Celebrating THE SIXTH ANNUAL EXCELLENCE RECOGNITION PROGRAM 2 WELCOME Welcome to the sixth annual Celebrating Excellence Recognition Program, an experience we’ve designed to recognize the accomplishments of students, faculty, staff and, of course, our generous donors. This year’s recognition is presented in a different format due to the COVID-19 pandemic. While we regret not being able to gather in person, we are grateful that technology allows us to celebrate and express our sincere thanks and congratulations. We hope you will enjoy this new venture, but know we so much look forward to seeing all of you in the near future. A culture of philanthropy was established early in our history, with our first private gift to the college in 1919 and the first scholarship endowment dating back to 1951. Today, our college has more than 100 endowed funds that go toward scholarships, professorships, international study awards, research support and more. The deep-rooted commitment by donors to cultivating the next generation of leaders also was reflected in the results of the recent Commit to Georgia Campaign, which raised a record-breaking amount of $1.45 billion! To our donors and scholarship recipients, thank you for your support and for your pursuit of excellence. Thank you also to all of the award recipients recognized today. Your commitment to improving lives inspires all of us. We are grateful to be able to count on your unwavering support in this great adventure. Linda Kirk Fox Patricia Hunt-Hurst Allisen Penn Dean Associate Dean Associate Dean Academic Programs Extension and Outreach 3 TABLE OF CONTENTS 3 Welcome: Linda Kirk Fox, Dean, College of Family and Consumer Sciences 5 Keynote Address: DeRetta Rhodes, Senior Vice President, Human Resources, Atlanta Braves 6 Student Honorees 12 Faculty and Staff Honorees 14 Faculty and Staff Honoree Bios 21 Celebrating Excellence Committee 22 Campaign Thank You Letter: Patricia White, Director of Development and Alumni Relations 23 Centennial Endowment for Student Success 4 KEYNOTE SPEAKER In the corner of DeRetta Rhodes’ office, just a long fly ball beyond the right field wall at Atlanta’s Truist Park, is a tiny piece of wall art featuring her favorite saying. “They told me I couldn’t,” it reads. “That’s why I did.” “I love that,” Rhodes said. “It reminds me of so many experiences I’ve had.” Rhodes, a 1992 FACS grad who also received a doctorate in adult education from UGA, was named Senior Vice President and Head of Human Resources for the Atlanta Braves in January 2019. The daughter of educators, Rhodes was an honors student and accomplished debater who later became the first African-American to speak at her high school’s graduation ceremony. Rhodes later completed an MBA from Clark Atlanta University before acquiring her doctorate, rising along the way to executive roles with Turner Broadcasting Systems, First Data and YMCA of Metropolitan Atlanta. Rhodes’ doctoral dissertation from 2010, “Courage under fire: How black women have learned to survive in corporate America” explored issues that resonate deeply with her and reflect much of own experience. Rhodes is now sought-after speaker who has served and