Outstanding Eagles

Alumni Honorees Recognized for Service and Achievement

The Georgia Southern University Alumni Association honored outstanding alumni for their achievements and service at this year’s 2022 Alumni Awards Gala. Held at the Nessmith-Lane Building on April 22, the evening was hosted by the musical stylings of The Fabulous Equinox Orchestra of Savannah.

“These awards recognize our outstanding alumni for their service, their business acumen and overall excellence,” Georgia Southern President Kyle Marrero told the event crowd. “Our network of Georgia Southern and Armstrong alumni is now more than 130,000 strong and growing, and with each success, our reputation as a University is strengthened.”

TALON AWARD

Anthony Tippins (’92)

The Talon award is bestowed upon a Georgia Southern graduate who best represents excellence in their career field, service to their alma mater and service to the community. Anthony Tippins is the recipient of this award.

Originally from Claxton, Georgia, Tippins is the current president of Coolsys Professional Solutions. A retired 23-year veteran and commissioned officer in the United States Naval Reserve and a registered professional engineer in the state of Georgia, Tippins is a 1992 graduate of Georgia Southern University. Tippins earned his B.S. in mechanical engineering technology from Georgia Southern and an executive MBA from Emory University. After working in multiple key management and engineering roles, Tippins co-founded Aztec Energy Partners, which was sold to Danfoss in 2006. He then started Axiom Energy Solutions, which CoolSys acquired in 2018.

MARVIN PITTMAN AWARD

The First Eight African American Students at Georgia Southern and Armstrong:
The late John Bradley, Ph.D. Clavelia Love Brinson (’70), Jessie Z. Carter (’69, ’80), Arlene Daughtry Hendrix (’71), Catherine Davis Joyce (’68), Otis Johnson, Ph.D. (’64), Ulysee Mosley, Ph.D. (’69), Shirley Ann Woodall

The Marvin Pittman award is named for Georgia Southern’s president in the 1930s and ’40s. A transformational leader, he understood the power of education to create productive citizens. The Pittman Award is presented to alumni who best exemplify the core values of the University.

This year, the award recognizes the commitment of the first eight Georgia Southern College and Armstrong College students in the 1960s that paved the way for African American students today.

In 1963, a lone and courageous student, future Savannah Mayor Otis Johnson, became the first African American student to attend Armstrong. Just two years later, John Bradley, a music teacher at William James High School in Statesboro, dared to be the first black student to enroll at Georgia Southern.

In the fall of ’65 Bradley was followed by six undergraduate black students: Clavelia Love Brinson, Arlene Marie Daughtry, Ulysee Mosley, Shirley Anne Woodall, Jessie Zeigler and Catherine Davis, a sophomore transfer student who later earned the first bachelor’s degree awarded to a black graduate in the University’s history.

Many of these students faced condescension and derision both public and covert in order to earn their degrees, and the fact that so many of them now cherish their alma mater and provide scholarships for the students who follow in their footsteps is a testament to their character and resilience.

GEORGE & LUCY ARMSTRONG AWARD

Zerik Samples (’11, ’13)

The George and Lucy Armstrong Award is named in honor of Lucy Camp Armstrong, who donated the Armstrong House to Savannah’s new college, named after her late husband, in 1935. The award is presented to the Armstrong alumnus who best exemplifies the core values of Georgia Southern University.

This year’s Armstrong Award recipient is Zerik Samples.

Samples is the CEO for Coastal Empire Habitat for Humanity in Savannah, where he is responsible for developing and implementing strategic vision, recruitment, management and support, and much more.

In addition to his nonprofit leadership, Samples is an active member of the community. He is a past president of his local Rotary Club, member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc. and deeply involved with the work of his church. A recent Leadership Savannah graduate, Samples was named Most Outgoing in the Susan G. Komen Big Wig Campaign 2019, designated a Rising Leader by the Brunswick NAACP and is in Georgia Southern University’s 40 under 40 class of 2020.

He has received a Bachelor of Science and a master’s degree in education from Armstrong Atlantic State University, now Georgia Southern University – Armstrong Campus.

In his free time, he enjoys pouring into the lives of tomorrow’s leaders in afterschool and mentoring programs, and says he truly has a heart for people and a natural desire to serve the community. He said, “My ultimate goal is to be an advocate for my community, helping people help themselves and each other.”

PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

Barbara L. Melvin (’92)

With so many incredibly successful alumni, the Professional Achievement Award is perhaps the most competitive of all of the Alumni Awards. To rise to the top of the list requires extensive influence and an established history of impact and achievement.

The 2022 Professional Achievement Award recipient is Barbara L. Melvin.

Melvin is currently the chief operating officer (CEO) for the South Carolina Ports Authority (SCPA). On July 1, 2022, she became president and CEO of South Carolina Ports — the first woman to lead a top 10 U.S. operating container port.

During her 20-plus years with SCPA, Melvin has held several senior leadership positions, including senior vice president of operations and terminals and of external affairs and vice president – government relations. Before joining the Port in 1998, she served as director of government relations for the Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce and as a policy analyst for the Georgia Governor’s Office of Planning and Budget.

She is an active member of the business community, serving on a wide range of committees and boards, including the Intermodal Association of North America, the South Carolina Advisory Council of the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition and the Ports Caucus Advisory Board to name a few.

In addition to her service, she has won several awards. She was named the 2021 South Carolina Manufacturers Alliance Woman of the Year, 2018 ILA Woman of the Year, the Center for Women’s Most Influential Women Wrecking Ball Award, the Charleston Women in International Trade 2014 Woman of the Year, The Propeller Club of Charleston and South East Region Maritime Person of the Year, the National Transportation Week Leader of the Year and Columbia South Carolina’s 2014 Top Women of Influence Award.

Melvin holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from Georgia Southern University with a minor in international relations and a Master in Business Administration in global supply chain from the University of Tennessee Haslam School of Business.

THE SWEETHEART AWARD

Paul (’74, ’78) And Claudia (’71, ’81, ’91) Moller

Georgia Southern has a long history of creating partnerships, not only within the community, but also among students and alumni. In many cases, these partnerships last a lifetime. The Sweetheart Award was created to honor those alumni couples who have not only made that commitment to each other, but who also have continued their commitment to their alma mater.

The recipients of the 2022 Sweetheart Award are Paul and Claudia Moller.

Paul and Claudia met in the music department of Georgia Southern College in 1971. Claudia was a student assistant in the music library where Paul would go to listen to band records. They married in 1974 and taught for almost 40 years in Statesboro at every level, from kindergarten to college. Together, they have five degrees from Georgia Southern. After retiring, they moved to Augusta but still keep in touch with their alma mater through football, basketball, the Gretsch School of Music, Sigma Alpha Iota, and the Greater Augusta Alumni Network. They jokingly tell their friends that they bleed blue and white.

ALUMNI SERVICE AWARD

Lana Wachniak, Ph.D. (’73) and William Wallace (’81)

The Alumni Service Award was created to honor the alumnus who has made the greatest contribution to the University, whether through philanthropy, volunteerism or both. Lana Wachniak, Ph.D., and William Wallace were named the recipients of the Alumni Service Award
this year.

They are known as a “twofer,” — as in “two for the price of one.” Together, they are team builders, project creators and community supporters who work with others to bring dreams to fruition.

Wachniak and Wallace are graduates of Georgia Southern, and both came from humble, lower-income backgrounds. Both had parents who stressed the importance of securing degrees in higher education and assisting others who were less fortunate, which prompted them to devote their careers to higher education and to students in need.

Wachniak has held faculty positions in criminal justice at Georgia Southern and Kennesaw State University. At Kennesaw State, she created Homelessness Awareness Week and with Wallace created the Triumph Scholarship at Kennesaw State for current or former homeless students. Last year, they established a similar Triumph Scholarship at Georgia Southern, where there were more than 160 applications for year two of the scholarship. This was their fourth needs-based scholarship endowed at the two universities.

Wallace has worked in human resources at both Georgia Southern and Kennesaw State and later served as the associate vice chancellor for human resources at the Board of Regents for the University System of Georgia.

Both are now retired, but have not slowed down in their philanthropic efforts. Wachniak is a commissioner on the Regional Commission on Homelessness and has served on the United Way initiative allocation for homelessness committee as well as a board member of the Cobb County United Way. Wallace is past chair of the Cobb County United Way Board.

