Class Notes, Spring/Summer 2019

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1945-49

Abit Massey (BBA ’49) of Gainesville was inducted into the Poultry Industry Hall of Fame. He is president emeritus of the Georgia Poultry Federation, retiring as the Gainesville-based organization’s president in 2009 after serving in that role since 1960.

1955-59

Lether Sapp (BBA ’55) of Stuart, Fla., recently published “Put the Chairs in the Wagon; Church is Over,” a book about growing up in south Georgia during the 1930s, ’40s and ’50s.

1965-69

Pete Sayeski (AB ’65) of Atlanta was awarded the Colquitt County Career Achievement Award. He retired in 2010 as president of The McGraw-Hill Learning Group, the largest publisher of textbooks in the United States.

1970-74

Jim Pannell (BBA ’70) of Savannah was appointed to the Center for Rural Prosperity and the Georgia Rural Development Council by former Gov. Nathan Deal. He is an attorney with Gray Pannell & Woodward LLP.

Joe Kinard (BBA ’71) of Dublin retired from the city of Dublin after 30 years as city clerk and finance director.

Gerry Leach (BBA ’72) of Eatonton retired from his position as president and CEO of Old Republic Surety Co.

Drew Whalen III (BBA ’73) of Griffin was sworn in as president of the International Municipal Lawyers Association at its 83rd annual conference in Houston. He is Griffin’s city attorney.

1975-79

Jerry Konter (BBA ’75) of Savannah was elected as the 2019 third vice chairman of the National Association of Home Builders. In 1977 he founded Konter Quality Homes, one of the largest home building firms in Savannah.

Robert Dickey (BBA ’76) of Musella (second from left) was named the 2019 Georgia Farmer of the Year. The Crawford County peach farmer manages approximately 1,000 acres of peaches and 3,000 acres of timberland with the help of his father, Bob Dickey, his wife, Cynde Dickey, and their son and daughter-in-law.

David Hampson (MBA ’77) of Portsmouth, N.H., was named chief strategy officer at Carrier & Technology Solutions LLC, a provider of technology and outsourcing solutions to the insurance industry. He is also chairman of Schrager Hampson Aviation Insurance Agency and previously served as president and CEO of Willis Programs.

Kessel Stelling (BBA ’78) of Marietta was elected to the Atlanta Fed’s board of directors for a term that runs through Dec. 31, 2020. He is chairman and CEO of Synovus Corp.

Bill Young Jr. (BBA ’78 )of Atlanta joined the board of directors at Financial Information Technologies LLC. He is a partner with Atlanta-based General Wholesale Co., a family-owned distributor of beverage alcohol.

1980-84

John S. Hill (PhD ’80) of Athens recently published “Neanderthals to Nations,” a book explaining how the architects of human destiny — geography, culture and technology — shaped the planet and its people to become what it is today.

Louisa Mouchet (BBA ’80) of Atlanta joined Haggai International as CFO. She was previously with Peachtree Road United Methodist Church as executive director.

David Pasternack (BBA ’80) of Clifton, N.J., was named executive director of the Jewish Senior Life Foundation. He previously was chief development officer at Hadassah Medical Organization in New York City and executive director at the State of Israel Bonds in New York City.

Debbie Storey (AB ’80, MBA ’06) of St. Petersburg, Fla., was named president and CEO of the nonprofit AT&T Performing Arts Center in Dallas, Texas. She is a retired EVP of mobility customer service at AT&T, author and motivational speaker and has served on the center’s board since 2009.

Bonnie Lind (BBA ’81) of Alpharetta was elected to the board of directors of Hubbell Inc. She serves as CFO of Neenah Inc., an international producer of industrial specialty materials for a variety of end markets.

Steve Nicholas (BBA ’81) of Mobile, Ala., was elected president of the Alabama Association for Justice. He is a partner at Cunningham Bounds law firm in Mobile.

William Lee III (BBA ’82) of Atlanta and Woodbury joined MONTAG Wealth Management serving as its director of marketing operations. Previously he was COO of Sheffield Investment Management for six years. Bill splits his time between a Midtown Atlanta residence and an historic property (c. 1830) in a rural area of Meriwether County.

John Mangan Jr. (BBA ’82) of Charlotte, N.C., was named the University of Georgia’s Hartman Award recipient for 2018. The award recognizes former Georgia student-athletes who demonstrated excellence in their profession. He runs JFM Capital, a family-owned asset management company.

Mark Mahoney (BBA ’83) of Cornelius, N.C., was awarded the Finsider’s Charlotte Change Champion Award, which recognizes people or companies for their achievements in FinTech. He is co-founder of Jackrabbit Technologies.

