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1965-69
Bugsy Graves (BBA ’69) of Columbia, S.C., was inducted into the South Carolina Housing Hall of Fame, which honors those who have made a lasting contribution to the housing industry, their communities, the state of South Carolina and the nation. President of Colony Builders of Carolina, he has been involved in the design, construction and sales of more than 2,000 homes and serves as a commissioner on the South Carolina Residential Builders Commission.
1970-74
Lindsey McGarity (BBA ’73) of McDonough was appointed to represent District 3 on the board of directors for the Henry County Water Authority. A longtime business leader in Henry County, he is the owner of McGarity Insurance, which he co-founded with his brother, John McGarity (BBA ’68), in 1978.
Larry Benson (BBA ’74) of Athens received the 2024 Alumni and Distinguished Friends Award from the University System of Georgia Foundation. The award is given by USG to individuals who have demonstrated exceptional character, dedication and accomplishment in higher education.
He is chairman and CEO of Benson’s Inc.
1975-79
Billy Laube (BBA ’77) of Greensboro received the 2024 Distinguished Alumnus Award from St. Pius X Catholic High School in Atlanta. Retired from Macy’s after spending more than 25 years with the company, he recently served on St. Pius X’s alumni board and presidential search committee.
Nick Doster (BBA ’79) of St. Simons Island published Don’t Look, Ethel!: Slices of Faith, Humor, Inspiration, a book comprising funny and uplifting short stories from throughout the author’s life. He has worked with Synovus for eight years and serves as a VP and retail market leader with the bank.
1980-84
David Holt (BBA ’83) of Midland was appointed president of SilverBullet Price Page, a provider of cloud-based sales proposal software for residential HVAC contractors. The founder of Ultimate Service Systems, he was previously director of national accounts for National Comfort Institute.
Paula Mooney (BBA ’83, MAcc ’85) of Statesboro was appointed by Gov. Brian Kemp to serve a four-year term on Georgia’s State Board of Accountancy. She is a senior accounting lecturer at the Georgia Southern University Parker College of Business.
Mike Ock (BBA ’84) of Bowdon was named elections supervisor for Carroll County. He began his service in the county’s elections office in January as a contractor. He previously worked in real estate management and sales and as a small business owner.
1985-89
Todd Bussey (AB ’86) of Cedartown was appointed to serve as treasurer on the national board of the American Institute of Floral Designers. He is the founder of Bussey’s Florist & Gifts, which he has owned and operated since 1987.
John Hall (BBA ’86) of Macon joined Morris Bank as chief banking officer. A 38-year veteran with an extensive background in Georgia banking, he previously served as president and CEO for Macon’s American Pride Bank for nearly 15 years.
Richard Buttimer (BBA ’87, PhD ’93) of Jacksonville, Fla., was hired as dean of the Belk College of Business at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. He joins the institution from the University of North Florida, where he served as dean of the Coggin College of Business for four years.
Jeff Hanson (BBA ’87) of Valdosta was named CEO and president of Citizens Community Bank. A member of the bank’s board of directors, he has 20 years of experience in the banking industry and most recently served as COO of IDP Properties, a real estate development firm.
Todd Bitzer (BBA ’88) of Duluth joined Franklin Templeton as SVP and client advisor. A veteran business development leader, he has nearly 35 years of experience and was formerly a managing director for Lucid Management and Capital Partners.
Kevin Hurley (BBA ’88) of Woodstock was promoted to CFO of the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA). He has worked for the public transit authority for 25 years, beginning as a financial analyst and most recently serving as deputy CFO.
Sandip Patel (BBA ’88) of Tampa, Fla., joined the board of directors for Peak Bio Inc., a biotechnology company, and was named chairperson of the board’s audit committee. An experienced leader in biotechnology, health care and FinTech, he is the director of AtlasClear Holdings Inc. and chief growth officer for DataLink Software.
Kim Leggette (BBA ’89) of Prosper, Texas, joined AF Group, an insurance holding company, as SVP of claims. He previously served as chief claims officer for Aviva Insurance and has also held executive roles for Kemper Insurance, AIG, Selective and Travelers.
Lynn Roberts (BBA ’89) of Charleston, S.C., was appointed to serve as treasurer of the South Carolina Home Care & Hospice Association board of directors. She is a finance director with Roper St. Francis Home Health, where she has worked since 1996.
