Athens, Ga. – The University of Georgia Alumni Association recently announced the 40 Under 40 Class of 2014. The group of young alumni will be celebrated at an awards luncheon Sept. 18 at the Georgia Aquarium.
This year’s honorees were selected from a nominee pool of approximately 400 graduates. Selections were based on the graduates’ commitment to a lifelong relationship with UGA and their impact in business, leadership, community, artistic, research, educational and/or philanthropic endeavors.
Nominations opened in February and remained open through mid-April. Nominees represent the impact UGA graduates are making globally.
“The 40 Under 40 program is in its fourth year and continues to grow. We received hundreds of nominations for this year’s class,” said Meredith Gurley Johnson, interim executive director of alumni relations. “We hope this program prompts both honorees and nominees, all of whom we are so proud, to foster a lifelong relationship with the University of Georgia.”
This year’s 40 Under 40 Class honorees, their graduation year, city, title and organization are:
• David W. Adams; 2002; Atlanta; attorney; Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz PC.
• Deann Akins-Lewenthal; 2002, 2005; Omaha, Nebraska; principal food safety specialist; ConAgra Foods.
• Silvije Barisic; 2004; Atlanta; founder and CEO; FotoIN Mobile Corp.
• Bakari Brock; 2001; San Francisco; director of business development; Lyft, Inc.
• Darigg Brown; 2000; Tucker; research public health analyst; RTI International.
• Mark Butler; 2002; Atlanta; founder/president; CXO Staffing Inc.; founder/president; Pay It Forward Atlanta.
• Toby Carr; 2001; Atlanta; director of planning; Georgia Department of Transportation.
• Ashley Diamond; 2006; Geneva, Switzerland; global e-commerce leader; Procter & Gamble.
• Tiffany Parr Fowles; 2013; Mableton; senior manager; Office of Epidemiology Child Health and WIC Programs, Georgia Department of Public Health.
• Rachel Harper Fox; 1997; Pasadena, California; director of communications; Disney Channels Worldwide, the Walt Disney Co.
• Bynikini Frazier; 2008; Savannah; first-grade teacher; Hodge Elementary School.
• Evangeline George; 2008; Washington, D.C.; press secretary; U.S. House of Representatives, Office of Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi.
• Lindsey Harper; 1999; New York; owner; Lindsey Coral Harper Interior Design.
• Danielle Hosker; 2001; Atlanta; founder/CEO; Dancefx, Inc.; founder/CEO; Antage Belue & Baby Bleu.
• Christy Hulsey; 1998; Statesboro; owner/creative director; Colonial House of Flowers.
• Laura Jalbert; 1999, 2000; Tucker; owner/clinical director; Mindful Transitions LLC.
• Burt Jones; 2004; Jackson; president; JP Capital & Insurance.
• Turmel Kindred; 2002; Odenton, Maryland; inspector general; U.S. Army.
• Brian Kulbersh; 2001; Mountain Brook, Alabama; pediatric ear, nose and throat surgeon; Children’s Hospital of Alabama.
• David Mowery; 1999; Montgomery, Alabama; founder/president; Mowery Consulting.
• Eric NeSmith; 2002; Athens; vice president of business development; Community Newspapers Inc.
• Mai-Lise Nguyen; 2005; Basel, Switzerland; international communications manager for neurosciences; F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd.
• Kameko Nichols; 2002; Atlanta; partnership director; Riders for Health.
• Jon Ostenson; 2002, 2006; Atlanta; vice president of sales; Carters/OshKosh B’gosh.
• Jon Pannell; 2000; Savannah; partner; Gray Pannell & Woodward.
• Michael Patrick; 2003; Atlanta; vice president for capital markets; Carroll Organization.
• Godfrey Powell; 2000; Berkeley, California; team lead, business development and partnerships; Samsung Electronics.
• Elaine Reyes; 1997; Atlanta; international news anchor; CCTV America.
• Matthew Sawhill; 2001; Smyrna; director of federal and state affairs; AGL Resources.
• Jared Schmidt; 2004; New York; vice president; Goldman, Sachs & Co.
• Chad Schmiedt; 2000; Hull; associate professor of soft tissue surgery; UGA College of Veterinary Medicine.
• Aleisha Gomes Swartz; 2002; Honolulu; chief veterinarian; Hawaiian Humane Society.
• Lisa Taylor; 2001; Silver Spring, Maryland; civil rights attorney; Department of Justice.
• Ryan Teague; 2003; Atlanta; executive counsel; Office of the Governor of Georgia.
• Robert Thomson; 2002; Clarksville, Tennessee; major; Special Forces/Green Beret, U.S. Army.
• Tracey Thomson; 2000; Studio City, California; co-head writer; The Young and the Restless, CBS.
• Shannon Wallace; 1999, 2002; Woodstock; district attorney; Cherokee County.
• Eric Wearne; 2002; Suwanee; assistant professor; Gwinnett College School of Education.
• Trey Wood; 2008; Gainesville; partner/vice president; Turner, Wood & Smith Insurance Agency.
• Jody Young; 1999; Atlanta; founding principal partner; Atlanta Capital Group.
For more information about the 40 Under 40 program and/or to view previous 40 Under 40 classes, see www.alumni.uga.edu/40u40.
UGA Alumni Association
The UGA Alumni Association proudly supports the academic excellence, best interests and traditions of Georgia’s flagship university and its more than 283,000 alumni worldwide. For more information, see www.alumni.uga.edu.