Class Notes, Spring/Summer 2021

Spring/Summer 2021
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1945-49

Abit Massey (BBA ’49) of Gainesville was named to the board of directors of the Georgia Humanities Council, a group of civic, business and academic leaders from across the state who help set policy and direction for Georgia Humanities. He is president emeritus of the Georgia Poultry Federation, retiring as the Gainesville-based organization’s president in 2009 after serving in the role since 1960.

1960-64

A.D. ‘Pete’ Correll (BBA ’63) of Atlanta was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award at Atlanta Business Chronicle’s 2020 Most Admired CEO Awards. He is the retired chairman and CEO of Georgia-Pacific.

Arnold Young (BBA ’63, LLB ’65) of Savannah was named in The Best Lawyers in America 2021 edition. He is a partner and general counsel at HunterMaclean.

1965-69

John Tatum (AB ’65, LLB ’68) of Savannah was named in The Best Lawyers in America 2021 edition. He is a partner and special counsel at HunterMaclean.

1970-74

Samuel Ozburn (BBA ’73) of Covington retired from his position as a superior court judge in the Alcovy Judicial Circuit Superior Court. He has served on the bench since 1996.

1975-79

Jones Hooks (BBA ’75) of Jekyll Island was named an Honorary Life Member of the Georgia Economic Developers Association. He is executive director of the Jekyll Island Authority. He served as the chair of GEDA in 1995.

Mike Maxey (BBA ’75, MAcc ’76) of Watkinsville was named chief revenue officer at DecisionLink, a provider of software-enabled customer value management. Most recently, he was senior director of worldwide sales at VMware-AirWatch.

Julio Ramirez (MBA ’77) of Coral Gables, Fla., was named CEO of BurgerFi International, among the nation’s fastest-growing better burger concepts with approximately 125 BurgerFi restaurants domestically and internationally. He founded JEM Global Inc., a company specializing in assisting QSR and fast-casual brands with franchising and development efforts domestically and internationally. He served in several senior positions at Burger King Corp.

Jeff Chandler (MBA ’78) of Royal Oak, Md., is CEO of Easton Robotics, a startup investing in the development of robotics to help the small acreage farmer. He previously served as CEO of American Technology Services LLC.

David Rosenthal (BBA ’78, MBA ’79) of Flower Mound, Texas, is retiring in July as VP and controller of the Exxon Mobil Corp. He has held that role since 2014, and previously served as VP of investor relations and board secretary, and assistant controller. He began his career with Exxon in 1979 as a financial analyst at Exxon Chemical Americas in Houston.

Kevin Goodwin (MBA ’79) of Newark, Del., retired from his position as senior data analyst after 39 years at DuPont Capital Management.

Hal Kravitz (BBA ’79) of Westport, Ct., was appointed to the board of directors of Preferred Commerce Inc., which offers children’s education and online games designed to help combat childhood obesity and promote making good nutritional choices. He serves as CEO of Certified Management Group, a food and beverage brokerage company and division of Global Broker Advantage Solutions, responsible for its C Store channel and inside sales businesses.

David Sweat (BBA ’79) of Brunswick retired from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. He served as a commissioned risk examiner. He previously was a regional president at Atlantic Southern Bank and an SVP at Synovus.

Paul Williams (BBA ’79) of Cordele was named chairman of the State Charter Schools Commission of Georgia. He has served on the commission since 2013 and is the regional director of external affairs at Foothills Education Charter High School.

1980-84

Kitty Kendrick (BBA ’80) of Marietta was named CFO of Craft Bank, a full-service commercial bank in Atlanta. She is owner of Kitty A. Kendrick CPA and has more than 30 years experience in the banking sector.

Bob Plante (PhD ’80) of West Lafayette, Ind., retired as the Lewis B. Cullman Professor of Management at the Krannert School of Management at Purdue University. He was at Purdue for 40 years.