Stacy Chick (BBA ’84) of Smyrna was named chief commercial officer of Inivata, a global clinical cancer genomics company.

Brian Lane (BBA ’84) of Marietta was named CFO of Visioneering Technologies, a vision care company. He previously served as CFO of OnePath, a private equity-owned services firm that designs, deploys and supports technology.

Trey Paris (BBA ’84, MBA ’85) of Atlanta was recognized in James Magazine’s Hall of Fame. He is government relations managing director of Taylor English Decisions.

1985-89

Dennis Mitchell (BBA ’85) of Atlanta was named senior managing director of the national industrial investment advisory team at Holliday Fenoglio Fowler LP. He previously served as a SVP and partner at Colliers International.

David Mullinax (BBA ’86) of Spring Garden, Ala., was promoted to SVP of commercial lending at River City Bank.

Steve Rowland (BBA ’87) of Brunswick joined the firm of Schell & Hogan LLP, and received certification from the National Association of Certified Valuators and Analysts as a Certified Valuation Analyst candidate.

Stacey Chubb (AB ’88) of Mableton was named chief of staff for Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms. She previously served as deputy commissioner for housing at the Georgia Department of Community Affairs, where she worked for the past 25 years.

Jeff Kellar (BBA ’88, MAcc ’90) of Lexington, S.C., was named tax director at Smith Adcock and Co. and is based in the firm’s Athens office.

Craig Phillips (BBA ’88) of Ridgewood, N.J., will serve as interim CFO for Purple Innovation Inc. He previously served as a managing director in the Office of the CFO Solutions team at FTI Consulting.

Brian Hawkins (BBA ’89) of Rome was named SVP and CFO of Credit Union of Georgia in Woodstock. He previously served as CFO of Greater Community Bank.

Kevin Williams (BBA ’89) of Canton opened his third Chick-fil-A location, making him one of the few “multi-unit operators” in the Chick-fil-A system. The company accepts less than 1 percent of the approximately 60,000 people who apply each year to operate a franchise, and Williams’ multi-operator status is rare, according to the company.

Robert Reeves (MA ’89) of Atlanta was named to the board of trustees of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Georgia Chapter. He is managing director of global risk analytics and enterprise analytics at Bank of America.

1990-94

Maurice Anderson (BBA ’90, MBA ’91) of Smyrna is chief business strategist and managing partner at LeadME Global.

Mike Dollander (BBA ’90) of Bishop has joined Cadence Living as VP of operations for the Southeast region. Prior to joining Cadence, he served in many different roles at Atlanta-based PruittHealth Corp.

Bryan Echols (BBA ’90) of Concord, N.C., joined Lloyd Flanders as VP of sales. He is responsible for company-wide sales including management of the independent sales force, direction and execution of strategy, and development of dealer base.

Mike Newman (BBA ’91) of Pine Mountain was appointed VP of safari operations of Parks! America. He joined the company in 2010, and was the general manager of Wild Animal Safari – Georgia.

Keith Parker (BBA ’91) of Savannah joined Colony Bank as a VP of commercial banking. He previously served as VP and branch manager of State Bank and Trust Co.

Jay Scott (MMR ’91) of Colliersville, Tenn., was named chairman of the board of KS&R Inc., a company that conducts global custom marketing research and consulting.

Doug Strange (BBA ’91) of Moultrie was promoted to chief credit officer for Ameris Bank. He rejoined Ameris Bank after serving as CFO of Colquitt Regional Medical Inc.

Mike Doss (BBA ’92) of Round Rock, Texas, was appointed to the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority board of directors. He is an EVP-area president for Independent Bank, where he has worked since 2008.

Mary Gowan (PhD ’92) of Rockingham, Va., was named dean of the Mike Cottrell College of Business at the University of North Georgia. She previously was a professor and dean of the College of Business at James Madison University.

Floyd M. “Buck” Wiley III (BBA ’92) of Atlanta was named to Forbes’ “America’s Top Wealth Advisors” list. Wiley serves as a private wealth advisor and managing director of wealth management in the private banking and investment group at Merrill Lynch.

Scott Howard (BBA ’93) of Savannah was named a 2018 Forbes“Best in State” in Georgia. He is a wealth management advisor at Merrill Lynch with offices on Skidaway Island and Hilton Head Island, S.C.

Brian Patterson (BBA ’93) of Athens was elected president of the Western Judicial Circuit Bar Association. He is chief assistant district attorney for Athens-Clarke County.

Shaun Pittman (BBA ’93) of Santa Monica, Calif., was named VP of sales and business development for Ozobot, which develops coding robots.

