-breaking applications and strong enrollment. We see it in the engagement and confidence of our students. And, we see it in our enduring commitment to a learning environment built on conversation, mentorship and community.

In February, President Cathy Cox challenged our community to be audacious, to show a willingness to take surprisingly bold risks. That word is more than a theme; it is a description of our history.

Audacity is what led Julia Flisch to advocate for the creation of this institution as a public center for higher learning. Audacity is what emboldened leaders to make this university co-educational. Audacity is what guided the transformation to Georgia’s public liberal arts university in 1996. Audacity characterizes our work today, too, as we invest in people and projects to ensure that GCSU remains a vibrant center of learning and discovery.

Each generation of GCSU students inherits the benefits of audacious leadership. The question before us now is simple: Will we be similarly as bold in preparing Georgia College for the next 30 years?

The answer lies with all of us.

their higher education goals.

You can be audacious in your philanthropy. Over the past two years, donors to our Foundations of Excellence Fund have provided more than $250,000 in direct support for high-impact practices that define a Georgia College education.

Those gifts have created student opportunities that otherwise would not have been possible.

We also witnessed an extraordinary example of audacious generosity this past fall when Dr. Gertrude Ehrlich (’43) made the largest philanthropic gift in our university’s history. Her investment will establish a new need-based scholarship program, ensuring that talented students who believe in our mission are not limited by financial circumstances.

The legacy of leadership and philanthropic giving reminds us that the future of Georgia College is not shaped by chance. It is shaped by people who believe deeply in what this institution represents.

We are the beneficiaries of bold decisions made by those who came before us. Now it is our turn to act with that same spirit.

Together, let us celebrate the legacy that brought us here and move forward with the audacity to build an even stronger future.

Always Audacious,

You can be audacious in your engagement by attending an alumni event, mentoring a student or serving in a volunteer leadership role.

You can be audacious in your advocacy. Alumni, parents, faculty and staff are our most powerful ambassadors. A simple conversation about your experience at or with Georgia College often becomes the deciding factor for a prospective student choosing where to pursue

3

Seth

B. Seth Walker Vice President, University Advancement

GIVING IS DIFFERENT HERE

Philanthropic gifts to Georgia College & State University have grown nearly 400% since 2023, demonstrating the strong affinity alumni have for their alma mater. These donations directly benefit students in the form of need-based scholarships, campus infrastructure upgrades and new executive mentorship and career-readiness programs.

Here, former SGA President Zach Mullins (’11) — who co-launched the Mullins-Karanovich Campus Leader Endowed Scholarship with Evan Karanovich (’12) — engages with outgoing SGA President senior Serena Semere.

4

CONNECTION MAGAZINE • SUMMER 2026

CONNECTION Summer 2026 Vol. XIV, No. 1 Copyright 2025 All rights reserved Published by University Communications 231 W. Hancock St. Milledgeville, GA 31061

WINTER 2025

G E O R G I A C O L L E G E & S TAT E U N I V E R S I T Y

CONNECTION

F E AT U R E S

President Cathy Cox Vice President of University Advancement Seth Walker Assistant Vice President of University Communications and Chief Communications Officer Mike Cavaliere Editorial Mike Cavaliere Michael MacEachern Gil Pound Amanda Respess Margaret Schell (’19) Ian Wesselhoff Al Weston

16

24

Photography Anna Gay Leavitt Gil Pound Janelle Tyler Caroline Wood Design Brooks Hinton Bailey Wilson (’12) Cover Photography Anna Gay Leavitt Please send change of address and class notes to: Campus Box 96 Milledgeville, GA 31061 Email: connection@gcsu.edu

30

33 ALSO IN THIS ISSUE

Front Porch..............................................7 Mission Driven......................................12 Tourism de Force...................................18 Georgia’s Education Leaders...................20 Alumni Summer Photos.........................22 Bobcats with Badges...............................26 Art Can Heal..........................................32 A Better Ballpark....................................34 Bobcats in the Bigs.................................35 Class Notes............................................38 In Memoriam.........................................43

36

6

CONNECTION MAGAZINE • SUMMER 2026

FrontPORCH GCSU NEWS & HIGHLIGHTS

SENIOR WINS NATIONAL CIVIC SERVICE FELLOWSHIP In honor of her commitment to service, senior political science major Mia Simmons was awarded the Reagan Institute Civic Leaders Fellowship – a sixmonth program designed for students dedicated to driving positive change in their communities.

Simmons, who has served as a poll worker in her hometown of Gainesville, Georgia, since her junior year of high school, was one of 25 students nationwide to earn the fellowship. As part of the program, she networked with and received mentorship from government, business and journalism leaders during trips to the Reagan Institute in Washington, D.C., and to the Reagan Presidential Library and Museum in Simi Valley, California “I want to do anything I can to best serve my community,” Simmons said.

Senior Mia Simmons

Childhood literacy is at the heart of the Pi Beta Phi sorority’s mission.

NEW SORORITY COMING TO CAMPUS This year’s Greek Week celebrations culminated with a big announcement: Pi Beta Phi will become the first new sorority chapter at Georgia College since 2018.

“Pi Beta Phi will create real opportunities for students, especially those pursuing teaching degrees, to conduct meaningful service,” said Associate Director of Fraternity & Sorority Life Brandon Tucker.

Pi Beta Phi Grand President Jenn Plagman-Galvin agreed, citing the organization’s alignment with GCSU’s liberal arts mission — particularly its philanthropic focus on childhood literacy.

“The spirit of learning, collaboration and community engagement that defines GCSU reflects so much of what we value as an organization — fostering an environment where members are challenged to think critically, engage deeply and apply their knowledge in service to others,” said Plagman-Galvin.

The chapter will begin forming this fall and welcome its first new members in fall 2027.

CONNECTION MAGAZINE • SUMMER 2026 7

Dr. Jenay Willis (’16)

EDUCATION-ACCESS RESEARCH EARNS ALUMNA NATIONAL RECOGNITION Dr. Tamia Robb (’20) [right, standing] works with a student from South Gwinnett High School on a medical manikin. (Photo: Tamia Robb)

MEET GEORGIA’S EDUCATION ADMINISTRATOR OF THE YEAR Academy coordinator for Gwinnett County Public Schools, Dr. Tamia Robb (’20) was named the 2025 Administrator of the Year by the Georgia Marketing Educators Association.

Robb, who started her career as a substitute teacher and special education paraprofessional, credits GCSU faculty member Dr. J.W. Good for encouraging her to embrace new opportunities as she pursued her educational leadership specialist degree.

“No matter how far I go up in leadership, I always want to keep that [teaching/parapro] hat and remember where I began,” Robb said.

Dr. Jenay Willis (’16) earned the prestigious Chance Memorial Research Award from the National Rural Education Association for her research on rural Black students’ access to higher education.

The research found that the presence of Black role models is essential in supporting rural Black students’ motivation to pursue college. It also explored the negative impacts of “deficit narratives” — which focus on what rural Black students lack rather than on the societal systems they inhabit.

“The national recognition, for me, is phenomenal, but it’s also very humbling,” said Willis, an assistant professor at the University of Mississippi. “It’s a reminder of what can be done [to assist] rural Black students.”

NEW VOICE AT THE CAPITOL Hank Griffeth (’87) joined Georgia College in December as the university’s government and community relations director. This marked a return to GCSU for Griffeth, who served nearly a decade as director of the Career Center 30 years ago. Most recently, Griffieth served as city manager of Milledgeville after serving 20 years at Central Georgia Technical College in a variety of administrative roles.

Hank Griffeth (’87)

8

In his new role, Griffeth tracks state legislation and lobbies on the university’s behalf, including recent efforts to secure $5 million in state funding to renovate the College of Arts & Sciences building.

CONNECTION MAGAZINE • SUMMER 2026

Patrick Hamilton (’17)

OF BROTHERHOOD, SISTERHOOD

AWARD-WINNING ALUMNUS TAKES TALENTS TO OPERA HOUSE

Above: The Kappa Eta Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.; below: the Mu Gamma Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.

Two Greek organizations celebrated major milestones this year, marking 50 years since the charter of their chapters at GCSU. The Kappa Eta Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. was chartered Feb. 20, 1976.

To commemorate the occasion, more than 80 alumni returned to campus for a reunion, service project and anniversary gala during Homecoming Weekend.

The Mu Gamma Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. was chartered April 23, 1976. To celebrate their 50th, a banquet was held in the Peabody Auditorium.

DOUBLE ALUMNUS NAMED CITY ADMINISTRATOR Brian Muenger (’06, ’08), a two-time alumnus with a bachelor’s in criminal justice and master’s in public administration from GCSU, has been named the new city manager of Hoover, Alabama, a fastgrowing community of 100,000 residents.

“Criminal justice theories are analytical, and so are a city’s functions,” he said, explaining how his degrees prepared him for the role. “I also partner with law enforcement, so having this knowledge helps.”

He credits engaged faculty mentors, too, for leaving a lasting impact.

Brian Muenger (’06, ’08)

“The professors don’t lecture and leave you,” Muenger said. “They develop you as a person. [It’s] a meaningful experience.”

Patrick Hamilton (’17) has played many roles in the Georgia theater, from working the box office at The Piedmont Grand Opera House, in Macon, to managing the 1,200-seat Monroe County Fine Arts Center, in Forsyth.

His set design for a Theatre Macon production of “Once on This Island,” made entirely with recycled materials, won the Atlanta region’s Broadway World Regional Award in 2021. His work has twice been recognized by the Kennedy Center: for Technical Direction in 2021 and Scenic Design in 2022.

Now, after sharing his expertise with students at GCSU as technical director for the Department of Theatre & Dance for the past five years, he has returned to The Grand Opera House to become its senior technical director.

“It’s a huge coming home moment,” Hamilton said.

READ MORE ABOUT PATRICK HAMILTON’S JOURNEY AND ACCOLADES.

CONNECTION MAGAZINE • SUMMER 2026 9

BIOLOGY PROFESSOR EARNS NATIONALLY COVETED SCIENCE AWARD Dr. Arnab Sengupta, assistant professor of cell and molecular biology, has been named a 2026 Cottrell Scholar, an honor bestowed upon the top early-career teacher-scholars in the field of science.

The award includes $120,000 for his research on mRNA, which could broaden medical knowledge on cancer treatment.

“I am transforming my undergraduate Chemical Biology class into a course-based research experience,” Sengupta said. “By bridging the gap between the classroom and the laboratory, we are training future scientists to solve the most pressing challenges in human health.”

