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Carolyn Tieger, Dedicated DAWG and Grady Benefactor

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On June 7, Carolyn Tieger (ABJ ’69) graduated from the University of Georgia. Just 24 hours later, Carolyn got married in the living room and tossed her bouquet from the steps of the Sigma Kappa house on Milledge Avenue. She then traded Athens for the nation’s capital to begin an illustrious career in public relations and public affairs.  

Carolyn excelled in both D.C.’s public and private sectors. Her experience with the Department of Commerce, Capitol Hill and the Reagan White House led to executive positions with PR giant Burson-Marsteller. She also built her own company, which she sold to leading PR firm Porter Novelli, and then ran Porter’s D.C. office. Carolyn has never slowed down. In retirement, she remains involved in politics, business and philanthropy in Naples, Florida, as well as her beloved alma mater and the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communications.   

Bulldog Adventures 

During winter 2025, Tieger traveled to Tanzania with Bulldog Adventures, a UGA program that offers a variety of memorable trips for alumni and friends to enjoy throughout the year. A portion of the cost of the trip also helps fund experiential learning opportunities for UGA students. 

Tieger and her fellow adventurers enjoyed daily safari game drives, viewed the vast Serengeti landscape from hot air balloons and visited Tanzanian museums and a local school while on the trip.  

“Africa was always on my bucket list. Not just to see the sights and animals, but to immerse myself in the culture,” she said. “Traveling with other Bulldogs was also such a highlight. It felt just like being back for homecoming week, getting to talk and reminisce on our time at UGA.” 

On a visit to a local primary school, Tieger found herself moved by the immense pride the students had in their country and school work, as well as the dedication of the teachers, who she was surprised to learn often walked long distances — up to two hours one way — to get to the school every day. After returning from her trip, Carolyn connected with the Kibaoni Primary School Foundation to begin a campaign for building housing for teachers, which has received support by many of the alumni on the trip.  

“I love kids, and I love students in particular,” said Tieger. “I don’t have children of my own, so I’m very passionate about supporting students and their education. I try to do as much as I can for Grady students, and after having met those kids in Tanzania, I knew I wanted to take my passion international.”

Carolyn (pictured on the right) in a safari vehicle during her Bulldog Adventures trip to Tanzania. Photo: submitted.

Carolyn’s Bulldog Adventures travel group pictured in Tanzania. Photo: submitted.

Giving back to Grady 

Originally starting her time at UGA as an education major, Tieger soon realized her talents were better suited towards public relations than the classroom.  

“The thing that stuck with me most from my time at Grady was the professors weren’t just interested in educating you, but truly preparing you for what comes after graduation,” she said. “Grady gave me the confidence and credentials to go into the world and go after what I wanted. I was just a kid from Homer, GA and never in my wildest imagination thought that I could go to Washington and have the kind of career I had.” 

Carolyn has helped establish two unique programs at Grady: the Public Affairs Communications (PAC) program and the Talking Dog Agency.  

First and only in the nation, the PAC program provides students with specialized communications skills aimed at educating, shaping or changing public opinion on public policy, legislation, political candidates or issues. The Talking Dog Agency is a full-service, student-led advertising and public relations agency giving students real-world experience before entering the work force.  

“Even though I had my degree and was ready to rock and roll, I knew very little about public policy, how laws are made and specific communications skills you need if you’re going to work in an area with government presence,” Tieger said.  

“[Grady] has so many alumni who have graduated and work in the world of public affairs and politics that I thought if students were equipped with the kinds of skills I didn’t have when I started out in Washington, it would help them get jobs and our students would be in demand,” she continued. 

In addition to her contributions to the PAC program and Talking Dog, Tieger launched what she calls the Ex-PRIZE program while she was chair of the Grady Board of Trust, providing funding for students to participate in experiential learning. Tieger and the Board of Trust raised more than $1.4 million in six months, and the fund has grown exponentially since then.  She has also set up a planned gift to be allocated to the university through her estate plan. With this contribution, her self-dubbed “gift that keeps on living” will continue to sustain the Grady PAC program and its students for years to come.  

Join Carolyn and give back to the areas of UGA that have made the biggest impact on your personal and professional journey. 

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Grady’s UGA-alum Writer in Residence has a star-studded resume

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Nick Chiles (MFA ’22) has written more books than any other faculty member in the University of Georgia’s Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication, so it is no surprise he is their Writer in Residence. Chiles has written over 20 books chronicling Black culture in America, including multiple celebrity memoirs.