Bonney Shuman (BBA ’80) of St. Simons Island was awarded the University of Georgia Alumni Association’s 2021 Alumni Merit Award. It is the alumni association’s oldest and highest honor and is presented to individuals who bring recognition and honor back to UGA through outstanding leadership and service to the university, the community, and his or her profession. She cofounded Bar Code Systems in 1983, which became Stratix Corp. She served as president and CEO until she sold the company and retired in 2011.

Stuart Bean (MBA ’81) of Tampa, Fla., retired from his position as senior location executive for the Tampa Bay region at IBM after 22 years.

Donny Luker (BBA ’81) of Atlanta retired from his position as managing partner after 38 years at Mauldin & Jenkins.

Roy Reeves (BBA ’81) of Moultrie departed the Colquitt County Archway Partnership executive committee after 15 years of service, including 12 years as chairman. The partnership, a UGA Public Service and Outreach program, was piloted in Colquitt and now serves 13 Georgia communities. He is the owner of Reeves Properties and continues to partner with the university in his role on the J.W. Fanning Institute advisory board.

Cliff Williams (BBA ’81) of Acworth retired from his position as partner after 39 years at Mauldin & Jenkins.

Barry Wabler (BBA ’82, MAcc ’83) of Atlanta was named CFO of SJV Data Solutions, a global provider of background screening data and research for consumer reporting agencies. He comes to SJV from Davidson Hotels & Resorts, where he had served as EVP and CFO since 2012.

Jim Dinkins (BBA ’84) of Atlanta was named CEO of the Honey Baked Ham Co., a privately owned food retailer with more than 400 stores nationwide. He previously retired as group president of Coca-Cola North America and SVP of The Coca-Cola Company.

1985-89

Carol Yancey (BBA ’85) of Atlanta was appointed to the board of directors of BlueLinx Holdings Inc., a distributor of building and industrial products in the United States. She is the EVP and CFO of Genuine Parts Co.

Christian Dustmann (MA ’86) of Bunde, Germany, was awarded the Carl-Friedrich-von-Weizsäcker-Prize 2020 by the Stifterverband and the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina. The research prize is endowed with 50,000 euros and is awarded for scientific contributions to socially important challenges. He is a professor of economics and director of the Centre for Research and Analysis of Migration at University College London. His research centers on the field of migration and the labor market.

Mike Everett (BBA ’87) of Albany launched SouthCore Real Estate, a full-service commercial real estate firm. He was previously president and CEO of Southern Appraisal Co. and served six years on the Albany-Dougherty Planning Commission.

Bryan Anderson (BBA ’89) of Chevy Chase, Md., was named EVP and president of external affairs at Southern Co. He served as SVP of governmental affairs for the gas and electric utility holding company, which he joined in 2010.

David Dyer (BBA ’89, MBA ’90) of Winder joined Peach State Bank & Trust as SVP. He most recently served as market executive for Newton Federal Bank in Braselton.

1990-94

Rodney Hawkins (BBA ’90) of Little Rock, Ark., was named EVP and audit executive at Simmons Bank. Before joining Simmons Bank, he was chief compliance officer and VP of internal audit at Windstream Communications.

Howard Lemons (AB ’92) of McDonough joins Ameris Bank as an SVP and head of product management for Ameris Bank Treasury Services. He previously was the product manager at Renasant Bank, with oversight of the business digital banking application, payments, fraud and commercial card.

Hughes Ash (BBA ’93) of Benton, Ky., was named the new administrator at Mayfield Health and Rehabilitation. He previously served as executive director of the Christian Care Center of Kuttawa.

Brady Head (BBA ’93) of Bellaire, Texas, was named SVP and product line officer for D&O Liability Insurance in North America of Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance. He comes to BHSI after 27 years at AIG, where he was most recently head of management liability.

Preston Jones (BBA ’93) of Townville, S.C., was named VP and commercial lender at Park National Bank’s Anderson office. A veteran banker, he has almost two decades of experience in this market. While at Georgia, he was a member of the Bulldogs football team, where he played quarterback.

Danette Beck (BBA ’94) of New Rochelle, N.Y., was named a Women to Watch by Business Insurance magazine. She is the national construction practice leader at USI Insurance Services LLC.

