Chronicles

ALUMNUS SELECTED TO LEAD STATE’S HIGHEST COURT

Presiding Justice Michael Boggs (’85) took over as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Georgia in July. The justices on the state’s highest court unanimously selected him as the next leader of the state’s judicial system. He succeeded Chief Justice David Nahmias, who left the court on July 17.

“I’m honored to have been selected by my colleagues as Chief Justice, and I am especially grateful for the leadership provided by my predecessors, Chief Justices David Nahmias and Harold Melton, during very challenging times,” said Boggs. “Our Court remains one of the busiest and most productive state supreme courts in the nation, and I look forward to continuing the role of the Court in providing legal opinions that are faithful to the rule of law and that provide clear guidance to the bench and bar. I remain so very appreciative of my family and friends in south Georgia who have supported me throughout my entire judicial career.”

The chief justice speaks for the high court and the entire state judiciary and presides over the court’s oral arguments and deliberation of cases. The chief justice also chairs the Georgia Judicial Council, which makes policy for the judicial branch. Boggs has served on the state Supreme Court since his appointment by former Gov. Nathan Deal in 2016. He then won a statewide election to a six-year term in 2018. He previously served on the state Court of Appeals, and as a superior court judge in his hometown of Waycross, Georgia, where he founded that circuit’s drug court program. Prior to his judicial service, Boggs served in the Georgia General Assembly for two terms. He currently chairs the Judicial Council of Georgia’s Ad Hoc Committee on American Rescue Plan Act Funding and serves on Gov. Brian Kemp’s Judicial Nominating Commission and the Georgia Behavioral Health Reform and Innovation Commission, where he chairs the Mental Health Courts and Corrections Subcommittee.

Hoyt Canady, Ph.D., (’65, ’70) received the 2020-21 Distinguished Adjunct Faculty Member Award from Walters State Community College in Morristown, Tennessee. Canady taught American and world history at the college from 2010 to 2021. His teaching career came after 30-plus years of journalism, retiring as editorial page editor of the Knoxville News Sentinel in 2010.

Doug Lambert (’71) was named 2022 Citizen of the Year by the Rotary Club of Statesboro and the Downtown Rotary Club of Statesboro. He has been a leader in the hospitality industry for more than 50 years and was recognized for his contributions to the community. A founding member and charter president of the Statesboro Convention and Visitors Bureau, he chairs the academic advisory council for Georgia Southern University’s hotel and restaurant management program and is an active supporter of the university through its foundation and athletic foundation.

Keith Hammond (’83) is an inaugural recipient of the Georgia High School Association (GHSA) Contributor to the Cause in Officiating Award. The award is based on contributions in recruiting, training, mentoring and the retention of GHSA contest officials. Hammond just completed his 39th year as a GHSA official.

Don Ahearn (’85) has joined Locus Technologies as vice president of business development. The firm is an industry leader in environmental compliance and ESG software.

Judge Ronnie Thompson (’87) has been named the fourth superior court judge in the Ogeechee Judicial Circuit. The position was created during the 2020 session of the Georgia General Assembly. Prior to this appointment, Thompson served as a state court judge in Effingham since he was elected in 2002.

Jacqueline Brown-Pinkney (’93, ’04, ’06, ’15) was recognized as the 2022 School Social Worker of the Year for the State of Georgia at the School Social Workers Association of Georgia spring conference. She serves as both a school social worker and the district homeless liaison for the Effingham County School District. In addition to that achievement, Brown-Pinkney was elected and sworn in as the 2022-2023 president of the School Social Workers Association of Georgia.

Jacob Warren, Ph.D., (’02, ’03, ’16) has been named the dean of the University of Wyoming College of Health Sciences. In 2016, the alumnus received the Outstanding Researcher of the Year and Outstanding Program of the Year awards from the National Rural Health Association. Earlier in his career, he served as an assistant professor of epidemiology at Georgia Southern and was the joint director of the Rural Health Research Institute.

Paul Geisler, Ed.D., (’04) has been appointed associate dean of health sciences and professor of health professions education in the College of Natural, Behavioral and Health Sciences at Simmons University in Boston.

Michal Anderson (’07, ’10), a district sales manager for Cambria, was named to the company’s 2021 President’s Circle. The family-owned company produces American-made quartz surfaces. This is the third time she has been named to the circle.

Bret Danilowicz, Ph.D., (’12) has been named Radford University’s eighth president, effective July 1. He served as the dean of Georgia Southern’s College of Science and Technology from 2004 to 2012.

Kimeko McCoy (’14) senior marketing reporter for the online trade magazine Digiday won the Women in Marketing Storyteller of the Year Award. It is given to reporters who cover the marketing industry with intelligence, thoroughness and excellence.