Jay Prince (BBA ’93) of Valdosta was nominated for the 2019 TIMEDealer of the Year award. Recipients are among the nation’s most successful auto dealers who also demonstrate a long-standing commitment to community service. He is VP of Prince Automotive of Valdosta Inc., a Buick, Chevrolet and GMC dealership.

Wendy Rogers (BBA ’93) of Richmond, Va., was named VP, national relationship manager at The Signatry, a global Christian foundation.

Sean Taylor (BBA ’93) of Atlanta will assume the role of managing partner at the Smith & Howard CPA firm.

Holly Gardner (BBA ’94) of Mobile, Ala., is owner and esthetician at Glow Wellness Studio, a skincare spa.

1995-99

Yumi Colwell (BBA ’95) of Atlanta was named first VP of Alliant’s employee benefits group. Previously she was area SVP and practice leader with Gallagher Benefit Services.

Vickie Cox Edmondson (PhD ’96) of Atlanta recently published “The Thinking Strategist: Unleashing the Power of Strategic Management to Identify, Explore and Solve Problems.” She is a business consultant and professor at Morehouse College.

Rick Epps (BBA ’96) of Macon was named to the financial institution and real estate practice group of James-Bates-Brannan-Groover-LLP. Previously he was a partner in the litigation practice group at Martin Snow.

Andy Price (BBA ’96) of Irving, Texas, was selected as Scout executive/CEO of the Boy Scouts of America Grand Canyon Council in Phoenix, Ariz. He previously served as deputy Scout executive and COO of Circle Ten Council in Dallas, Texas.

Chad Evans (BBA ’97) of Brookhaven was promoted to SVP of lending at Associated Credit Union, a company he has been with since 2001. He has served as its assistant VP of the mortgage department, assistant VP of the contact center and VP of lending.

Ivan Tornos (BBA ’97) of Coral Gables, Fla., was named group president, orthopedics at Zimmer Biomet Holdings Inc. He previously served as worldwide president for urology/medical and critical care at Becton, Dickinson and Co.

John Bearden (BBA ’99) of Mountain Brook, Ala., was named president of community and business banking for Renasant’s middle Tennessee market. He previously was a managing director at Stifel Financial Corp.

Megan Matthews (BBA ’99) of Dallas, Texas, was promoted to mid-Atlantic property management lead at JLL. She previously served as director for JLL’s south central region property management business.

2000-04

Tiffany Kunkle (BBA ’00, MAcc ’01) of Atlanta was named CFO of Modern Luxury, the premier luxury lifestyle publisher headquartered in Atlanta. Previously she served as director of asset management at Cox Automotive.

Suzanne Phillips (BBA ’00 BSAE ’01) of Nicholasville, Ky., is owner of a Tutor Doctor franchise, a customizable one-to-one in home tutoring service designed to help students of all ages and subject levels.

Brandon Powell (BBA ’00) of Atlanta was awarded Atlanta Business Chronicle’s Small Business Person of the Year in the early-stage entrepreneur category. He is founder and managing director of HatchWorks Technologies. Under his leadership, Hatchworks has grown to more than 40 technologists and $6 million in revenue in their second year of business. HatchWorks creates software solutions with a focus on analytics, automation, and custom applications for clients ranging from $100 million in revenue to the Fortune 500.

Fred Veeder (BBA ’00) of Roswell was named a teacher of the year by the Cobb County School District. A seventh-grade math teacher at Dodgen Middle School, he had his handprints placed along the Teacher Walk of Honor in Marietta Square’s Glover Park.

Noel Whelchel (BBA ’00) of Roswell was named a crane and rigging inspector at Crane Industry Services LLC. He previously served as a supervisor at The Home Depot.

Pierce Campbell (BBA ’01) of Florence, S.C., was named CEO of Turner, Padget, Graham & Laney, a firm he has worked with since 2004. He has served in leadership roles in the American Bar Association Section of Litigation for the past 12 years.

Michael Lonergan (BBA ’01) of Atlanta was elected as one of the Atlanta Business Chronicle’s 40 Under 40 for 2018. He is the managing partner at Georgia Oak Partners LLC.

Tim Smith (BBA ’01) of Charlotte, N.C., was named chief sales officer for the Carolinas region of HUB Carolinas, a region of HUB International. Previously he served as regional VP of business development for Wells Fargo Insurance Services.

Matt Wirth (BBA ’01) of Atlanta was named managing director of the national industrial investment advisory team at Holliday Fenoglio Fowler LP. He previously served as a SVP at Colliers International.

