College of Arts & Sciences Leadership Board

Harlan Archer retired from KaMin LLC at the end of 2019 with over 30 years of combined experience in the kaolin industry. Before he was elected President in 2011, Archer served as KaMin’s Vice President of Operations for three years. He also has experience in the roles of Director of Operations, Plant Manager, and Production Manager at KaMin’s original owner, JM Huber Corp. In addition to his longstanding history with KaMin & J.M. Huber, Archer served as Production Manager, Quality Manager, Productivity Improvement Team Member, and Quality Engineer for ECC International (a former kaolin company).

Archer received a Bachelor of Science (BS) in Mathematics and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Georgia College and State University, where he earned the MBA Graduate of the Year award. In addition, he completed Emory’s Goizueta Business School Mini-MBA program and earned his Quality Engineer certification from the American Society for Quality Control. Archer has previously served as the President of the Georgia Mining Association, President of the Georgia Mining Foundation, President of the China Clay Producers Association, and Chairman of the Washington County Chamber of Commerce. In addition, Archer was selected as the Georgia Miner of the Year (2010), inducted into the Georgia College & State University Business School Hall of Fame (2017), and received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Georgia Mining Association (2018).

KaMin mines and beneficiates kaolin in middle Georgia and northern Brazil. Kaolin is a white clay that is used in paper, paint, rubber, plastics, inks, ceramics, and various other industrial applications.

Archer is married to Lori Wiggins Archer of Sandersville, GA, and they have seven children and eleven grandchildren. In their “retirement,” Harlan and Lori own and operate Rocking A Farm, LLC, which is a 1920’s Farmstead in Washington County, and a cattle operation in Baldwin County. 
 

Karen Berman, Ph.D., retired from GCSU in 2021 after 12 years as Chair and Artistic Director, Department of Theatre and Dance. She is Dean Emerita, College of Fellows of the American Theatre and Past President, Association for Theatre in Higher Education (ATHE). Dr. Karen Berman’s extensive experience encompasses the direction of over 150 theatre productions from the Smithsonian to off-Broadway, administration at both universities and non-profit theatre organizations, and teaching and curriculum development in theatre for social change, theatre directing and acting. Prior to becoming Theatre and Dance Chair at Georgia College (GCSU), she taught at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. Karen has been awarded the Georgia Governor’s Award for the Arts, the Hillel Heroes Award, four NEA grants, and numerous awards for her film, Giving Voice: A Black Lives Matter Musical including: Best Feature Film at the Canadian Diversity Film Festival; Best Social Justice Film at the Silk Road Film Awards Cannes; and Best Social Justice Feature at the Cannes World Film Festival. Her publications include the chapter “Transformative Education Processes: Difficult Dialogues and Global Citizenry” in the book Arts Integration in Education: Teachers and Teaching Artists as Agents of Change, the chapter “Translations and Transgressions: Twenty-First Century Questions Regarding Zayas” in the book Remaking the Comedia: Spanish Classical Theater in Adaptation, and “Transformative Cross-Cultural Dialogue in Prague: Americans Creating Czech History Plays” in the Theatre Symposium journal, as well as numerous other journal articles. Karen has presented papers, conducted workshops, led plenary sessions, made keynotes addresses, and led panel discussions at numerous conferences, including ATHE, American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U), American Society for Theatre Research (ASTR), Association for Hispanic Classical Theatre, and Association of Holocaust Organizations, among many others. She directed and co-wrote four original plays about Czech heroes that GC students performed in Prague and at an international theatre festival in the Czech Republic. Karen co-founded and continues to serve as Artistic Director of Washington Women in Theatre and she has directed numerous plays with Holocaust and Jewish themes. She was a thought leader for the Lives Eliminated Dreams Illuminated multi-media exhibit on the Holocaust and was academic liaison for the inaugural Holocaust Remembrance Readings. She recently published a two-volume work that she co-edited and contributed to titled Stories of the Holocaust: Art for Healing and Renewal. Volume I: Onstage and in Concert and Volume II: On Screen and in the Gallery (International Psychoanalytic Books, 2025) IPBooks.net.

Stephen Boyle, M.D., F.A.C.S., lives in Conyers, Georgia where he practiced general surgery for 26 years, retiring in 2002. After that, he continued to work part-time until 2019.