They are ambassadors for the Orange Duffel Bag Initiative, an organization that assists foster and homeless children who have been accepted into a technical college or a unit of the University System of Georgia. In December 2015, they created and endowed a fund to provide emergency funding for these students who incur unexpected costs while attending college.

Today, they serve as board members for the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences at Georgia Southern University. Their child, Cynthia, is a social worker who has been active in working with homeless veterans, families and mental health clients.

COMMUNITY HERO AWARD

Ansley Booker, Ph.D. (’08)

The Community Hero Award was created to pay tribute to alumni who have gone above and beyond to improve their community at the local, regional, national or even international level. Ansley Booker, Ph.D., is the 2022 Recipient of the Community Hero Award. Booker is a native of Eatonton, Georgia, and a 2008 alumna of Georgia Southern, where she was a Ronald E. McNair Scholar and received a Bachelor of Arts in Biology. She received a Master of Science in Pharmacy from the University of Georgia in 2013, and her Ph.D. in Educational Leadership from Mercer University in May 2019.

Booker was the previous director for the Mercer University Educational Opportunity Center and is now Mercer’s inaugural director for the Office of Diversity and Inclusion Initiatives.

In addition to being a passionate scientist and educator, Booker is also an award-winning international speaker, author and consultant. When she is not developing a STEM curriculum for high school and collegiate students as an adjunct professor, she is serving as a mentor and volunteer for numerous programs in the Macon and Statesboro communities. She is a co-chair for the Georgia Southern Middle Georgia Alumni Network and a member of the Georgia Southern Young Alumni Board. She is a proud member of the Career Women’s Network, Junior League of Macon, and the Macon Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.

OUTSTANDING SENIOR AWARD

Lexie Wilbanks (’21)

The Outstanding Senior Award has been a longstanding tradition with the Georgia Southern Alumni Association. It is given to the graduating senior who has earned the highest GPA while completing all academic hours at the University.

This year’s recipient is Lexie Wilbanks. She graduated summa cum laude in December 2021 with a Bachelor of Business Administration and a 4.0 grade point average. Wilbanks loved her time at Georgia Southern. She played intramurals and was involved in many organizations on campus including Campus Crusade for Christ, Baptist Collegiate Ministries and Reformed University Fellowship.

ALUMNI OWNED BUSINESS AWARDS

Leonard Bevill (’90, ’93)
Macon Occupational Medicine

Macon Occupational Medicine has been the premiere occupational and environmental medicine provider in central and south Georgia since 2001. Founded by Leonard Bevill, a 1990 and 1993 graduate of Georgia Southern, the company provides a 24-hour network through an affiliation with local hospitals and urgent care facilities and uses protocols developed to keep employees on the job.

Twice named Business and Industry Small Business of the Year by The Greater Macon Chamber of Commerce and Macon Economic Development Commission, the company is active in the community, and has won several awards for business practices, ethics and contribution to economic development in Middle Georgia. Leonard is also involved in the community and with his alma mater. He is the current chair of the Georgia Southern Athletic Foundation and the co-chair of the University’s capital campaign. He and his family are members of the Oak Circle, the Athletic Foundation’s highest-level
giving society.

Kathleen Hildreth (’90)
M1 Support Services

M1 Support Services was co-founded in 2003 by alumna Kathleen Hildreth, a 1990 graduate of Georgia Southern, to provide professional and technical services to federal government agencies. It has now grown to more than 7,000 employees worldwide. M1 stands for “mission first” and provides services for all branches of the Department of Defense, including the Veterans Administration, NASA, Federal Aviation Administration and the IRS to name a few. Throughout her 39-year career, Hildreth has been a pioneer and leader. She served in the U.S. Army as an aviation maintenance officer and maintenance test pilot and is an FAA commercial helicopter pilot. In June 2019, she was the first veteran named as one of America’s most successful business women on Forbes’ list of America’s Richest Self-Made Women, and was also cited on the 2020 and 2021 lists.

Joi Fairell (’07)
The Fairell Firm

The Fairell Firm is an Atlanta-based law firm that specializes in family law and personal injury law. Founded in 2011 by Joi Fairell, a 2007 graduate of Georgia Southern, the firm is built solidly on four core values: service, knowledge, quality and results. In 2019, Fairell was named one of the 10 best attorneys for client satisfaction by the American Institute of Family Law Attorneys.