Archive for category: Alumni Spotlight

Assistant Director of Communications Jamie Lewis (AB ’12, AB ’12) recently interviewed alumnus Kit Cummings about his career and time at UGA. Kit is an international author, speaker and human rights and peace activist. After a lengthy career in ministry, Kit began working as a motivational speaker and was invited to speak inside a maximum security prison. This event was the catalyst for what Kit calls the “Power of Peace Program.” Kit recently published Peace Behind the Wire, which raises funds for that program.

Tell me a little bit about your background. What pushed you to attend UGA and what did you study?

I have been in the Atlanta area for my entire life and never plan to relocate. I’ve traveled the world for work, but every time I get off the plane in Atlanta, I am happy to be home. My father played basketball at UGA in the 1950s and I was raised a Bulldog—I always planned to go to school in Athens. I graduated from Walton High School in 1982, played soccer at Georgia Southern University in 1982-1983 and transferred to UGA in 1984. I graduated with a Bachelor of Business Administration in marketing from the Terry College of Business.

What was the inspiration for your book and what do you hope to accomplish with it?

I have been a public speaker for 25 years, and in the last 10 years or so, I began to get more involved in corporate motivational training. I was invited into a prison environment and that changed my life forever. I began to work with individuals who had made some of the worst choices and were experiencing some of the most drastic consequences. My mind change principles worked powerfully among this population and led to the creation of my organization, the Power of Peace Project, Inc. My new book, Peace Behind the Wire, tells the fascinating story of how 12 convicts in a dangerous maximum security prison, in the midst of a gang war, unknowingly started a peace movement that is now spreading to schools and prisons across the country. I intend to use this model, and the curriculum that was created from it, to spread peace throughout schools and communities around the world. I figure if it can work in the most dangerous places, which it has, then it can interrupt and redirect our at-risk youth, too.

What is next for you? Where do you see yourself in 3-5 years?

I continue to go where I’m invited and that has taken me on speaking tours around the country and even overseas into prisons in South Africa, Honduras, Ukraine and Mexico. At the end of this year, I will be going to India to plant seeds for the Power of Peace Project. I have connected with both the Gandhi and Mandela Foundations abroad, as well as the King Center here. Going forward, I see my organization and its volunteers working with states and foreign governments to create peace and help heal our wounded world. My dreams are BIG and the future is bright.

How did your time at UGA lead you to where you are now and did you have any particularly inspiring courses or professors? 

I had the time of my life at UGA. Athens was a place I never wanted to leave! The nightlife, the music scene, the culture of a small town combined with a large thriving university probably did more to shape me than I realize. I lived right downtown at University Towers and experienced all that college life had to offer. I have always been able to relate well to different cultures, and ethnic/socioeconomic backgrounds and I believe my time at UGA only helped to strengthen that—which has had a huge impact on my work. I loved my marketing courses and professors and believe that I have carried what I learned there into many areas of my calling.

What is your fondest memory of UGA?

My fondest memory was when the Bulldogs beat the No.1 ranked Florida Gators in Jacksonville 24-3 in 1985. We rushed the field and attempted (unsuccessfully) to tear down the goal posts. My friends and I were photographed coming over the fence and put on the front page of the Jacksonville Times! Classic.

The University of Georgia’s Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources will honor two alumni over Homecoming weekend.

Joe Hamilton has been named the 2015 Distinguished Alumnus, and Sharon Holbrooks will be recognized as the 2015 Distinguished Young Alumnus. These awards are given annually to alumni who have made outstanding contributions to the natural resources fields and have remained strong supporters of the Warnell School. Award winners are nominated by colleagues and other alumni.

“The Warnell School is truly blessed with many outstanding alumni who are loyal supporters of our program,” said Dale Greene, dean of the Warnell School. “Joe Hamilton and Sharon Holbrooks have led by example since they were students in our programs.”

Joe Hamilton

Hamilton, who received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in 1971 and 1978, respectively, has been a pioneer in the management and conservation of wildlife. He is best known as founder of the Quality Deer Management Association, a nonprofit organization with a mission to ensure the future of white-tailed deer, wildlife habitat and hunting heritage. The QDMA currently has nearly 60,000 members across the U.S. and Canada and in six additional countries.

Hamilton has served as the director of education and outreach for its Southern region, director of development and now serves in the role of QDMA founder and senior adviser.