Brian Cooksey (BBA ’94) of Dalton was named president of the board of directors for Georgia FIRST Robotics. He serves as the director of workforce development at Shaw Industries.

Scott Rockfeld (BBA ’94) of Mercer Island, Wash., founded Sports Stars, a Seattle-based creator and publisher of children’s books that introduces astronomy to children through sports. He published Sports Stars: Astronomy for the Sports Fan in All of Us. He is principal at Rockfeld Consulting LLC.

1995-99

Bryan Buckler (BBA ’95) of Charlotte, N.C., was named CFO of OG&E Energy Corp., a regulated electric utility with customers in Oklahoma and western Arkansas. He joins OG&E from Duke Energy Corp., where he served in various capacities since 2006, most recently as VP of investor relations.

Misti Martin (BBA ’95) of Ball Ground was named the 2020 recipient of the Rip Wiley Award for Professional Excellence by the Georgia Economic Developers Association. She is president of the Cherokee Office of Economic Development.

John Tebeau (BBA ’97) of Athens was promoted to the Athens Region Market Executive at Synovus. He has been with the company since 1997 and recently served as a VP/commercial banker, with responsibility for commercial and industrial customers.

Ivan Tornos (BBA ’97) of Coral Gables, Fla., was appointed COO at Zimmer Biomet Holdings Inc., a global company in musculoskeletal health care. He previously served as the company’s group president of orthopedics and group president of global businesses and the Americas.

Candice Herndon (BBA ’98) of Alpharetta was named president of IFCO North America, a division of IFCO Systems, a leading provider of reusable plastic containers for fresh food packaging. She previously served as VP of first mile solutions and key European accounts at CHEP.

Baris Oran (MBA ’98) of Istanbul, Turkey, was named CFO of GXO Logistics Inc., a global logistics provider of supply chain solutions. He most recently served as CFO of the Sabanci Holding, one of Turkey’s largest publicly traded companies.

Kim Adams (BBA ’99) of Brookhaven was named the VP of diversity, equity and inclusion at Papa John’s. Before joining Papa John’s, she served as VP of engagement, inclusion and diversity at Equifax. In 2020, she was selected by the Atlanta Business League as one of “Atlanta’s Top 100 Black Women of Influence” for her achievements.

Kelly Paynter (BBA ’99, EdS ’04) of Marietta was promoted to an associate professor in the School of Education and Professional Studies at Jacksonville State University in Alabama.

Michael Thompson (BBA ’99) of Miami Beach, Fla., is CEO and CFO of Reinvent Technology Partners. A co-founding member of Reinvent Capital, he was previously co-founder, managing member, and portfolio manager for BHR Capital.

Cavit Yantac (MBA ’99) of Istanbul, Turkey, was named VP and customer success lead for Microsoft Turkey. He previously served as the technical program management lead for the company.

2000-04

Jill Creech (BBA ’00) of Leesburg is a VP and commercial banker at Ameris Bank in Albany. She previously served as VP and business banker at SB&T.

Adam Fisher (BBA ’00) of New York, N.Y., was named chief data officer at Sedgwick, a global provider of technology-enabled risk, benefits and integrated business solutions. He previously served as SVP of products and solutions at DemystData.

Thomas Forsberg (BBA ’00, MBA ’10) of Columbus was named a SVP and commercial banking officer at ServisFirst Bank. He previously served as a SVP and commercial relationship manager at Wells Fargo.

Dr. Emily Howell (BBA ’00) of Jefferson was honored with the 2021 Habersham Central High School Lifetime Achievement Award. She graduated from Habersham Central as valedictorian and was crowned Miss Georgia 2001 and competed in the 2002 Miss America pageant. She is an orthodontist and owner of Howell Orthodontics.

Eleanor Loiacono (PhD ’00) of Williamsburg, Va., was named an associate professor of business analytics at the Raymond A. Mason School of Business at William & Mary. She previously was a professor of information technology at Worcester Polytechnic Institute.