1990-94
Nancy Denson (BBA ’90) of Athens was appointed to the Georgia State Ethics Commission by Gov. Brian Kemp. She has held several municipal roles in the Athens area, including two terms as mayor of Athens-Clarke County, and remains active in several advisory and community service roles.
Wayne Little (BBA ’91) of Canton joined the Louisville, Ky., office of Blue & Co. as a principal. He has more than 30 years of experience in health care finance consulting and previously spent nine years with Forvis Mazars.
Matt Clark (BBA ’92, MAcc ’93, MBA ’04) of Mableton was elected to the board of directors for the Georgia Motor Trucking Association and selected to the Leadership Council of the Georgia Society of CPAs. He is the founder of Veritas CFO, which provides fractional CFO services to companies in the transportation and logistics industry.
Kevin Maxwell (AB ’92) of West Hartford, Conn., joined FCP Live-In, a live-in caregiver provider agency, as a care coordinator. He has 25 years of sales experience spanning multiple industries and was formerly senior director of sales operations for Best Life Caregivers.
Barry Coates (MAcc ’93) of Atlanta joined Hancock Askew & Co. as CFO. He has more than 25 years of experience in management consulting with a focus on the office of the CFO and was formerly CFO of Amacore.
Bill Sodeman (PhD ’93) of Sturbridge, Mass., was selected for inclusion in Marquis Who’s Who. A leader in adult education and corporate training with more than 35 years of experience, he serves as the chief learning officer at the Seven Hills Foundation in Worcester, Mass.
Danette Beck (BBA ’94) of New Rochelle, N.Y., joined Astrus Insurance Solutions as EVP and national director of broker operations. She previously spent six years with USI Insurance Services, most recently as head of industry verticals and national construction practice leader.
David Harry (BBA ’94) of Decatur joined Catalyst Development Partners as CFO. He has nearly three decades of real estate experience, including leadership roles at Preferred Apartment Communities, Julian LeCraw & Co. and Wachovia Bank. He was most recently a partner with Harbour Real Estate Partners.
1995-99
Steph Cohen (MMR ’95) of New Milford, N.J., joined Clarus Care, a provider of patient communication services, as Northeast regional VP of sales. She has extensive experience in health-care sales, formerly serving as market VP overseeing practice and hospital strategy at PatientPoint.
Chris Messick (BBA ’95) of Kamas, Utah, joined Summit Sotheby’s International Realty as SVP for builder and development services, where he will lead the company’s new development division. He has extensive experience in the real estate industry, most recently as a regional president with Engel & Völkers Park City.
Keith Credendino (BBA ’97) of Peachtree Corners was named chief information officer for Macy’s Inc. He joined the company in 2022 as SVP for technology product development and customer experience. Formerly, he held leadership positions at Inspire Brands and InterContinental Hotels Group.
Peter Kurto (MBA ’97) of Prospect, Ky., joined private investment firm Angeles Equity Partners as an operating partner within the company’s Angeles Operations Group. He has more than 20 years of leadership experience within portfolio companies and was most recently an operating executive at Monomoy Capital Partners.
Michael Bippus (MBA ’98) of Roswell was named VP of acquisitions for Southeast markets at investment management firm S2 Capital. He has 25 years of investment experience and most recently served as managing director of acquisitions for Waypoint Residential.
Tinsley English (BBA ’99) of Roswell released Grit, Growth and Gumption, a book designed for women to learn to lead themselves and others with confidence. She has 25 years of experience in the insurance industry, and is SVP of regional business insurance operations at Marsh McLennan.
2000-04
Chassica Braynen-Thomas (BBA ’00) of Tucker was promoted to lead tech business management, operations strategy at AT&T, where she has worked for 14 years. She is also the founder and CEO of Braynen and Thomas RV, an RV rental operation.
Brian Dykes (BBA ’00) of Atlanta was promoted to CFO of UPS Inc. He has held a variety of financial roles with the Sandy Springs-based shipping company for 25 years and most recently served as SVP of global finance and planning.
Beth Rivera (BBA ’00) of Rogers, Ark., was promoted to senior director of supplier transformation at Walmart. She has been with the company for 23 years in various strategic and leadership roles, most recently serving as director of supplier transformation.
Rob Sparks (BBA ’00) of Savannah joined Colony Bank as coastal regional president. He has over two decades of banking experience spanning various industries and most recently served as SVP and Savannah market executive for First Citizens Bank.