Steve grew up in Memphis, TN, then attended the University of Virginia from 1962-1965. He attended and graduated from the Medical College of Georgia from 1965-1969 and did his surgical training in the U.S. Navy at Portsmouth, VA from 1969-1974. After that, he served as chief surgeon in Charleston, SC, and as a destroyer squadron medical officer.

Dr. Boyle is married to Ethel Boyle, who graduated from Georgia College in 1967. They have four children and three grandchildren. He is a long-time Rotarian and as president of that club, won “Club of the Year” in 1985.  His public service tenure includes serving four terms as the Rockdale County Coroner, from 1996-2012. Steve has been the medical director of the local EMS and fire department since 1982, and most recently he has chaired the Development Authority of Rockdale County.

Mrs. Ethel Boyle earned her B.S. in Education from GSCW in 1967. She and her husband, Steve, have three children and four grandchildren. She loves to travel, play golf, and enjoys community service. She currently serves on the Rockdale Medical Center Board, the Hospital Authority of Rockdale County Board, the Civic League, and the Rockdale County Draft Board. 

Robert Buckley serves as the Midwest Division Chief for the Federal Railroad Administration’s (FRA) Office of Regional Outreach & Project Delivery.  Robert joined FRA in June 2023 from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), where he has worked since starting as a Student Trainee in 2008.  In his most recent role at FTA as the Region 4 Director of the Office of Financial Management and Program Oversight he stood up a brand-new office and managed a team handling oversight review, financial tracking, emergency response and recovery activities, state departments of transportation, grant closeouts, and policy and training initiatives. In 2023, he also completed a detail serving as the Acting Deputy Regional Administrator for FTA’s Region 10 Office.

He received his Bachelor of Science in Economics from Georgia College & State University, and his master’s degree from the Georgia Institute of Technology in City and Regional Planning and became AICP certified in 2016.

Robert is married with two beautiful daughters, aged 6 and 8, who run his household. When they permit, he is an avid runner who has completed 10 marathons and 2 ultramarathons.  He is also a huge supporter of Atlanta sports teams as a season ticket holder for Atlanta United and a past member of the Atlanta Hawks 6th Man Section.
 

A partner with the law firm of Stern Edlin Graham, Erik Chambers serves as a family law attorney, Guardian ad Litem, and Parent Coordinator. He is a member of the Charles Longstreet Weltner Family Law American Inn of Court, an officer with the Cobb County Bar Association Guardian ad Litem Section, and serves on the Legislative Subcommittee for the Family Law Section of the State Bar of Georgia. He has been named a Super Lawyers Rising Star for 2023 and 2024.
Erik graduated from Georgia College in 2008, earning his Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology. He received his Juris Doctor from the University of Georgia School of Law in 2011. While at Georgia College, he served as a Resident Assistant, on the Student Ambassador Team, and the Student Judicial Board. He was a member of Phi Kappa Phi, Omicron Delta Kappa, and the Psi Chi Psychology Honor Society. Erik lives in Marietta with his wife Hannah and their sons, Caleb and Asher.
 

Brittany Curry is a native of Savannah and a 2011 graduate of Georgia College, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in liberal studies with concentrations in philosophy and rhetoric. From 2012 to 2016, she served as coordinator of Oconee Area Citizen Advocacy, initiating relationships between voluntary advocates and people being socially excluded because of a developmental disability. In 2017, Brittany transitioned to a full-time Graphic Recorder and Facilitator, documenting meetings and events through live, visual notetaking. That same year, she joined the International Forum of Visual Practitioners and was named to Georgia Trend’s 40 Under 40 list of rising entrepreneurs and innovators statewide. Brittany has served as Chair of the Board of Directors for Chatham-Savannah Citizen Advocacy and currently serves as Chair of the Statewide Citizen Advocacy Advisory Committee. She is a trained moderator in public deliberation who has worked with the Kettering Foundation and The National Issues Forums.

Matt Davis earned his B.S. in History (2002) and M.A. in Public History (2004) from Georgia College. He began teaching history and museum studies as an adjunct professor at GCSU in 2008 and later served as director of its historic museums beginning in 2018. In July 2024, Matt was appointed director of the Institutional History Museum at Washington and Lee University, where he leads efforts to present the university’s 275-year history, its namesakes and key figures, and its deep connections to American history. His work emphasizes creating dynamic educational experiences that illuminate historic sites, galleries, academic resources, and creative spaces.

A native of Fort Valley, Georgia, Joseph Dent received a B.S. in political science and public administration from Georgia College in 1988 and his J.D. from the University of Georgia School of Law in 1991.