READ MORE Sophomore Brian Wirth and Dr. Arnab Sengupta work in the lab.

Only 24 professors from across the United States and Canada were named Cottrell Scholars this year. Sengupta is the first in GCSU history to earn this distinction.

GCSU GRANTED $840,000 TO GROW RURAL BUSINESS Georgia College is positioning itself as a regional hub for business innovation and workforce readiness after being awarded more than $800,000 across three economic development grants this year. Two allocations, totaling $710,000, came from the United States Congress through the offices of Sen. Jon Ossoff and Sen. Raphael Warnock. A separate Knight Foundation grant adds an additional $130,000 in private funding.

Looking ahead, GCSU will use these funds to launch the Bobcat Business Incubator, an initiative to nurture student and community startups, among other projects “Entrepreneurship is education through creation,” said GCSU Provost Dr. Holley Roberts. “Any student interested in business will be able to find opportunities for meaningful hands-on learning experiences at the incubator, and the local community will have access to programming and support usually only available in larger metropolitan areas.”

10

GCSU graduates report an annual median income of over $51,000 four years after graduation, third-highest among all public institutions in Georgia.

BOBCATS’ EARNING POTENTIAL RANKED IN TOP 3 AMONG STATE UNIVERSITIES Georgia College grads have a leg up over their peers in the job maket, according to a recent study from the U.S. Department of Education that ranked GCSU among the top three public universities in Georgia for career earnings.

Additionally, the study validated the worth of undergraduate degrees, showing that Bobcats earn a median annual income of $51,360 four years

CONNECTION MAGAZINE • SUMMER 2026

after graduation — nearly $20,000 more than their peers with high school diplomas.

A total of 78% of the spring 2026 class had already secured jobs or graduate school placements ahead of the commencement ceremony, highlighting how the university’s emphasis on career-readiness is positioning grads for success.

PRESIDENT COX, SEVEN ALUMNI FEATURED IN

ALUMNA CFO NAMED TO

GEORGIA TREND’S ‘4O UNDER 40’

GEORGIA 500

Georgia College President Cathy Cox and seven university alumni were named to the 2025 Georgia 500, a list that honors the state’s most influential non-elected leaders, published annually by Georgia Trend.

Sara Murph (’11) was named to Georgia Trend’s 2026 “40 Under 40” list. Chief Financial Officer at Parrish Construction Group, Murph earned her MBA from GCSU and credits the university with giving her the tools she needs to lead.

During the decade-plus she’s spent at Parrish, Murph has overseen 300 projects worth over $2 billion.

She also volunteers extensively in Perry, Georgia, and has a passion for community impact.

Honorees include higher education leaders Ivan H. Allen (’96), Johnny Evans (’93) and Martha Ann Todd (’08), along with business leaders Ralph Staffins III (’06, ’08), Mark Williams (’85), Chris Clark (’96) and Virgil Miller (’92).

GEORGIA TREND

“These individuals are shaping the future of our state, and we are honored that GCSU is part of their story,” said Dr. Seth Walker, vice president for University Advancement.

From the UK to the US: Exchange student Ayomide Rahman is making the most of her experience at GCSU.

Dorothy Hull (’93)

FULL IMMERSION: UK STUDENT TAKES ON SENATE INTERNSHIP

BOBCAT, ESQUIRE:

Just six months after her arrival to the States, and to GCSU, London exchange student Ayomide Rahman began working as a senate aide at the Georgia State Capitol.

A first-generation university student, Rahman was one of only 35 students across the state accepted into the Georgia Legislative Internship Program.

“Coming over here and doing a year abroad … I’m plunging myself into the situation,” Rahman said. “I feel like I’m finding my feet.”

DISTRICT ATTORNEY Dorothy Hull (’93) has been appointed

by Gov. Brian Kemp as the new district attorney for the Towaliga Judicial Circuit.

A 29-year veteran prosecutor, Hull grew up in Milledgeville and graduated magna cum laude from GCSU with a bachelor’s degree in history.

CONNECTION MAGAZINE • SUMMER 2026 11

MISSION DRIVEN Thirty years ago, Georgia College became the state’s designated public liberal arts university, an identity-shaping shift that led to the institution’s current period of unprecedent growth, all-time high student demand and record-setting national rankings.

Georgia College & State University experienced the most successful year in its long history in 2025, one marked by highest-ever student demand and, for the first time ever, being ranked among the top five public colleges and universities in the South by U.S. News & World Report.

“But this peak didn’t happen by accident,” University President Cathy Cox said. “Rather, it was the culmination of 30 years of intentional actions that can traced back to 1996, when Georgia College became Georgia College & State University, the state’s designated public liberal arts institution.”

This was no simple name change.

“This transition altered our institution’s identity forever, serving as an inflection point that would shape who we are and provide a new, strategic focus for our programs from that day forward,” Cox added.

LEADING CHANGE Dr. Rosemary DePaolo, former president of GCSU who led the university’s strategic alignment, wasted no time in setting lofty goals for the institution following its new direction.

“We’re going to focus on what we can do best and what our mission is all

12

CONNECTION MAGAZINE • SUMMER 2026

about,” she told The Union-Recorder newspaper in 1998. “It’s already transformed us in extraordinary ways.

This is a different place.”

DePaolo cited the university’s sharpening focus on developing student life initiatives, improving the student-to-faculty ratio, elevating the caliber of students admitted and becoming an academic leader within the Southeastern United States.

Today, all of those goals have come to fruition:

ü Student organizations on campus have jumped from 64 in 1996 to 166 today.

ü The student-to-faculty ratio has improved from 20:1 in 1996 to 17:1.

ü Incoming student GPA has

ballooned from 2.95 to 3.64, cementing GCSU’s place among the “Big Three” selective admissions institutions in the University System of Georgia (along with the University of Georgia and Georgia Tech).

ü And, the university was named a

Top Five public institution in the South by U.S. News & World Report for the first time last year.

A liberal arts education has prepared me to understand and approach situations in the clinical setting that a textbook can’t prepare you for, such as ethical dilemmas and understanding what it looks like to walk in someone else’s shoes.

Emily Bodamer – Nursing

“I would recommend a liberal arts education if you’re coming to college not only wanting to learn about your major but wanting to learn about yourself. This model offers the space for self-discovery.

Janelle Tyler – Art

I’ve learned skills like communication, critical thinking and collaboration that are useful no matter what career path you choose. The liberal arts help students become more well-rounded by exposing them to different perspectives and experiences.

Jackson Palmer – Middle Grades Education

I didn’t want my education to be only technical.

GCSU’s liberal arts focus stood out because it offered a balance — strong quantitative skills along with opportunities to explore communication, business and critical thinking.

Yash Prajapati – Data Science

CONNECTION MAGAZINE • SUMMER 2026

13

E XC E L L E N C E I N A C T I O N WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE A TOP 5 UNIVERSITY?

TOP FIVE

NO. 1 IN NATION

GCSU has scored the best academic success rate in the country among all NCAA DII public schools every year since 2021.

IN THE SOUTH

Georgia College was named among the top five public institutions in the 12-state regional South in U.S. News & World Report’s 2026 rankings — an institutional first.

HISTORIC STUDENT DEMAND

400%

Philanthropic gifts to GCSU have grown nearly 400% since 2023.

7,300

THEN AND NOW 345

3.64

$333

*According to the U.S. Department of Education

$333

MILLION

345

3.64 2.95

5,534

Georgia College has experienced 200 $155 significant change since earning MILLION its mission-defining designation in 1996. These statistics illustrate the university’s evolution.FULL-TIME INCOMING REGIONAL

GCSU grads’ salaries recorded four years after graduation placed among the top three in Georgia, of all public colleges and universities*.

Nearly 100% of all GCSU students perform community service, contributing over 1 million hours to the community in the past 25 years.

7,300

MILLION

2.95

5,534

1 MILLION SERVICE HOURS

New-student applications received in GCSU’s fall “early action” period have nearly doubled since 2022. Total applications hit an all-time high of 10,000 this spring.

TOP THREE

EARNING POTENTIAL

200

$155

MILLION

(2004)

TOTAL ENROLLMENT

STUDENT GPA

FACULTY

ECONOMIC IMPACT (2004)

1996

2025

TOTAL ENROLLMENT

“We used to bristle when people called us the ‘best kept secret in Georgia,’ but now it’s clear: The secret is out about Georgia College,” Cox said 4.0

400

350

3.5

350

300

3.0

300

2.5

250

2.0

200

3000

1.5

150

2000

1.0

100

8000 7000 6000 5000 4000

1000 0

250 200 150 100

In the five years since Cox stepped in as president of GCSU, the university has risen to a new level of distinction within Georgia higher education. She attributes this growth to the institution’s focus on collaboration, exploration and learning by doing — building blocks of the liberal arts that help develop workforce-ready skills, such as communication, teamwork and critical thinking in students.

0.5

50

50

0.0

0

0

The career benefits are proven, too.

According to a recent study by the American Association of Colleges and Universities, employers are up to 81% more likely to hire graduates who have participated in experience-based learning activities — such as undergraduate

INCOMING STUDENT GPA

“”

FULL-TIME FACULTY

1996

We used to bristle when people called us the ‘best kept secret in Georgia,’ but now it’s clear: The secret is out about Georgia College.

2025

8000

4.0

400

7000

3.5

350

–6000 PRESIDENT CATHY COX

3.0

300

5000

2.5

250

4000

2.0

200

3000

1.5

150

2000

1.0

100

1000

0.5

50

0

0.0

0

research, internships, study abroad, leadership programs and communityengaged learning.

“At GCSU, we guarantee every student meaningful access to opportunities like those, beginning in their first year,” Cox said.

The approach is working: 93% of GCSU students report engaging in transformative learning experiences — starting in Year One.

REGIONAL ECONOMIC IMPACT

As demand for this type of higher educational experience has grown, so has Georgia College’s economic impact on the region. Since 2024, GCSU has more than doubled its economic impact — which is measured in number of jobs created and revenue generated — from $155 million to $333 million.

350 300 250

Reflecting on the past three decades of transformation, Cox sees even more opportunity ahead to solidify GCSU as an academic destination for students.

200 150 100 50 0

“Imagine what Georgia College could accomplish in the next 30 years if we all set our sights on the stars,” she said at her annual State of University address, earlier this year. “Our potential is limited only by our imaginations — and our willingness to make those dreams come true.”

