Don Bower

Patricia Hunt-Hurst

Don Bower (Professor, Child and Family Development) and Patricia Hunt-Hurst (Associate Professor, Textiles, Merchandising and Interiors) have been named head of their respective departments. Both had served as interim department heads for the past year.

Bower has spent nearly 30 years with the University of Georgia, serving as a human development specialist with the Extension Service. He is also currently president of the American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences.

Hunt-Hurst joined the FACS faculty in 1989. She earned both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in the college and her Ph.D. from The Ohio State University. She has twice been named Outstanding Teacher of the Year for FACS, received the Creswell Award in 2004 and the Gamma Sigma Delta Distinguished Teaching Award in 2005. Hunt-Hurst is a leading scholar on African-American women’s dress. Her research has been published in the Georgia Historical Quarterly, Dress, Clothing and Textiles Research Journal. In 2003 she was invited to submit two essays to the encyclopedia, Black Women in America: An Historical Encyclopedia, published by Oxford University Press.

New faculty members who have joined FACS include:

Alex Anderson (Assistant Professor, Foods and Nutrition), who earned his PhD in nutrition science and his master of public health degrees from the University of Connecticut.

Tracey Brigman (Lecturer, Foods and Nutrition), who comes to FACS from Life University in Marietta where she was the dietetics program director. She has also worked as a clinical dietitian for the Georgia Department of Corrections and Henry General Hospital. She earned her master’s degree in foods and nutrition from FACS and her bachelor of science degree in dietetics from Indiana University in Pennsylvania. She is a registered dietitian.

Joseph Sabia (Assistant Professor, Housing and Consumer Economics), who earned his PhD, master of arts degree in economics, master’s of science degree in consumer economics and housing and bachelor’s degree in policy analysis all from Cornell University. Prior to joining FACS, he was a senior analyst with Abt Associates in Cambridge, Mass.

Pamela Turner (Housing Specialist, Housing and Consumer Economics), who was previously the supportive housing manager with Lifenet Community Behavioral Healthcare and a consultant with Turner Consulting and Training Services in Dallas, Texas. She earned her PhD in consumer economics from the University of Maryland, her master of science degree in family studies from the University of Kentucky, and her bachelor of science in home economics from the University of Idaho.

Denise Lewis (Assistant Professor, Child and Family Development), who earned her PhD in gerontology and her master of arts degree in medical anthropology from the University of Kentucky and her bachelor of arts degree in anthropology from the University of South Alabama.

Stephanie Burwell (Assistant Professor, Child and Family Development), who earned her PhD in marriage and family therapy from Virginia Polytechnic and State University, her master of science degree in marriage and family therapy and her bachelor of science degree in family science from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

New staff members who have joined the college include:

Janet Jones Kendall, who is a development assistant. She is primarily working on the cultivation and solicitation of corporations and foundations for private gifts to FACS. She formerly served as director of alumni relations for the UGA Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication. She earned her master of journalism degree from UGA and her bachelor of journalism degree from Gardner-Webb.

Three Child and Family Development faculty members have been recognized by the National Council on Family Relations.

Patricia Bell-Scott (Professor, Child and Family Development) received the Marie F. Peters Ethnic Minorities Outstanding Achievement Award. The award, established in 1983, recognizes distinguished scholars, researchers and practitioners who have contributed significantly in the area of ethnic minority families. The award is presented biennially in memory of Marie F. Peters, a distinguished scholar, researcher and practitioner.

Prior to coming to the University of Georgia, Bell-Scott served in the position once occupied by Peters at the University of Connecticut. She is the author of several books, including “Life Notes: Personal writings by contemporary black women.”

Gene Brody (Professor, Child and Family Development) and Velma McBride Murry (Professor, Child and Family Development) were part of a team of researchers to receive the Reuben Hill Award.

This award is named in honor of Reuben Hill, the founder of the Research and Theory Section of NCFR, a world-renowned researcher and scholar, and a Regents Professor of the University of Minnesota. There is no nomination process for this award. A committee conducts an evaluation of the top scholarly journals in the family field and presents the award for the paper that best addresses an issue important to family scholars and has strong theory enhancing characteristics.

The researchers were recognized for their paper titled, “The Strong African American Families Program: Translating Research into Prevention Programming,” which was published in the journal Child Development.