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GLENN ABNEY
PhD, Moderator, Professor and Chair Emeritus, Georgia State University, Member, SUGA |
Glenn is currently Professor and Chair Emeritus at Georgia State University where he taught Political Science from 1972 until his retirement. He holds a PhD in Political Science from Tulane University and a JD Degree from the Georgia State College of Law. He and his wife Nancy are members of SUGA.
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MARCIA ABRAMS
International Market Research (retired) |
Marcia has been actively retired for several years. She worked most of her career at The Coca-Cola Company as an International Market Research librarian, plus several business research jobs with companies like Bellsouth. She is married to Norman Slawsky, has two children and a granddaughter. Spending time with them gives her great pride and pleasure. Her passion is FOOD! She loves to eat and often comes home from a great restaurant or international travels and tries to replicate dishes she enjoys most. Marcia particularly loves to share her enthusiasm about food with others.
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BETSY ALEXANDER
BFA Graphic Design, University of Georgia, Graphic Designer (retired) |
SUGA member, Betsy, worked as a graphic designer and art director for over 40 years. After graduating from the University of Georgia with a BFA in graphic design, she worked in New York for the advertising agency of Ogilvy & Mather. Moving to Atlanta in 1974, first working for a local advertising agency, then starting her own design firm, she worked mostly in the real estate development industry. She was the primary designer for John Wieland Homes for over 30 years. In addition to creating his corporate identity, she designed logos, signage, advertising and promotional materials for her many projects.
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JOE BAIRD
Attorney, Administrative Law Judge (retired), Member, SUGA |
Joe Baird grew up in Moultrie, Georgia, and attended Emory College, Emory Graduate School (English) and Emory Law School. He worked as an attorney with both Atlanta Legal Aid and Georgia Legal Services. He also served as an Administrative Law Judge with the State of Georgia. Since his retirement in 2006, he has taught history and English literature classes at SUGA. For recreation he plays a wretched game of golf.
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Arch Baker
Minister (retired), amateur photographer |
Rev. Baker is a retired Presbyterian minister with more than forty years of experience in photography. He is not a “birder,” but has become adept at locating, attracting and identifying wildlife, especially birds. Rev. Baker was a commercial photographer before becoming a full-time minister in 1988 and began doing digital photography in 2009 during a sabbatical study. In addition, he is an accomplished hunter and tracker and uses and teaches those skills in photographing birds.
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PATRICK BELOTT
Member, SUGA |
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FRAN BAGENAL, PhD
(Guest Instructor) Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, University of Colorado, Boulder |
Fran Bagenal was born and grew up in England. She studied Physics and Geophysics at the University of Lancaster. In 1976, inspired by NASA’s missions to Mars and the prospect of the Voyager mission, she moved to the US for graduate study at MIT. Her 1981 PhD thesis involved analysis of data from the Voyager Plasma Science experiment in Jupiter’s giant magnetosphere. She spent 1982-1987 as a post-doctoral researcher in space physics at Imperial College, London. Voyager flybys of Uranus and Neptune brought her back to the US and she joined the faculty at the University of Colorado, Boulder in 1989. Dr. Bagenal is professor of Astrophysical and Planetary Sciences and Research Scientist at the Laboratory of Atmospheric and Space Physics.
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PAUL BHASIN
DMA, University of Wisconsin-Madison, MM, Northwestern University, BM, University of Michigan, Director of Orchestral Studies at Emory University |
Dr. Paul Bhasin serves as Director of Orchestral Studies at Emory University where he holds the inaugural Donna & Marvin Schwartz Professorship in Music. In this capacity, he conducts the Emory University Symphony Orchestra, Emory Youth Symphony Orchestra, and teaches conducting. Bhasin’s career began when he won the Yamaha Young Performing Artist Competition in 1998. He has led a variety of university, academic, and professional ensembles throughout North America and abroad including recent performances at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. Bhasin is an accomplished orchestral trumpeter and a committed trumpet teacher. He was named Music Director/Conductor of the DeKalb Symphony Orchestra in 2022.
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ELIZABETH BIGHAM
Florida State University, Criminal Justice, Special Agent, GBI |
Elizabeth Bigham is a Special Agent with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI)
where she has been employed since March of 2007. She graduated from Florida State University with a degree in Criminal Justice. She was assigned to a field office where she worked various criminal cases to include homicide, armed robbery, child abuse/molestation, theft, aggravated assault, and rape. In July of 2013, she transferred to the Child Exploitation and Computer Crimes Unit (CEACC) where she currently conducts proactive and reactive investigations involving crimes against children on the Internet. These types of investigations include possession, distribution, and manufacturing of child pornography, solicitation of minors via the internet, and the commercial sex-trafficking of minors. Elizabeth has two young children and her husband, Rocky, is a special assistant in charge, also with the GBI. |
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TERRY BORDAN
Professor and Chair of Department of Counseling and Development (retired), Long Island University |
Dr. Terry Bordan is a licensed professional counselor and the former professor and Chair of the Department of Counseling and Development at Long Island University. She is also the former Director of Counseling at the United States Merchant Marine Academy and the past editor of The Journal for the Professional Counselor. She has taught in the Tactical Officers’ Education Program at the United States Military Academy at West Point. She has presented at national workshops and seminars and been featured in national newspapers. She has appeared on several television shows and is the former host of her own radio show, “Dr. Terry Bordan and Co.” She has extensive clinical experience as a mental health practitioner.
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GEORGE BROWN, Ph.D.