FIRST CLASS FACES

Four years after GCSU adopted its new mission, its first class of liberal arts-minded students earned their degrees. Today, many of those alumni from the class of 2000 hold leadership positions across the state, including these Bobcats, who reflected on how their experiences at Georgia College helped shape their careers.

Markeeta Clayton (’00, ’12, ’15)

Principal of Baldwin High School, Milledgeville, Georgia

“A liberal arts education empowers leaders to think broadly, act boldly and create new pathways that meet the evolving needs of students and communities. This preparation has equipped me to lead with purpose, adaptability and a clear focus on student success.”

Shay Holsey (’00)

Principal of Eagle’s Landing Middle School, McDonough, Georgia

“Education is constantly evolving, and one of the greatest challenges is navigating change while maintaining focus on student success. My liberal arts background helped me develop the resilience and perspective needed to lead through those shifts.

It also prepared me to step into new roles with confidence.

Ashley Quinn (’00, ’06)

Museum Collections Manager, GCSU’s Natural History Museum

“My college education at GCSU allowed me to be flexible while encouraging me to explore what I really wanted to do in life. Looking back, my advisors and mentors helped me to combine my multiple interests and strengths in art, teaching and biology into one career path that included all of them.”

Dr. Nick Roberts (’00)

Professor & Toomey Faculty Fellow, Oregon State University

“I have even leveraged concepts from the humanities in a business classroom. For instance, my students and I have discussed the ways in which a person’s religious beliefs affect how they work with others in project teams. A liberal arts education has expanded my horizons in ways that help me better understand how people approach and use business information systems.”

April (Brooks) Bragg (’00)

President & CEO of Robins Regional Chamber of Commerce

“I was never worried about whether I could do a job. I believed I could step into each opportunity, maximize it and bring something new to the organizations I supported. A liberal arts education, paired with my background in theatre, trained me to listen like a stage partner. … It also shaped how I think. I learned to approach every situation with one question: What does this make possible?”

It’s 1996, and Spice Girls and “The Macarena” are playing on every radio station in America.

“Seinfeld” and “ER” are must-see TV. The Chicago Bulls are dominating the NBA. Tamagotchis and Beanie Babies are flying off store shelves.

And Georgia College just launched a transformative new chapter. Life is good.

BOBCATS

BY THE SE A Georgia’s coastal ports are driving economic growth with help from Georgia College alumni.

Gavin Holloway (’23) at the Port of Savannah

G

eorgia’s ports are among the busiest in the world in both size and volume. The ports have a multibillion-dollar economic impact, accounting for one of every nine jobs in the state.

Behind the cargo containers in Savannah and Brunswick, specifically, Bobcat alumni are making waves.

SAVANNAH: A WORLD LEADER The Port of Savannah is the largest single container terminal in the Western Hemisphere and one of the fastest-growing ports in the world, currently the third busiest in the U.S. Across from its teeming main entrance is the Savannah Logistics Group warehouse, where alumnus Gavin Holloway (’23) works as an asset manager. Holloway majored in marketing with a minor in logistics from the J. Whitney Bunting College of Business & Technology, which prepared him to join the company as a recruiter just days after graduation.

“I took logistics classes at Georgia College, so I had a good foundation,” Holloway said. “I was familiar with the terminology and core concepts, so diving into the driver recruiting role allowed me to really learn the industry.”

BRUNSWICK: HIGH ROLLERS The Port of Brunswick is No. 1 in the nation for Ro/Ro — which is cargo speak for “roll on, roll off” inventory.

“Anything that has wheels goes through that port,” said Ralph Staffins, III (’08), president and CEO of the Brunswick Golden Isles Chamber of Commerce.

With more than 20 major auto manufacturers relying on the port for imports and exports, the facility is managed by the Georgia Ports Authority. This is a departure from how ports operate in most states, where they are city-run and compete with each other.

“GPA decided that Savannah was where we needed to grow our container imports and exports, and Brunswick is where we should grow our roll on, roll off,” Staffins explained.

With years of economic development experience in Georgia, Staffins has seen the steady growth of Georgia’s ports system firsthand.

“The biggest example I can give is [Wallenius Wilhelmsen],” Staffins said. “They had a presence here, but they have grown tremendously because they consolidated all of their assets from Jacksonville, the Port of Jacksonville and the Port of Savannah.”

The impact of this type of growth extends far beyond port-based job-creation.

“There certainly has been a ripple effect,” said Staffins.

“Our workforce development efforts [include] ... ancillary jobs too.. ... It’s that many more EMS workers, firefighters, police officers, teachers and more.”

Gavin Holloway (’23), left, collaborates with a colleague in the Savannah Logistics Group’s workshop.

Holloway quickly moved up within SLG, mastering the regulations that keep the freight industry moving.

“Now I oversee the 110-truck fleet,” he said. “Our local team takes the containers to the drop yard. Our regional drivers pick them up and run them anywhere in the Southeast. When the drivers take the freight to those locations, they bring the empty back and return that container to the port. So, it starts with the port, and it ends with the port for us.”

SLG is investing in AI technology to more efficiently track shipping data. Holloway says AI-enabled devices installed in the SLG fleet track thousands of data points in real time while allowing the drivers to stay focused on safety.

As Georgia ports improve, so does the quality of life for Georgia residents, he added, citing higher-paying jobs and more robust city services.

Staffins’ career stands a testament to the level of impact one can make with a GCSU degree after graduation, and he hopes Bobcat grads look to Georgia’s coastal communities for job opportunities.

“I think that business, public administration, those types of degrees are great for community and economic development professionals,” Staffins said. “We are actively trying to work against the brain drain. We don’t want young people to feel like they’ve got to go to Atlanta or Jacksonville, wherever the case may be, to find a good job.”

PORT IN ACTION Explore the intricate world of container logistics with Gavin Holloway from Savannah Logistics Group at the Georgia Ports Authority.

CONNECTION MAGAZINE • SUMMER 2026

17

m s i r u To e c r o F De FROM THE CAPITAL TO THE COAST, GCSU ALUMNI ARE LEADING TOURISM EFFORTS THROUGHOUT GEORGIA.

Standing as the state’s second-leading industry behind agriculture, tourism is a key economic driver for Georgia. In fact, the state ranks fifth in the nation for overnight visitations.

Fortunately, those visitors are in good hands — often being greeted by one of the many Georgia College alumni who work as state tourism ambassadors.

“We are often visitors’ first stop,” said Rebekah Cline Snider (’06), mass communication grad and executive director of Visit Milledgeville. “When people ask us where to eat and shop, we see that as more than just a referral to a locally owned business. It’s really a referral to make an economic impact within our community.”

A native of St. Simons Island, one of Georgia’s top beach destinations, she earned a mass communication degree at GCSU, which led to positions at the Georgia Aquarium, the Atlanta Convention and Visitors’ Bureau and the Golden Isles CVB. In 2025, she joined the Georgia Department of Economic Development (“Explore Georgia”), where she oversees tourism efforts across north Georgia.

“One day, I might be in Rossville, speaking at the 100th anniversary celebration for Lake Winnepesaukah, Georgia’s oldest amusement park,” Kicklighter said. “The next day, I might be looking at zebras at the new safari conservation park in Madison or exploring Storyland Taverns at Rock City.”

WORLD CUP WELCOME

It’s also a booming one.

When the 2026 FIFA World Cup kicked off this summer, bringing some 520,000 visitors to Atlanta in addition to millions of TV viewers around the world, alumna Samantha Joiner (’23), a public relations specialist with the Atlanta CVB, was in the middle of the action, working with media to position Atlanta as an international travel destination.

In 2024, Georgia welcomed 174 million visitors who spent a combined $45 billion during their stays. Their spending produced an economic impact of $82 billion, supporting more than 470,000 state jobs.

The World Cup tourism wave also reached Savannah, where Ansley Connor Roberts (’18) puts her mass communication degree to work as content and social media manager for Visit Savannah.

EXPLORING GEORGIA

“My time at Georgia College was extremely valuable,” Roberts said. “It prepared me for this industry in so many different ways.”

Those referrals help local entrepreneurs “send their child to summer camp or put food on their table,” according to Marcie Hunter Kicklighter (’12), regional tourism manager with the Georgia Department of Economic Development. “It’s an incredibly rewarding industry.”

Marcie Kicklighter has orbited the tourism industry for as along as she can remember.

YOUR GEORGIA TOURISM TEAM Georgia College alumni hold key roles throughout the Georgia tourism industry. These positions, below, are just some of the many residents dedicated to promoting the history, natural wonders, attractions and entertainment options available throughout the state.

Lacey Cummings (’20), marketing director for Visit Milledgeville Madison Holtz (’22), communications manager for Discover Dunwoody Caroline Jones (’20), strategic engagement manager for Yellowstone Forever Nicole Thurston Kirksey (’97), owner of Blue Sky Strategies, LLC Reese Christian Quillian (’22), content manager for Visit Milledgeville Clara Toburen Rooks (’19), senior marketing communications manager for Explore Gwinnett Ashley Rosolillo (’23), digital marketing manager for Discover Dunwoody Bonnie McRae Simmons (’08), communications manager for the City of Suwanee Gracie Childers (‘22), sales and service manager for Visit Columbus GA Natalie Smith (‘22), senior community development coordinator for Explore Gwinnett

Top Left: Marcie Hunter Kicklighter (’12) Top Middle: Ansley Connor Roberts (’18) Top Right: Rebekah Cline Snider (’06) Bottom Left: Samantha Joiner (’23)

Meet the Bobcats who are leading public education in Georgia

‘SUPER’ CHARGED

(Photo: Cartersville City Schools)

Dr. Marc Feuerbach has been named the 2026 Georgia Superintendent of the Year

C

artersville City Schools Superintendent Dr. Marc Feuerbach (’10) was named Georgia’s 2026 Superintendent of the Year.

Selected out of 180 superintendents statewide, Feuerbach recently helped his district, and the 4,700 students within it, achieve the highest graduation rate in its 125-year history, which contributed to his selection.

When Feuerbach pursued his Educational Leadership degree at Georgia College, he was working full time and raising a family.

“Drs. Jacob Good and Cheryl Reynolds set up our program where our cohort felt like we were all in this together despite everything going on around us,” he said.

Dr. Jessica Graves (’04) [left] and teacher Stephanie Ross McGehee (‘94, ‘06, ‘10) [right] help fifth-grade student Riley Barron [center].