Paul Bunn (BBA ’00, MAcc ’01) of Ringgold was recently promoted to senior EVP and COO of Covenant Logistics Group Inc. Covenant is a diversified logistics company focused on expedited and dedicated transportation along with warehousing and freight management/brokerage.

Kate Patterson (BBA ’01) of Watkinsville was appointed to the Nonpublic Postsecondary Education Commission by Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp. She served in several management roles and as the director of a church preschool for eight years. She is a graduate of Leadership Georgia and served as a program chair for the organization in 2015.

Tope Awotona (BBA ’02) of Marietta closed on an investment of $350 million for his company Calendly, a popular cloud-based service people use to set up and confirm meeting times with others. Based in Atlanta, his startup is valued at more than $3 billion.

Mike Davis (BBA ’02) of Athens was named president of brokerage services at Binswanger Commercial Real Estate Services. Before Binswanger, he served as managing director of CBRE’s advisory and transactions services practice in Washington, D.C.

John Lange (JD ’94, MBA ’02) of Atlanta is an attorney at Hall Booth Smith PC. He previously was general counsel at the Strickland General Agency.

Tamieka Weeks (BBA ’02) of Douglasville was named president of the Atlanta RIMS Chapter, a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting the profession of risk management. She is a risk management manager at Southwire Co.

Ken Kaufman (MBA ’03) of Charlotte, N.C., will serve on the board of advisors of the Dentist Entrepreneur Organization, a peer-to-peer membership community for dentist-entrepreneurs and leaders seeking to scale their emerging dental group/dental service organization. Kaufman is CFO of Community Dental Partners/National Dental Partners.

Paul Lewis (BBA ’03) of Brookhaven was promoted to regional director of the Americas at MAXIS Global Benefits Network, the international employee benefits joint venture between MetLife and AXA. He joined MAXIS GBN in 2016 and most recently headed up the U.S. East Region’s Business Development team.

Shep Rose (AB ’02) of Isle of Palms, S.C., recently published Average Expectations: Lessons in Lowering the Bar, a memoir reflecting on a life spent traveling, dating, and living in the reality television spotlight. He stars in the reality TV show Southern Charm.

Scott Rountree (BBA ’03) of Augusta was named chief assessor of the Richmond County Board of Assessors. He joined the department in 2011 and is a 2017 Leadership Augusta graduate.

Melissa Rutten (BBA ’04) of Atlanta was named to the board of directors of OnBoard, the leading authority on women in the boardroom and executive suites of Georgia public companies. She is a financial advisor with The Leverte Wealth Management Group of Merrill Lynch Wealth Management and a member of the Atlanta Women’s Foundation Inspire 2020 Program.

B.J. Schaknowski (MBA ’04) of Westminster, Colo., was named CEO of symplr, a global health care governance, risk management, and compliance software-as-a-service platform. Before joining symplr, he served as the chief sales and marketing officer at Vertafore, a provider of insurance technology.

Shelly Waters (BBA ’04, MAcc ’04) of Atlanta was named SVP in the industrial and commercial services group of the investment banking division at Stephens, an independent financial services firm. Before joining Stephens, he was a director at SunTrust Robinson Humphrey.

Sarah Welton (BBA ’04) of New York, N.Y., was named director of U.S. business growth for the East Coast at Longevity Partners, an ESG advisory firm. Before joining Longevity Partners, she served as a VP at the International WELL Building Institute.

2005-09

Dan Schmidt (MBA ’05) of Lenexa, Kan., was appointed as SVP of global sales at CubicFarm Systems Corp., a technology company developing and deploying technology to feed a changing world. Before joining CubicFarm, he served as VP of sales at Stanley Infrastructure, a division of Stanley Black & Decker.

Tyler Wright (BBA ’05, MAcc ’06) of Atlanta was named partner at Moore Colson, an accounting, consulting and advisory firm. He joined the firm in 2018 as a consulting senior manager and was promoted to director in 2019.