International Relations, retired President/CEO of Friendship Force, Travel Coordinator, Member, SUGA |
George T. Brown, Jr. is the retired president of Friendship Force International, a global people-to-people cultural exchange program. He received his Ph.D. in international studies from the University of Virginia and taught political science at Capital University in Columbus, Ohio before moving to Atlanta in 1978. In addition to his long career with The Friendship Force, George served as executive director of the Georgia Council for International Visitors and was director of Agnes Scott College’s Global Awareness Program. In his retirement he organizes and leads travel programs for Atlanta seniors and is a regular presenter on international issues at SUGA.
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DEBORAH BUTLER, Ph.D.
Professor of Management, Georgia State University (retired), Pozan University of Economics |
Deborah Butler holds a BS in Criminology, an M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction, an MS in Management, and a Ph.D. in Counseling. She recently retired from Georgia State University after serving for 25 years on the faculty of the Robinson College of Business. Her area of teaching and focus has been managing people in organizations, leadership, and management coaching. She has taught internationally throughout her career, and she continues to teach in the Poznan University of Economics and Business/GSU, Executive MBA program, in which she has participated for 20 years. She also continues to direct a leadership roundtable for Robinson College, The GSU HR Executive Roundtable. Additionally, she works with students who are enrolled in leadership programs at Claremont McKenna College in order to provide individual leadership coaching. Deborah is a member of SUGA; she enjoys this vibrant community of individuals who come to together to learn and to teach!
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TERRY CARPENTER
Lifelong musician (violoncello, guitar, percussion and choral singing) |
Since he was a young child, Terry has been singing. Starting with his church choir, he soon took up the violin in elementary school. He began playing the violoncello in junior high, playing in Flint (MI) Youth Symphony and attending the prestigious summer camp program at Interlochen Music Camp. By then he had taken up the guitar as well, playing and singing in camps each summer. He continued the violoncello at university and community orchestras, adding playing the bass. He now sings in the choir and in a quartet at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Atlanta, and leads singing groups there and for other “Open Sing” groups. He is also a member of O’Kelly’s Irish band, playing and singing at UUCA and performing at some Irish bars and assisted living facilities.
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FRAN CLOWSE
Master Certified Health Coach |
Fran is a Master Certified Health Coach based in Atlanta, with 7 years of experience also as a yoga instructor. She has worked in private practice as well as with virtual coaching companies. Her holistic approach brings clarity, direction and positive support for her clients. Fran helps people live their best life by filling the gap between where they are now, and where they want to be. Fran helps her clients reach each milestone, one at a time with an ultimate goal of satisfaction and success.
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KAY COLLINS
Media Planner (retired) |
Kay grew up in the university town of Urbana-Champaign, Illinois, the home of the University of Illinois, where she graduated. She began her career in advertising in Chicago and lived there before moving to Atlanta in 1982. Her advertising job was as a media planner—she was the one who chose where to put those commercials or ads that you complain about on tv and radio and in magazines and newspapers! After the ad industry changed in the late 1980s, Kay worked for marketing organizations until retirement about 17 years ago. Kay likes to travel to more natural places—Amazon, Patagonia, Australia, and New Zealand because they are the ones that will change the most in the next few years. She still has only a few states west of the Mississippi River to visit. She is active with the American Association of University Women (AAUW) and volunteers by collecting and pricing books year 'round for their sales. She likes to read and coordinates two book clubs—one is for SUGA. Kay has attended classes and volunteered with SUGA since retiring.
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DAVE CONLEY
Sr. Manager Science Center Museums (retired) |
Dave Conley holds a B.S. degree in physics. He is a retired Senior Manager in science center museums and planetariums. He designed exhibits that encouraged public learning of science. He has been a member of SUGA since 2018.
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JUNE CONVERSE
Teacher (retired), Writer |
A native of Atlanta, June Converse received her bachelor’s degree in business from Shorter College, then started her adult life in healthcare consulting. After receiving her teaching certification at Mercer University/Atlanta, she worked as an educator in both the public and private sector. She retired from teaching in 2012 and started her writing career. A lifelong lover of learning, she has spent untold hours studying the craft of novel writing. With her first and second novels finished, she realized she missed the classroom. Using her new knowledge of the craft of writing, she developed a class that seeks to prove that often the best novels are formulaic – that classroom theory does translate to real world application.
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JEROME M. (JERRY) COOPER
FAIA |
Jerry is the Founding Principal of Cooper Carry, Inc., a nationally recognized architectural firm with offices in Atlanta, Washington, D.C., and New York. He received the degrees of Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Architecture from Georgia Institute of Technology. Upon graduation he received the Student Medal of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) for Excellence in Architecture. As a Fulbright Scholar in 1956, he moved to Rome, Italy and studied at the Università di Roma, under the mentorship of Bruno Zevi, a prominent Italian Architect and Professor. In 1997, he was invited to return to Rome as a Visiting Artist at the American Academy in Rome. He is the recipient of numerous honors and awards, including the Silver Medal-Atlanta Chapter of AIA for Design Excellence; The Rothschild Medal – Georgia Association of AIA; and the Ivan Allen Trophy, Atlanta Chapter of AIA.
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TOM DELL
Musician |
Tom’s interest in Rock and Roll and music in general began in Atlanta in 1957 when he got his Stella four-string guitar. He was in bands that played for high schools and colleges in the Southeast, along the East coast and clubs in Florida, Atlanta, and New York. He still gets together regularly with men he has been working with for more than 60 years to play music. They have played at numerous Oakhurst “Porch Fests” and also do high school and college reunions. Tom graduated from Grady High and from Georgia State University, earning a BBA while serving six years in the United States Marine Corps Reserve. His working career involved being a working musician, owning and running a retail stereo equipment store, and sales/marketing of digital and fiber optic equipment. Since retiring in 2013, in addition to playing with his band, he has frequently presented his rock and roll courses at various senior organizations, including Emory’s OLLI program and Central DeKalb Senior Center. He has two daughters, three granddaughters, and is married to his high school sweetheart.