“A transformative approach to learning makes the experience more relational,” he said. “It’s not simply a transactional interaction focused on memorization to pass a test, but focused on authenticity, engagement, reflection and realworld connections.”

His professors also taught him the importance of curiosity. This lesson inspires Feuerbach to frequently ask “Why?” in his role. He encourages his students to do the same.

ALUMNA TO LEAD JONES COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT

“When students are active in their own learning experiences and not bystanders, learning at a deep, meaningful level takes place,” Feuerbach said. “This leads to students becoming more confident, empathetic and resilient.”

Dr. Jessica Baxter Graves (’04) recently became superintendent of Jones County Schools in Gray, Georgia, the same district in which she completed her student teaching assignment as a GCSU student.

Feuerbach was also recognized for developing effective community partnerships with the district, providing access to advanced job training and championing food security.

THE LIBERAL ARTS ADVANTAGE Feuerbach credits GCSU’s liberal arts mission with developing the critical thinking skills necessary to thrive in the “real world.”

“Leading in the public sector requires balancing the viewpoints of multiple values people hold near and dear to their hearts,” he said. “To do my job effectively, I must listen first, learn second and lead third.”

20

Those qualities are essential to learning — and to setting lofty goals, he added.

“I hope every graduate leaves our school system … full of purpose and hopeful for their future,” he said. “As we watch our graduates walk across the stage each year to receive their diploma, I am hopeful we have played a small part in preparing them for their next journey in life.”

CONNECTION MAGAZINE • SUMMER 2026

“It’s a full-circle moment,” Graves said, adding that her focus going forward will be to ensure that teachers have the tools they need to keep students motivated. “I want our teachers to hear that they make a difference and know we support them as they make difficult decisions about what’s best for our students.”

▲ WATCH: Georgia’s education leaders reflect on how GCSU shaped their lives and careers.

HEAD OF THE

CLASS

Triple alumna Charm Mapp has been named Georgia’s Teacher of the Year.

C

harm Mapp (’03, ’06, ’10), an eighth-grade math teacher at Clifton Ridge Middle School in Jones County, is the 2027 Georgia Teacher of the Year.

“Charm Mapp makes mathematics come alive for her students through her classroom number talks and hands-on instruction,” Georgia State School Superintendent Richard Woods said. “I can’t wait to see how she advocates for students, teachers and schools throughout her time as Georgia Teacher of the Year.”

Mapp earned her bachelor’s, master’s and education specialist degrees from Georgia College. She is slated to earn her Ed.D. in curriculum and instruction this December, which will make her a four-time alumna.

Now in her 23rd year at Clifton Ridge Middle School, in Jones County — where she previously was named the district’s teacher of the year — she is the lead gifted teacher and supports the Jones County Virtual Academy.

“I encourage [students] to bring their real-life experiences into the

classroom,” Mapp said. “I don’t ask questions that have a right, wrong or numerical answer. Instead, we have a conversation to facilitate learning.”

Mapp also teaches her fellow educators.

Throughout her career at Clifton Ridge Middle School, Mapp has mentored 19 student teachers.

She also partners with fellow gifted teachers to hold monthly professional learning sessions to talk through strategies.

“While it’s important to challenge my students, I also want to make sure they’re supported,” Mapp said.

As Georgia Teacher of the Year, Mapp will serve as an advocate for public education, speaking to the public about the teaching profession and serving as an ex-officio member of the State Board of Education.

Georgia Teacher of the Year operates one year ahead to align with the national program.

The 2027 Georgia Teacher of the Year will serve from July 1, 2026, to June 30, 2027.

 Charm Mapp was named Georgia’s 2027 Teacher of the Year Friday, May 29.

(Photo: Georgia Department of Education)

TOP TEACHER

TRADITION

GCSU HAS PRODUCED THREE OF THE PAST FIVE GEORGIA TEACHERS OF THE YEAR Georgia College alumni are on a remarkable run. In the past five years, Bobcats have earned the state’s highest education honor, Georgia Teacher of the Year, three times.

MEET THE BOBCAT AWARDEES Charm Mapp (‘03, ‘06, ‘10) 2027 Georgia Teacher of the Year Holly Witcher (’01) 2025 Georgia Teacher of the Year Michael Kobito (’23) 2023 Georgia Teacher of the Year

CONNECTION MAGAZINE • SUMMER 2026 21

CAPTURED: HOME SWEET HOME

Carson Beasley (‘23) leads an Alumni VIP tour.

University Communications showed their Olympic spirit in the Homecoming parade.

Back Row: Brittany Lewis-Ward (’10), Mikeshia Harrison (’09) and Ken Kemp (’09); Front row: Audia Jones (’09), Erica Coleman (’09), Charmaine (Ashley) Jackson (’08) and Lindsey (Smith) Browning (’08)

Former athletic director, Stan Aldridge joins basketball legends Johhny Williams and Jack Williams on the court with President Cox in celebration of the Return of Champions.

Members of the band MINDA, winners of this year’s Battle of the Bobcats

Sairsha Connor (’25) and Hayley Conway (’19) enjoy “Biscuits and Brew with the Alumni Crew.”

Carlee Schulte (’10), Kendra Evans (’08), Leigh MacLeod (’20) and Sydney Charles (’25) take in the parade from the watch party at the Old Governor’s Mansion.

President Cathy Cox (center) joins the family and friends of the late Alvin Richardson (’77, ’94, ’96) during a break in the basketball game to announce a scholarship in his honor.

A Grand Return There is nothing like the pomp and circumstance surrounding a grand Remeatio Victorum, a return of the champs. Every year at Homecoming, we get to experience it: the exuberance in knowing that alumni will return to the place of growth, of transformations and inspiration, the place where ideas were birthed and where they learned by doing. This place feels like home, and so when they return, crossing Front Campus to enter the hallowed buildings once again, we rejoice. We light the flames and roll out the lush carpets — because the champs are coming home!

College of Health Sciences professor and former Olympic Coach Dr. Mike Martino passes the torch to Paralympic Gold Medalist Shea Council during the Olympic-themed Opening Ceremony.

This year, the champs came home in glorious fashion, and the setting could not have been more fitting. This year’s Homecoming theme was Ignite the Thunder, The Bobcat Games, a nod to the Winter Olympics.

We kicked off the alumni portion of events with a special Biscuits & Brew, featuring specialty coffees and morning delights from alumni-owned Morning Grind, with the help of friends at the Life Enrichment Center.

Students carry the flags of their home countries as part of the Opening Ceremony.

C.J. Jones works his way around a defender during GCSU’s 75-68 win over Georgia Southwestern.

The return also featured increased engagement opportunities on Friday, with our Alumni Award recipients. Honorees enjoyed breakfast with university leadership and engaged with students at lunch panels. They joined fellow alumni and families on a VIP tour of campus and also had the opportunity to ride down memory lane, trolley-style, on a Milledgeville tour.

On Friday evening, we celebrated the accomplishments of our alumni champions at the Alumni Awards Ceremony and their collective impact on the world was a torch of inspiration.

Learn more about them by scanning the QR code.

GCSU Heritage Award winner Doris (Floyd) Mann (’71, ’76) poses with Jody McMillan and James McMillan (’07), whose mom, Carol Duncan McMillan (’74, ’77), is also a Heritage Award recipient.

The Bobcat community came out in full force on Saturday to cheer on their favorite teams in Centennial and to reunite with friends at Tent City. A special highlight of the day was the actual Return of Champions, honoring the men’s and women’s teams of 1976, 1996, 2000 and 2006. The Alumni VIP zone was filled with memories of character-defining practices and the bonds between teammates that have withstood time and distance.

Throughout the weekend, alumni also used their weekend passes to access the Wellness & Recreation Center and the community pitched in, too, by offering discounts at local shops and eateries.

Make plans now to join us in Milledgeville for Homecoming 2027!

Homecoming Queen Ella Whitener (’26) and King Michael Preiser (’26)

Nadirah Z. Mayweather (‘08,’10) Director, Alumni Engagement

SCAN FOR UPCOMING EVENTS NEAR YOU CONNECTION MAGAZINE • SPRING 2025

23

WATCH: Dr. Ehrlich recounts how her family made it out of Nazi-controlled Austria, and her journey to GCSU.

Giving Back REFUGEE-ALUMNA’S HISTORIC $9 MILLION GIFT WILL SUPPORT GENERATIONS OF STUDENTS.

W

hen Dr. Gertrude Ehrlich fled Nazi-controlled Austria with her family in 1939, she found an educational haven in Georgia College & State University (then Georgia State College for Women).

Supported by scholarship funding, Ehrlich (’43) became one of the university’s first international students. She earned her bachelor’s degree and enjoyed a long career as a professor and textbook author. Although she died last year, at 102 years old, her legacy will live on through a $9 million donation from her estate to GCSU — marking the largest gift in the institution’s 137-year history. The funds will be used solely to support students in need.

“We were lucky we were able to get out [of Austria],” Ehrlich said in a 2017 video interview. “You could be arrested just for looking Jewish.”

But on the Milledgeville-based Georgia College campus, she was embraced.

24

CONNECTION MAGAZINE • WINTER 2025

Dr. Gertrude Ehrlich (’43)

“They were so kind to me,” said Ehrlich, who earned a refugee scholarship from the Young Women’s Christian Association nonprofit organization.

“I didn’t pay a penny for anything. It was all taken care of.”

The Ehrlich Endowed Scholarship Fund will offer similar impact, providing need-based scholarships for students, with a portion of the fund designated for housing scholarships for local Pell Grant-eligible students. This will be Georgia College’s first endowed housing scholarship.

PRIMED FOR IMPACT Ehrlich’s historic gift — which will begin awarding scholarships this fall — comes at an opportune time for students, as GCSU has seen highs in student demand, leading to record enrollment numbers.

“As the university celebrates all-time high student interest — highlighted by receiving 10,000 new student applications for undergraduate admission this spring, the most ever received in university history — these scholarships will ensure that the best and brightest students have access to an elite education and will be supported throughout their college careers,” said Joel Robinson, senior associate vice president of Enrollment Management. “It is truly a lifechanging impact.”

ent at Gertrude Ehrlich as a stud for Women lege Col te Sta rgia Geo

Ehrlich’s gift also highlights a recent increase in donations among alumni and donors to GCSU, illustrated by a 400% boost in philanthropic giving since 2023.

