Board of Directors
Laura Bierema, Past President
Associate Professor, University of Georgia
Laura Bierema is an associate professor at the University of Georgia, School of Leadership and Lifelong Learning, Department of Adult Education. Bierema has also worked at Michigan State University in the School of Labor and Industrial Relations. Her research interests include workplace learning, career development, women's development and organization development.
Brian Brooks
Juniper Burrows, Vice President
Office Manager, Change Partners, LLC
Juniper Burrows is the office manager of Change Partners, L.L.C., a national and international consulting firm specializing in total work culture and organizational change within large industry. Burrows has participated in L.E.A.D. Athens and has experience with planning, management, marketing, and financial administration.
Paul Collar
Director of Managed Care, Athens Regional Medical Center
Paul Collar holds a B.B.A. and M.Acc. from the University of Georgia and an M.H.A. from Georgia State University. He entered the healthcare industry after working in public accounting with Ernst & Young in Atlanta. Collar has participated in Leadership Hall County, L.E.A.D. Athens and Leadership Georgia.
Donna Drake-Clark
Ph.D candidate in Adult Education, University of Georgia
Donna Drake-Clark served as director of human resources for the New York Times Company in Atlanta, New York and Virginia, a diversity consultant for C.W. Hines and Associates, as a regional human resources manager for Toyota Financial Services. Drake-Clark has a master's degree in Human Resources and Organizational Development and is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in Adult Education at the University of Georgia, where she also works as a research assistant.
Karen Holt
Director of Fanning Institute, University of Georgia
Karen Holt currently works as the director of the Fanning Institute at UGA, which focuses on community, economic and leadership development. Prior to this position, Holt served as the Executive Director of Project Pericles, directed the University of Virginia's Office of Equal Opportunity Programs, served in the general counsel's office at the University of Tennessee System, Knoxville, and worked as an attorney for the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington, D.C.
Tracy Mathews, Treasurer
Certified Public Accountant, Turner and Patat, P.C.
Tracy Mathews holds an M.B.A. and has worked with the accounting firm Turner and Patat, P.C. since 1998. In addition to income tax compliance, Mathews specializes in nonprofit audits and accounting software consulting. She is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and serves on the Steering Committee with the Athens Area Estate Planning Network. Mathews and her husband own two small businesses in Athens.
Michael Purser
Owner, Rosebud Co.
Michael Purser earned his undergraduate degree in Economics from the University of North Carolina - Charlotte. He is the owner of Rosebud Co., which specializes in wood floor restoration, and is a frequent writer and speaker for trade and restoration groups and publications. Purser appreciates the value of adult education as he saw first-hand how it improved and enriched the lives of his mother and sister when they returned to college in their mid years.
Lucy Rowland
Head Librarian, University of Georgia Science Collections and Research Facilities
Lucy Rowland earned her B.S. and M.S. in zoology and microbiology from Virginia Tech and M.L.S. from University of Maryland. She has been a science librarian and administrator for over 30 years and has been honored nationally for her professional contributions. Rowland is Chair, Athens-Clarke Co. Planning Commission working on land use and transportation issues and is a resource in urban design projects, both locally and nationally.
Ron Schwartz
Owner, Trumps Catering
Ron Schwartz, owner of Trumps Catering, was the 2004 recipient of the Spirit of Athens Award from the Athens Area Chamber of Commerce. He is one of the creators of "A Taste of Athens", benefiting Community Connection, an agency that provides information and referral to community service organizations. Schwartz is also the treasurer of the Athens Justice Project and is an active volunteer for the Food Bank of Northeast Georgia.
Stephanie Sharp
Founder and CEO, Plexus Web Creations
Stephanie Sharp is the founder of Plexus Web Creations, a technology communications firm. She previously served as the assistant to the Vice President of Academic Affairs at Athens Technical College and as the Webmaster for The Georgia Divison of Public Health. Sharp holds a B.B.A. in Accounting from the University of Georgia and also serves on the board of directors for Nuci's Space and the Athens Economic Development Foundation.
Mimi Sodhi, Secretary
Assistant Provost, University of Georgia Office of Institutional Diversity
Prior to serving as the Assistant Provost for the Office of Institutional Diversity, Mimi Sodhi was a faculty member with UGA's School of Social Work. Sodhi's research interests include diversity, substance abuse, and social work education. She received her MSW from the University of Hawaii and her Ph.D. in Adult Education from the University of Georgia.
Joyce Waller, President
Supply Distribution Services Manager, Athens Regional Medical Center
Joyce Waller is a Johnson & Johnson employee, placed in the Athens Regional Medical Center as the Supply Distribution Services Manager. She also teaches at Macon State College and Athens Technical College. Waller is particularly interested in JRF because she attended college as a returning student, receiving her B.S. and M.S. in Health Care Policy and Administration from Mercer University.
Suzi Wong
Development Officer, The University of Georgia Franklin College of Arts and Sciences
Suzi Wong earned a Masters in Education Administration in her late 30's, while raising two daughters. She worked as an ESL teacher for adult immigrants and later as Assistant Principal in the Division of Adult and Occupational Education in the Los Angeles Unified School District. Wong has also taught reading and public speaking skills to international students and was an advisor to mature women students at Queen's University in Canada.
National Advisors
- Beverly Edgehill, MA
- W. Jefferson Holt, NC
- Marcia Brumit Kropf, NY
- Anne Linsdau-Hoeppner, IL
- Ellen Long, OR
- Susan Newton, WA
- Shelley Serdahely, GA
- Vanessa Sheared, CA
- Jonathan Wallach, AZ