“My academic training at Warnell provided an awareness, understanding and appreciation of our natural resources,” he said. “As a result, I am a devout steward of the proper protection and management of those treasures from the wild.”

Sharon Holbrooks

Holbrooks, who received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in 2004 and 2007, respectively, is a conservation easement specialist for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resource Conservation Service, where she helps lead and manage easement acquisition. She is also an expert in wetland and wildlife habitat management and was recently named one of UGA’s 40 Under 40, which recognizes exceptional young alumni who are achieving great success in their professional and personal endeavors.

Holbrooks has been an active alumna since graduating, serving on the Warnell School’s External Advisory Board, Young Alumni Committee, Instruction and Outreach Committee and Alumni Steering Committee. Her honor—the 2015 Distinguished Young Alumnus Award—is given annually to graduates who are active supporters of the Warnell School, are 40 years or younger and have graduated within the last 10 years.

“All of my successes thus far, I owe to my Warnell family,” she said. “The professors, students, staff—they all mean so much to me. I strive every day to be the person that deserves the title ‘Warnell graduate’ and represent the Warnell School the way it deserves.

Source

If you watch HBO’s popular series “True Detective,” odds are you’ve heard Lera Lynn Buettner’s (AB ’08) songs. The Nashville-based singer-songwriter has had four songs featured on the show’s soundtrack. The UGA Alumni Association recently sat down with Lera to learn more about her musical career and time spent studying anthropology at UGA.

Tell me a little bit about yourself. Where did you grow up and what led you to UGA? 

I was born in Texas, but my parents left soon after and slowly made their way to Georgia, stopping in Louisiana for about five years first. We moved around a good bit in Georgia, and I finished high school in Woodstock. It was around that time I visited Athens for the first time, to hang out with friends and see live music. I fell in love with the town’s energy and lively music scene. That’s ultimately what led me to UGA. My family stressed the importance of college, though I had my sights dead-set on music. UGA and Athens were my ticket to satisfying both.

As a student, were you involved in any activities or student groups on campus? Did you have a favorite professor or any fond memories from your time in Athens?

I worked my way through college, waiting tables, bartending and saving up as much as I could between semesters so that I could work fewer hours and still survive when school was in session. That said, I didn’t have a lot of extra time for student groups. What time I did have was always devoted to music. Attending UGA still endures as some of my most fond memories. What a luxury it is to go to college and just learn all day! My senior year was definitely my best, as the courses were digging deeper into the things that truly interested me. I loved study groups that were assembled by classmates. I loved sitting in the group and discussing the subject matter in-depth outside of the classroom. It’s easy to take that for granted when you’re so young, but those are some of the most important conversations you can have; just digging in and bouncing ideas off of other people who are dedicating so much energy to the same things as you.

One of my favorite memories was a beautiful and moving lecture by Dr. Peter Brosius. He was recounting time spent researching in the field and the relationships he’d developed there; the focus being love at the center of everything in life. His lecture brought the whole class (100+ students) to tears. I think he was in tears, too. I will never forget the passion he has for what he does. It reminds me to do what I do for the right reasons.

Since graduating, you’ve moved to Nashville. How did you establish yourself as a musician in there?

I’ve yet to establish myself anywhere, really, because I’m trying to establish myself everywhere all the time. As an artist, you’re often trying to establish yourself on a national level. There’s a difference between a studio musician in Nashville and an “artist.”

You’ve had several songs featured on the soundtrack for HBO’s True Detective. Tell me how that project came about and what doors it has opened for you.

I’ve had four songs featured in the series so far. I was lucky to have my manager set up a meeting with legendary producer, T Bone Burnett, after he expressed an interest in using the title track from an EP I released last year called “Lying in the Sun.” We got along well. Burnett asked if I wanted to collaborate on music for the show and the rest is history. I got to appear in the show several times and I’ve learned a lot about the business side of music and show business. The show has exposed my music to many new eager ears – that’s been the best part of the whole thing.

Do you have any other big projects in the pipeline? Where do you envision your career in five years?

I’m currently writing and recording my next LP. I’m really enjoying the process. I feel like there are so many more possibilities to explore. I hope that in the next five years I can buy a sensible new car. That would be success!

Learn more about Lera Lynn.