Keri Massey, Board Treasurer, Finance Committee Chair, retired from her highly successful career as a financial planning auditor and serves as COO and CFO of Massey Law Group in Athens. She has extensive nonprofit volunteer experience, and her commitment to children and to public schools dates from her mother’s teaching career. She and her husband reside and work in Five Points and are the proud parents of three young children.
Alice Kinman is an award-winning Senior Lecturer and in the Department of Economics at the University of Georgia Terry College of Business. She served two terms as District 4 Commissioner of the Unified Government of Athens-Clarke County, President of the Planning Commission, Land Bank Authority, TSPLOST Oversight Committee, and the Georgia Initiative for Community Housing stakeholders’ team. She served previously on the Family Connection – Communities In Schools board of directors, providing extraordinary leadership as a resource development committee member -- launching our annual fundraising event, Changing the Picture, than as board President.
Carl grew up in Burke County, a rural agricultural county in south Georgia. His family owned a farm, which included cattle and row crops. A proud graduate of UGA, Carl is active in his community serving the needs of Athens and surrounding area through Rotary Club and several other civic organizations. He and his wife, Elizabeth, and their two children live in Glenwood, where Carl can often be found coaching youth sports.
Paul Kurtz was a faculty member at the University of Georgia School of Law from 1975 to 2013, specializing in criminal law and family law. He earned his bachelor’s and law degrees from Vanderbilt University and his Master of laws from Harvard. He served as the law school’s associate dean for academic and student affairs, and was named to the prestigious endowed position as the J. Alton Hosch Professor of Law. Paul served as reporter for the Georgia Supreme Court’s Indigent Defense Reform Commission, was on the Public Defender Standards Council, and was a member of the Public Interest Loan Repayment Task Force. During his tenure at UGA, Paul was a visiting professor at the University of Texas, University of Missouri, Vanderbilt University, and Mercer University.
Shannon Brooks, the founding director of UGA’s Office of Service-Learning since 2005, leads initiatives enhancing UGA's community engagement. Under her guidance, over 40% of UGA students participate in service-learning courses. She has spearheaded programs like Experience UGA, which brought 12,000 Clarke County students to campus for academic trips, and Campus Kitchen, which provides 200 weekly meals to food-insecure seniors. Brooks has chaired several boards, including the Athens Community Council on Aging and Athens Area Chamber of Commerce. Originally from Houston, Texas, she has lived in Athens for 26 years and resides with her family in an intergenerational household.
David Bradley is the President & CEO of the Athens Area Chamber of Commerce. A graduate of Guilford College in Greensboro, NC, David started his career in the manufacturing business. He is also a graduate of the U.S. Chamber Institute for Organizational Management , and a former North Carolina Executive of the Year. David received his Certified Chamber Executive degree and is a Senior Fellow with the American Leadership Federation.
Noris grew up in Ecuador, working in her father's business from a young age and later studying marketing, which sparked her love for sales. She realized she could teach people complex topics while still excelling in sales. She began working for an online company, selling websites and teaching customers how to benefit from their purchases. After spending several years as a stay-at-home mom, she returned to the workforce to support the Latino community as a Spanish-speaking insurance agent, helping clients understand complex insurance terms. In the future, she aims to connect people with resources that benefit the community.
Kelly Girtz is Mayor of Athens-Clarke County Unified Government. Before he was sworn in as mayor, Girtz maintained a long career in public education, serving as a teacher and school administrator with Clarke County School District (W.R. Coile Middle School & Classic City High School), and as Director for Student Services with Foothills Charter High School. In 2006, after years of interest in national and local politics, he ran for, and was elected to, the District 9 County Commission seat, where he served until becoming Mayor in January of 2019.
Kevin L. Hagan currently serves as the President & CEO of the PAN Foundation, a national healthcare and patient assistance charity. He brings more than 25 years of executive leadership and management experience in national and global nonprofits, government, and the private sector to the PAN Foundation. As president and chief executive officer (CEO), Kevin leads the PAN Foundation’s strategy and oversees the organization’s growing safety net programs and advocacy and health equity initiatives.
