New Alumni Relations Director at Georgia Southern

Ava Edwards (’19) has been named the new director of Alumni Relations at Georgia Southern. Edwards has been with Georgia Southern since 2011 and started her new position July 13.

“I’m honored and consider it a great privilege to take up the baton of serving my fellow alumni in this role,” said Edwards. “Georgia Southern has a vibrant, talented and diverse community of more than 126,000 living alumni around the globe. Working to strengthen alumni connections to our great University is fulfilling and rewarding.”

She most recently served as the executive assistant to the Vice President for Enrollment Management. Edwards has served the University in various leadership roles including as an advisor to two student organizations, chair of Staff Council, co-chair of the University Awards of Excellence Committee, co-chair of the University Strategic Planning Committee and has helped to host campus-level and University System of Georgia events.

Edwards earned a bachelor’s in business administration from the University of South Carolina-Aiken and is a 2019 MBA graduate of the Parker College of Business at Georgia Southern. The new director of Alumni Relations said she’s proud to serve this institution which has given her so much and looks forward to engaging with her fellow alumni.

“It is our goal to engage, inform and celebrate our alumni through networking and social events, professional development opportunities and avenues for alumni to assist students in their career pursuits,” she said. “Our ‘40 under 40’ classes, distinguished ‘Alumni Awards’ recipients, network volunteers and more than 800 ‘Alumni Owned’ business owners are making an impact across the country, and they and countless others in our alumni network are industry leaders and community champions—they are Georgia Southern’s greatest ambassadors.”

Edwards is actively involved in the Statesboro community, serving on various boards such as Habitat for Humanity and the Lynda Brannen Williamson Foundation. Months into her new role, she has met virtually with many alumni who shared their unique Georgia Southern stories.

“Ultimately, it is great to hear the commonality of shared experiences and pride that fuel and undergird our passion as alumni to encourage the next generation of students, serve our communities, lead in our respective capacities and aid in advancing the mission of Georgia Southern,” she said. “That’s the power of the Georgia Southern alumni network!”