College Board of Advisors Welcomes New Members
The Board of Advisors for Georgia Southern University’s College of Education gathered for their fall meeting on Friday, September 8, in Statesboro’s College of Education building. Members traveled from all over the state, and their four-hour session included lunch with current students and faculty. One significant order of business was the formal introduction of five new members that now make up a third of the 15-member board.
Board member Shelia Hoynes, M.Ed., is a retired educator and helped create the Board of Advisors in 2003. She was pleased that all of the new board members are working professionals. “I am glad to see younger faces on the Board to understand what they are looking at in terms of the future of education.”
Two of the new members graduated from the College of Education and are currently working as classroom teachers. London Cowart, M.Ed., Ed.S., is a fourth grade teacher at Stevens Creek Elementary School in Augusta, Georgia. Rebeccah Phillips, M.Ed., Ed.S., is a seventh grade teacher at Bethune Middle School in Folkston, Georgia. She says, “I am passionate about research and understanding what works best for students in our ever-changing career field.”
Other new members are Jeff Shattuck, an assistant principal at Gordon Central High School in Calhoun, Georgia, Chris Pye, M.Ed., an organizational improvement specialist in Newington, Georgia, and Melodie Wall, Ph.D., the curriculum coordinator for Effingham County Schools in Springfield, Georgia.
The Advisory Board meeting included discussion of literacy initiatives in the Georgia legislature, SB211 and HB 538, lead by Board Chair, Joseph (Jody) Barrow, Ph.D, Georgia Southern alumnus and retired superintendent.
College of Education dean, Sharon Subreenduth, Ph.D., presented an update on college business and initiatives. She was encouraged by the feedback she received from board members. She says, “These advocates and allies all have an interest and commitment to our mission as a college. They bring creative ideas, tapping into their own strengths to bring visibility and increase networking for Georgia Southern.”
A full list of current members on the Board of Advisors can be found on the College of Education website here.
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