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SAL DePASQUALE
MCJ (Criminal Justice), MBA |
After retiring from a career as a security analyst and consultant working on security and criminal justice issues, Sal engaged in volunteer programs with the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at Emory University and Kennesaw State University teaching classes on history. He was an adjunct instructor in Criminal Justice at Georgia State University and taught security terrorism classes under contract to Texas A&M University. He also testified before Congress post September 11 relative to the security of chemical plants. Sal is a 2017 Volunteer of the Year for Meals on Wheels Atlanta, and an avid hiker. Sal has taught each quarter at SUGA after first teaching here in Winter 2021.
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WILLIAM R. ELSEA, M.D., M.P.H
Physician, public health officer |
William spent his entire career in the field of public health, both abroad and in the U.S. He has been an Epidemic Intelligence Service Officer, National Centers for Disease Control; Peace Corps Physician in Sierra Leone; Health Commissioner in Buffalo/Erie County, NY; Health Director for Lexington, KY and Cincinnati, OH; and President of the National Association of County Health Officials and of the American Association of Public Health Physicians. In the mid-1970s, Dr. Elsea became Health Commissioner of Fulton County, Atlanta, GA and Professor of Community Health, Emory University Medical School. A native of Missouri, he met and married his wife, Nancy when he was a medical student at Washington University in St. Louis. In retirement, Bill and Nancy both enjoyed attending SUGA classes, but Nancy sadly died in 2021. Together they raised three children, and Bill enjoys their 4 beautiful grandchildren, as well as his labradoodle, playing tennis, traveling, and attending SUGA.
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BILL FISHER
Sr Mgr BellSouth, Founder Winston Churchill Society of GA |
Bill is a veteran of Senior U, having taught his first class in 2004, and done one in about every year since. A native of Kentucky, (Go Big Blue!) he was a senior manager at BellSouth for 32 years, but history was always his hobby. He was one of the founders of The Winston Churchill Society of Georgia and continues to serve on the board. He and Gail live in Dunwoody, have three adult children in Summit NJ, Fayetteville, GA, and outside San Francisco, with grandchildren on both coasts.
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TIM GELINAS
UGA, Owner/President, Senior Financial Services, LLC |
Tim is a graduate of UGA and is a former ordained campus minister at the University of Georgia. He and his wife Rachael have spent a total of over 27 weeks during 13 different trips to Israel. During these trips they have become friends with many influential people in the archaeological community who have provided Tim with many unique experiences. In his “day job” Tim is a financial planner and is President and owner of Senior Financial Services, LLC in Marietta.
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JOYCE (“JOY”) F. GLUCKSMAN
Attorney (retired) |
Joy is a retired attorney with over 45 years of experience in employment, family law, business, and corporate representation. In the last 10 years, she limited her practice to mediation and arbitration. She started her practice working for the National Treasury Employees Union and continued as a solo practitioner representing individuals and closely held corporations in a variety of forums at the trial and appellate levels. Joy has more than 25 years of experience as an arbitrator and is still certified by the State of Georgia as an arbitrator, mediator, and case evaluator. She was active on both the American Arbitration Association's employment and commercial rosters, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority’s panel as a public arbitrator, and has chaired numerous arbitration panels. She received the highest, AV, rating by Martindale Hubbell and was named one of Georgia’s top lawyers by Super Lawyers magazine every year between 2008 and when she retired in 2021. She was also active in Bar and community activities. She is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Skidmore College and a graduate of Emory Law School. Joy is married and enjoys traveling, reading, genealogy, jigsaw puzzles, and taking SUGA classes.
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LYNN CHERRY GRANT
Emory and Georgia State University, World Literature and British Literature, Georgia Perimeter College (retired) |
A lifelong resident of DeKalb County, graduate of Emory University and Georgia State University, Lynn spent most of her teaching career at DeKalb College now Georgia Perimeter College. Her favorite classes were World Literature and British Literature. She served on the DeKalb County Board of Education for 16 years, leaving it in 2009, still a firm believer in public education. In retirement, she teaches part-time and travels whenever possible. She has enjoyed being a member of and teaching classes at SUGA to share some of her passions, like Greek mythology and British Lit.
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MADELINE GRIFFIN
Assistant District Attorney, GSU Instructor (retired) |
Madeline Griffin was the first female Assistant District Attorney as well as the first woman Juvenile Court Judge in DeKalb County. For a number of years she taught a course on the Juvenile Justice System at Georgia State University and offered a course on this topic for SUGA in 2020. In 2021 she presented a course on “Major Ridge” and the 18th/19th century Cherokee community in North Georgia, and continued sharing her interest in Native American history in a 2022 course.
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DANIEL GUYTON
MFA Drama, University of Georgia, BA English & Theatre, SUNY Albany, Playwright |
Dan is an award-winning playwright and screenwriter from Atlanta, GA. His stage plays have been produced over 600 times around the world, and he has been published in nearly 50 anthologies and solo publications, including several of the Best American Short Plays collections. His play Three Ladies of Orpington won 7 awards from the Metropolitan Atlanta Theatre Awards. He is a theatre professor and is a member of the Dramatists Guild and the Writers Guild of America East.
