Former dean establishes UGA college’s first chair

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UGA alumni, faculty and friends receive 2024 Alumni Awards

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The University of Georgia recognized this year’s Alumni Awards honorees during a luncheon April 5 in Athens. The annual Alumni Awards were first presented in 1936 to celebrate those individuals and organizations that demonstrate an outstanding commitment to UGA. The 2024 honorees are:

“This year’s recipients have shown time and time again that their devotion to the University of Georgia is truly in a class of its own,” said UGA President Jere W. Morehead. “Their commitment and generosity continue to make our university stronger and more equipped to tackle the challenges of tomorrow.”

2024 Alumni Merit Awards

The Alumni Merit Award is the oldest and highest honor for a UGA graduate. The award is presented to individuals who bring recognition and honor to the university through outstanding leadership and service to UGA, the community and their profession.

Susan Waltman graduated from UGA in 1973 and 1975 and is now special counsel for the Greater New York Hospital Association. Over the years, Waltman has shared her time and expertise with her alma mater by serving on the UGA Foundation Board of Trustees, UGA Foundation Emeritus Trustees Leadership Committee, UGA Research Foundation Board of Directors and the advisory boards of UGA’s Honors Program — now the Jere W. Morehead Honors College — and the College of Public Health. Since 2006, Waltman has hosted the Honors in New York Internship Program and, in many cases, stays in touch with those interns, writing recommendations for graduate school, scholarships and other professional opportunities. She extends her UGA support to include financial giving, having established scholarship funds in the College of Public Health, the Law School and as part of the Georgia Commitment Scholarship Program. She created the Public Health Outreach Support Fund and the Honors in New York Internship Fund at the Honors College and regularly supports the Let All the Big Dawgs Eat Scholarship Fund and the Fund to Advance Diversity and Inclusion. For decades, she has nurtured a growing culture of UGA philanthropy among alumni in the New York region by hosting lunches and gatherings, including regular holiday dinners, and by attending UGA alumni activities.

Craig Barrow III is a 1965 UGA graduate whose direct family ties to the university date back generations, starting with his late grandfather who graduated in 1896. The Wormsloe Historic Site in Savannah, Georgia, has been in Barrow’s family since 1737, and 750 acres of that land were eventually donated to the state of Georgia in an effort to conserve and democratize access to the land. In 2013, Barrow arranged for the Wormsloe Foundation to donate 15 acres of the estate to UGA to become the Center for Research and Education at Wormsloe. Wormsloe’s unique landscape and the Barrows’ meticulous documentation of human activity onsite now offer UGA students and faculty opportunities for research, education and community outreach. In 2016, Barrow began raising funds for the Experiential Learning Center at Wormsloe, which was dedicated in 2023. Barrow is a founding member of the UGA Libraries’ Board of Visitors, a founder and former chair of the UGA Press Advisory Council and a UGA Foundation emeritus trustee. He led the fundraising effort to build the new Richard B. Russell Jr. Special Collections Libraries Building at UGA. In 2010, the Barrow family was recognized as the Family of the Year by the UGA Alumni Association. Barrow is managing director at Stifel Financial in Savannah.

2024 Family of the Year Award

The Family of the Year Award is presented to a family that demonstrates a history of loyalty to UGA. These individuals bring recognition and honor to UGA through outstanding leadership and service to the university and the community at large.

Shell and Wyck Knox’s family connections to UGA date back to the 1920s. By the 1930s, no fewer than five individuals from the Knox and Hardman families had graduated from the university, followed by nine more in the 1960s, including Shell and Wyck, who would unite the families in 1967. After graduating from UGA in 1962 and 1964, Wyck began an exceptional law career while Shell, who graduated in 1966, devoted her time to education, the arts, historic preservation and conservation. In the 1980s, she became one of the first women to serve on the UGA Foundation Board of Trustees, a distinction she would one-up when she became the first woman chair of the board. In recognition of her service, Shell received the UGA Alumni Merit Award in 2000. Over the years, Shell and Wyck have served on a litany of boards and committees, including the Law School Board of Visitors, the Metropolitan Atlanta Olympic Games Authority, the UGA Athletics Board of Directors, the Georgia Museum of Art Board of Advisors, the Georgia Writers Hall of Fame Board of Judges and the Georgia Historical Society Board of Curators. Notably, Wyck served as a founding director and chair of the Georgia Lottery Corporation Board of Directors, helping to launch the lottery and the HOPE Scholarship it funded, which has provided scholarship support to millions of Georgia students. Their children, Wyck Knox III, Shell Knox Berry, Hardman Knox and Davis Knox, share their parents’ dedication to service. Hardman is a past chair of the Terry College of Business Alumni Board and will become a UGA Foundation advisory trustee on July 1. Davis served on the Terry College Young Alumni Board and the UGA Innovation District External Advisory Board. The Knox family has made gifts to many UGA schools, colleges, causes and initiatives, including the Morehead Honors College, School of Law and Terry College of Business. Their Knox Scholarship Fund alone has supported over 280 students since it was established in 1976.