“The university has seen unprecedented support from its alumni and donors, and Dr. Ehrlich’s transformational gift this year continues the trend,” said Dr. Seth Walker, vice president for University Advancement. “This level of generosity illustrates the immense pride alumni feel for their alma mater, and it will create ripples of benefits that will be felt far into the future.”

JOURNEY FROM VIENNA Born in Vienna, Austria, in 1923, Ehrlich was a teenager when Adolf Hitler’s Nazi forces took over her home country in the late 1930s. She emigrated to the United States, wound up in Atlanta and attended Georgia College, living in Sanford Hall and serving as vice president of the math club on her way to earning her bachelor’s degree.

After graduation, Ehrlich went on to receive her master’s from the University of North Carolina and doctorate from the University of Tennessee before becoming a math professor at the University of Maryland. She authored several textbooks during her 37-year teaching tenure and earned a GCSU alumni achievement award in 1970.

“Dr. Ehrlich’s life serves as a case study in the power of resilience,” said President Cathy Cox. “Her legacy will benefit generations of students to come, creating opportunities for those who need it most to make a similarly positive impact on the world around them.”

Ce’Darius Ingram poses with the College of Education’s former interim dean, Dr. Joanne Previts (left), and Dr. Holley Roberts, provost (right).

The Reason

Why

The Gertrude Ehrlich Scholarship Fund is just one of many scholarship opportunities available at GCSU to help students achieve their dreams. In academic year 2025-26, $2,510,366 was awarded to a total of 1,823 students, many of whom would not have had the financial ability to attend college otherwise.

One student currently benefitting from these programs is Ce’Darius Ingram. A middle grades education major, he has earned several prestigious scholarships, including from the Joseph C. and Margaret E. Samprone, Sr. Annual Scholarship for First Generation Students, the Call Me MiSTER Program and the Seeds of Dignity Endowed Scholarship. Ingram gave a speech at this year’s Scholarship Tea, where he spoke to the impact this type of funding has had on his educational journey.

“These scholarships have also given me the freedom to grow — not just as a student, but as a man building himself for success and triumph,” he said. “They have opened doors that money alone can’t buy. They gave me the chance to experience, to learn, to lead, to grow, to engage and to build meaningful connections.”

SCAN

to donate in support of student scholarships

CONNECTION MAGAZINE • SUMMER 2026 25

WITH

BOBCATS BADGES

TWO ALUMNI HAVE BEEN NAMED UNIVERSITY CHIEFS OF POLICE.

H

aley Beckham (’09), police chief at Mercer University, and Dr. Chris Hughes (’13), police chief at Valdosta State University, took different paths to become leaders in law enforcement – but both of their journeys started at GCSU. Last summer, Beckham became Mercer’s first female chief of police. As an undergraduate psychology major and an outfielder for the Bobcats softball team, she never envisioned working in law enforcement, but she always pursued new opportunities.

“Law enforcement is definitely a profession that allows you to grow constantly,” said Beckham, who has been growing in her field for the past 15 years, from roles in the Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice to serving a decade as deputy sheriff in Baldwin County.

Haley Beckham (’09), Mercer University

26

CONNECTION MAGAZINE • SUMMER 2026

Hughes didn’t enter GCSU with dreams of being a police officer, either — he wanted to be a high school football coach and returned to college at age 25 to pursue that goal. Following mentorship from Scott Beckner, GCSU’s chief of police at the time, however, Hughes changed course.

He served on the Georgia College Public Safety team for five years before becoming police chief at Georgia Piedmont Technical College then transitioning to Valdosta last year.

Hughes earned his master’s degree from Columbus State University in 2019 and his doctorate from Middle Georgia State University last December, both in public safety administration.

Chris Hughes (’13), Valdosta State University (Photo courtesy of Valdosta)

BIRTH THROU GH 3 R D G R ADE

A GIFT THAT CHANGES OUTCOMES

INVEST IN EARLY LITERACY

SPARKING SYSTEMIC CHANGE IN K–3 EDUCATION The Sandra Dunagan Deal Center directly supports educators who engage young children from birth through third grade.

We bring emerging research, expert knowledge and evidence-based best practices to early education — transforming the outcomes for children throughout the state of Georgia.

Join in the change you want to see in your child’s early education.

Coaching Georgia educators in evidence-based literacy practice

They can’t afford to wait.

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE DEAL CENTER galiteracycenter.org

478-445-8500

galiteracy@gcsu.edu SCAN TO GET INVOLVED

Beyond FRONT CAMPUS

How GCSU reaches more than 30,000 Georgians a year and how alumni are part of the story

SCHOOL OF CONTINUING & PROFESSIONAL STUDIES

W

hen you picture Georgia College & State University, you probably picture Front Campus. The columns.

The walk to class on a fall morning. The buildings where you spent late nights and early mornings. That place is still here, and it still looks like it did when you knew it best. But the campus you remember is now the front door to something much larger.

The School of Continuing & Professional Studies serves more than 30,000 Georgians each year. Some of them are 8 years old, attending a Bobcat Explorers, formerly Kids’ University, summer camp. Some are 80, walking through the rooms where Flannery O’Connor wrote at Andalusia. Some are working adults earning a credential that will move them into a new career. Some are middle schoolers staying after the bell because Communities in Schools and Afterschool Achievement give them a reason to further their learning. Some are K-12 teachers turning to Academic Outreach for resources their classrooms need. All of them are encountering GCSU and many of them, for the first time.

SoCPS includes six departments, each with its own community and its own way of extending the university’s mission. Our Historic Museums team stewards the Old Governor’s Mansion, Andalusia and the Sallie Ellis Davis House, three sites that hold Georgia’s political, literary and Black educational history.

28

CONNECTION MAGAZINE • SUMMER 2026

Academic Outreach connects K-12 learners and their teachers to GCSU’s academic resources. Continuing & Professional Education builds certificates and short courses for the regional workforce while also providing summer camps, developing enrichment activities and supporting conferences throughout the year. Afterschool Achievement and Communities in Schools support K-12 students across the region with academic enrichment and support to families so they that everyone has an opportunity to succeed. And our Navigate speaker series offers online professional development designed for graduate students navigating their college experience while balancing a career and personal life.

This work happens beyond Front Campus because of the people who are willing to serve the mission of the school. The staff, the docents, the volunteers, the board members, the donors, and the community partners whose time, expertise and generosity are the reason why every program is possible. It happens because GCSU’s public liberal arts mission was never meant to stop at the edge of the lawn.

And it is part of your legacy as an alumni, whether you ever set foot in one of our programs or not. Every Georgian who walks through Andalusia, every adult learner who finishes a certificate, every child who finds a mentor through Communities in Schools is meeting the university you helped build.

ADVERTORIAL

COME BACK AND SHARE YOUR SUCCESS

BRING YOUR EXPERTISE BACK TO GCSU

LIFELONG LEARNING, ALUMNI PRICING

Did you attend a SoCPS program as a child or young adult? A summer camp, an afterschool program, a museum field trip, a continuing education course? If a SoCPS program was part of your story, tell us about it. Share a memory, a name, a photograph, a moment that stayed with you. We’re building a fuller picture of what this work has meant to the people who lived it.

Our Navigate speaker series brings working professionals into our community as guest presenters for online lunch-andlearn sessions, panels and short workshops.

If you have expertise to share, in your field, your industry or your lived experience, we’d like to invite you back. The format is flexible, the audience is engaged and the time commitment is yours to set.

Continuing & Professional Education offers certificates and short courses for working professionals across Georgia, and GCSU alumni receive a discount on participating programs. Whether you’re sharpening a skill, exploring a new field or earning a credential your employer values, the door is open, because you are family.

Browse current offerings at GCSU Catalog for Alumni and Family. Participating discounted programs.

EXPRESS INTEREST AT THE QR CODE

BROWSE THE CATALOG AT THE QR CODE

SHARE YOUR MEMORY

BY SCANNING THE QR CODE

STAY CONNECTED

gcsu.edu/socps • socps@gcsu.edu • adultlearners@gcsu.edu

FACEBOOK INSTAGRAM LINKEDIN

GCSchoolofContinuingandProfessionalStudies gc.socps georgiacollegesocps CONNECTION MAGAZINE • SUMMER 2026 29

ALUMNI AWARDS SPOTLIGHT

One of 10 total Georgia College Alumni Award Winners of 2026, Brittany Curry (’11) creates understanding through illustration.

If you’re a visual learner, Brittany Curry (’11) — aka “Inky Brittany” — has your back.

A self-proclaimed “graphic recorder,” Curry creates illustrations in real time during presentations and lectures. Her work is shown to audiences as a companion to speeches, highlighting main themes and messages.

“Seeing graphic facilitation live is so powerful and irreplaceable,” Curry said.

“Watching people’s reactions while integrating visual communication into their thought process feels so good.”

Curry was honored earlier this year alongside nine others with a Georgia College Alumni Award, recognized for significant contributions to her field and community.

30

When Curry is hired to graphically facilitate a presentation, she either showcases her designs digitally or on large-format paper situated behind a speaker.

“My illustrations are a democratizing way of ensuring many voices are heard,” Curry said.

PICTURE THIS Whether professional or personal — Curry can illustrate almost anything.

“I love seeing someone’s emotions brought to light when they tell a special story and don’t expect someone to create an image of it,” she said.

“It’s inspiring how the power of image transcends another level of understanding.”

Curry’s illustrations have been used to help award major

CONNECTION MAGAZINE • SUMMER 2026

grant dollars to nonprofits like Healthy Savannah. Her art has also been used by the city of Savannah to secure funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and to settle a 14-year class action lawsuit, in which her illustrations documented Medicaid consumers’ experiences applying for coverage.

Mostly, Curry works at conferences and retreats. She has created artwork for the Department of Education, disaster response initiatives, violence-reduction campaigns, small businesses and large corporations.

“The Keurig-Dr. Pepper merger was the crown jewel of my career,” Curry said, explaining that she traveled to the company’s Massachusetts headquarters to describe the merger to HR staff.”

She also illustrates for the annual TEDxSavannah event.

“Georgia College gave me the ability to view complex problems from a variety of angles and solve them,” said Curry. “Every day I apply critical thinking with an emphasis on civic and public service.”

Curry has served as chair of the Chatham-Savannah Citizen Advocacy Board and as executive director of Oconee Area Citizen Advocacy.