continues to serve on the boards of several Atlanta organizations, including the 21st Century Leaders and Human Resource Leadership Forum. In 2018, she was an invited speaker at the TEDxUGA event and is the recipient of the FACS Distinguished Alumni Award for 2020. DeRetta Cole Rhodes Senior Vice-President Head of Human Resources, Atlanta Braves Ph.D., UGA College of Education, 2010 MBA, Clark Atlanta University, 1996 BSFCS, UGA College of Family and Consumer Sciences, 1992 5 STUDENT HONOREES Academic and Research Awards Katrina Little Bowers Alumni Mary E. Creswell Research Fund Leadership Fund Maureen Brewster, TMI Sponsor of FACS Alumni Association at Sha’Mira Covington, TMI FACS Leadership Retreat Kristian Hogans, TMI Shafiqul Islam, TMI Carolyn D. Berdanier Nutrition Jeongah Shin, TMI Science Support Emily Strub, TMI Maggie K. Whitehead, FDN Elizabeth Weigle, TMI Burton-Fowler Undergraduate Evelyn R. Harris Academic Support Research Award Xi Fang, FDN Niasia Ferguson, TMI Yuta Ishikawa, FDN Sarah Dean, HDFS Julie Jeon, FDN Robyn Salzberg, FDN Kathleen Ryan, TMI Endsley-Peifer Student Research Award Eleonora M. Costa Graduate Support Youngjoo Choung, FHCE Jerard Adams, FHCE Sha’Mira Covington, TMI Jordan Bell, FHCE Xi Fang, FDN Jamie Lynn Byram, FHCE Shafiqul Islam, TMI Pan Ju Chen, FHCE Youongjoo Chung, FHCE Wanda J. Grogan Professional Sae Rom Chung, FHCE Development Academic Support Sha’Mira Covington, TMI Sponsor of the FACS Student Malika Dhakhwa, FHCE Ambassadors at FACS Leadership Retreat Jyotsna Ghimire, FHCE Portia Johnson, FHCE Josephine Martin Emerging Seongsu Kim, FHCE Leader in Policy Award Caroline Kopot, TMI Kimberly Osborne, HDFS Jessica Parks, FHCE Taylor Newman, FDN Kaylee Ranck, FHCE Smriti Rai, TMI Mize-Ritchie Endowment Fund for Jalessa Reed, TMI Legislative Aide Scholarships Muna Sharma, FHCE Brejae Gates, TMI Jeongah Shin, TMI Yabin Tang, HDFS Glenn Wilson (Jack) Ellard Yingyi Liu, FHCE Legislative Aide Jaeyong Yoo, FHCE Sponsor of FACS Day at the Capitol 6 Sharon Y. Nickols Student Leadership Leonora Anderson Scholarship Sponsor of FACS Leadership Retreat Kenadi Davis, HDFS Inez Wallace Tumlin Graduate Logan Upshaw Bentley Student Academic Support Memorial Scholarship Mary C Prater, FDN Caroline Campbell, FHCE Liana Rodrigues, FDN Haley Spiron, HDFS Zena Costa Brown Scholarship Sarah Dintino, HDFS Jim and Lynda Walters Support Fund Chaehee Kim, HDFS Aditi Routh, FHCE Shreya Pandya, FDN Ava Reck, HDFS Anna Watkins, TMI Zehua Cui, HDFS Christine Hargrove, HDFS Glenn and Helen Burton William Stanford, HDFS Feeding the Hungry Scholarship Yabin Tang, HDFS Darci Bell, FDN Kimberly Osborne, HDFS LaRen Morton, HDFS Lois Dowdle Cobb Scholarship Clairee Peterson, HDFS Ashley “Harper” Brand, TMI Meredith Farnsworth, HDFS Amber Kelly, HDFS Thomas F. Comer Scholarship Catherine Ruter, FDN Karen S. Wampler Marriage & Family Therapy Award Karen R. Davis Scholarship Michael Curtis, HDFS Katherine Suma, HDFS Meredith Farnsworth, HDFS 7 STUDENT HONOREES Iris Price Dover Scholarship Georgia Soft Goods Education Aashka Sheth, FDN Foundation: Buhler Leadership & Academic Award Marion Louise Price Kassie Todd, TMI Elkin Scholarship Alivia