2024 Faculty Service Award

The Faculty Service Award is presented to current or former faculty or staff who have demonstrated loyalty and service to the university through outstanding leadership in higher education.

After 40 years of service, Victor K. Wilson retired from UGA in 2023. The 1982 and 1987 UGA graduate’s first job was with his alma mater as director of orientation and assistant director of admissions. His career path eventually took him to leadership positions at Agnes Scott College, Northern Arizona University, and the College of Charleston before returning him to UGA in 2013. Starting then, he served as assistant to the president, associate vice president for student affairs and, most recently, vice president for student affairs. In that final role, Wilson served as the chief student affairs officer, overseeing 16 departments and nearly 600 staff members focused on enriching student learning and supporting student development. Wilson has held leadership roles in several national student affairs organizations and serves on the boards of Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity, St. Mary’s Health Care System, Athens Academy and the Red Cross of Northeast Georgia. Wilson supplemented his professional service with generous gifts to UGA, supporting the Arch Society, Blue Key, the Dean of Students Support Fund, Multicultural Services and Programs, UGA Miracle Dance Marathon and a variety of scholarship funds. Wilson also established a scholarship, named for his mother, for members of UGA’s Black Male Leadership Society.

2024 Friend of UGA Award

The Friend of UGA Award is presented to a non-alumnus or organization for their devotion to the greater good of the university.

Callaway Foundation Inc. is a place-based foundation that supports quality of life in Troup County, Georgia. The foundation’s initial wealth was generated in the early 1900s, as entrepreneur Fuller Callaway Sr. created banks, insurance companies, real estate companies and textile mills. He was known for developing vibrant mill village communities and for his philanthropic support for schools, churches, hospitals and other charitable organizations in Troup County. Callaway Sr.’s legacy was carried on by his two sons. Cason, the older son, helped to found Callaway Gardens while Fuller Jr., established what later became Callaway Foundation Inc. Fuller Jr. and his wife, Alice Hand Callaway, helped to steward Callaway Foundation Inc. and the Fuller E. Callaway Foundation for more than 50 years. Callaway Foundation, Inc., the larger of the two foundations, has contributed over $440 million during its 81-year history to religious, educational and charitable organizations. These organizations are mainly located in Troup County, but a few exceptions include institutions that serve Troup County residents, such as UGA. The foundation’s philanthropic engagement with the university began in 1978, and its impact can be seen across campus. Callaway Foundation Inc. helped UGA build the Performing and Visual Arts Complex on East Campus; it aided the enhancement of the Health Sciences Campus; it supported endowed, need-based Georgia Commitment Scholarships; it helped the School of Law extend its law clinic services to rural and underserved parts of Georgia and much more. The area of UGA that has benefited the most from its support is the State Botanical Garden of Georgia, where the Alice Hand Callaway Visitors Center and Conservatory, the Callaway Administration Building, and the entrance and elevator to the Garden Plaza are all named in honor of the enduring relationship between the garden and the foundation.

2024 Young Alumni Award

The Young Alumni Award is presented to individuals who bring recognition and honor to UGA through outstanding leadership and service to the university, the community and their profession. The recipient must have attended UGA within the past 10 years.

David B. Dove, a 2009 and 2014 UGA graduate, is a partner at Troutman Pepper law firm in Atlanta. He began his career in Georgia state government soon after graduation and became the chief of staff and legal counsel for then-Secretary of State Brian P. Kemp. He went on to serve the now-governor as executive counsel and was Kemp’s lead attorney in landmark victories in the Tri-State Water Wars in 2020 and 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 presidential election and over 800 days under a state emergency. He is the only person to serve as executive counsel at the beginning of both the first and second terms of a Georgia governor. Today, Dove shares his expertise with UGA students as a UGA School of Law adjunct professor and through mentoring relationships. He also chairs the UGA School of Public and International Affairs Alumni Board and serves on the Law School Alumni Council, the Uniform Law Commission’s Georgia Delegation and the Atlanta Chapter of the Federalist Society Executive Board. In 2019, Dove was named a UGA 40 Under 40 honoree, and in 2023, he received the UGA Law School Young Alumni/Alumnae of Excellence Award.

“This year’s honorees are, as always, inspiring and reflect a level of commitment to the University of Georgia that is unmatched in most other individuals and organizations,” said Lee Zell, president of the UGA Alumni Association. “We thank them for their loyalty, their commitment and their passion, and are so proud to recognize them in this way.”

More about these distinguished members of the UGA community, including video spotlights, is available at alumni.uga.edu/alumniawards.

Get to know the Georgia Women Give executive committee

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Georgia Women Give is a nationwide, women-directed fundraising group inviting more women to become philanthropists and engage more deeply with the University of Georgia. Founded in the spirit of The First 12, the first women to attend UGA, the group is committed to philanthropy, community and learning. 