He landed at Grady as the Grady Writing Lab coach. At the same time, he joined the MFA Narrative Nonfiction program in the hopes of gaining a full-time faculty role. While going through the program, Chiles continued to teach a writing course.

“I was kind of split in half,” he said. “Half of me was in the building as a student. Half of me was in the building as a faculty member.”

The MFA program has a heavy focus on reading and writing, Chiles shared. Mentors are the key to student success. Graduate students spend a lot of time with their mentor to get feedback and help on projects.

“[Mentors] make the program,” Chiles said.

He took what he learned during the MFA to inform his own classes. He graduated in 2022 and went straight into his new position.

Even as a full-time faculty member, Chiles continues writing. He is currently working on memoirs for Martin Lawrence and Colin Kaepernick. The process of working with these notable figures requires spending a lot of time with them so Chiles can delve into their lives and background.

“Dredging all that stuff up, I think, is unexpectedly painful and emotional for a lot of them in ways that they weren’t expecting,” he said. “And so, there’s a lot of tears, often when I’m going through their family history. I mean, everybody has some pain in their background, in their story.”

Chiles spends months with the celebrities he writes about.

He is also working on a book to chronicle the history of Black comedy in America. He spent the summer doing research, starting as far back as the 1840s with minstrel performers.

“It’s pretty much the history of comedy in the US, because Black people were so integral in forming the idea of what American comedy would look like,” Chiles said.

Chiles won a Pulitzer Prize in 1992 as part of an investigative reporting team for New York Newsday. He teaches multiple writing classes at Grady, including feature and memoir writing. Before coming to UGA, Chiles earned his BA at Yale University. He spent time teaching at both Princeton and Columbia.

Throughout his career, Chiles was a reporter for New York Newsday, the Dallas Morning News and the Star-Ledger of New Jersey. He also wrote for the magazines Essence and Ebony, The Atlantic and The Christian Science Monitor.

Learn How You Can Become a UGA Mentor

Blake Witmer is following in her father’s footsteps

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This story, written by Heather Skyler, was originally published on UGA Today on June 14, 2024. 

Two UGA Orientation leaders from the same family, 29 years apart.

Every year, approximately 8,000 students and 12,000 family members come to the University of Georgia for Orientation. The job of introducing these groups to campus is a coveted position, and over 100 students apply to be orientation leaders every year. Only 20 are selected.

This summer, rising junior Blake Witmer ’26 earned one of those spots, stepping into the same role her father, Craig Witmer (BSED ’96), had in 1995.

Craig Witmer (second from right) with three of his fellow 1995 orientation leaders. (PHOTO: Chamberlain Smith/UGA)

The new orientation leaders are each assigned a number, and each number has an adjective attached, from “Wild 1” to “Timeless 20.”

“When my dad was here, there were only 10 leaders and there were no adjectives,” Blake explained. “They just sat them down and told them their number. Now it’s a big deal. They even have number reveal day.”

Blake Witmer and her father, Craig Witmer, make a six with their hands beside Herty Fountain. Each of them were number “Saucy Six” as orientation leaders. (PHOTO: Chamberlain Smith/UGA)

Blake was thrilled to discover that she would be “Saucy 6,” the same number her father had. When she found out, she called her dad, who was excited about the connection. Last summer’s number six, Cole Broomberg, was there with her when she made the call.

“Your number from last year becomes your mentor,” she explained. “Cole texts me every day to check in. He’s my number dad. I call him Papa.”

Blake grew up in Grayson. Both of her parents and her older sister attended UGA, and all three of them are teachers. When it came time for Blake to apply to college, she was determined to go somewhere else and “break the cycle.”

Orientation leader Blake Witmer greets freshman students and parents at orientation check in at Tate Grand Hall. (PHOTO: Chamberlain Smith/UGA)

She was considering a small, prestigious college in upstate New York, but after attending the UGA game against Coastal Carolina with her sister, Hayden, who lived on campus at the time, Blake had a change of heart.

“I liked how big campus was. I thought I wanted to go to a smaller school because my high school was big, but once I was here visiting, I liked that aspect. On a tour of UGA, my guide said, ‘You can make a big school small, but you can’t make a small school big.’ I really liked that.”

Craig Witmer (Bottom row, second from left) with the 1995 orientation leaders. (PHOTO: Chamberlain Smith/UGA)

After receiving early admission and the Zell Miller Scholarship, Blake committed to UGA, and she’s been deeply involved in campus life ever since she arrived. During her first year, she joined a student government First-Year Program.

