Distinguished Alumni Award

Since 1980, this award recognizes graduates of the College of Family and Consumer Sciences whose lifelong contributions sustain its beliefs and values.
 
Rosemary Dunn Stancil
Whether it was establishing the first inner-city 4-H program in Atlanta, writing some of the first microwave cookbooks, or serving in leadership roles at the YWCO and Friendship Presbyterian Church, Rosemary Dunn Stancil (BSHE ’68, Family Development; MEd ’05, Adult Education) is someone who can be counted on. She gets the job done, say those who nominated her, “and done in a well thought out, organized, and cheerful manner.”
 
Dunn has worn multiple hats over the years, excelling every time. In one of her earliest professional roles, for example, she worked with 1,400 girls in 26 4-H clubs at 19 different schools in the Atlanta area. After marrying and moving to Athens, she spent two years as the nutrition and volunteer-services coordinator at the Athens Community Council on Aging, a job that included recruiting and training more than 1,000 volunteers to provide home-delivered meals.

After her children were born in the mid-1970s, Dunn’s career took a different track when she and two colleagues established Kitchen Classics, a company focused on developing and testing recipes that featured the newest kitchen appliance—the microwave. In addition to producing three cookbooks, Dunn and her associates taught microwave cooking across the country.

In 1995, she returned to Cooperative Extension as the family-nutrition program coordinator, overseeing a $2.6-million budget and some 70 employees who provided nutrition-education programs throughout the state.

Despite a busy professional life, Dunn has found time to volunteer as well. She was a member of the YWCO Auxiliary for a decade before being named to the YWCO Board of Directors. Among her other contributions, Dunn voluntarily managed the “Nearly New Shop” for a year until a paid manager was hired.

“Rosemary lives her life as a role model for readiness and compassionate leadership,” writes Kitty Meyran, YWCO executive director. “Her selfless service is truly admirable.”

Walter Sanders III, who has attended Friendship Presbyterian Church with Dunn for 37 years, holds her in high esteem as well. “Rosemary has combined her innate artistic, culinary, and organizational talents and instincts with her learned management skills,” he says, “and in an unobtrusive way she will see and do what is required, often before being asked.”

Emily Quinn Pou Professional Achievement Award

Established in 1999, this award, named for the fourth dean of the College, is presented to graduates who have made substantial achievements yet are midway in their careers.

Patricia McLean
In supporting Patricia “Tricia” McLean (BSHE ’83, Furnishings and Interiors) for the Professional Achievement Award, her customers, colleagues, and friends consistently speak both of her skill as an interior designer and her positive attitude.
 
Georgia’s First Lady Mary Purdue describes the “countless hours” McLean spent in consultation and design of the basement-level ballroom of the Governor’s Mansion. “She graciously donated her time and talents ensuring the completion of the room within our financial constraints.”

McLean founded Patricia McLean Interiors in 1986, three years after graduating from UGA. Since then she has been showcased in a variety of interior-design magazines, including Atlanta Homes and Lifestyles, Better Homes and Gardens, Southern Accents, and Antiques International-London. McLean has been chosen eight times as a designer for the Atlanta Symphony Decorators’ Show House, chosen twice for the Cashiers (North Carolina) Designer Show House, and nominated for Southeast Designer of the Year.

“She is a spectacular design talent, but more than that she is a spectacular human being who contributes to a bewildering amount of philanthropic endeavors and quite simply makes our world a more beautiful place to live in,” writes Fairchild Dixon, director of special events and programs for the Atlanta Decorative Arts Center.

McLean is involved in the Atlanta community personally as well as professionally. She is a member of the Peachtree United Methodist Church, Piedmont Garden Club, Atlanta History Center, Atlanta Symphony, Atlanta Opera, Atlanta Ballet, High Museum, Shepherd Center, and Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation.

Despite her demanding career and extensive community service, McLean has made time to serve as a “lead dawg” of the FACS Designing Dawgs, a networking avenue for interior-design colleagues and FACS alumni, faculty, and students. She also has provided internships and mentoring to furnishings and interiors students.

“Her rise in her career has been nothing short of spectacular, a product of her knowledge, skill, attention to detail, and empathy with her clientele,” writes James Bratton Jr., one of McLean’s longtime clients. And beyond “her enormous talent, splendid achievements, and recognition, Tricia is an unassuming, warm, considerate, and gracious individual.”

Outstanding Service Award

Established in 1999, this award is presented to FACS graduates for continued involvement in a community organization, the College, or its Alumni Association.

Alisa Marib Gipson
“An exemplary alumna who is motivated by the desire to give both backward and forward” is just one of many descriptions of Alisa “Lisa” Gipson (BSFCS ’95, Consumer Journalism; MEd ’01, Adult Education) offered by her nominators.