Russell Lawson (BBA ’01) of Bozeman, Mont., was promoted to market president for Townsquare Media, a radio network and media company. He joined the company in 2022 as director of sales and previously served as a sales manager for Cox Media Group in San Antonio.
Todd Lowther (BBA ’01) of Houston, Texas, joined Clifford Chance, a British multinational law firm, as a partner in the company’s Houston office. He has extensive experience in the energy sector and was previously a partner with Shearman & Sterling.
Ellie May (BBA ’01) of Atlanta was appointed to serve as chief accounting officer for The Coca-Cola Co. She joined the company in May 2023 and also serves as SVP and controller. She previously spent two decades as an audit partner with Ernst & Young.
Perry Revell (BBA ’01) of Albany was elected to serve a three-year term on the board of directors of the Georgia Bankers Association. An Albany native, he is CEO of AB&T, where he has worked since 2011. He began his banking career in 2006 at SunTrust as a credit portfolio manager.
Ivy Cadle (BS ’00, MAcc ’02) of Macon was appointed as president of the State Bar of Georgia. He previously served the organization as secretary, treasurer and president-elect. He works as managing shareholder of Baker Donelson’s Atlanta and Macon offices and is a business litigator in the areas of real estate, eminent domain, land use, zoning and conservation easements.
Nathan Trail (BBA ’02) of Tyrone was hired as EVP of sales for Core BTS, a digital consulting firm. He has more than two decades of sales experience and joins the company from DXC Technology. In addition, he is chairman of the board of directors for Community Friendship, a nonprofit focused on mental health rehabilitation across Atlanta’s unhoused community.
Wade Johnson (BBA ’03) of Twin City was elected to serve a three-year term on the board of directors of the Georgia Bankers Association. He is president and CEO of Durden Banking Co. He joined the company in 2006 and also serves on its board of directors.
Jigisha Pardanani (BBA ’03) of Novi, Mich., joined SMBC MANUBANK as privacy officer. Previously, she was senior director of privacy compliance at Ally Financial, where she received the company’s highest honor, the LEAD Award, in 2023.
Eddie Bradford (BBA ’04) was named to Georgia Entertainment’s 200 Most Influential of Georgia’s Creative Industries list. A UGA 40 Under 40 alum, he has worked in industries including sports, entertainment, health care, real estate and engineering and serves as a tax partner at Frazier & Deeter.
Tim Ludwick (BBA ’04, MBA ’12) of Dallas, Texas, joined wealth management firm D.A. Davidson & Co. as managing director. He has more than 10 years of financial sponsor experience and joins the group from Citizens Capital Markets, where he was a director.
Maher Masri (MBA ’04) of San Ramon, Calif., joined AlixPartners, a New York-based management consultancy, as a partner and managing director. He has 26 years of experience in technology, private equity and other areas and joins from NAX Group, where he spent a year as president and COO.
Betsy Robinson (BBA ’04) of Alpharetta was named to Inc. magazine’s seventh annual Female Founders list, honoring “women whose innovations and ideas are shaping the world into a better place.” She is founder and CEO of Tier4 Group, a technology talent, professional services and executive search firm.
2005-09
Richard Davis (MBA ’05) of Atlanta was appointed to serve on the board of directors for Republic National Distributing Co. A third-generation member of the company, he has been with RNDC for 22 years in a variety of roles and serves as head of government affairs.
Kristin Hanley (BBA ’05) of Nashville, Tenn., was promoted to VP of global marketing and sales excellence for the UK and Ireland with Schneider Electric, a global energy management and automation specialist. She has been with the company for 18 years and previously worked as VP of customer operations.
Ben Lemoine (BBA ’05, MBA ’11) of Tampa, Fla., joined Suncoast Credit Union as SVP and CFO. He has more than 18 years of experience in the credit union industry, most recently as CFO of Chartway Federal Credit Union in Virginia.
Sara McTyeire (BBA ’05) of Raleigh, N.C., joined King Street Properties, a Boston-based private developer, owner and operator specializing in life science real estate. She joins the company from biopharmaceutical company GSK, where she was director of real estate and asset management.
John O’Neill (MBA ’05) of Atlanta joined Partners Real Estate as president and Southeast managing partner. A member of several Atlanta-area boards of directors, he previously spent 20 years with Cushman & Wakefield, most recently serving as president of U.S. multifamily capital markets.