Today, she serves on the Georgia Citizen Advocacy Advisory Committee, the Administration for Community Living and the Association of University Centers on Disabilities and the Rotary Peace Builders of Savannah.

ALUMNI AWARDS GCSU’s annual Alumni Awards were presented earlier this year, as part of Homecoming & Alumni Weekend.

“With over 60,000 living alumni, we are especially proud to recognize our 2026 award recipients,” said Dr. Seth Walker, vice president, University Advancement. “Each honoree represents the very best of Georgia College, making a positive and lasting impact in their profession, their field and their community. We are honored to call them Bobcats.”

MEET THE WINNERS ALUMNI ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS COLLEGE OF ARTS & SCIENCES

Brittany Curry (’11) is the founder of InkyBrittany, a visual communication practice launched in 2015.

J. WHITNEY BUNTING COLLEGE OF BUSINESS & TECHNOLOGY

Jonathan Pope (’08) is senior vice president at Exchange Bank, where he has worked for more than 25 years.

JOHN H. LOUNSBURY COLLEGE OF EDUCATION

Dr. J.W. Mozely (’03, ’05) is the executive director for talent management at Gwinnett County Public Schools.

“”

Georgia College gave me the ability to view complex problems from a variety of angles and solve them.

Every day I apply critical thinking with an emphasis on civic and public service.

– Brittany Curry

COLLEGE OF HEALTH SCIENCES

Jennifer Joshi (’12, ’16) is an accomplished registered nurse with seven years of experience at Emory Healthcare.

JOHN E. SALLSTROM HONORS COLLEGE

Sam Rauschenberg (’07) serves as vice president of growth & impact at Achieve Atlanta, a nonprofit that helps students access postsecondary education.

ETHEL RAE MOZO STEWART AWARD

Dr. Jeffery Wells (’07) is 28-year education veteran, currently serving as vice president of Online Academics and as a professor of history at Georgia Military College.

GCSU HERITAGE AWARD

Dr. Doris Mann (’71, ’75), jointly with Nancy Carol Duncan McMillan (Posthumous) (’74, ’77), were both longtime educators in the field of special education. They teamed to preserve Georgia College’s Golden Slipper tradition.

OUTSTANDING RECENT ALUMNI AWARD

Meghan Golden (’19) is a personal injury attorney at The Champion Firm and was recognized in Best Lawyers’ most recent “Ones to Watch In America” list.

TRAILBLAZER DOVE AWARD

Dr. Tanzy Kilcrease (’92, ’98, ’02) is a passionate educator who has served Georgia’s children for 33 years across urban and rural districts.

CONNECTION MAGAZINE • SUMMER 2026

31

ART CAN HEAL A newly published collection of real-life stories from the Holocaust, highlighting the power of personal renewal, contributes to a retired professor being honored on campus.

R

etired professor Dr. Karen Berman returned to Georgia College in March to discuss her new book, “Stories of the Holocaust: Art for Healing and Renewal,” a two-volume set that demonstrates how the arts have been, and can be, used to combat hate.

The publication contributed to Berman being named this year’s Hemphill-Sallstrom Faculty Honors awardee during the annual Bobcat Service Excellence Awards ceremony, hosted this past spring.

Berman joined the faculty at Georgia College in 2008, spending 12 years as chair and artistic director for the Department of Theatre & Dance. She has directed over 150 productions in her career.

“From the first moment I started here as chair of the Department of Theatre & Dance, I was so appreciative of the collegial, collaborative and interdisciplinary work environment,” she said.

Berman collaborated with Dr. Wendy Mullen, then a music professor at Georgia College, to invite Holocaust survivor Ela Weissberger to campus to share her story.

Years later, Mullen and Berman set out to write a book together about art as a means of resistance, resilience, hope and identity, and Berman brought in co-editor Dr. Gail Humphries, dean emerita at Stephens College. In the end, over 40 scholars and artists from all over the world contributed to the text.

The idea for the book started at GCSU, Berman says. As a professor, she took students on four study abroad trips to the Czech Republic, each time cowriting and directing a play about Holocaust victims and survivors for the students to perform.

On these trips, Berman and the students would visit the Terezín concentration camp, and the students walked along the cobblestones where their characters once trod.

“In assessing what they learned, one student said, ‘Even though language divides us, theatre transcends all,’” Berman said.

The Hemphill-Sallstrom FacultyStaff Honors Award recognizes retired faculty and staff who have provided outstanding service.

Berman earned the award this year based on her enduring and continued support of Hillel at Georgia College.

Dr. Karen Berman

President Cathy Cox with Dr. Karen Berman

Nearly 100% of all Bobcats participate in community service while on campus, many during GCSU Gives Day, an annual event occuring each August in which first-year students contribute to various philanthropic efforts throughout Baldwin County.

NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED

LOCAL

IMPACT

Shortly after surpassing 1 million hours of service to its surrounding area, Georgia College earned a national classification for community engagement.

G

ood work does not go unnoticed.

The 2026 Carnegie Elective Classification for Community Engagement, a national recognition highlighting sustained commitment to civic involvement, was awarded to GCSU earlier this year. The designation reflects the cumulative impact of thousands of service hours contributed annually by students — a 25-year total that recently reached 1.1 million hours — with nearly every Georgia College student participating in community service during their time on campus.

A cornerstone of this effort is GCSU Gives Day, launched in 2018 to introduce first-year students to community engagement. Partnering with nonprofits throughout Milledgeville and Baldwin County, the program has grown significantly: In 2024 alone, more than 1,600 first-year students participated, contributing free labor valued at approximately $120,000.

“This Carnegie classification reflects the dedication Georgia College has to a culture of service,” said Dr. Dan Nadler, vice president

for Student Life. “Students give their time and talents to hundreds of organizations, and our faculty lead co-curricular projects for learning outside the classroom with nonprofits and local businesses.”

Campus groups like GC Miracle, which has raised over $1 million for a local children’s hospital, and Best Buddies, which builds friend networks for individuals with disabilities, illustrate the breadth of student involvement.

Community-based learning is also embedded in coursework, generating over 10,000 documented service hours each year.

One recent example is the Battery Hero initiative, a student-led collaboration with local elementary schools that kept more than 27 pounds of used batteries out of landfills in its pilot campaign. The program has since grown — now, every elementary school in the district is involved, extending this spirit of service to future generations.

Compounding Contributions Over the past 25 years, the Office of Community Engagement & Belonging has coordinated 25,000 volunteers who have collectively contributed 1.1 million service hours, resulting in an estimated $26 million community impact.

Read the whole story online

A BETTER BALLPARK Left: Former E.R. Snell president Robin Snell with son Assistant Vice President Chandler Snell Right: A four-year starting shortstop for the Bobcats, Chandler Snell was named to the All-Southeast Region Tournament Team the last time GCSU baseball made the World Series in 2010.

The E.R. Snell Company made a historic $2 million donation to renovate John Kurtz Field.

T

he largest gift in Georgia College Athletics history comes via the E.R. Snell company, a fifth-generation family-owned and operated leader in Georgia’s asphalt, road and heavy civil construction industry.

The historic donation ushers in a new era for the storied Georgia College baseball program, as the facility will be named and renovations include replacing the bleachers with chairback seats, building a new two-story addition to house a new press box with meeting spaces and suites, a new concession stand and restrooms to serve both baseball and softball fields, and more.

“Everybody benefits from this,” said GCSU Director of Athletics Wendell

Staton. “The fan and scholar-athlete experience is going to be enhanced. It’s going to aid in recruiting, as well.”

“This renovation will modernize our baseball facility and enhance the gameday experience for fans,” University President Cathy Cox added. “We cannot wait to cheer Bobcat baseball to victory at E.R. Snell Family Stadium at John Kurtz Field.”

CHAMPIONSHIP PEDIGREE Founded in 1923, E.R. Snell mobilizes 1,200 employees to take on some of the state’s biggest infrastructure projects.

E.R. Snell and GCSU have strong ties as several company officers have attended the university, including Assistant Vice President Chandler Snell (’11), a four-year starter at shortstop for the Bobcats. His senior season in 2010 was the most recent time the program made it to the NCAA Division II World Series. Snell was named to the All-Southeast Region Tournament Team after numerous highlight-reel

WATCH: THE SNELLS’ “WHY” 34

CONNECTION MAGAZINE • SUMMER 2026

defensive plays helped the Bobcats punch their World Series ticket.

“Winning the regional that day in South Carolina was a special time in my life,” Snell said. “We were a player-led team with a lot of seniors that were able to grow over the four years we were together. … We had a lot of discipline and a lot of accountability and reliability.”

E.R. Snell’s donation catapults forward the capital campaign to renovate the Georgia College baseball stadium.

“We’re extremely appreciative of E.R. Snell for making this investment in the university,” said Dr. Seth Walker, vice president of University Advancement and executive director of the GCSU Foundation. “We wouldn’t be able to complete the project without this gift.

The Snell’s vision for Bobcat baseball will catapult our team experience to one of the best in NCAA Division II.”

Contribute to the Cause

Fundraising for the renovation of John Kurtz Field is still underway!

Scan the QR code to help push this project to the finish line and support the ongoing growth of Bobcats Baseball.

Bobcats in the Bigs Walker McKinven (‘12), right, talks strategy with White Sox Head Coach Will Venable, left.

Three former Bobcats Baseball players are currently coaching in the MLB.

W

hen Major League Baseball clubs unveiled their coaching staffs this season, Georgia College made an impressive showing.

Former Bobcats José Leger, Walker McKinven (’12) and Christian Wonders (’14) now coach at baseball’s highest level — Leger and McKinven with the Chicago White Sox, and Wonders with the San Francisco Giants.

The differing paths they took from John Kurtz Field to big-league dugouts reveal that there is no single road to success — only persistence and adaptability, traits all three developed at GCSU. For Leger, the journey spanned nearly two decades. When he finally received his call to the majors, he was managing in the Dominican Republic.

“It was a very special day,” he said. “I was in shock.”

Now a first base and outfield coach, Leger’s career has been defined by steady growth, highlighted by multiple Minor League Manager of the Year honors. Through it all, he credits GCSU for shaping his perspective.

“The relationships — that stays with you,” he said.

McKinven’s path was even less traditional.

He began as a video intern, studying the game from behind the scenes. Stops with the Cubs, Rangers and Brewers helped

Former Bobcats baseball player José Leger coaches for the Chicago White Sox.

