Magazine of the College of Family and Consumer Sciences

Distinguished Alumni Award

Katrina Pittman Graham (BSHE ’69, General Home Economics) was awarded the Distinguished Alumni Award in recognition of her ongoing contributions to the family and consumer sciences profession.

For more than 30 years, Graham worked in the natural gas industry, including serving as director of civic affairs of AGL Resources, the parent company of Atlanta Gas Light Co. She currently is vice president for the Georgia Foundation for Independent Colleges and has primary responsibility for fund raising, public relations and developing grant proposals for Georgia’s 25 independent non-profit, liberal arts colleges and universities. Most recently, her work has focused on a pilot project developed by four members of GFIC, “Proyecto Graduacion,” a new initiative to recruit, retain and graduate Latino students.

Graham also volunteers with a number of other charitable organizations and is a past president of the FACS Alumni Association.

Outstanding Service Award

Throughout her life Wanda Barrs (BSHE ’74, Home Economics Education) has given back to her community. In being awarded the Outstanding Service Award, Barrs was particularly recognized for her dedication to children and education.

Since 2003, she has served as chair of the State Board of Education, following her appointment to the board by Gov. Sonny Perdue. Prior to that appointment, she served on the Bleckley County Board of Education for 12 years, including chairing the board from 1997-2002.

In addition to teaching for eight years, Barrs has volunteered as a Project Learning Tree facilitator and educator for 16 years, teaching more than 1,000 educators and youth leaders to use the environmental education program with their students, and hosting more than 3,000 students and adults at the Barrs’ tree farm during the past decade for activities highlighting natural resources.

FACS Appreciation Award

Jerry D. Warshaw, founder and president of Warshaw Properties in Atlanta, was awarded the FACS Appreciation Award for his ongoing support of the college’s Residential Property Management program.

He was among the college’s first industry connections to provide support for the Residential Property Management program in the Department of Housing and Consumer Economics. Drawing on contacts he has developed during his more then 40 years in real estate, he helped secure funding to bring specialized instruction to undergraduate students, including encouraging three separate professional associations to make significant financial gifts. These funds have been used to recruit and educate students in residential property management.

Each semester Warshaw lectures students in the residential property management class and goes out of his way to get to know them, including meeting with students individually or in small groups, helping them hone their interview skills and providing insight on career opportunities. Several recent graduates owe their employment to his efforts on their behalf. He also is a member of the Housing and Demographics Research Center’s Board of Advisors and a frequent advisor to FACS faculty.

Emily Quinn Pou Professional Achievement Award

As both a Certified Chef de Cuisine and Registered Dietitian, Kyle Shadix (BSFCS ’94, Consumer Foods) has developed a unique career combining nutrition, education, food science and innovation in institutional food development.

The winner of this year’s Emily Quinn Pou Professional Achievement Award for his accomplishments at the midpoint of his career, Shadix writes monthly columns for Nation’s Restaurant News, Positive Thinking magazine and Today’s Dietitian. He is also a frequent contributor to Woman’s Day magazine, has appeared on national television news shows and has been a featured speaker at conferences across the country.

Shadix’s company, Nutrition and Culinary Consultants, has been purchased by WPP, one of the world’s largest communications service groups. The new company will provide food and nutrition services to the food and beverage industry by advising clients on food and nutrition issues and trends affecting consumers nationwide. Shadix also is a part-time instructor at Columbia University/Teachers College nutrition program and the New York Restaurant School/Art Institute of New York City.

Creswell Award

After only two years as a part-time instructor in the Department of Housing and Consumer Economics, Debbie Phillips (BSHE ’85, Home Economics and Journalism; MS ’87, Housing, Home Management and Consumer Economics) has seen enrollment in her property management course jump from 146 to 293 students. Despite the large enrollment, Phillips is known for learning the names of each of her students, her mentoring skills and her tenacity, never giving up on helping a student find an internship or a recent graduate land that first job.

Those were among the reasons cited for Phillips receiving the Creswell Award, which recognizes faculty and staff who have provided leadership in motivating and guiding students.

Phillips, who is owner and founder of Quadrillion, a marketing and image development company, has built close ties between the Georgia Apartment Industry Education Foundation and the Department of Housing and Consumer Economics. Those ties have led to financial contributions from the GAIEF and the National Apartment Association’s Education Foundation to help establish the Residential Property Management Emphasis.

Pacesetter Award

Since 2000, Suzanne Elbon (PhD ’98, MEd, ’99, MS, ’95) has traveled to China, Spain, Kenya, Zimbabwe and Singapore as a part of her work as an instructional designer in the Coordinating Office for Global Health at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. She designs and develops training materials for international field epidemiology training programs and micronutrient malnutrition prevention and control programs. These projects are developed for classroom, electronic and self-study delivery.

As a consultant with the foods and nutrition department, Elbon is the webmaster for the Nutrition for Older Adults’ Health and the FDN and Georgia Division of Aging Services’ Live Well Age Well programs. These websites help educators, the aging-services network, older adults and their families easily find reliable information about wellness, nutrition, physical activity and healthy aging.