GWG concentrates giving and increases impact by asking donors to designate their gifts to any of three specific funds: a merit-based scholarship fund, a study away support fund and an unrestricted fund that will send money to high-priority areas as directed by an executive committee. 

The Georgia Women Give executive committee is comprised of: 

Elizabeth Correll Richards, Chair, Atlanta, GA  

Cortney Beebe (AB ’98), Naples, FL  

Suzy Deering (BSFCS ’92), Bluffton, SC  

Ali Gant (AB ’01, MPA ’11), Chattanooga, TN  

Erika Lane (BBA ’93), Athens, GA  

Stephanie Powell (BSED ’94, MED ’97, EDS ’99), Statham, GA  

Diane Smock (AB ’74), Greenville, SC 

We asked them a few questions about who they are, their connection to UGA, and more. 

What is your proudest professional accomplishment?

Cortney Beebe: I was in charge of the 2005 Superbowl for Alltel in Alltel Stadium. We took 500 customers and clients, split up and stayed in three locations for three days and I didn’t lose anyone. All were alive and accounted for on Monday morning. 

Diane Smock: The Upstate Mediation Center is the sole provider of mandated mediation services on a sliding fee scale to litigants who otherwise would not have access to mediation. When it lost its funding, I was hired to oversee its closing. Instead, I was able to secure sustainable funding and otherwise improve the internal operations. Twenty years later, the UMC is still in operation and is thriving. 

What’s your favorite UGA-related memory?

Elizabeth Correll Richards: In 2017, UGA played Notre Dame. Both of my children were students at Georgia and all their friends wanted to go to the game, but it was expensive. So, I rented an RV, loaded 13 sophomores and seniors in the RV with my husband and drove to South Bend, Indiana, where we rented a house near the stadium. It was a weekend for the books. 

Ali Gant: Without a doubt, it was the summer of 1999. I was so lucky to be selected as one of 12 Orientation Leaders. That summer shaped the rest of my life: the way I lead both small and large groups, the way I can work as a part of a team of dynamic individuals and, most importantly, the fact that I met my husband. We didn’t get married for five more years, but that summer planted the seeds for the rest of my life. 

What constitutes a perfect day for you?

Cortney: No alarm, a stack of pancakes, a good workout (optional), then pack a cooler and spend all day on the beach with an amazing book. Then, a hot shower, dinner with my hubby and great friends, and head to bed early. Rinse and repeat. 

Diane: Waking up early to enjoy coffee, the New York Times (in hard copy!), and chatting with my husband before our busy days begin. Spending the day hiking in the nearby mountains with a few friends, then coming home to sit by the fire while enjoying a glass of wine or cup of tea and getting lost in the pages of a good book.

Stephanie Powell (left) and Diane Smock at the 2024 Georgia Women Give spring event’s signature luncheon.

What trait do you consider to be your “superpower?”

Erika Lane: My superpower lies in my organizational skills and ability to self-motivate. Balancing the daily demands with the beautiful things in life that keep you going: family, friends, travel and a little tennis. 

Suzy Deering: Being a Christian female in male-dominated industries. It allowed me to be empathetic and vulnerable which truly was a superpower.

Elizabeth: The ability to stay up late. It never bothered me when my kids pulled an all-nighter or needed a late-night ride. I am generally up until 3 a.m. – but don’t schedule anything for an early morning, I hate those! 

Elizabeth Correll Richards speaks at the 2024 Georgia Women Give spring event’s panel discussion.

Who is the woman you most look up to? Why?

Stephanie Powell: Laura Bush and Dolly Parton. These ladies are both classy, iconic women who know how to get a job done with grace and grit. 

Suzy: My grandmother was an amazing God-loving soul who stood tall and strong and provided unconditional love and a listening heart. I’m grateful my mom followed her mother’s footsteps and continues to fill that role. My mom is one of the strongest women I know. 

What traits do you value most in your friends?

Erika: When it comes to friendships, I value honesty, trust, and openness. Someone who will show up at your door with a bottle of wine – sometimes to laugh, sometimes to cry and hopefully many times to celebrate. 

Ali: I appreciate friends who, first and foremost, value kindness above all else. I also value friends who send me funny memes. 

Ali Gant speaks with an attendee of the annual Georgia Women Give spring event luncheon.

What were your favorite things to do with friends during your time at UGA?

Diane: As soon as the weather started to warm up after a chilly winter, several of us would wake at sunrise, pile into a car, and drive for hours to Sea Island, Tybee Island or even Panama City beach for a weekend of sun and fun, then drive back on Sunday night, sunburned and happy. 

Stephanie: During my time at UGA, you could find me Between the Hedges on game days as a Georgette, at the Zeta house, Spanky’s, listening to live music at the Georgia Theatre or (believe it or not) at Legion Field, which was a fun gathering spot for outdoor concerts and student events.

LEARN MORE ABOUT GEORGIA WOMEN GIVE