“It really tuned in my love for mentorship. Specifically for the first-year experience, which I think is such a unique time in a college career,” she said, adding that the program helped her learn how to get students excited and involved during their first year of college, which was perfect training for being an OL.

Despite changing her mind about coming to UGA and despite her love of mentoring, she plans to break the family cycle of becoming a teacher. As a public relations major in UGA’s Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication, she likes the idea of possibly going into publishing. Currently, she works for a local fashion and culture magazine called Strike, writing articles and acting as blog director.

Portrait of Craig Witmer, former orientation leader, and daughter Blake Witmer, current orientation leader, in front of the Arch. (PHOTO: Chamberlain Smith/UGA)

But right now, most of her time involves introducing students to UGA. New student orientation began May 30 and there are 17 first-year sessions before school begins in August. Each group attends two days of orientation, which starts with a silly song and dance number performed by all 20 orientation leaders. Then small groups tour campus, learn about UGA’s social media accounts from the Division of Marketing and Communications, play games, and eat dinner in the dining hall before watching the OLs perform skits. Finally, they spend the evening at Ramsey signing up for student organizations and choosing from activities like a silent disco or board games.

Craig Witmer said a lot has changed about the job since his time at UGA, but he thinks there are more commonalities than differences. “The biggest similarity is the ability to share a love of UGA with so many people,” he said.

Blake said her favorite part of the job is getting to meet the students. “It’s such a fulfilling experience. I can see why people stay in higher ed. There’s nothing like it. Getting to be a part of that for the whole summer is going to be great.”

Get connected to future Bulldogs

 

UGA alumna credits scholarship program for professional success

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Growing up, Natalie Clauson (AB ’21) always knew she wanted to be a Bulldog. Coming from a family of Georgia fans and an older brother who loved his time at the university, she built a dream of becoming a Dawg herself. Now, after graduating with a degree in public relations and working her way up to a manager position in a Bulldog 100 company, she has become quite the outstanding alumna.

Natalie Clauson credits much of her professional success to the Georgia Commitment Scholarship (GCS) program that allowed her to thrive during her time at UGA. “It was such a blessing, beyond just financially,” she said.

The GCS program has created more than 680 endowed, need-based scholarships since 2017, and students in Natalie’s scholarship cohort were some of the first to be awarded this aid. The program invests in its students financially, but also professionally and academically with a focus on providing networking opportunities and career coaching. Natalie explains, “GCS is like having an extra layer of support at UGA in all aspects of student life.”

As an undergraduate student, Natalie was involved in many areas on campus. She served as T-shirt Chair for Alpha Chi Omega, designing merchandise for her sorority—something she considers an integral part of her college experience. She was also a member of the Wesley Foundation, serving as a small group leader and discipleship mentor. In addition, Natalie was a teacher’s assistant for American Sign Language (ASL) courses and closely worked with ASL students and Brian Leffler, lecturer in the Mary Frances Early College of Education. This experience, as well as her involvement with her sorority and campus ministry, gave her a passion for mentorship that she carries with her to this day.

Natalie, at a Georgia-Florida game with friends

Natalie, at a Georgia-Florida game with friends

“My biggest advice to current UGA students is to find a mentor,” Natalie states. “Finding people to ask for advice who had similar career goals to me was something that I really valued in college. I don’t think I would have the experience that I do now without that.”

Donors who create Georgia Commitment Scholarships like Natalie’s have the opportunity to provide direct mentorship to the student receiving the scholarship. Natalie remains connected to her donor, Samuel Holmes, and the team of UGA staff who operate the GCS program. “The fact that the team still checks on me shows how much they care about the students going through this program,” said Natalie.

During her time as a student, Natalie worked as an intern with a public relations agency she was connected to through the GCS program. Her experiences in that internship helped her to land a position with her current employer, Marketwake, a leading digital marketing agency and 2023 Bulldog 100 honoree based in Atlanta. After finishing the junior associate program, which places great emphasis on mentorship and training, Natalie was offered a full-time role with the company as a technical project manager and traffic manager.

“Being part of the GCS program was essential to my growth as a student and a professional,” she states. “I wouldn’t be where I am without it.”

Q&A with Alex Urban (MA ’12), TOUR Championship Executive Director

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Alex Urban (MA ’12) is living his childhood dream: this past May, the PGA TOUR named Alex executive director of the TOUR Championship. After falling in love with the sport of golf early in life, he now plans, facilitates and advocates for one of the most prestigious golf tournaments in the United States. The TOUR Championship is truly Alex’s perfect workplace, and why wouldn’t it be? It’s full of Bulldogs!