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LISA N. GUYTON
Artist/Art teacher |
Lisa Guyton’s art experience started as a child, making things with her mother, a dynamic and talented woman who painted, wrote for the local newspaper and entered art shows. As a graduate student in painting at American University in Washington, D.C., Lisa was influenced by the emphasis on drawing from life and from exposure to art history. Her classes sometimes took place at the Phillips Collection, a nearby private museum. There she studied Impressionist, Post-impressionist and other works in person, up close. This experience led to her love of the work from this modernist collection, including works by Cezanne, Van Gogh, Bonnard, Matisse, O’Keeffe, Marin, and Hopper. She became an art teacher in 1987, starting at a private boarding school in Katonah, NY, continuing after moving to Atlanta in 1995, and retiring after teaching 14 years in a public high school in Atlanta. Currently she teaches drawing and painting classes at art centers in Atlanta and maintains a studio in Chamblee. Her drawings and paintings have been exhibited in Atlanta, Gainesville, Washington, D.C. and Connecticut.
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ZACHARY HANDLOS
Senior Academic Professional, School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences (EAS) at Georgia Tech |
Dr. Zachary Handlos is a Senior Academic Professional within the School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences (EAS) at Georgia Tech. Zachary is originally from Manitowoc, WI and received his B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees in Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences from the University of Wisconsin - Madison. His instructional experience ranges from several meteorology courses across the undergraduate meteorology curriculum to introductory environmental science as well as a planetary science course titled "Habitable Planet". He is also one of two undergraduate advisors in EAS. Zachary's research interests are in jet stream meteorology and atmospheric science education research. He has participated in several outreach events throughout the greater Atlanta, GA community, including the Atlanta Science Festival, K-12 school visits, guest presenting for two Georgia chapters of the Sierra Club on the topic of hurricanes and global climate change, and various interviews with local television and radio. Website: https://handlos.eas.gatech.edu/
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TOM HAWKINS
US Dept. of Labor (retired) |
Shortly after retiring in 2006, Tom Hawkins became active in Senior University. He serves on the Curriculum Committee and has been President of the Board and a member of the Finance Committee. His working career included nearly six years as an Air Force officer and 31 years with the U. S. Department of Labor working in Human Resources, Affirmative Action, and Occupational Safety and Health. For the last ten years, he helped to manage human, financial and technology resources and to evaluate mission accomplishment for OSHA in the southeast. He walks three miles with friends somewhere in metro Atlanta early every Saturday morning, and he has dabbled in local theater. In addition to helping with several trivia classes, he has taught a couple of SUGA classes dealing with spiritual journeys.
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CHARLES “CHUCK” HILL
BS Geology, Georgia Southern (1980), MS Geophysical Sciences, Georgia Tech (1983), author |
Chuck is a freelance geologist in the environmental consulting industry. He is a native of Atlanta and has worked as an environmental consultant for over 30 years. He has a BS in Geology from Georgia Southern (1980) and an MS in Geophysical Sciences from Georgia Tech (1983). He has written a book on the geology and history of Georgia called “Georgia’s Past.” Chuck has taught courses in geology at SUGA for about 14 years.
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LYNN HEINISCH
Chief External Relations Officer, The Task Force for Global Health |
Lynn Heinisch is Chief External Relations Officer at The Task Force for Global Health. Her career in global health and development has included roles with CARE and PATH, as well as consulting for the Gates Foundation, USAID and other agencies. She was based in Africa (Benin and South Africa) for four years and has worked in dozens of countries in Africa, Asia and the Middle East. She began her career in journalism, worked for Intel in media relations, and served as a volunteer teacher in Benin. She earned a BA in English at Duke University and an MA in International Relations from the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa. Lynn is also the niece of SUGA Executive Director, Bill Beeson.
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ALLEN M. HING
Professor of Interior Design |
Allen Hing has taught interior design since 1971 at various institutions including Syracuse University, Auburn University, The Atlanta College of Art, the Art Institute of Atlanta, and Virginia Commonwealth University, both on the Richmond campus as well as their campus in Doha, Qatar. He holds a B.F.A. degree in Interior Design from the Pratt Institute in NYC and an M.A. degree from Syracuse University. He has taught courses in interior design, art and architecture at SUGA since 2014.
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LESLIE S. HOUGH
Ph.D. in History at the University of Virginia, Full Professor |
Dr. Hough received his Ph.D. in History at the University of Virginia in 1977. He held full Professorial and tenured rank at both Georgia State University and Wayne State University. He was Director of the Ohio Labor History Project from 1975-1977. He served as Director of the Southern Labor Archives and Special Collections at Georgia State University from 1977-1992 and was Director of the Walter Reuther Library from 1992-1997. He served as Director and Research Director of the W.J. Usery Center for the Workplace from 1997-2006.
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BONNIE HOYT
BA, English and Secondary Education, MA, English Literature |
Bonnie Hoyt holds a BA. In English and Secondary Education and an M.A. in English Literature. She learned that “life is what happens when you’re making other plans” when she taught high school English for only one year before discovering she didn’t like teenagers in packs. She does, however, enjoy learning with and teaching adults!
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HAL JACOBS
Writer and videographer |
Hal brings a 30+-year career in freelance writing and developing written and video resources for higher education into producing films that focus on the South. He lives in DeKalb County, Ga., with his wife and executive producer, Alicia Macbeth Jacobs, a former elementary school librarian. He frequently collaborates with his son, Henry, a photographer/musician and environmentalist based in LaGrange, Ga., and consults regularly with his older son, Daniel, a foreign service officer currently posted in Hong Kong.
