Class Notes
Kim Brady Ford, WC ’89
Kim Brady Ford, WC ’89, currently works at Auburn University for the vice president of research in compliance. She finds the work fascinating and feels blessed to work for a great university.
Rev. Dr. Bob Ayres, BU ’92
The Rev. Dr. Bob Ayres, BU ’92, is the co-author of DEAFCHURCH 21: Vision for a New Generation (A&M Publishing, 2019). He is also on staff at the Servants of Christ Anglican Church in Gainesville, Florida and is an adjunct lecturer of ASL and deaf studies at the University of Florida.
Dr. Michele Shirley, BU ’97
Dr. Michele Shirley, BU ‘97, was recently named Vice President for Administrative Services at North Georgia Technical College. In her new role, Dr. Shirley oversees business office functions as well as human resources, facilities, maintenance, bookstores, and food services. Dr. Shirley lives in Clarkesville with her husband John and daughters, Julianne and Ellison.
Holly Lynn Free, WC ’99
Holly Lynn Free, WC ’99, was named to the Georgia Board of Nursing by Gov. Brian Kemp. Free is a former allied health instructor at North Georgia Technical College.
Marty LaMar, BU ’02
Marty LaMar, BU ’02, was named Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania’s chief economic development officer by Mayor William Peduto. LaMar was recently the regional vice president for McCormack Baron Management and previously served as president and CEO of Lucas Metropolitan Housing Authority in Toledo; as senior vice president of policy and planning, and director of resident development for the Philadelphia Housing Authority; and director of strategic policy, real estate development and regulatory affairs for the Atlanta Housing Authority.
Amanda Addison Roper, WC ’04
Amanda Addison Roper, WC ’04, has been selected as an American Library Association Emerging Leader for 2020. She will work with other Emerging Leader library professionals on a research project for the Association of College and Research Libraries’s Diversity and Inclusion Task Force. Ms. Roper was selected for an Emerging Leaders sponsorship by the Reference and User Services Association (RUSA).
Kellie Casper Jackson, WC ’05
Kellie Casper Jackson, WC ’05, was recently promoted to vice president of marketing at Orchid Medical in Orlando, Florida.
Dr. Chandra Owenby Hopkins, WC ’05
Dr. Chandra Owenby Hopkins, WC ‘05, has been named the Dean of the Women’s College at Converse College in Spartenburg, South Carolina. An award-winning teacher and scholar, Dr. Hopkins is a recipient of the Cato Award for Faculty Excellence from Converse College and the Robert A. Schanke Theatre Research Award from the Mid-America Theatre Conference. Additionally, she was recently awarded the 2020 SCICU Teaching Excellence Award. She holds her BA in Theatre from Brenau, her MFA from Virginia Commonwealth University, and her Ph.D. in Theatre and Performance Studies from the University of Kansas.
Anna Alexander Jacobs, WC ’86
Anna Alexander Jacobs, WC ’86, and husband Jay were honored as part of the Master of Innovation – Entrepreneurs annual event in Gainesville, Georgia. This event is part of the Featherbone Communiversity Master Series which annually honors community members. Jacobs serves as a trustee for Brenau and manages AccessWDUN+.
Laura Harris, BU ’19
Laura Harris, BU ’19, was awarded the $5,000 Joel Polsky Academic Achievement Award by the American Society of Interior Designers. For her master’s thesis, Harris researched the degree to which the design of educational facilities influences the social development of adolescents.