The TOUR Championship runs August 24 – 28, the first under Alex’s leadership (want to go? Here’s how to do that). Ahead of the big event, Alex generously took some time to answer a few questions about his time at UGA, the PGA TOUR, and everything in between.

Q: What is your first UGA memory?

A: My first memory is walking into the Grady College when I was touring colleges for grad school and being instantly amazed by the campus and the facilities. I was, at the time, choosing between UGA and UF, and thankfully, there is no doubt in my mind that I made the best possible decision.

Q: Where did you spend most of your time on campus?

A: When I was on campus, I was mainly in the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication. I love that part of campus because it’s right there by the Tate Student Center and, of course, Sanford Stadium. Outside of Grady, I did spend a decent amount of time at the Zell B. Miller Learning Center and the Main Library – graduate school requires a lot of reading and writing! As a former competitive swimmer, the 50-meter pool in Ramsey was awesome too.

Q: As you progressed in your career, what was the most valuable lesson from UGA that you carried with you?

A: I learned so many things in my time at UGA—both in and outside of the classroom. One thing that has really stuck with me is the value of measuring progress and success. For example, when we evaluate marketing campaigns or tactics, it’s easy to fall into the trap of just guessing what is working and what is not. It’s so important to create accurate ways to measure output both pre- and post-implementing tactics so you work with the best information to make decisions.

Also, the value of listening is something I am always being reminded of. There are a lot of smart people in the world, and teams operate so much better when leaders get out of the way and listen. There is nothing more important than listening – to a similar point above, listening allows you to get the full picture before making strategic decisions.

Q: What is the best thing about being executive director for the TOUR Championship?

A: Very few people in the world get to say they work in their dream job, and I am one of the lucky members of that club. When I was 15 and thinking about what I might do for a living, I knew it was a dream to work in sports, but then to work in my favorite sport is special. I love the sport of golf so much and this job. I feel like I get to make my own mark on the history of the game and make a positive impact on our community.

Q: How often do you hear “Go Dawgs” from players and other PGA TOUR staff?

A: All the time! As you might imagine, there are a ton of Dawgs that work for the PGA TOUR, especially with it being headquartered not too far away in Ponte Vedra Beach outside of Jacksonville. I was at our headquarters for five years, and of course, the Georgia-Florida game is a can’t-miss event every year. As far as our players, there are so many on TOUR that you can’t go too long without running into a Dawg.

I was lucky enough to be working the Sony Open in Oahu during the first national championship game against Bama and helped set up the bet between Kevin Kisner and Justin Thomas where the loser had to wear the winner’s jersey for a hole during the Pro-Am. While it was a sad week for UGA that time, Kevin was a good sport. There have been a lot of happy Dawgs at the PGA TOUR since January!

Q: What does your day-to-day look like in your job?

A: I get asked this all the time, and it’s so hard to answer because it changes so much depending on the time of year or even the day of the week. We put on a small city to operate a world-class tournament like the TOUR Championship, so on any given day, we might be working with one of our proud partners – Southern Company, Coca-Cola and Accenture – or doing budgeting, marketing, speaking engagements, operational build items, signage, community outreach, permitting—the list goes on. It is truly impossible to get bored in a role like this given the breadth of the job.

Q: What does the volume of UGA golfers on tour say about the program Coach Haack runs?

A: It says three things in my mind:

  1. Coach Haack knows how to identify great players.
  2. He knows how to coach them so that they grow into PGA TOUR-level players.
  3. UGA is an ideal place to hone a player’s skill.

It is truly amazing what Coach Haack has been able to accomplish, and the ever-growing, already huge list of Dawgs on TOUR highlights that. I teed it up a few times at the University Golf Course, and it’s obviously a pretty good test of golf!

Q: How does the PGA TOUR involve itself in philanthropy in the communities it touches?

A: Throughout the season, PGA TOUR events generate millions of dollars for the communities they play in, and none underscore the importance of that more than the TOUR Championship here at East Lake. Since 1998, the tournament has generated more than $42 million in charitable donations to the East Lake Foundation, the First Tee of Metro Atlanta, Purpose Built Communities and a few other local charities. These charities directly impact the community immediately surrounding the course—what the East Lake Foundation and the Cousins family have been able to accomplish to improve this area is remarkable.