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BETSY JONES
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill |
Betsy was fortunate to be born and raised about 30 miles north of New York City – a 45-minute train ride followed by a 10-minute walk from her front door to Broadway. She took advantage of all the city had to offer! A graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Betsy spent 33 very happy years working in the IT department of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlanta. As for hobbies and interests, Betsy is a collector of art glass paperweights, Life Magazines, Folk Art and she loves to travel. Betsy also teaches regularly for Senior Enriched Learning (SEL) in Roswell.
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RICHARED K. JUDY
Author of Thru: An Appalachian Trail Love Story |
Richard is the author of THRU: An Appalachian Trail Love Story, a novel based on his first Appalachian Trail trek in 1973. The novel, published in 2014, explores “the sheer existential conundrum of why anyone would spend months walking along ridge crests and examines the human side of the wilderness trek that millions ponder but few actually experience.” Follow his blog at www.thrunovel.com.
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JANE KELLEY
Epidemiologist, CDC (retired) |
Dr. Jane Kelly is a board-certified internist with 40 years' experience in clinical medicine and public health. Her career has taken her from primary care in rural Alaska and the Navajo and Hopi reservations to epidemiology at CDC and public health in SC during the height of the COVID pandemic. Her passion for travel has taken her kayaking in Greenland and hiking the Headhunter Trail in Borneo. She hopes to share both her background in medicine and adventure travel in her talks with SUGA.
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Colonel ROBERT KNOWLES, JR.
GA National Guard (retired) Security Officer, GSU Instructor, Intelligence Corps, US Army |
Robert Knowles first heard about Sherlock Holmes over the British Broadcasting Corporation radio while stationed with his father in occupied Germany in the 1950's. Imagine the excitement he felt, listening to Sir Ralph Richardson and Sir John Gielgud's masterful renditions of stories of Conan Doyle's Great Detective! Bob is himself a writer, though he has not tried his hand at detective fiction. He holds master’s degrees from Georgia State University and Kennesaw State University. Bob has worked as a security officer and is a licensed security supervisor. He also completed the state Private Investigator course. He taught communications at Georgia State for 20 years, retiring in 2019. Bob is a retired Colonel in the Georgia Department of Defense and a former Captain, Military Intelligence Corps in the Unites States Army Reserve. He fought in the Vietnam War in 1967-1968. He was decorated for combat service as an intelligence and security analyst with the United States Army Security Agency. Bob is married and has three children, three grand-children and two great-grandchildren. He lives with his wife, Jann, and three cats in Stone Mountain, Ga. Bob's youngest son, Ben, has continued his father's involvement and interest in communications intelligence and security. He is a corporate director of cyber-security.
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JUNE LESTER
Professor Emerita, School of Library and Information Studies, University of Oklahoma |
June holds a doctorate in library science from Columbia University and bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Emory University. She is retired from the School of Library and Information Studies at the University of Oklahoma where she served as Director of the School and previously was a faculty member and administrator at Emory University and the University of North Texas. She also served as the Director of the Office for Accreditation of the American Library Association. During her career she was active in professional associations, serving as President of the Association for Library and Information Science Education and Treasurer of the Association for Information Science and Technology. Since her retirement in 2010 and move to Atlanta with her partner, John Hinkle, she has been active in her Homeowner’s Association, serving twice as Vice President of the Board, and in the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Atlanta, where she has served as President of the congregation and sings in the choir. She has been a SUGA member since 2017
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ANN MEBANE LEVINE
SUGA Curriculum Chair, Program Manager (retired) West Virginia University, Volunteer, Carter Center |
Ann is the Curriculum Chair at Senior University of Greater Atlanta (SUGA) where she has been a member since 2004. In that year she retired from a career at West Virginia University as a Program Manager of a state-wide professional development organization. Since moving to Atlanta to be near family, she has volunteered at The Carter Center and at her church, the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Atlanta. She participates in four Book Clubs and spends lots of time planning and arranging courses for SUGA!
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ANNE MacDOUGAL
Member, SUGA |
Anne was born in Michigan, grew up in Indiana, spent some time in Florida and has been in Atlanta for the last 50 years (and has no plans on leaving). She began her career in I.T. at IBM as a systems analyst and continued doing programming, analysis, design, support, consulting and training at various companies. She retired in 2013. She is a member of SUGA.
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STEVEN W. MAY, Ph.D.
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Steven served for thirty-five years as Professor of English at Georgetown College in Georgetown, Kentucky, and is currently adjunct Professor of English at Emory University. From 2009-2013 he served as principal investigator of the Arts and Humanities Research Council grant concerned with Renaissance English scribal culture in the School of English at Sheffield University. His books include The Elizabethan Courtier Poets (1991), Elizabethan Poetry: A Bibliography and First-Line English Verse, 1559-1603 (2004), Queen Elizabeth I, Selected Works (2004), and most recently, English Renaissance Manuscript Culture (2023).
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DAVID McCOWEN
Architect |
David is a retired Architect, born in Macon, GA and graduated from Georgia Tech. Always based in Atlanta, his career involved diverse projects in Egypt, Ghana, Burbank, CA with the Disney Imagineers, Iran (before the revolution), and his favorite: the 1990’s library addition at Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur. After retiring in 2004, he joined SUGA about 2007. Married to Mary, they have two daughters and two grandsons. David has led several classes at SUGA over the years and has been a SUGA Board President back in the Mercer days.
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ELLERY McLANAHAN
Member, SUGA |
Ellery received his bachelor’s degree from Yale University in 1962, majoring in American Studies. He is a published poet, short story writer, and public speaker. He is a member of SUGA.
