The mission of the SPIA Alumni Board of Directors is to serve students and graduates of SPIA through its support of the School’s programs and activities in order to cultivate and encourage a continuing affiliation between and among graduates and the School.
The Board serves in a variety of ways, working on committees to host annual fundraising events like the Georgia Legislative Outlook, Isakson Symposium for Political Civility, and other endeavors which raise money for undergraduate study abroad scholarships, MPA student support, and additional funding priorities set annually by the dean. Alumni Board members are committed to participating in the UGA Mentor Program and some also serve on a mentoring committee to further connect alumni to students.
SPIA Alumni Board of Directors Bylaws
Questions? Contact Assistant Director of Development and Alumni Relations Ryan Leonard.
Applications for the 2025-28 board term are open through October 31, 2024.
2025-2026 SPIA Alumni Board of Directors:
Shallum Atkinson (AB ’17)
Incoming Litigation Associate
O’Melveny & Myers, LLP
Casey Aultman Tanner (MPA ’19)
Vice President for Government Relations
Kennesaw State University
Wyn Bellhouse IV (AB ’09)
Senior Trade Economist
Mowry and Grissom, PLLC
Ryan Bowersox (AB ’13)
Assistant General Counsel
Georgia Municipal Association
Betsy Bradfield (AB ’17)
Advocacy Director
Georgia Association of REALTORS
Bert Brantley (MPA ’05)
President and CEO
Savannah Area Chamber of Commerce
Leanna Brown (AB ’10, MIP ’12)
Vice President of Business Climate
Metro Atlanta Chamber
Jara Butler (AB ’08)
Chief Impact Officer
Supermajority Education Fund
Clayton Cox (AB ’10)
Senior Vice President
McGuireWoods Consulting
Amanda Deaton-Moyer (AB, MPA ’09)
Assistant Finance Director
Metropolitan Nashville Davidson County
Houston Gaines (AB ’17)
Director
Carter Engineering
Ryan Giles (AB 11, JD ’18)
Chief Counselor for Nominations & the Constitution
Senate Judiciary Committee
United States Senate
Caulder Harvill-Childs (AB ’12)
Public Policy Manager
TikTok
Elizabeth Holland (AB ’16, JD ’19)
Counsel, Legal
Gulfstream Aerospace
Rebecca Howell (AB ’13)
Principal
36th Street Strategies
Bert Hummel (AB ’07)
Trial Attorney
Hummel Trial Law
Alex Johnson (AB ’09)
Director of External Affairs
CO280
Tamrat “Tim” Kassa (AB ’99)
Senior Project Manager
HNTB
Josh Kivett (AB ’95)
Partner & Senior National Strategist
Majority Strategies
Ronnie Kurtz (AB ’15, MPA ’15)
Special Assistant to the President for Personnel
The White House
Jordan Layson (AB ’09)
Senior Director, Global Government Affairs and Policy
Amgen
Audrey Lewis (AB ’07, JD ’10)
Attorney
Gregory, Doyle, Calhoun, and Rogers
John Manly (AB ’04, JD ’08)
Partner
Manly Shipley, LLP
Sara Beth Marchert (AB ’17)
Foreign Affairs Officer
US Department of State
Larissa Martinez (AB ’04)
CEO
Keeper Strategies
Founder & President
Women’s Public Leadership Network
Taylor Murray (AB ’17)
Senior Manager of Government Relations
Ecolab
Alexis Oberg (AB ’14)
Vice President of Government Affairs
Atlas Crossing
Blake Raulerson (AB ’15)
Vice President of Government Relations
University of Georgia
Tyler Reinagel (MPA ’09, PhD ’09)
Director of Policy & Research
Council of State Governments
Courtney N. Rhodes (AB ’05)
Learning & Development Partner
Intuit Credit Karma
JQ Roeder (AB ’17)
International Trade Specialist
US Department of Commerce
Kirk Shook (MPA ’13)
Georgia Nonpublic Postsecondary
Education Commission
Jessica Simmons (AB ’10)
Executive Director
Georgia Broadband Program
Bob Trammell (AB ’96)
Attorney
Trammell Sams, LLC
Brooke Tripp (MPA ’01)
Director, Security Services Office
Centers for Disease Control & Prevention
Rob Underwood (AB ’06)
President & COO
Energy Marketers of America
Sean Walker (MPA ’18)
Career Sabbatical
In 2025, the School established the SPIA Sustainers group, made up of former Alumni Board members who want to continue and grow their support of the School after their time on the Alumni Board has ended.
2025-2026 Sustainers:
Kevin Abernethy (AB ’99)
VP Government Relations
University of Georgia
Alex Bradford (AB ’10)
Director of Public Policy
Georgia Farm Bureau
David Dove (AB ’09, JD ’14)
Partner
Troutman Pepper Locke LLP
Wells Ellenberg (AB ’13)
VP Communications
Southern Company Gas
Jason O’Rouke (AB ’06, MPA ’11)
Government Relations Director
Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta
Hadas Peles (AB ’09)
Founder & Principal
Peles Projects
Matt Ralston (AB ’12, MPA ’14)
Senior Manager of State Affairs
Troutman Strategies
Daniel Regenstein (AB ’06)
Chief of Staff
Georgia Department of Administrative Services
Sully Sullivan (AB ’97)
President & CEO
ACEC Georgia
Grant Thomas (AB ’15)
Senior Advisor
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
Matt Weiss (AB ’05, JD ’08)
Partner
Parker Hudson Rainer & Dobbs LLP