Mr. Dent serves the citizens of Dougherty County, Georgia, as Judge of the Superior Court of the Dougherty Judicial Circuit, being appointed by Governor Brian Kemp on January 11, 2024.  Prior to being appointed to the bench, Joe was a registered mediator and mediated cases throughout Georgia.  During his thirty-plus-year career, Joe practiced in the areas of insurance defense/personal injury, collections/bankruptcy, zoning and land use, and real estate and business litigation.  Joe has represented individuals, insurance companies, common carriers, developers, property management companies, property owners, contractors, subcontractors, materialmen, homeowner’s associations, banks and lending institutions, and various other businesses.  He has handled the prosecution and defense of tort cases involving catastrophic injury or death, as well as argued appeals before the Court of Appeals of the State of Georgia and the Supreme Court of Georgia.

An active participant in legal organizations, Joe currently serves on the Board of Governors and has served on the Executive Committee of the State Bar of Georgia and is a past president of the Young Lawyers Division of the State Bar. He served on the Investigative Panel of the State Bar of Georgia Disciplinary Board and was chair from 2009-2010. He has also held leadership positions in the Section of Litigation and in the Torts Trial and Insurance Practice Section of the American Bar Association. Joe is also a member of the Dougherty Circuit Bar Association.

Mr. Dent is active in the community as a past Trustee on the Board of Girls Incorporated of Albany, as a senior member of the Artesian Sertoma Club, as a member of Porterfield Memorial United Methodist Church, and as a member of the Albany Rotary Club.
 

Carolyn Warnell Downs is a retired educator from Bryan County Board of Education. She graduated from Georgia College in 1973, earning a degree in History. Mrs. Downs earned her Master of Education degree in 1986 and an Education Specialist degree in 1989 from Georgia Southern University. She serves as the president of the board of directors for Guido Ministries in Metter, Georgia, and is a member of the Independent Presbyterian Church in Savannah, Georgia, and Delta Kappa Gamma Society International. She is also a volunteer for the American Red Cross. Carolyn lives in Pembroke, Georgia, with her husband, William “Billy” and enjoys travel, reading, and baking. 

Chris graduated summa cum laude and first in his class from the Honors College in 2011. He went on to attend The University of Chicago Law School, where he served as the Executive Articles Editor for The Chicago Journal of International Law and a Student Lawyer with the University of Chicago’s Mandel Legal Aid Clinic.  Chris graduated from the University of Chicago cum laude with his law degree in 2015. 

Since graduating from law school, Chris has spent a decade in both government service and private practice.  After clerking for the late Honorable Harry D. Leinenweber on the federal trial court in Chicago and Chief Judge D. Brooks Smith on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, which sits one level below the Supreme Court of the United States, Chris joined the Atlanta office of the leading global law firm of King & Spalding. 

In private practice, Chris has represented leading companies, elected officials, and private individuals in high-stakes legal disputes.  Chris also maintains an extensive pro bono practice, particularly in federal immigration court.  He has secured asylum or other deportation protection for persecuted individuals from Russia, Eritrea, Mexico, and Venezuela—in each case persuading an immigration judge to release the person from detention, stop deportation, and grant them protected status to remain in the United States permanently.  Chris has also volunteered hundreds of hours of his professional time to representing criminal defendants in appellate proceedings and working to free wrongfully convicted inmates. 

 Chris is dedicated to upholding the rule of law at home and abroad, defending the independence and values of our national institutions, and advocating for the use of sound science and research in the courtroom. 

Anne Tuck Foster, a native of Covington, is a retired teacher and elementary school media specialist with the Newton County School System.  She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Georgia College in 1970, where she was involved in college government and was selected to Who’s Who in Colleges and Universities. While teaching, she went on to earn her master's degree in Library and Information Science from the University of Tennessee (1975) and her Education Specialist degree from the University of Georgia (1994).  Anne was honored to receive the Georgia College Alumni Heritage Award in 2020.

During her teaching career, Anne was chosen for faculty leadership positions such as co-chair of her school’s SACS review committee.  Her colleagues chose her as Teacher of the Year in 1992, the first year that media specialists were eligible for that recognition.