“When I got my number, it was like, ‘This is real.’ To have a jersey and a number that was mine – that was awesome.”

– Walker McKinven

him build expertise in scouting and strategy, eventually leading to an MLB coaching post.

Now bench coach for the White Sox, McKinven plays a key role in game management. GCSU, he says, was “a great place for growth.”

Wonders represents baseball’s modern evolution. After graduating, he immersed himself in performance training and biomechanics, giving countless pitching lessons while building his knowledge. That persistence led to roles

Christian Wonders (‘14) guides Giants pitching prospect Trevor McDonald.

across pro baseball and, ultimately, to his current position as assistant pitching coach.

“It’s about getting everyone on the same page,” Wonders said of coaching. He credits his academic experience for preparing him to thrive in a data-driven game.

Though their paths differ, the three share a common starting point. Their stories reinforce the power of the scholarathlete model, which aims to turn players into professionals who reach the highest levels of their fields.

ROAD TO THE SHOW

Scan for the full story.

CONNECTION MAGAZINE • SUMMER 2026 35

Becca Fallon (‘21) manages social media for Atlanta United.

GAME CHANGERS Alumni play key roles in all of Georgia’s professional sports teams, including Atlanta United.

F

or Major League Soccer’s Atlanta United, success on the pitch is only part of the story. Behind the scenes, Georgia College alumni Kacey (McInerney) Covino (’15) and Becca Fallon (’21) also help drive the club’s growth.

For Covino, her role as director of business operations at Atlanta United is the culmination of years of persistence. A former Bobcat soccer scholar-athlete, she credits her time at GCSU for shaping her resilience.

“Things weren’t always easy,” Covino said. “I wasn’t a starter, and that forced me to figure out what I was good at and push through.”

“Social media is so storydriven,” Fallon said. “Being able to focus on writing and creativity at Georgia College helped me stand out in ways I didn’t even realize at the time.”

After graduating, she began her career with the Orlando Magic before returning to Atlanta as MLS was expanding.

Nearly a decade later, she describes her role as “the glue” across departments.

“I wouldn’t say I’m an expert in any one specific function,” she said. “But I see how everything fits together. My job is making sure everyone else does, too.”

Kacey Covino (‘15) and Cindy Williams, CEO of Cartersville-Bartow Chamber of Commerce, show off Atlanta United’s Spirit of ‘96 jersey.

SOCIAL STORIES

It’s rewarding work.

“I’m one of the very lucky few that wakes up excited to go to work,” she said. “Every once in a while, you stop and think, ‘Wow, this is really cool.’”

Atlanta United’s social media manager, Fallon epitomizes GCSU’s liberal arts mission in action. A former creative writing major, she continues to find new ways that her degree challenged her to think critically and grow.

After starting as a copywriter, Fallon broke into pro sports with the Atlanta Braves before joining Atlanta United. There, she has led major campaigns, including the rollout of the club’s “Spirit of ’96” Olympicthemed kit.

“It was about telling the story of the city — its history, its people and why that moment still matters,” she said.

Both Covino and Fallon got their starts in sports as interns for Bobcat athletics.

ATLANTA SPORTS B O B C AT S A R E I N T H E G A M E .

In addition to Kacey (McInerney) Covino and Becca Fallon, the following alumni also work in professional sports in Atlanta.

Braves President Derek Schiller (left) and Braves pitcher Joey Wentz (right) present the Diamond Honoree of the Year award to Andrew Rochefort. (Photo: Andrew Rochefort)

36

CONNECTION MAGAZINE • SUMMER 2026

Taylor Guy (’13) Senior manager, Ticket Operations and Accessible Seating, Atlanta Braves

Andrew Rochefort (’20) Production assistant, Atlanta Braves; Jumbotron, Atlanta United, Atlanta Falcons

Megan Diemert (’17) Senior financial analyst, Atlanta Hawks

Ana Paula Sanchez Mejorada (’21) Diversity marketing coordinator, Atlanta Braves

WOMEN’S HOOPS NETS NEW COACH

Athletics Director Wendell Staton, Catrina Green and President Cathy Cox

Catrina Green has been named the eighth head coach in GCSU Women’s Basketball history, following a year serving in an interim role, during which time she led the team to a Peach Belt Conference Tournament Runner-Up trophy. En route to the PBC title game, the Bobcats beat the No. 2 and No. 3 seeds, and won six of their last seven games.

SCHOLAR-ATHLETES SECURE ACADEMIC FIVE-PETE

“Year after year, our leading academic success rate among NCAA DII public institutions demonstrates the solid commitment we have to student success” – President Cathy Cox

“Year after year, our leading academic success rate among NCAA DII public institutions demonstrates the solid commitment we have to student success,” said President Cathy Cox. “It’s so much more than a focus by our athletics staff here. It is a commitment by all of our faculty and staff to support our students in their trajectory toward graduation and lifetime success.”

Hampton Pelton (‘14)

NEW FACE IN ATHLETIC PARTNERSHIPS

Hampton Pelton (’14) was named the assistant director of Athletic Partnerships for GCSU and will play a vital role in driving revenue generation and fundraising efforts for Georgia College Athletics.

“We are thrilled to have Hampton leading our external efforts,” said Director of Athletics Wendell Staton. “He has deep ties to Milledgeville and our university, and he has the awesome combination of an incredible work ethic and a dynamite personality.”

The assistant director works closely with athletics staff to develop tailored fundraising strategies, including sponsorship activities. Additionally, Pelton will partner with the GCSU Advancement, Annual Giving and Digital Engagement teams on annual fundraisers.

The championship team fought through the fog to bring home the gold.

FOUR TITLES: A FLAG FOOTBALL DYNASTY GCSU’s men’s flag football team, Hawgzilla, added more hardware to the Wellness & Recreation Center’s trophy case in January, winning the NIRSA national championship — GCSU’s fourth national title since 2019.

“I’m proud of this team and I appreciate Georgia College for sending us to the tournament [in Texas],” said Marcus Prestwood, a graduate management information systems student and now three-time national champ. “It’s great getting the support to go out to these places and compete.”

TRACK & FIELD: COMING SOON For the first time in over a decade, GCSU Athletics is adding a new varsity sport: women’s and men’s outdoor track & field. The program will compete for individual and team championships in the NCAA Division II and Peach Belt Conference.

The team will begin competition in spring 2027.

Alumni

CLASS NOTES Guerry Williams (’88) retired in 2025 from DAVCO Technology LLC, where he served as regional manager for the Southeastern United States. He came to Georgia College & State University in 1984 as a U.S. Army veteran. Williams was a member of Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity and played in GCSU’s concert and jazz bands. He and his wife, Sandy, live in Marietta, Georgia.

Kelly Kennedy McConnell (’92) is a pre-K specialist with Georgia’s Department of Early Care and Learning. She was on GCSU’s Women’s Tennis Team, Women’s Cross Country Team and in the Alpha Delta Pi Sorority. She has two children: Katherine and Tyler.

Dr. Jennifer Merriweather (’93) earned her Ed.D. from Brenau University in December 2025.

Kandy Wilkinson (’93) had an “amazing career” as a teacher for 30 years, coaching track and leading several clubs.

She now lives part time in Palm Springs, California, and runs a baking business out of her home in Atlanta. “Living the dream!”

Dr. Cedric Howard (’94) inspired entrepreneurs as a cast member on reality shows Legacy Makers and The Blox, was an honoree on the 2026 Men to Watch list from Black Leaders Worldwide, is a successful book author, national brand model, international book award winner and spoke at the 2017 GCSU commencement ceremony.

“It’s been an incredible journey,” Howard said.

38

CONNECTION MAGAZINE • SUMMER 2026

Dr. Joy King (’10, ’15, ’17) is president of the Georgia Nurses Association and represents nurses statewide while serving patients as a family nurse practitioner. Her career spans from clinical practice and faculty at GCSU, to policy advocacy, where she works to address health disparities through research and community engagement.

Corrine Burstein (’10) works for Sixthman, which produces music and special interest festivals on cruise ships. She enjoys traveling and meeting new people. Burstein was also initiated as an alumna into Zeta Tau Alpha in 2023.

Guillermo “Willie” Ledezma (’16, ’22) is the Banner senior architect at the University of Georgia.

Shradha Chhabra (’25) was invited by her faculty advisor to move her graduate studies this fall to the University of Arkansas, where she will pursue a Ph.D. in Management. Her first year of graduate school included work on nine different projects, co-authoring a book chapter and teaching, all of which she said GCSU prepared her well to handle.

“None of this would’ve been possible without the support, encouragement and constant check-ins from my Georgia College professors and President Cox,” she said. “I’m so grateful for that.”

STAY IN TOUCH Class Notes are submitted by alumni.

Scan the QR code to share your updates with Bobcat Nation!

Alumni

WEDDINGS

1 - Jordan “Kyle” Dickens (’14) married Mary Charlotte Leicht (’16) in October 2025, in Augusta, Georgia. Wedding party alumni included Kirstie Barkoot McLaughlin (’16, ’17), Stephanie “Allie” Jones Davis (’16, ’17), Heather Frazier (’17), Drew Norby (’14, ’21), Niki Vanden Hoek Norby (’16, ’21) and Morgan Ownbey (’15).

2

3

2 - Julia Ward Tiller (’15) and Tradd Tiller (’15) met at GCSU and got married in 2023. Julia works in fundraising at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, and Tradd works for a healthcare tech startup company. They have a puppy named Ollie. The couple is grateful for Georgia College bringing them together.

3 - Jessica “Jess” Catapano (’17) married Tristan Hall (’18) in September 2025, in Whitefish, Montana. They had an intimate ceremony with family and Georgia College alumni.

6 - Rachel Brown (’21) married Alex West (’21) in May 2025.

They met at Georgia College and treasure their time there. The couple’s wedding party included Colin Calvert (’21), Harris Collier (’21), Jacob Dallas (’21), Dia Gault (’22), Syd Main (’21), Ryan Mell (’21), Sam Reissing (’23) and Jack Valladares (’21).

4

4 - Ethan Ahonen (’20, ’24) and Hannah Ahonen were married October 2025.

5 - Victoria “Tori” McCartney (’24) married Nicholas “Nick” Johnson in September 2025. “I am incredibly grateful to Georgia College for giving me lifetime friendships,” she said. “I met three of my bridesmaids there — Elizabeth Willingham (’22), Courtney Disney (’23) and Kristi Brower (’24) — while working in University Housing and Residence Life.”