You look at the construction of an impressive building like the Drew Charter School, and you can see that charitable impact at work—it isn’t just a number. And those things all work in concert to make the city of Atlanta and East Lake a better place to live. We take that responsibility very seriously. Every year, two First Tee of Metro Atlanta students earn the right to hit the opening tee shot on Thursday through a series of essays, interviews and golf tournaments. It is such a special way to start the week and highlight our commitment to this community.

 

Thank you to Alex for spending some time with us and giving us a peek into the working life of a Bulldog running the TOUR Championship! Find tickets to the event on their website, and watch the top 30 PGA TOUR players compete at East Lake Golf Club from August 24 – 28. Stay informed by following the official TOUR Championship on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Learn More About the Tour Championship

UGA advertising alumni shine with Super Bowl commercials

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Jason Kreher (ABJ ’00), a Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication alumnus, had a hand in creating two of the most popular commercials during this year’s Super Bowl.

He served as creative director for both the Irish Spring cult-horror parody and the minimalist Coinbase DVD logo reference. The Coinbase ad was ranked No.1 by Ad Age and AdWeek and received a Super Clio for best ad in the Super Bowl.

View Irish Spring Ad View the Coinbase Ad

Getting to know Jason

Jason enrolled at UGA in 1996 already interested in the journalism school. He gives a lot of credit to Karen Whitehill King’s media class in which he said he learned “literally everything I know today.” 

After graduating in 2000, Jason traveled to Florence, Italy, before returning to the United States and landing a job as an assistant account executive on the intel account. In 2008, Jason joined the international advertising agency Wieden + Kennedy where he worked his way up to the creative director of its entertainment and editorial division.  

During this time, he earned the 2017 Henry W. Grady Mid-Career Alumni Award. Though he finds the ‘Mid-Career’ part of the title “hilariously diminutive,” he still asserts that this was the most exciting award to receive—and he’s received a lot of awards, including two Grand Prix’s at the Ciclope International Festival of Craft and the AICP’s Campaign of the Year, to name a few.  

After 14 years with Wieden + Kennedy, Jason found a new position as chief creative officer North America at Accenture Interactive. It was with this agency that Jason created and directed the Coinbase and Irish Spring ads for the Super Bowl. 

Jason (right) with Karen Whitehall King and Grady alumnus Tatum Shaw (ABJ ’02).

About the ads

He says he is pleased with the ads’ receptions. He prides himself on creating provocative ads, so when Coinbase’s one-minute-long bouncing QR code received mixed reviews, he was thrilled it was getting lots of attention.

“The Coinbase response was incredibly fun to watch happen in real time,” he said. “I love that once the dust settled, the spot came in first in the AdWeek and Ad Age polls and dead last in the USA Today poll. We knew the commercial wasn’t for everyone, but that was never the point. The number of people who scanned and the number of people who stayed and signed up exceeded our clients’ wildest expectations.”  

Despite being the more traditional of the two commercials—if you can call a sweaty man stumbling into a cleaning-obsessed cult traditional—Jason is happy with how the Irish Spring ad turned out, too.  

“Irish Spring made a few top ten lists as well,” he said. “But the funniest part is that I snuck in my high school’s logo on the main character’s shirt. Apparently, Brookwood pride is very real, almost alarmingly so. My clients were like, ‘why is our social feed lighting up in Snellville Georgia all of a sudden?’ Nice work, Internet Broncos.”  

All of Jason’s work—advertisements, short films, songs and more—are on his website. 

Jason shooting a campaign in Prague.

If you want more Super Bowl ads by Georgia Bulldogs …

Grady alumnus Andy Pearson (ABJ ’06, AB ’06) also had a hand in a popular regional commercial for Liquid Death.

View Liquid Death Ad

Andy served as the vice president of creative services for the ad which featured small children (and one pregnant woman) partying and drinking the non-alcoholic sparkling water to Judas Priest’s “Breaking the Law.” The brand purposefully markets itself to look alcoholic to give those who don’t want to drink a healthier alternative without feeling pressured.

Andy also has his own website with his many advertising campaigns. He and his wife, Liza Behles, also have a joint website where they freelance remotely as a creative duo.

Support the next generation of ad industry professionals by giving to the Advertising Education Fund.