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JIM McSWEENEY
National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), retired |
Jim, a native of the Bay Area, received his B.A. in Political Science from San Francisco State University, and an M.A. in American History from San Jose State University. He worked for the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) for 40 years, serving in senior leadership positions at NARA facilities in California and Georgia, as well as the Office of Presidential Libraries in College Park, Maryland. During his career he inaugurated innovative public programs with the Truman and FDR Presidential Libraries, the MLK Jr. National Historic Site, and the Smithsonian Institution. Jim remains active with a research project that uses archival resources to examine our country’s rich immigrant experience, the New Deal, and New Deal arts programs. He recently launched McSweeney Research & Consulting LLC, offering archival and genealogical research services.
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JEFF MILSTEEN
Attorney, Chief Deputy Attorney General of Georgia. |
Jeff is an attorney who served as Chief Deputy Attorney General of Georgia for nineteen years before his retirement in 2017. He also served as Vice President and General Counsel of Kennesaw State University in 2018-19. Jeff graduated with a B.A. in Political Science from Johns Hopkins University and received his law degree from the Emory University School of Law, where he served as Managing Editor of the Emory Law Journal. Jeff is an avid photography enthusiast and enjoys world travel.
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ADRIENNE MINTZ
Occidental College |
Adrienne is a native of California. She graduated from Occidental College in Los Angeles. For her Honors Thesis, she researched the relationship between women’s employment and the number and types of crimes they committed. Adrienne has held positions in the commercial banks in Los Angeles’s garment industry, run her own business, and worked as a bookkeeper for a synagogue. She earned her Master's in Community Counseling in Atlanta and worked in community mental health until retirement. Adrienne also teaches regularly for Senior Enriched Learning (SEL) in Roswell.
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DAVID Y. MITCHELL
Executive Director Atlanta Preservation Center (APC) |
Since 2020, David has served as the Executive Director of the Atlanta Preservation Center (APC). Previously, he served as APC’s Director of Education and Operations. Since taking over as Director, he has greatly expanded partnerships and programs and has regularly voiced the preservation center’s position in the media. David Mitchell graduated from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. He is a past recipient of the Society of Georgia Archivists President’s Award for his work with the Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library at the University of Georgia.
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MARILYN MORTON, Ph.D.
BS and MS, Art Education, PhD, Interdisciplinary Studies, Emory U.. |
Marilyn received her BS and MS degrees in Art Education, and her PhD in Interdisciplinary Studies from Emory University in 1998. She has taught art in the public schools and taught Art Studio as well as History of Art at the University of Tennessee and Atlanta College of Art. She teaches at various Atlanta-area senior lifelong learning programs, including at SUGA for many years.
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DARRYL NEILL
Professor (retired) Psychology Department at Emory University |
Darryl grew up near Orlando, FL in the “BD” era; that’s “Before Disney.” He received a B.S. in Biology from Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, FL and a Ph.D. in Biopsychology from the University of Chicago. Darryl went straight from Chicago to be a professor in the Psychology Department at Emory University, where he spent 49 years, retiring as the Goodrich C. White Professor of Psychology and Behavioral Neuroscience. Although primarily a teacher (he estimates he taught 14,000 undergraduates and graduate students), he had a laboratory the entire time conducting basic brain research with rats on systems involved in what humans would call mood disorders and drug abuse (yes, rats get depressed and they like cocaine).
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LISA NEWBERN
Yerkes National Primate Research Center Researchers, Coordinator |
Lisa Newbern is Chief of Public Affairs for the Yerkes National Primate Research Center at Emory University. She arranges and coordinates annual courses at SUGA with faculty members who do research at Yerkes.
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NICHOLAS R. ORTON
Coordinator Board-Certified Orthopedic Clinical Specialist, Department of Physical Therapy, Mercer University |
Nicholas Orton is Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Physical Therapy and physical therapist in the Mercer Physical Therapy Clinic. He received his Doctor of Physical Therapy from the Medical University of South Carolina and his Bachelor of Science in Biology from Wofford College. He is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist and Board-Certified Orthopaedic Clinical Specialist. In addition, he is Orthopedic Residency Coordinator and Director of the Anatomy Lab in the Department of Physical Therapy. Dr. Orton is currently engaged in research on the use of point of care ultrasound to detect trigger points in individuals with headaches.
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LARRY PINSON
SUGA presenter |
Larry retired from Management Consulting in Economics & Finance 15 years ago. As his career went along, he developed an interest in music theater - live theater & musicals, and movie musicals captured his attention. He sang in a church choir and volunteered at Spivey Hall and The Atlanta Opera. He attended SUGA classes on music, theater, the American musical, and opera. While volunteering, he met composers, librettists, performing artists, set designers, lighting experts, directors, and other essential contributors to productions. Being involved, he observed productions from start to performance. A lot of reading yielded better understanding of music theater, particularly, opera. Enhancing all of that was seeing dramas, comedies, musicals, and operas in Atlanta, Miami, New York, St. Louis, Seattle, Budapest, Vienna, and Sydney. Using those experiences, he has presented several opera classes for SUGA, where he has been a member since 2009. Music, theater, and preparing opera classes for SUGA continue to feed Larry’s avocational interests!
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JUDY PLECKO
Director of Social Work at the Marcus Center |
Although Judy was born in Cleveland, Ohio, she grew up in Mobile, Alabama. She came to Emory for college and has remained here, except for 2 years when she went to the University of Texas to obtain a Masters in Social Work. Her long career includes medical social work positions at Grady Hospital, Dekalb Medical and Shepherd Spinal Center. She was also the Director of Social Work and Family Support at the Marcus Center, before starting her own private counseling and therapy practice. Much of her time was spent working with Children with Disabilities and their families. She is married to Mike Plecko, and their daughter and her husband live in Atlanta with their 2 daughters, age 15 and 9. She loves spending time with them, but also enjoys bridge, mah jongg, reading, and travel. Judy and Mike have been fortunate to enjoy many trips and cruises. Judy participates in 2 Book Clubs including the one at SUGA, where she and Mike have enjoyed classes for a number of years.