Chaplain Cole Knapper, a 21st Century Civil Rights Advocate from Georgia, is a passionate intersectional activist. She champions Voting Rights and Climate Justice, uniting as a Progressive Veteran. Raised in Athens and a former Student Body President at Clarke Central High School, Cole is an ordained Chaplain with the National Action Network. A decorated Afghanistan War Veteran with multiple deployments and two Bronze Star Medals, she holds degrees from Spelman College and Ivy League institutions. Cole chairs the Veterans Affairs Committee, NAN NYC Chapter, and is an active member of NAACP, Common Defense, and more. A dedicated board member for multiple organizations and a lifetime member of VFW and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., Chaplain Cole Knapper emerges as a formidable force in the Progressive Movement for Civil and Human Rights.
Alison McCullick serves as the Director of Community Relations for the University of Georgia. In her role, Alison heads the Office of Community Relations and serves as the primary liaison between UGA and the Athens-Clarke County government, businesses, neighborhoods, nonprofit organizations, community leaders and individuals.
Stephen Nobles is Clarke County School District’s Governance Flexibility Specialist; his charge is to empower CCSD schools and governance teams to think beyond ordinary ideas to evoke needed shifts to strengthen student achievement and increase community partnerships. He represents Superintendent Robbie Hooker on the FC-CIS Board of Directors. Stephen hosts the popular YouTube channel Storytime with Mr. Stephen(https://tinyurl.com/yckpy5tw), fun videos to build enthusiasm for reading among young children. He is a mentor to teen boys, among a long list of community service. He is married to Aliceson Nobles, principal of Barnett Shoals Elementary School, and they are the proud parents of daughter Laila.
Monique M. Sanders, CEO and Founder of Get Stemulated Foundation, drives supplemental STEM education, fortifying core curriculum through practical tools. Her background spans roles in the U.S. Coast Guards, Syngenta, and Johnson & Johnson, grounding her in agrochemical, pharmaceutical, engineering, and project management. A Senior Technical Safety Engineer at Janssen, she holds a Functional Safety Engineer certification and Six Sigma Green Belt. Armed with a Biological Engineering degree from Louisiana State University and an MBA from Columbia Southern University, she empowers youth with industry-honed skills to innovate for global challenges. Beyond her profession, Monique leads Athens' ACC Planning Commission, Historic Athens Board, and more. She's chartered National Society of Black Engineer Jr. Chapters, embodying Gandhi's words: "Lose yourself in the service of others." A 2021 Athens Chamber of Commerce Gamechanger, her journey continues.
Denise Spangler is Dean of the Mary Frances Early College of Education and
professor of mathematics education at the University of Georgia. She has lived in the
community since 1991 and previously served on the Clarke County School District
Board of Education for 12 years. She also serves on the Board of Directors Horizons
Atlanta.
Faatimah Stevens is our Neighborhood Leader serving the Alps Road Prosperity Zone since October of 2021. As a designer, painter, and muralist, being involved in the creative process is Faatimah's true purpose. Although a Memphis native, she moved to Athens in her teens and graduated with honors from Clarke Central High School. It has come full circle for her to be a Neighborhood Leader representing the zone that nurtured, prepared, and propelled her into the woman she is today. After pursuing her foundation education at Atlanta College of Art and SCAD, she earned a BFA (Bachelor of Fine Arts) at Georgia State University. She hopes to provide universal care to her zone residents, share resources with families, offer creative solutions, and make the best impact in the community that raised her.
Jennifer Zwirn, Board Member, Owner of Athens Childcare Center in Athens, Ga, Owner of Rush Trampoline Park. Jennifer and husband Wes are the owners of four childcare centers located in Athens, GA with a focal point on the arts!