Donate to the Advertising Education Fund

Family ties lead to lesson in giving

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Parents’ philanthropy inspires new generation of Bulldogs

Jeff and Allison Mitchell live on a steady diet of maroon and orange in the college town of Blacksburg, Virginia, where both Jeff and Allison are Virginia Tech alumni, regularly attending football games to cheer on the Hokies. Despite this familiar connection with Virginia Tech, their daughter Elizabeth Grace (ABJ ’21) elected to forge her own path at the University of Georgia.

Elizabeth Grace’s time in Athens offered her an education needed to succeed beyond graduation and it provided valuable lessons around the importance of giving and service. So, while Jeff and Allison may have earned their degrees elsewhere, they’re now building a legacy of giving alongside their daughter at UGA.

New Colors, Same Focus

When Elizabeth Grace arrived on campus, Jeff and Allison instantly joined the Bulldog family, swapping out their Hokies’ attire for red and black. They regularly visited the Classic City during Elizabeth Grace’s four years in Athens, engaging, giving and serving, primarily through service on UGA’s Parents Leadership Council, to demonstrate what a legacy of giving looks like.

“We wanted Elizabeth Grace to understand that supporting her university is something she needed to take the long-term view on,” Jeff said. “Don’t put it off and think ‘I’ll start giving later;’ get started now.”

Giving back is as natural for Jeff and Allison as breathing; they provide ample philanthropic support to a host of institutions and organizations, including their alma mater. They lead by example to ensure those lessons of generous giving are passed on to Elizabeth Grace.

Creating a New Legacy

As graduation neared, Jeff and Allison wanted to honor their daughter’s time at UGA and illustrate why giving is important. The Mitchells decided to recognize her with a legacy gift — a philanthropic gift made in honor of her time at UGA — establishing the Elizabeth Grace Mitchell Student Support Fund.

They sought her involvement, working with her to identify what she wanted the fund to address on campus. Elizabeth Grace recommended that the fund provide financial support to students in the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication who are majoring in her field of study, entertainment and media studies (EMST).

“The Mitchell family’s support of student projects will help us fuel EMST film projects – the very heart of the department’s experiential learning efforts,” said Charles Davis (MA ’92) the dean of the Grady College. “This sort of support takes on increasing importance the more hands-on work we do as a college, so we deeply appreciate the fund and what it signifies.”

photo of the Mitchell family with Grady College Dean Charles Davis

Jeff and Allison Mitchell (far left and right) with their daughter, Elizabeth Grace Mitchell (AB ’21) and Grady College Dean Charles Davis (MA ’92) in December 2021.

The fund also gives the opportunity for Elizabeth Grace to engage philanthropically with UGA right after graduation. She’ll contribute directly to it, allowing her to start her own journey of giving while building a legacy that endures long after she’s graduated.

More Opportunities with PLC

In addition to the legacy gift, the Mitchells joined the Parents Leadership Council (PLC) during Elizabeth Grace’s freshman year. Ultimately, this decision launched the couple’s philanthropic journey at UGA.

The PLC offered the chance for their family to build a meaningful connection with the university, including a social network that Jeff and Allison could trust would support Elizabeth Grace during her time in Athens. The service-oriented group provides funding through parents’ annual gifts to various student programs and initiatives on campus.

In the last decade, the group has awarded more than $3.8 million to undergraduate student organizations and is the top supporter of the President’s Venture Fund. The response to these types of needs, as well as the opportunity to help prioritize what needs should be addressed, resonated with Jeff and Allison. It allowed them to proactively help determine how their contributions improved campus—something they offered their daughter when setting up the Elizabeth Grace Mitchell Student Support Fund.

Forever Connected to the Bulldog Family

For Jeff and Allison, establishing the legacy gift for Elizabeth Grace is the culmination of a series of relationships, experiences and opportunities that ultimately will connect them to UGA for the rest of their lives.

“Everybody knows the University of Georgia, but to have your daughter attend from out-of-state and understand the brand and the legacy here, it’s just special,” Jeff said. “We’ve met many, many passionate UGA alumni, and their joy and passion are infectious. You spend any time here, and you just get it. So, we’re happy to celebrate Elizabeth Grace and support the University of Georgia.”

Jeff and Allison hope their philanthropy will inspire other Bulldog parents to establish their own legacies in honor of their students’ UGA experiences. Doing so enables the next generation to strengthen UGA by creating new avenues to success for future Bulldogs.

Want to know more? Consider being a part of parent philanthropy at UGA and establishing your own legacy gift to benefit future generations of Bulldogs! Learn more about UGA’s Parent Fund and Parent Leadership Council.