5

1

6 CONNECTION MAGAZINE • SUMMER 2026 39

Alumni

BABIES 1 - Kelsey Oakes Williams (’16) married Harrison Williams in July 2023. They welcomed their son, Cooper Elliott Williams, in April 2025.

2 - Haley Flythe Morris (‘17) and husband Caleb Morris welcomed baby girl Lainey Carlton in August 2025. Caleb is a Georgia College WebMBA student. The family resides in Thomasville, Georgia.

3 - Abbigale “Abby” Thompson Clifford (’19, ’20) and her husband, Grayson, celebrate their first baby, a daughter named Georgia Gray, who was born in October 2025, in Carrollton, Georgia.

1

Is there a new baby Bobcat in your family?

We’d love to celebrate your newest edition. Send us a picture with their name and birthdate, and we will help “gear them up” for a bright future with a special branded baby item. Update us here on your new arrival.

3

STAY UP TO DATE WITH ALL THINGS GCSU Get the stories, updates and fun moments you won’t want to miss.

40

CONNECTION MAGAZINE • SUMMER 2026

2

Alumni

HIGHLIGHT

Dr. Laura Augusta (’03) was commissioned for a series of oral histories for the Smithsonian Archives of American Art in 2023 and 2024, collaborating with various artists including former GCSU Art Department Chair Richard Lou. Augusta currently serves as the director and chief curator at the University of Houston’s Blaffer Art Museum.

Alumni

HIGHLIGHT Kate Verity (’24) was named managing editor of The Oconee Enterprise in April. She most recently was the news editor for The Covington News.

Verity was also editor-in-chief of The Colonnade, GCSU’s student newspaper, while completing her bachelor’s in mass communication. The Oconee Enterprise has served the area for 142 years.

42

CONNECTION MAGAZINE • WINTER 2025

In

MEMORIAM

It is with deep sorrow that we share the news of the passing of some of our esteemed alumni. We pay tribute to their journeys, honoring their memories and their profound impact on those around them.

1930s

Janie L. Ris (‘37)

1940s

Doris Fowler (Fowler) Price (‘42) Martha Taylor (‘44) Betty Holsenbeck (Holsenbeck) Gercken (‘46) Julia Williams (Williams) Morgan (‘46) Harriet Harvey (Thorp) Hendricks (‘47) Gwendolyn Mincey (Mincey) Bentley (‘48) Anne Lane (Lane) Long (‘48) Elizabeth “Betty” Narcissa (Willis) Whisnant (‘49) Gloria Peacock (Peacock) Ormand (‘49) LaRue McCrary (McCrary) Ashe (‘49) Jacqueline Martha (Askew) Bowdon (‘49)

1950s

Bettie Bonnell (Bonnell) Shealy (‘50) Judith Ethlyn (Taylor) Rogers (‘50) Mary Camille (Burns) Penders (‘51) Lenora “Jane” Jane (Benefield) Avera (‘51) Kathryn Smith (Smith) Bowen (‘51) Mary Lay (Lay) Castiglioni (‘51) Margaret Kinney (Kinney) Turner (‘51) Ella O’Rear (O’Rear) Blanchard (‘51) Harriet Ann Cofer (‘52) Marilyn Taylor (Taylor) Ashworth (‘52) Julia Alford (Alford) Duke (‘52) LaFayne (Hodges) May (‘53) Jean Starr (Starr) Braswell (‘53) Susan Lindsley (‘54) Barbara Grace (Thompson) Meadows (‘54) Martha Smith (Smith) Bridgman-Ellerbee (‘54) Patricia “Pat” Sutton (Sutton) Cochran (‘54) Mary “Mary Alice” Alice Clower (‘54) Janice Newsome (Newsome) Leece (‘54) JoBeth Chapman (Chapman) Donnelly (‘55) Sallie Lou (Howell) Clay (‘55) Ann Mathis (Mathis) Baldwin (‘55) Carmen Davis (Davis) Boatwright (‘55) Nan Davis (Davis) Carpenter (‘56) Peggy Sue (Truitt) Higgins (‘56) Janeth Elaine (Parker) Stearns (‘56) Elizabeth Powell (Powell) Battles (‘56) Patsy Carol Smith (‘56) Delois “Jenean” Jenean (Crosby) Twiggs (‘56) Ann McFarlin (McFarlin) Olive (‘57) Barbara J. (Avant) Holmes (‘57) Marjorie Hart (Hart) Johnson (‘57) Mary Lott (Lott) Walker (‘57) Beverly Hunt (Hunt) Hardin (‘58) Myrtle Sanders (Sanders) Page (‘58) Martha Rogers (Rogers) Henderson (‘58) Margaret Alice (Duke) Fraser (‘59) Mary “Angela” Angela (Pope) Makrides (‘59) Pauline “Polly” Roberts (Roberts) Lamar (‘59)*

1960s

June Stevens (Stevens) Durden (‘61) Eunice Sanders (Sanders) Babb (‘61) Sandra “Sandy” Brock (Brock) Bowers (‘62) Vicki Weatherly (Weatherly) Curley (‘62) Winell (Douglas) Easterling (‘62) Mary (Fordham) Tison (‘63) Rebecca Cox (Cox) Grier (‘65) Carolyn Krieger (Krieger) Caskey (‘66) Judith Whelchel (Whelchel) Smith (‘66) Alice “Sammi” Edmunds (Edmunds) Callaway (‘67) Judith (Jurgensen) Melroy (‘67) Dianne Hale (Hale) Jordan (‘67) Mary Copelan (Copelan) Arnold (‘68) Margie Lee Robertson (‘69)

1970s

John Eben Fairchild (‘70) Eleyce “Lisa” Ard (Ard) Usery (‘72) Michael Dayton Clance (‘74) Benjamin “Phil” Fielding Phillips (‘74) Carol Ann (Brown) Brooks (‘75) Andrew Searcy (‘75) John L. Dempsey (‘75) Lee J. Benefield (‘75) Rebecca Tribble (Tribble) Hobbs (‘76) David Hamilton Daniel (‘76) Lawrence M. Hoff (‘76) Luke Dunn Callaway (‘76) Mary Barbara Collins (‘76)** James “Robert” Robert Meier (‘76) James C. Vissage (‘76) Daniel “Danny” Frank Martuscello (‘76) Alphreda Livingston (Livingston) Maddox (‘77) Marcus Everett Waters (‘77) Kenneth Leroy Kuipers (‘77) Stephen “Steve” Victor Skalko (‘78) James Russell Dewitt (‘78) Helen Weathers (Weathers) Hardy (‘78) Mildred Bleckley (‘78) Michael Norman Stuckey (‘79) Sam Hollis Johnson (‘79)

1980s

Robbie (Porter) Balian (‘80) Gregory “Greg” J. Jones (‘81) Betty Lou (Hemberg) Holzwarth (‘82) Alex “Al” Bearce Webb (‘82)*** Heyward Hampton Hoover (‘83) Michael Stephen Yamrick (‘83) Jacquelyn “Jackie” Reaves (Reaves) Brackman (‘83) Charles “Chuck” Malcolm Harwell (‘83) Carolyn R. (Ray) Scott (‘84) Cathy J. (Joslyn) Crawley (‘85)*** Paul Francis Lockary (‘86) Shirley Baisden (‘87) Evelyn Mercer (Mercer) Barnette (‘89) Margaret “Cookie” H. Chew (‘89)

1990s

Lawrence Orr Lipscomb (‘90) John L. Kitchens (‘90) Catherine “Cathy” M. (McTier) Couey (‘90) Wendell Alan Smith (‘91) Randolph “Craig” Craig Adams (‘92) Ora Clark (Clark) Irvin (‘94) Tamara “Tammy” Jean (Helms) Rawlings (‘95) Susan Freeman (Freeman) Eilers (‘95) Dara Michele (Stover) Stover (‘95) Dorothy M. (Clark) Andersson (‘95) Edward “Ed” M. Wolpert (‘97)** Wendy Claire (Kasulka) Adams (‘97)***

2000s

Chareica L. Banks (‘00) Barry Lee Robinson (‘04) Mareece Gotell (‘05) Jason Ryan Hughes (‘08) Olivia Nicole Scholly (‘08)

2010s

Padgett “Dawn” Dawn Parker (‘14) William “Clay” Clayton Garland (‘17)*** Stephen Robert Castile (‘18) Katerina Ann Perrin (‘21)

Peabody Alumni

Margaret Ann Bluestein Betty Holsenbeck (Holsenbeck) Gercken (‘46) Julia Alford (Alford) Duke (‘52) Susan (Lindsley) Lindsley (‘54) JoBeth Chapman (Chapman) Donnelly (‘55) Patsy Carol Smith (‘56) Annelle Brookins (Brookins) Harrison

Faculty and Staff

We also remember non-alumni faculty and staff, whose deaths we were notified of since April 2025.

Jimmie L. Bale Charles J. Hamilton Ronald M. Harley * Alumni of Peabody Laboratory School ** Former Faculty *** Former Staff This list recognizes deceased alumni, faculty and staff of whom the university has been notified as of April 2026.

CONNECTION MAGAZINE • SUMMER 2026 43

University Advancement Campus Box 96 Milledgeville, GA 31061 gcsu.edu/advancement ELECTRONIC SERVICE REQUESTED

SCAN THE QR CODE to make a gift today!

GIVE.GCSU.EDU

THANK YOU

for a Record-Breaking Alumni Giving Challenge

602 TOTAL GIFTS TO INDIVIDUAL FUNDS

15% INCREASE IN INDIVIDUAL GIFTS

75

UNIQUE FUNDS

received support, representing nearly half of all gifts and demonstrating broad impact across campus.

COLLEGE OF HEALTH SCIENCES saw a

119% increase in gifts over last year.

COLLEGE OF ARTS & SCIENCES DOUBLED last year’s dollars raised.

FOUNDATIONS OF EXCELLENCE, GC THRIVE, GC HELPING HANDS AND INTRAMURALS all surpassed their donor goals, reflecting strong support for student success and campus life.

THE STUDENT GIVING SOCIETY achieved nearly

100 gifts,

illustrating the philanthropic spirit of students choosing to pay it forward

THE JOHN E. SALLSTROM HONORS COLLEGE surpassed its goal, raising over

$8,000

to support a high-impact Honors student trip.

Broad support. Record-breaking Results.

Thank you for making an impact.