Nick Baer (BBA ’06) of Smyrna was named VP of business development at Stonehill Strategic Capital. He is responsible for originating and structuring debt and equity investments across Stonehill’s hospitality lending platform. He recently served as SVP at Jones Lang LaSalle.

Barbara Hampton (MBA ’06) of Roswell was named president and CEO of the Georgia Transmission Corp., where she has served as SVP and CFO since 2005. She will lead the not-for-profit electric cooperative which delivers high voltage power to 38 of Georgia’s electric membership cooperatives.

Randall Loggins (BBA ’06) of Atlanta was appointed CFO at PruittHealth. He joined PruittHealth in 2019 as CIO after years in banking and finance at SunTrust Bank, with a focus in health care. He will continue to oversee PruittHealth’s treasury, insurance, government affairs, and planning and development divisions.

Stephen Pond (BBA ’06) of Cumming, Chip Sipple (BBA ’09) of Atlanta, and Jeff Henson (BBA ’08) of Sandy Springs co-founded and established Industry Real Estate Partners, a boutique capital markets advisory firm. Industry REP supports the facilitation of real estate solutions in key growth markets predominantly throughout the Southeast. Pond previously served as a director at NAI Brannen Goddard. Henson served as SVP of disposition services, and Sipple was a VP at Lincoln Property Co.

Heather Ripley (BBA ’06, MAcc ’06) of New York, N.Y., was named an international tax partner at Alston & Bird. She has been with the firm since 2011 in the federal and international tax department.

Jordan Tippett (BBA ’06) of St. Simons Island received the Innovation of the Year award from UGA’s Small Business Development Center for his contributions to the creation of Digicon, a digital marketing conference in Savannah. He is a director of client experience at Abilitie.

Stuart Bern (BBA ’07) of Atlanta was named head of strategic partnerships and corporate development at ATTOM, a curator of the nation’s premier property database. Before joining ATTOM, he was the VP of business development and partnerships at Knock.

Rajan Iyer (MBA ’07) of Bennington, N.H., was named VP of research and development and technical services and Monadnock Paper Mills Inc., the oldest continuously operating paper mill in the United States. He previously worked for Georgia-Pacific, where he was responsible for innovation and tech service as a senior product development engineer.

Kevin Morelli (BBA ’07, MAcc ’09) of Savannah was named COO at Cabretta Capital, a firm specializing in structured tax credit equity funds and tax-advantaged investment strategies. He previously served as Cabretta’s CFO.

Rob Rayl (MBA ’07) of Duluth was named chief development officer and COO of the Dystrophic Epidermolysis Bullosa Research Association of America (debra of America). He previously served as president of R2 Medical Solutions LLC. He has been an active board member at debra since 2014 and was elected vice chair in 2017.

Sakshi Mithal (MBA ’08) of Bangalore Urban, India, founded the startup TKC Foods, which offers ready-to-cook, plant-based frozen food. Before starting TKC Foods, she launched The Kitchen Connect, a confectionery and cafe, in Delhi’s Shahpur Jat area.

Dana Bourke (BBA ’09) of Alpharetta is the chief marketing officer at Fresh Harvest. The company partners with farmers to offer weekly delivery of organic produce throughout Greater Atlanta. She previously served as the company’s head of customer experience.

Adrianne Cantrell (MAcc ’09) of Duluth serves as treasurer on the board of directors for the nonprofit Atlanta Angels, which offers support for children and caretakers in the foster care system.

Greg Caples (MBA ’09) of Waynesville, N.C., was named CEO of Haywood Regional Medical Center in Clyde, N.C., part of Duke LifePoint Healthcare. He previously served as CEO of Coliseum Northside Hospital.

Jonathan de Lauréal (BBA ’09) of New Orleans, La., was promoted to managing director at Bernhard Capital Partners Management LP, a service and infrastructure-focused private equity management firm. He has been with the firm since 2013.

Nicole Epps (MBA ’09) of Frederick, Md., was named executive director of World Childhood Foundation USA. She had been the foundation’s managing director of programs and policy since 2015, supporting the organization’s mission to end sexual abuse, exploitation and violence against children.