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JOE PRASS
Rabbi, Director of the Weinberg Center for Holocaust Education at the Breman Museum |
Rabbi Prass has been teaching about Judaism and the Holocaust for over 20 years and is the Director of the Weinberg Center for Holocaust Education at the Breman Museum. In addition, he serves as the Rabbi at Congregation Ner Tamid in Marietta, GA. He has taught about the Holocaust in in schools, colleges, synagogues and in the camp setting around the Atlanta area. Prior to joining the Breman, Rabbi Prass served as a congregational rabbi for 20 years in Houston, Wisconsin and Atlanta. Passionate about blending formal and informal education, Rabbi Prass seeks to inspire the next generation to create a deep connection to underlying ideas of the Holocaust and Judaism in order to be moved to action in their everyday lives.
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MARY RADFORD
Law Professor (retired), Georgia State University, Member, SUGA |
Mary recently retired from Georgia State University after serving for 39 years on the faculty of the Georgia State University College of Law. Her areas of teaching and research included Wills, Trusts, & Estate Planning; Elder Law; and Women & the Law. She continues to work closely with probate judges and practitioners on law reform and was instrumental in the enactment of Georgia’s Probate Code, Trust Code, and Guardianship & Conservatorship Code. Mary’s mother, who was a librarian, instilled in her a lifelong interest in exploring the fascinating personal stories of powerful women rulers throughout history. Mary is a member of SUGA.
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B. DENISE RAYNOR
MD, MPH, Emerita, Emory Univ. School of Medicine, Member, SUGA |
Dr. Denise Raynor, an Emerita of Emory University School of Medicine, is a fiction writer and author of Birthing Pains: A Story of Struggle scheduled for publication in 2025. She spent her medical career teaching thousands of medical students, residents, Maternal Fetal Medicine fellows, nurses and mid-level providers the practice of obstetrics and gynecology and fighting for quality women's reproductive care and elimination of healthcare disparities.
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SHAI ROBKIN
Serial entrepreneur |
Shai (pronounced “Shy”) is a serial entrepreneur. Born and raised in Atlanta, he moved to Israel in 1976 immediately following his marriage to fellow Atlantan, Judy Birnbrey. After a career in international banking, Shai and Judy opened in 1981 Israel’s first combination bookstore/coffee shop. They returned to Atlanta in 1984, using the proceeds from the sale of the Israeli store to acquire Vernon, a manufacturer and distributor of library supplies. Vernon’s technology division was sold in 2011 to One Equity Partners, a division of JP Morgan. Shai has continued to direct Vernon’s operations while engaging in outside business consulting and education. He has taught a variety of behavioral economics courses at SUGA since 2017.
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BRANDT ROSS
BA, Marshall University, Managing Partner (retired) Corporate Finance Associates, Inc. of Southeast Atlanta |
Brandt has a BA from Marshall University and was Managing Partner at Corporate Finance Associates, Inc. of Southeast Atlanta, specializing in mergers and acquisitions. For 22 years, he held senior management positions becoming President and COO of Corbin, Ltd. He has served as a board member of the Third National Bank, The United Way, Family Services and several Chambers of Commerce. He was President of Marshall University Business School Advisory Board and helped found their internship program. His hobbies include 12-stringed guitar and folk music, history, genealogy, and baseball. He currently volunteers as a folksinger in retirement homes and as a financial arbitrator.
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STEVE RUSH
Environmental Consultant (retired) |
Steve graduated from Emory University in 1973. He retired from a career as an Environmental Consultant in Los Angeles and moved back to the Atlanta area about 6 years ago. He’s been a volunteer with the Peace Education Program since then. While facilitating several Peace Education Workshops, he’s seen first-hand the phenomenal transformation that occurs when a person connects with their inner self.
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SHELLEY SCHER
Teacher (retired) Member, SUGA |
Shelley Scher earned her BA from Hofstra University and her MA from Fairfield University. She has taught both high school and college-level courses. She taught Advanced Placement English courses at Chattahoochee High School for 15 years. During her career she has reviewed college-level Business English textbooks for John Wiley Publishing Co. She and her husband are members of SUGA.
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DAVID SCHOENBERG
Corporate attorney, UGA 1984 |
David practices business, international and trusts and estates law in Buckhead. He serves on the Board of Interfaith Atlanta and is the Chair of the Interfaith Speakers Network (ISN). David is active in his synagogue, Temple Sinai, is a past president of Second Helpings Atlanta and is a recent member of the Board of Actors Express.
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ROBERT SIEGMANN
Retired professional photographer |
Robert Siegmann has had several careers in teaching computer courses and photography courses in the Atlanta area. In his last career he had his own portraiture business where he transitioned from using analog cameras to digital cameras. During the last 10 years he has enjoyed and used the amazing iPhone camera for all his photography needs. His purpose now is to share his iPhone camera experience and knowledge with as many seniors as he can.