Michael Bone (BBA ’03) of Savannah was named VP of Avison Young’s new Savannah office, where he will focus on industrial, office and investment brokerage services. He most recently served as principal and SVP of SVN.

Billy Boyd (BBA ’03) of Roswell was promoted to partner at Moore Colson, a CPA and advisory firm. He joined the firm in 2005 and held several roles, advancing from associate to a director role in risk advisory and compliance services before becoming a partner.

Marc Fordham III (BBA ’03) of Atlanta was promoted to assistant VP and external relations officer for the public affairs department at the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta. He joined the Atlanta Fed in 2013.

Brad Whitfield (BBA ’03) of Savannah was named to the Historic Savannah Foundation board of trustees. He is a partner at Coastal Consulting Management Group and serves as a contract CFO for several companies in the Savannah area.

Chuck Biskobing (BBA ’04) of Brookhaven joined Cook & James as an associate attorney. Previously he owned his own law firm, which focused on real estate closings and title work.

Lesslie Ray (BBA ’04) of West Palm Beach, Fla., was named to the board of directors of Foresight Energy LP. She has served as the CEO for Greenway Wealth Management LLC since 2017 and previously worked on the Foresight Management LLC business development team.

2005-09

Greg Gaughan (BBA ’05) of Atlanta was named a director at HFF, focused on debt and equity placement transactions. He joins HFF from Grandbridge Real Estate Capital, where he was an assistant VP/loan originator.

Nick Maddox (BBA ’05) of Atlanta was named president of White Electrical Construction Co., an electrical contractor supplying a wide range of industries in the Southeast. Prior to joining White Electrical, he was VP of Summit Industrial Construction.

Hunter Maskill (BBA ’05) of Brookhaven was named EVP at INSUREtrust, where he will focus on professional liability/cyber product development. Most recently, he ran AIG’s professional liability and cyber team for the Southeast.

Lee Mimbs Jr. (BBA ’05) of Findlay, Ohio, is partnership income tax operations manager with Marathon Petroleum Corp. He was previously a senior manager at Grant Thornton LLP.

Jon Powell (BBA ’05) of Atlanta was promoted to partner at Moore Colson, a CPA and advisory firm. He started his career with the firm 13 years ago and held several roles, advancing from associate to a risk advisory and compliance services director role before becoming a partner.

Paul Shoukry (BBA ’05, MAcc ’05) of Tampa, Fla., was named CFO at Raymond James & Associates. He previously served as the company’s SVP of finance, treasurer and head of investor relations.

Charles Watson (MBA ’05) of Atlanta was named vice chairman of the Southeast Franchise Forum’s board of directors. He is the CEO of Tropical Smoothie Café.

Shelton Blease (BBA ’06) of Atlanta was promoted to director of human resources operations at Lucas Group. He joined Lucas Group in 2014 as an HR business partner before being elevated to senior HR business partner.

Emily Hahn (BBA ’06) of Arvada, Colo., was promoted to regional director of revenue management at Chesapeake Hospitality. She previously served as Chesapeake’s area director of revenue management.

Clay Huffman (BBA ’06, MAcc ’07) of Atlanta was elected chairman of the Georgia State Board of Accountancy. He is a senior manager at Frazier & Deeter.

Fernanda Barella Kirchner (BBA ’06) of Roswell joined the Georgia Department of Economic Development as a project manager on the international investment team. She previously served as a brand marketing manager at FOCUS Brands.

Morgan Glenn (BBA ’07, MBA ’11) of Hoschton was named to Boating Industrymagazine’s 40 under 40. He is parts director at OneWater Marine.

Julie Staggs (MBA ’07) of Atlanta is founder and managing principal of Beyond Theory to Practice, a consultation service.

Clinton Turner (BBA ’07) of Boynton Beach, Fla., joined J&J Family of Farms as director of human resources.

Peter Verhoef (BBA ’07) of Charlotte, N.C., was named head swim coach and aquatics director for The Bolles School. Previously he was a senior coach and high performance director for SwimMAC. While at Georgia, he was a finalist at the 2004 and 2008 Olympic Trials and represented the U.S. at the World Championships in 2007.

Scott Jacobs (BBA ’08) of Nashville, Tenn., recently joined the ownership group of the NHL’s Nashville Predators, and was promoted to CFO of TrustPoint Hospital in the Nashville area.

Theresa Silcox (BBA ’08) of Winterville was named 2018 Employee of the Year at Cannon Financial Institute, where she works as SVP and director of strategic alliances.

Jeff Stanley (MBA ’08) of Langdon, N.D., was named CEO of Cavalier County Memorial Hospital. He previously served as COO at Cullman (Ala.) Regional Medical Center.