Benjamin Gooding (BBA ’09) of Columbia, S.C., was named a member of Robinson Gray, where his practice focuses on appellate advocacy, professional negligence and commercial litigation. He served as an associate for the firm since 2014.

Stephen King (BBA ’09) of Augusta was named to the Downtown Development Authority of Augusta. He is a regional external affairs manager for Georgia Power, serving as the utility’s liaison for power delivery, customer service, sales and community/economic development efforts for the metro Augusta area.

Rachel Phipps (BBA ’09, MIT ’11) of Smyrna was named to the CURE Childhood Cancer Young Professional Leadership Council, which works to conquer childhood cancer through funding targeted research. She is a strategic digital partner in privacy program management at the Chick-fil-A Corporate Support Center.

Elizabeth White (BBA ’09, ABJ ’09) of Atlanta was named to the 2020 Top Wealth Advisor Moms list by SHOOK Research. She is a certified financial planner and a wealth management advisor and SVP at Merrill Lynch Wealth Management.

2010-14

Christopher Collier (BBA ’10) of Cornelia was appointed to serve on the Stone Mountain Memorial Association by Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp. He is EVP and corporate counsel for Ely Corp. in Cartersville.

Sean Kavanagh (BBA ’10) of Atlanta was named principal, VP of acquisitions at Middleburg Communities, a company that acquires, renovates and manages apartment properties. He previously served as executive director of investments at The RADCO Companies.

Mike MacDonald (BBA ’10, MS ’13) of Baltimore, Md., was named defensive coordinator for the Michigan Wolverines. He joins the Wolverines’ coaching staff after seven seasons with the Baltimore Ravens, where he last served as linebackers coach.

Clay Knowles (BBA ’11, JD ’14) of Atlanta joined Adams and Reese as an associate attorney. He previously worked as an associate attorney at Swift, Currie, McGhee & Hiers.

Jonathan Killian (MBA ’12) of Atlanta joins NewsNation Network as VP of creative marketing and brand communications. The network is owned by Nexstar Media Group Inc. He joins Nexstar from CNN International, where he was executive director of creative and brand development.

Peter Melampy (AB ’13) of New York, N.Y., joined Blank Rome LLP’s corporate, M&A, and securities group as an associate in the New York office. He previously served as an associate at Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP.

Matthew Colvin (MBA ’14) of Atlanta was selected as the University of Georgia’s economic development director in Atlanta. He previously served as the executive director of economic development for the University System of Georgia.

2015-19

Lewis Cooksey (MBA ’16) of Dacula was named director of the Gwinnett County Department of Transportation. He previously served as the county’s assistant transportation director and has worked for Gwinnett County for 12 years. He was hired as a project manager in 2008 and worked his way up the ranks in the transportation department.

Hannah Farhadi (BBA ’17, BS ’17, MPA ’20) of Atlanta was named a development coordinator at Southern Conservation Trust, a trust aimed at preserving greenspace in communities.

Abby Jessen (BBA ’17, ABJ ’17) of Tulsa, Okla., was named director of branding and programming for Cox Media Group’s KRAV-FM (Mix 96.5) in Tulsa. She started with CMG as an afternoon news/traffic reporter.

Kendrick Hardison (MA ’18, MA ’19) of Cheraw, S.C., is pursuing a joint doctorate in political science and public policy at Duke University.

Clark Sukaratana (BBA ’18, MA ’20) of Tampa, Fla., was named the database and financial services administrator at Shorecrest Preparatory School in St. Petersburg, Fla.

Jeffrey Bruce (BBA ’19) of Lawrenceville was named a Realtor at Crye-Leike.

2020-

Allison Keen (BBA ’20) of Soperton was named operations and sales analyst at Bland Farms, the largest grower, packer and shipper of sweet onions in the United States.

Erin McCall (BBA ’20) of Charlotte, N.C., was named a leadership development program analyst at Truist Financial.

Elizabeth Ortega (BBA ’20) of Macon was named a risk control representative at CNA Financial Corp.