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ARTHUR SLAVIN
Banking Manager (retired), Former SUGA Board Member |
Art was born and raised in Chicago. His education includes degrees in English, Educational Psychology, Bank Management, and Finance from Northern Illinois University, LSU, and the University of Virginia. His minors include French and History. After college, Art spent three years in the Army, where he learned Chinese Mandarin and was stationed in the Far East. Art and Ethi, his wife of 56+ years, moved to Tucker in 1969. They have a daughter, son-law, and grandchild, all of whom are kind, generous, and intelligent members of the community. Art spent 30 years in the banking industry, managing large departments in credit cards, operations, marketing, and retail loan administration. He retired in 1999 and has spent his time volunteering as a tutor and teacher of English to foreign students. Since 2005 he has taught over twenty classes at Senior University and has served on the Board of directors as President (twice), Vice-President (twice), Secretary, and as Finance Chair for six years. He has also served as Chair and member of the Curriculum Committee as well as a participant in the Book Club. He stays in shape by getting to the gym and pool at least four times each week. He is a fan of murder mysteries, cryptic crosswords, music, and film. He and Ethi have been fortunate to have traveled several times to western Europe as well as to the Caribbean on Disney cruises but are now happy at home and in their garden.
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NORMAN SLAWSKY
Attorney |
Norman is a SUGA member and immediate past-president. At SUGA, he has presented classes on law, Atlanta authors, and climate change. A labor lawyer for 35 years, he has served as chair of the State Bar of Georgia and the Atlanta Bar Association Labor & Employment Law Sections, the chair of GreenLaw, a nonprofit environmental law firm, and vice-chair of the Georgia Sierra Club. He is a treekeeper with Trees Atlanta. Norman has a B.A. in Economics from SUNY-Binghamton, an M.A. in Mathematics from CUNY, and a JD from the University of Georgia. Prior to attending law school, he was a high school math teacher.
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ROY M. SOBELSON
Law Professor (retired) Georgia State University College of Law |
Roy recently retired after serving 30+ years at Georgia State University College of Law as a professor, 10 years as Associate Dean, and 2 years as Director of the LL.M. program. His special areas of focus are legal ethics and malpractice, civil procedure, and litigation. Before teaching, he practiced law and served as managing attorney of the Georgia Legal Services office in Brunswick, Georgia.
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MIKE SULLIVAN
Lawyer, AAMS (Accredited Asset Management Specialist) Edward Jones designation |
Mike is a financial planner who works with families and small business owners to overcome complexities and navigate through critical life events. He has been with Edward Jones since 2008 and holds the AAMS (Accredited Asset Management Specialist) designation. He earned a law degree from Georgia State University and served as a Calvary Scout in the United States Army. A native of upstate New York, he enjoys traveling, golfing, learning about history and watching sports. The lead singer of a local rock band, he likes to relive his glory days believing that he is still relevant. He also volunteers his time as a bus driver for three daughters who play volleyball, softball and basketball. While this position is unpaid, the opportunity to refine his dad jokes is priceless.
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SANDRA THORNTON
Georgia Tech School of Public Policy (retired), and Thornton & Rose, Attorneys at Law, Member, SUGA |
Sandra Thornton received her PhD from Georgetown University and her JD degree from Woodrow Wilson College of Law. She taught from 1962 until 1997 at Georgia Institute of Technology, teaching Political Science, Russian and International Affairs. She was also in the private practice of law from 1981 to 2007. She has been a volunteer lawyer for the
ACLU and the Dekalb Volunteer Lawyers Foundation. She is a member of SUGA. |
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GEORGE WIEDER
USAF, serial volunteer |
George is on the Board of the Senior University of Greater Atlanta and has been a member since 2020. He coordinates SUGA Zoom activities and is also a member of the Curriculum Committee. George had a career in the United States Air Force followed by 15 years in the cellular business. He is a member of the Atlanta Kiwanis Club and supports many of their non-profit members.
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BILL WITHERSPOON, Ph.D.
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Bill is a geologist and educator. He is co-author of Roadside Geology of Georgia. and has offered more than 200 geology walks and talks throughout the state since its 2013 publication, including three at SUGA. Bill produces the Rock On Mother Earth audio podcast, in which he interviews park rangers and scientists in similar fashion to the conversations in this SUGA class. In the 1980’s he worked at Shell Oil’s research lab. He taught for 17 years at Fernbank Science Center, part of DeKalb County Schools. Since retirement in 2014, Bill has studied climate science, economics, and communication at Georgia Tech and Georgia State. Conversations on Climate engages many of the experts who mentored and inspired his climate studies.
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PAUL ROOT WOLPE
Raymond F. Schinazi Distinguished Research Chair in Jewish Bioethics and Director, Center for Ethics, Emory University |
Paul Root Wolpe, a sociologist and bioethicist, is the Raymond F. Schinazi Distinguished Research Chair of Jewish Bioethics, Professor of Medicine, Pediatrics, Psychiatry, Neuroscience and Biological Behavior, and Sociology, and the Director of the Center for Ethics at Emory University. Dr. Wolpe served for 17 years as the first Senior Bioethicist for NASA, and was the first National Bioethics Advisor to Planned Parenthood Federation of America. He is the former Editor-in-Chief of American Journal of Bioethics Neuroscience and he sits on the editorial boards of over a dozen professional journals in medicine and ethics. Dr. Wolpe is the Past President of the Association of Bioethics Program Directors, past President of the American Society for Bioethics and Humanities, a Fellow of the Hastings Center, and a Fellow of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia, the country’s oldest medical society.
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ROSEMARY WOOLFITT
Dekalb Symphony Orchestra, Cellist |
Rosemary was born and brought up in the UK. In 1997 she moved to Atlanta with her husband and two small boys. Her older son got her into quizzes when he used to compete regularly in middle school Academic Bowl tournaments. Rosemary morphed from parent helper to reading out the questions for competitions and adjudicating the answers. After her sons left middle school, Rosemary continued to read for middle school Academic Bowl competitions all over Atlanta. At home, she enjoys British cryptic crosswords, where every clue is in the form of a puzzle to be solved.
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