“Within her primary responsibility of training all our new restaurant franchisees she has been an innovator in training design and process,” writes Philip Orazi III, senior director for training and development at Chick-fil-A, where Gipson serves as manager for learning and development. And “outside of great performance she is quick with a smile and delightful to work with.”

Prior to joining Chick-fil-A, Gipson worked in sales for Coca-Cola, was director of the annual fund at Wesleyan College in Macon, and served as the 4-H educational program specialist and 4-H state program assistant at the University of Georgia. In each role, she was known for reaching a great number of people and achieving far beyond what was expected.

“I can say without hesitation wherever there is success and achievement on our team Lisa is right in the middle leading the way,” notes Orazi. “She is a great example to each of us on how to translate a passionate heart into actionable plans that get results.”

Gipson’s depth and diversity of commitment stem back to her time at UGA, where she served as an orientation leader, College Ambassador, and president both of the Ag Hill Council and Collegiate 4-H. Since graduating, she has “carried the banner of service” with her volunteer work for Georgia 4-H, her church and her local county, according to Sharon Nickols (Janette M. Barber Distinguished Professor, Housing and Consumer Economics).

“Lisa has facilitated sessions for FACS alumni retreats, served on panels for student programs, and hosted events at Chick-fil-A for UGA alumni,” Nickols writes. “Her radiant personality and ‘let’s do it’ attitude have been an inspiration to others. Thus her commitment to service carries on and on and on.”

Creswell Award

Named for Mary E. Creswell, the first dean of our College, this award recognizes a current or retired faculty or staff member who has provided leadership in motivating and guiding students.

Don Bower
Don Bower’s ability to incorporate compassion and integrity into the “helpful, popular, and informative” classes he has taught to Cooperative Extension agents throughout Georgia is a rare and much-appreciated gift, according to one of his nominators.

“He is a risk taker and willing to stand behind his training and knowledge of what works best for families and children even when it may not be popular,” adds Kathy Wages (BSHE ’71, Home Economics and Art).

When Bower, who is professor emeritus of Human Development and Family Science, joined the University of Georgia in 1981 as a Cooperative Extension specialist, there was no base in parenting education in Georgia. But he helped develop that program and went on to oversee the creation of a national model for assessing and credentialing parenting educators. He has also overseen the growth of the Georgia Traffic Injury Prevention Institute, which has helped lift Georgia from the bottom to nearly the top nationally in safety-belt and safety-seat use.

Among his many honors, Bower has been named a University of Georgia Walter B. Hill Distinguished Academic Fellow, a fellow of the National Council on Family Relations, and the 2008 recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service. He served as president of the American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences in 2005-2006 and as head of FACS’ Department of Human Development and Family Science from 2005-2008.

“Don has consistently demonstrated his outstanding professional competency and distinguished service in the areas of organizational partnerships, program creativity and leadership, which have had significant impacts on families throughout the state and nation,” says Debbie Purvis (BSHE ’76, Furnishings and Interiors), who is a Cook County FACS Extension agent. “Most importantly, he has been a teacher, a mentor and a friend to Family and Consumer Sciences Extension agents throughout the state.”

Pacesetter Award

This award is given to an individual who has graduated from the College of Family and Consumer Sciences within the past 10 years and who actively promotes its beliefs and values.

Kristi Osborn Greer
Whether it’s a toddler learning a Sunday school lesson, a fifth-grader discovering the importance of banking, an adult competing in local races, or an 80-year-old playing bingo, Kristi Osborn Greer (BSFCS ’00, Human Development and Family Science; MEd ’05, Adult Education) has affected the lives of all ages in Clarke and Oconee counties.

Greer has made it her mission to go beyond the requirements of her job as education and development officer at Oconee State Bank and improve the lives of those in the Athens area. In that pursuit she wears many hats at Antioch Christian Church, for example, including as a member of the outreach and budget committees and as superintendent of the Sunday school.

“She has had the opportunity to utilize her FACS skill set to help others in many ways,“ writes Marisa Reynolds, group vice president for Oconee State Bank, in her nomination letter for Greer. “She enjoys helping people and seeing our communities benefit from this knowledge.”

Among other projects, Greer has coordinated a program with the elementary schools in Oconee County to teach fifth-graders financial literacy. Adults have benefited from Greer’s volunteer work at charity races and in programs designed for older adults.

“Her passion for FACS and helping others is contagious,” writes Jana Davis Hester (BSFCS ’04, FACS Education; MEd ’06, Occupational Studies), a family and consumer sciences teacher at Malcom Bridge Middle School in Bogart. “My students learned so much from her presentation and gained tips to take home and share with their parents.”

Greer says she draws on her educational background in multiple ways both in her work and volunteer activities. “The College of Family and Consumer Sciences has taught me a great deal about family, being a consumer in the real world, teamwork, leadership and helping others,” she says. “I have been able to see my skills in use, but also my skills have grown through application and experience.”