Davidson, TMI The Nancy Hailey and Sis Strickland Hailey Scholarship Pearce L. and Mary Wells Portia Johnson, FHCE Elkins Scholarship Ummay Mowshome Jahan, TMI Anne and Earl Haltiwanger Scholarship Muna Sharma, FHCE Julia Ann Simpson Elliott Scholarship Shuangyan Wu, TMI McKenzie Belvins, TMI Kylee Christensen, HDFS Sharon Boone Hamner Foods Kaitlyn Hart, TMI and Nutrition Scholarship Madison Justice, FDN Hannah Wilson, FDN FACS Alumni Association Scholarship Doe H. Harden Scholarship Jake Conner, FDN Abigail Hightower, FDN FACS Alumni Association – FCCLA Grace Hartley Scholarship Jacee Baldivid, FDN Camryn Crosby, FHCE Margaret Greer, FHCE FACS Alumni Association – 4-H Michelle Morguarge, FHCE Sophia Rodriguez, HDFS Olivia Sawyer, FHCE Fairchild-Holcomb Family Jan M. Hathcote Social FACS Scholarship Science Academic Support Lydia Akin, FDN Sha’Mira Covington, TMI Erin Allen, TMI Jan M. Hathcote Scholarship Dean Linda Kirk Fox Scholarship Sarah Ros, TMI for Academic Excellence Carolyn Hammond, HDFS Opal Ward Jones Scholarship Mariah Foote, HDFS Hazel and Gene Franklin Scholarship Jones-Anderson Caroline Cerminaro, FDN Family Endowment Jordan Garmon, TMI Emily Strub, TMI Liana Rodrigues, FDN Elizabeth Weigle, TMI 8 STUDENT HONOREES Virginia Wilbanks Kilgore Scholarship Audrey Kernodle, FHCE Tehgan Anguilm, FDN Taylor Lamb, TMI Ziyou Jiang, TMI Sara Idacavage, TMI Ruth Rowan Morrison Graduate Magen Lord, FDN Fellowship in Nutrition Studies Chansophal Mak, HDFS Yu-Ra Son, FDN Kassidy Sharpe, FDN Jessica Strosahl, FDN Gladys F. (Nannie) Nesbitt/Flatt Yu Zhang, FHCE Education Fund in FACS Jeong Ah Shin, TMI Ashton Brantley, TMI Josephine Shieh, HDFS Vanessa Reyes, TMI Nick Slagel, FDN Sofie Wood, TMI Yu-Ra Son, TMI Shannon Stowers, FDN NRF Next Generation Scholarship Yabin Tang, HDFS Taylor Ford, TMI Dyna Ty, HDFS Parker Sylvester, TMI Jose Francisco Diaz Valenzuela, FHCE Elizabeth Weigle, TMI Gwendolyn Brooks Hannah Wilson, FDN O’Connell Scholarship Shuangyan Wu, HDFS Allison Rautmann, FDN Rosabelle Carr Koelsche Fund Emily Quinn and J. W. Samantha Hill, FDN (Joe) Pou Scholarship Yabin Tang, HDFS Dr. Betty Lane Graduate Scholarship Andrejs Pilajevs, FHCE Melynda Flatt Reid Dietetics Scholarship Marian Chesnut McCullers Scholarship Abigail Bailey, FDN Michael Gawrys, FHCE Flannery Daughtry, FDN Olivia Paniagua, FHCE Bailey Echols, FDN Christina Purgason, FHCE Mallory Johns, FDN Megan Smith, FDN Mize-Infinity Kristen Hankins, FACS Ed Elise Bray Richey Scholarship Rebecca Gould, FDN George Griffeth and Leolene Parker Sylvester, TMI Chapman Montgomery Scholarship Lauren Brown, HDFS Elizabeth T. Sheerer Malika Dhakhwa, FHCE Graduate Scholarship Ariyon Hamm, TMI Michael Curtis, HDFS 9 STUDENT HONOREES Pam McIntyre Thompson, YMA Fashion Scholarship Fund R. D. Scholarship Natalea Harrington, TMI Whitley Carter, FDN Jeremy Kalteux, TMI Isabella Morin, FDN Sabrina Lee, TMI Margarethe Little, TMI M. E. Powell Threkeld Scholarship Amy Manley, TMI Madison Merrill, HDFS Karen Tinsley Scholarship Nancy Virginia Price Chloe Freeman, FHCE Turner Scholarship Elifelet Sanchez, TMI Cetera Financial Group Scholarship Melanie Robertson, FHCE Marian Wang Nutrition Scholarship