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.
2026-2027 SPIA Alumni Board of Directors:
Shallum Atkinson (AB ’17)
Litigation Attorney
O’Melveny & Myers, LLP
Danetha Belk (MPA ’06)
Executive Director of Operations
Georgia Quick Start
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
Jara Butler (AB ’08)
Director of Outreach Nathan Johnson for AG;
Managing Principal, Heartwood Strategies
Caulder Childs (AB ’12)
State Government Affairs Lead
OpenAI
Clayton Cox (AB ’10)
Senior Vice President-Federal Affairs
McGuireWoods Consulting
Amanda Deaton-Moyer (AB ’07, MPA ’09)
Assistant Finance Director
Nashville Davidson County
Ethan Gallagher (AB ’17)
Government Affairs Manager
Delta Air Lines
Ryan Giles (AB 11, JD ’18)
Chief Counselor to the Majority Leader
United States Senate
Patrick Guthrie (AB ’21)
Communications Director and Government Relations Associate
Impact Public Affairs
Joseph Hendricks (AB ’16)
Associate Attorney
King and Spalding
Elizabeth Holland (AB ’16, JD ’19)
Senior Counsel
Gulfstream Aerospace
Bert Hummel (AB ’07)
Attorney
Hummel Trial Law
Alex Johnson (AB ’09)
Government Relations Expert, Consultant, Attorney at Law
ABJ Advisory LLC
Tamrat “Tim” Kassa (AB ’99)
HNTB
Josh Kivett (AB ’95)
Founder & Managing Partner
Red Zone Strategic LLC
Ronnie Kurtz (AB ’15, MPA ’15)
Assistant Secretary
Housing and Urban Development
Audrey Lewis (AB ’07, JD ’10)
Attorney
Gregory, Doyle, Calhoun, & Rogers
John Manly (AB ’04, JD ’08)
Partner
Manly Shipley, LLP
Sara Beth Marchert (AB ’17)
Foreign Affairs Officer
US Department of State
Alexis Oberg (AB ’14)
Senior Vice President of Government Affairs and Chief of Staff
Atlas Crossing
Keval Patel (AB ’19, MBA ’23)
Government Relations Advisor
Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton, LLP
Blake Raulerson (AB ’15)
Vice President of Government Relations
University of Georgia
Courtney N. Rhodes (AB ’05)
Intuit
James Robson (AB ’04)
Attorney
Glass & Robson, LLC
JQ Roeder (AB ’17)
Foreign Military Sales Analyst
Booz Allen Hamilton
Jonathan “JR” Rue (AB ’04)
Partner
MVP Ventures
Kirk Shook (MPA ’13)
Executive Director
Georgia Vocational Rehabilitation Agency
Jessica Simmons (AB ’10)
VP of Implementation
ReFrame Solutions
Meredith Stinson (AB ’18)
Legislative Affairs & Advocacy Manager
Georgia EMC
Anisa Sullivan Jimenez (MPA ’08)
Vice President, Program and Community
Leading Now
Brooke Tripp (MPA ’01)
Management Officer
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Rob Underwood (AB ’06)
President
Energy Marketers of America
Ryan Van Meter (AB ’97)
Vice President & General Counsel
North America, Imerys
Adam Veale (AB ’17)
Deputy Communications Director
Congresswoman Lucy McBath
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.
2026-2027 Sustainers:
Kevin Abernethy (AB ’99)
Attorney
Miller & Martin, PLLC
Alex Bradford (AB ’10)
Director of Public Policy
Georgia Farm Bureau
Leanna Brown (AB ’10, MIP ’12)
Vice President of Business Climate
Metro Atlanta Chamber
David Dove (AB ’09, JD ’14)
Partner
Troutman Pepper Locke LLP
Wells Ellenberg (AB ’13)
Vice President, Corporate Communications
Southern Company Gas
Jordan Layson (AB ’09)
Senior Director, Global Government Affairs and Policy
Amgen
Larissa Martinez (AB ’04)
CEO
Keeper Strategies
Founder & President
Women’s Public Leadership Network
Taylor Murray (AB ’17)
Senior Manager of Government Relations
Ecolab Inc.
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
Casey Aultman Tanner (MPA ’19)
Vice President of External Affairs
Kennesaw State University
Grant Thomas (AB ’15)
Senior Advisor
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
Sean Walker (MPA ’18)
Career Sabbatical
Matt Weiss (AB ’05, JD ’08)
Partner
Parker Hudson Rainer & Dobbs LLP