James Congelio (BBA ’09) of Tampa, Fla., will help lead the team as Sterling Seacrest Partners expands into Florida, opening an office in Tampa. He previously worked as a surety department manager at Bowen, Miclette & Britt of Florida.

William Kent (BBA ’09) of Nashville, Tenn., joined the firm of Waller Lansden Dortch & Davis. Prior to joining Waller, he was a corporate and securities associate at Bass, Berry & Sims PLC.

2010-14

Joseph Pekala (MBA ’10) of Chicago, Ill., was named SVP and CIO of Owens & Minor Inc. and will work in the Richmond, Va., office. He previously served as SVP and CIO for ACCO Brands Inc.

Conor Richardson (BBA ’10) of Austin, Texas, recently published “MILLENNIAL MONEY MAKEOVER: Escape Debt, Save for Your Future, and Live the Rich Life.” He is a CPA and founder of MillennialMoneyMakeover.com, where he helps millennials master essential money matters.

Will Sullivan (BBA ’10) of Calhoun joined Washington Regional Medical System as VP of facilities. Previously he served as director of facilities services at AdventHealth.

Joseph Wytanis (MBA ’10) of Suwanee was named president and CEO of Zoom Telephonics Inc. He previously served as senior practice engagement partner at Infosys Limited and also served as a principal at High Tech Associates LLC.

Jonathan Nwiloh Jr. (AB ’11) of Atlanta has joined James-Bates-Brannan-Groover-LLP as an associate in the firm’s tax and wealth planning practice group. He previously served as an associate at Moore Ingram Johnson & Steele.

Caitlin Saltonstall (BBA ’12) of New York City is a corporate development associate for IBM after graduating from the Johnson Graduate School of Management at Cornell University with a MBA.

Matthew Hawkins (BBA ’13) of St. Simons Island was promoted to consultant with LCG Associates Inc., an independent investment consulting firm. He began his career at LCG as an investment analyst.

Spencer Barrow (BBA ’14, JD ’18) of Watkinsville joined Wilkes Law Firm in its Spartanburg, S.C., office.

2015-19

Emily Beckham (BBA ’15) of Miami, Fla., is a risk manager for PURE Insurance, a personal insurance company.

Derek Hammock (BBA ’15, MAcc ’16) of Athens was named director of business operations for the University of Georgia Athletic Association. As a CPA, he previously worked in EY Atlanta’s assurance practice.

Cody Partin (MBA ’15) of Brookhaven was promoted to SVP of total rewards and people operations at Cox Enterprises. In this new role, he will continue to lead the benefits, compensation and human resources technology services teams as well as talent management and diversity and aviation.

Josef ‘Sepp’ Straka (BBA ’15) of Valdosta became the first Austrian-born player to earn a PGA Tour card.

Byron Stufken (BBA ’15) of Los Angeles, Calif., is a senior analyst in risk management at Fox Entertainment Group.

Jake Candler (BBA ’16) of New York City is a consultant in capital markets in the strategic communications segment of FTI Consulting.

Ben Huddleston (BBA ’16) of Dacula was promoted to account executive at business management firm Flood, Bumstead, McCready & McCarthy Inc. He joined the company in 2016.

Christopher Vaughan (MBA ’16) of Brookhaven was named VP of government affairs at McKesson Corp.

Chloe Drescher (BBA ’17) of Owings Mills, Md., was named an associate digital analyst at MGH, a Baltimore-based marketing communications agency. She joins MGH after serving as a junior associate at Warschawski.

Jared Farrell (BBA ’17) of Lithonia is a financial analyst at Equifax.

Dr. Kelly Geisle r(MBA ’17) of Athens was named the Grace College Alumna of the Year. She works as director of gynecological oncology at Cancer Treatment Centers of America in Atlanta.

Emily Escoe (MBA ’18) of Athens joined Fortson, Bentley & Griffin PA as an attorney specializing in corporate law. She has served as a clerk with the firm since 2016.

Aditi Kardekar (MBA ’18) of Atlanta is a tax management consultant with Deloitte.

Anthony Martin (BBA ’18) of Kennesaw joined Bull Realty as a commercial real estate professional to the national office group.

Anna Myers (BBA ’18) of LaGrange is a customer business analyst at The Kraft Heinz Co. in Fayetteville, Ark.

Colt Neal (BBA ’18) of Cumming joined Bull Realty as VP of the national office group with a primary focus on disposition and acquisition of office properties in the southeast U.S.

Davis Riddle (MBA ’18) of Athens joined Morton & Gettys as an associate. His practice will include corporate law, commercial leasing and commercial real estate and development.