Learn More About the Parent Fund Learn More About the PLC

Written by Johnathan McGinty (ABJ ’00)

Dawg-gone good gifts: SculptHouse

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For the people on your gift list who live in athleisure attire, check out SculptHouse. 

SculptHouse is a fitness studio, activewear and lifestyle boutique with physical locations in Atlanta and Dallas and a robust online presence. It focuses on helping clients lead healthy, happy and confident lives through fitness and fashion. 

Founder and CEO Katherine Mason’s (ABJ ’12) built SculptHouse from her experience in New York City’s fitness industry. Mason launched SculptHouse to fill a void for effective, efficient workouts while also offering an extensive activewear line. SculptHouse Buckhead, its first location, opened in 2016, and a Dallas, Texas, location followed in 2019. This year’s 2022 Bulldog 100 recognizes SculptHouse as one of the fastest-growing organizations owned or operated by UGA alumni. 

SculptHouse sells everything you can think of when it comes to activewear: crop tops, leggings, lounge sets and more. SculptHouse also partners with Esseutesse to sell fringed-out, fun sneakers that ensure you’re putting your best foot forward.  

SculptHouse partners with Esseutesse to sell fringed-out, fun sneakers that ensure you’re putting your best foot forward.

 Browse SculptHouse gifts through the online store, or purchase a boutique gift card if you just can’t decide what to give. 

The holidays have arrived! As you finish up your holiday shopping, we’re featuring UGA alumni-owned businesses that we can’t stop barking about. Give uniquely and support a Bulldog this holiday season with a Dawg-gone good gift.     

Want more Dawg-gone good gift ideas?

Dawg-gone good gifts: Baylee Bakes

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For the people on your gift list who can’t get enough of the Great British Baking Show, fulfill their sweetest dreams with custom-decorated sugar cookies from Baylee Bakes. 

Baylee Bakes’ founder and operator Baylee Marsh (BA ’20) never planned to own a cookie business. While studying advertising at UGA, a casual Instagram account featuring her cookies and a series of accidental cookie orders led Marsh to the UGA Entrepreneurship Program’s 2019 Summer Launch Program, where she won $5,000 in funding. Marsh hasn’t stopped baking since.  

Baylee Bakes offers holiday-inspired boxes of various sizes ($10-20). For the Dawg who bleeds red and black, gift a UGA Football half dozen box ($20). For the person on your list who wants to earn their treat, purchase a Christmas Cookie Decorating Kit ($18) or a Custom Paint Your Own Cookie set ($5).  

Give the gift of red and black with UGA-themed cookies from Baylee Bakes.

Looking for a holiday party idea? Book a private class with Baylee Bakes.  

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Dugan Bridges’ (ABJ ’06) “distillery” helps entrepreneurs find the spirit of their idea

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Dugan Bridges’ walk to work has, over the years, put him on bustling New York City sidewalks and Hollywood studio lots. Those walks through the global financial capital and the center of the entertainment universe taught him a lot and helped him grow. But it’s his walk to work today—past the Chapel, by the Arch and under the oak trees of North Campus—that he calls “heaven on earth.”

The Oconee County native came to UGA in 2002 with a strong interest in media production, so he set his sights on an ABJ in Telecommunication Arts. In his first three years at UGA, he took on a fairly high-profile extracurricular activity: the position of UGA Mic Man.

The Mic Man is a student who works to fire up Bulldog fans at football games. If you’ve watched or attended a game in Sanford Stadium and seen someone cheering, dancing, and screaming in front of the student section next to Hairy Dawg, you were looking at the Mic Man.

“I was baptized into college football and became a huge Georgia fan because of that,” said Dugan. “I traveled to all the games with the cheerleading team and the mascot. I ate with the athletes, I worked out with the athletes. It was an amazing experience.”

Dugan served as the Mic Man for three years, after which he focused on his major coursework and new extracurricular pursuits.

“I built relationships with people who are some of my best friends now, and we were making films on the side with whatever cameras I could get a hold of through the journalism school,” said Dugan. “I loved it, and I fell in love with UGA.”

Dugan, as Mic Man, leads the student section in Calling The Dawgs.

After graduating in 2006, Dugan headed for New York, where he found a job with a large marketing firm producing corporate videos for brands like Ford, Gillette and American Airlines. The work—though different from what he’d done in college—provided experience and connections.

It was also during this time that he met Jennifer, a New York-born woman who shared a surprising connection with Dugan.