Jessica Patterson (BBA ’05) of Little Rock, Ark., was appointed as director of the Arkansas Office of State Procurement. A former judicial law clerk, she has served as the state’s chief general counsel since October 2023 and will also continue in that role.
Joseph Brown (AB ’06) of Austin, Texas, was named COO of Lovelace Medical Center and Heart Hospital of New Mexico. He has more than 16 years of health care administrative experience, most recently serving as SVP of operations for Access TeleCare.
Andrew Dill (BBA ’06, AB ’07) of Watkinsville was appointed as managing director of U.S. government relations for Lockheed Martin’s aeronautics business division. In addition, he was recognized with the 2024 Aero Star Award, which honors the top 1% of Lockheed employees globally.
Justin Moseley (BBA ’06) of Sandy Springs was promoted to VP of underwriting for Striior Insurance Solutions. He joined the company in 2022 from Tokio Marine Highland and previously worked as an underwriting manager.
Kathleen Phelps (BBA ’06, AB ’06) of Brookhaven was appointed as CFO for FORTNA, a leading automation and software company for the logistics value chain. She has two decades of financial leadership experience, most recently serving as CFO for cement producer Argos USA.
Aaron Walls (BBA ’06) of Steamboat Springs, Colo., was named managing director of the Routt County Economic Development Partnership Yampa Valley Entrepreneurship Center. An experienced entrepreneur, he is also a mentor and lecturer at Cornell University’s eLab Student Accelerator.
Michael Peden (MBA ’07) of Brookhaven was named business development officer for Calvetti Ferguson, a CPA and consulting firm. He has nearly two decades of experience in financial management and business development and was previously a managing director for Truist Wealth.
Brian Resutek (MBA ’07) of Brookhaven joined Republic Business Credit as SVP and Southeast regional manager. He has nearly 20 years of experience in banking and finance, most recently serving as a SVP with Rosenthal & Rosenthal.
PJ Zonsius (BBA ’07) of Peachtree City was promoted to VP and GM of commercial and industrial power and gas at NextEra Energy Services. He has been with the company since 2022 and joined following five years with Gas South. He is also the founder of Zons Consulting.
Tony Bakshi (BBA ’09) of Marietta was appointed as CFO for financial authentication company Entersekt. He has more than 15 years of payments and enterprise software experience and joins the company from One Inc, where he served as CFO for three years.
Ken Connell (BBA ’09) of Falls Church, Va., retired from the U.S. Army Reserve as a counterintelligence officer in the rank of major after serving for 24 years. He has worked with Accenture since 2013, where he is a cybersecurity leadership executive.
2010-14
Kate Haslam (BBA ’10) of Savannah was promoted to partner at Hancock Askew & Co., an audit, tax, accounting and advisory firm. She has been with the firm since 2012 and provides audit and assurance services for a variety of industries.
Phil Laminack (MAcc ’10) of Marietta was promoted to partner at Forvis Mazars, where he leads the firm’s U.S. income tax accounting practice. He has been with the company since 2022 and previously spent eight years with Dixon Hughes Goodman.
Phillip Muckelvaney Jr. (BBA ’10) of Hendersonville, Tenn., graduated from the Stonier Graduate School of Banking at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He is a senior credit officer and VP at FirstBank.
Trey Sinclair (BBA ’10) of Kennesaw was named COO of Biolyte. He joined the company in 2023 as VP of finance and operations. He was the founder and president of Dry County Brewing Co. and previously worked as a business analyst with Kimberly-Clark.
Emory Nesbit (BBA ’11, MAcc ’12) of Savannah was promoted to partner at Hancock Askew & Co., an audit, tax, accounting and advisory firm. He has been with the firm for eight years and previously worked as a tax principal.
Ashlee Aurandt (MBA ’13) of San Francisco, Calif., was hired as chief of staff to the chief people officer at Grammarly. She previously spent four years with Atlassian, most recently serving as head of leadership operations.
John Bowden (BBA ’13) of Atlanta was promoted to SVP and managing broker for Harry Norman’s Intown office. Formerly a sales associate for the firm, he has operated in the Atlanta real estate market since 2007.
Nadia Rodrigues (MBA ’13) of Atlanta joined Yancey Bros. Co. as head of credit. She came to the company from Georgia-Pacific, where she led the credit department.
Joseph Basila (BBA ’14) of Dacula joined Signature Bank of Georgia as VP and senior credit underwriter. He started his career in credit analysis in 2015 and previously spent three years with Wallis Bank as a credit underwriter.
2015-19
Dylan Bledsoe (BSEd ’15, BBA ’15) of Acworth was promoted to head of partnerships with Biolyte. He has been with the company since 2022, joining after a stint as a talent and engagement specialist at Hancock Askew & Co.
Caroline Ptacek (BBA ’15) of New York, N.Y., was promoted to VP at Vestar Capital Partners, a middle-market private equity firm. She has been with the company since 2022 and joined from Jefferies, where she was an associate.
Rhett Peeples (BBA ’16, BBA ’17) of Ringgold was appointed as a trustee of the Whitfield Healthcare Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Vitruvian Health. He works as a floor manager for Furniture of Dalton.
Ashley Slaughter (BSFCS ’08, BBA ’16)
of Griffin was promoted to CFO of PetroSouth Inc., a full-service petroleum business operating in Georgia, Florida, Alabama and Tennessee. She has worked for the company for 12 years and previously served as controller for four years.
Jamie Campbell (BBA ’17) of Atlanta was promoted to associate director with Patterson Real Estate Advisory Group. She joined Patterson in 2019, having previously worked as a risk consultant in the financial services group for Crowe LLP.
Cara Molloy (BBA ’18, MSL ’24) of Athens was promoted to senior manager of real estate operations for the UGA Office of Real Estate within the university’s finance and administration division. She has been with the office since 2017 and was previously a real estate manager.
2020-24
Julie Anderson (MBA ’20) of Atlanta was appointed as executive director of the Georgia Apartment Association and VP of operations for the Atlanta Apartment Association. She has over 20 years of experience in association management and serves as board chair for the Georgia Society of Association Executives Foundation.
Katie Busch (BBA ’20) of Panama City Beach, Fla., was promoted to associate at Patterson Real Estate Advisory Group. She joined Patterson in 2020 and is responsible for underwriting investments and developments, preparing financial models and processing investment offerings.
Ross Dickman (MBA ’20) of New Fairfield, Conn., was promoted to CEO of Hire Heroes USA, a leading veteran employment nonprofit organization. He joined the firm in 2015 after serving 12 years in the U.S. Army.
Jennifer Fennell (BSA ’99, MBA ’20) of Lilburn was appointed by Gov. Brian Kemp to Georgia’s State Board of Education representing the 13th Congressional District. She works as Gwinnett district manager for Jackson EMC. Previously, she was a senior business development manager with the utility.
Evan Karanovich (MBA ’20) of Atlanta was named to the 40 Under 40 Class of 2024 by the Atlanta Business Chronicle. He has worked for Chick-fil-A for eight years and serves as principal lead to the chairman focusing on the company’s internal and external strategic initiatives.
Nnamdi Anene (BBA ’21) of Roswell was promoted to property and casualty client advisor for Sterling Seacrest Pritchard. He has been with the firm since 2021 and is an active volunteer with several organizations, including Great Strides Atlanta and the Smyrna Business Association.
Luke Christian (BBA ’21) of Dacula was promoted to associate at Patterson Real Estate Advisory Group. He joined the company in 2022 and was previously an associate advisor with BellStreet.
Diana Courson (BBA ’21) of Dixie joined DP3 Architects as an architectural designer. She previously interned with the Greenville, S.C., firm following her graduation from Clemson University’s master of architecture program, where she also worked as a graduate assistant.
Antonio Del Sesto (AB ’18, MBA ’22) of Fayetteville joined Chick-fil-A as a project specialist on the company’s corporate performance insights team. He previously worked with addONE Marketing Solutions as a branded content producer.
Elise Karinshak (BS ’23, BBA ’23) of Lawrenceville joined McKinsey & Co. as a business analyst. She recently completed her master of global affairs degree at Tsinghua University, where she attended as part of the Schwarzman Scholars program.
Travis McDonald (BBA ’24) of Marshallville joined Palmetto State Insurance as an account executive in the company’s Forestry Risk Solutions division specializing in logging, sawmills, forestry and construction accounts.
Jaime Montalvo (MBA ’24) of McDonough was named July Veteran of the Month by the Clayton County Senior Services Department. Chief information officer for the Clayton County Board of Commissioners, she spent 11 years with the U.S. Army, attaining the rank of staff sergeant before receiving an honorable discharge in 2010.