“She loved that I was from Athens,” he said. “I couldn’t believe it. I was like, ‘How do you know about Athens?’ And I found out she was a big music fan, particularly REM. She said, ‘I read a book about them and the town they’re from, and I’ve always wanted to go there.’”

The future Mrs. Dugan Bridges would eventually get her wish. But for now, they were just dating, while Dugan and the college friends who accompanied him to New York continued to produce short films that were getting accepted to more and more film festivals.

In 2012, Dugan began eyeing a move to California. The prospect of leaving his college friends spurred the group to act on an idea they’d been kicking around since their Athens days. Financing was the big question, until someone suggested what was then a relatively unknown avenue for funding: Kickstarter.

“Time was running out, and it was the only shot we had,” said Dugan. “We thought we knew enough people, but movies are expensive, so this was the kind of favor you can only ask for once. We hoped that our network would show up, and thankfully, they did.”

“The Little Tin Man” became one of the first feature films to be funded by Kickstarter. The film premiered in 2013, was accepted to numerous film festivals around the country and eventually garnered interest from Gravitas Ventures and Amazon, who became its distributors.

Dugan and friends at an event for “The Little Tin Man”

By this time, Dugan and Jennifer had moved to Los Angeles, where the film’s success opened doors for Dugan as he began to pivot his career.

“In New York, I was doing more producing, some writing,” said Dugan. “But in LA, I was much more focused on pursuing writing and directing. The success of the film helped me meet working Hollywood screenwriters and producers and have them treat with me respect and not as some outsider.”

Those opened doors turned into a variety of opportunities for Dugan: mentors gained through writers groups, the chance to direct a fully funded short film, a position working for Robert Zemeckis, the award-winning director of “Forrest Gump” and the “Back to the Future” trilogy.

In 2016, Dugan and Jennifer welcomed their first child, Ronen. Dugan’s career continued to develop as Ronen did, but when his son took his first steps, Dugan’s perspective began to shift.

“As soon as he was able to start walking around, it was like I started having visions,” said Dugan. “For the first time in my adult life, a yard with green grass, a house, all that stuff really started to appeal to me.”

As Dugan’s interest in keeping his family in a one-bedroom apartment waned, his interest in returning to Georgia grew. But because of his work, leaving LA was a big decision.

“Ultimately, I realized that Hollywood is not a place—it’s a direction that you’re going,” said Dugan. “I realized I could go to Georgia, create, stay in contact with my networks in Los Angeles and New York, and help the community that’s growing here and has a desire to make something permanent.”

The Bridges family moved to Athens in 2018. Over the next year, Jennifer got a job with St. Mary’s Health Care System, Dugan got the pieces in place for a business, and Ronen got a brother. When Clark was born, the demands of home began to compete with the demands of work, and the family took a leap: Dugan would launch his business, and Jennifer would stay home with the kids.

Dugan with Jennifer and Clark

Dugan created F7 Film Distillery, a company that helps organizations and individuals refine the stories they share to their audiences. Dugan started F7 in his home, but reached out to UGA early on.

“I wanted to be in a creative environment, and I couldn’t think of a better one than on campus at UGA,” he said. “So, I put out some feelers, and the message I got was ‘This is a great idea, and we have something in the works, so we’ll get back to you.'”

That something was the Delta Innovation Hub. Located on Spring Street near downtown Athens, the Delta Innovation Hub is part of UGA’s Innovation District and hosts startup venture efforts, helps faculty become entrepreneurs, provides students the chance to work alongside UGA corporate partners and serves as the university’s front door for industry engagement.

In late 2020, Dugan was offered a space in the Hub, which opened earlier this year. In September, F7 Film Distillery officially moved in.

Dugan on the set of “Rubber Room,” a TV pilot he directed and co-wrote

Now, alongside his F7 work, Dugan is working with UGA student interns, sharing ideas with other start-ups in the building and preparing to take part in pitch competitions to help aspiring entrepreneurs sharpen and curate their ideas. And when he leaves work, he’s able to walk back under those North Campus oaks, by the Arch and past the Chapel on his way home, to a family that’s grown by two—Micah, 2, and Scarlett, 6 months—since they moved to Athens.

“When I moved back into town from LA and New York, I asked myself, ‘If I’m going to plant here for the next decade, how do I want to live it?’ And all I could think was, ‘I’d love to be back on campus,'” Dugan said. “There’s just so much energy. Surrounding yourself with these aspirational people takes you back to an aspirational time in your own life.

“That’s the environment I wanted to be in, and I found it.”