Anne is a long-time member of Alpha Delta Kappa Organization for Teachers, where she has filled many officer positions, including president.  For many years, she volunteered as librarian at her church, First Baptist Covington, and currently is a member of the Trustee Board and the Building Committee.  Anne enjoys volunteering with the Newton County Christian Learning Center.
Anne credits Georgia College not only with preparing her for a successful and fulfilling career but also for giving her vision and experiences that have shaped and impacted her life for the better.
Anne and her husband Randy reside in Covington and enjoy traveling, reading, gardening, and spending time with their grandchildren.
 

Adam Hammond serves as the Executive Director of the Georgia 4-H Foundation. Georgia 4-H is the premier youth development organization in the state, serving nearly 200,000 youth annually. Under Adam's leadership, the Foundation has broken numerous fundraising records and recently raised more than a million dollars at its biennial gala. Adam holds a Bachelor of Political Science from GCSU's College of Arts and Sciences, a Master's degree in Nonprofit Management and Leadership from the University of Georgia, and he is currently pursuing a PhD in Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communication. 

Before his role with the Georgia 4-H Foundation, Adam spent 15 years working as a multi-Emmy Award-winning journalist in television markets across the country, including Memphis, Denver, and Nashville.  Adam serves on the Oconee County School Board. He is a 2023 graduate of Leadership Georgia, a member of the Oconee County Rotary Club, a member of Advancing Georgia's Leaders in Agriculture and Forestry, and he serves on the board for the Oconee Area Resource Council.  

Adam lives in Watkinsville with his wife, Lauren, and their children, Kinney and Huck. Lauren is also a graduate of GCSU. During Adam's time at Georgia College, he was a member of the Student Ambassador team, Kappa Alpha, the GEM Program, and was Homecoming King. Adam is excited to serve his alma mater in this special way, and he is looking forward to giving back to an institution that was pivotal in his life. 

Nolen Howard- After recently semi-retiring as an Agent for Bennett Motor Express in McDonough, GA, NolenA is currently serving as a consultant for Bennett’s Air & Space Division. He spent 30 years coordinating the movement of expedited and oversized shipments for a major aerospace company in the US.

Nolen earned a BS in Forest Resources from the University of Georgia in 1973 and graduated from Georgia College with an MS in Biology. His field of research was Parasitology in Georgia Fishes. While at Georgia College, he served as a graduate assistant in the Biology Department and as the dorm director at Besson Hall.

He taught High School Biology in his hometown of Forsyth and part-time freshman biology at Tift College. He left teaching to follow in his father’s footsteps in the transportation industry. 
Nolen is married to Penny Jenkins Howard, who before retiring, was a much-loved Health Occupations teacher at Mary Persons High School. Penny and Nolen have three children and four grandchildren.

A sixth-generation Monroe Countian, Nolen has been active in the community having served as a County Commissioner and a member of the local Board of Education for over 30 years. Serving with multiple organizations, he is currently President of the Monroe County Historical Society.
 

Nan Keipper is a 1982 graduate of Georgia College with a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry and uses those Georgia College skills as a physician recruiter for Cross Country Locums.  She also has a real estate license and loves to sell homes around Lake Oconee and Lake Sinclair for Coldwell Banker Lake Oconee.  In her spare time, she participates in two book clubs, a bunco group, and plays tennis and occasional pickleball at Reynolds Lake Oconee where she lives with her husband Doug.  She and Doug volunteer actively at Lake Oconee Church.  She and Doug have two daughters, Rebecca, an OB/GYN resident in Augusta, and Rachel a consultant in New York City.  With both girls out of the house, their dog Buddy gets all the attention. 
While at Georgia College Mrs. Keipper served on the Presidential Selection Committee and was active with The Wesley Foundation.  She finds the Advisory Committee to be informative and enjoys learning more about Georgia College.  She and Doug enjoy sharing their financial resources to further the purpose of education.  
 

Steve Skalko is the owner and principal of Stephen V. Skalko, P.E. & Associates, LLC., an engineering consulting firm specializing in building and fire safety aspects of building design and construction.  He graduated from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 1975 earning a Bachelor of Civil Engineering degree.  He earned his Master of Science in Administration with a major in Public Administration from Georgia College in 1978.  Steve is registered as a professional engineer in Georgia in both the fields of civil engineering and fire protection engineering. 

Steve serves as Chair of the Church Council for Forest Hills Methodist Church – Macon, and previously served as Chair of the Finance Committee, the Trustees Committee, and the Staff-Parish Relations Committee.  He is a past President of the Middle Georgia Chapter of the Georgia Society of Professional Engineers (GSPE), and a former member of the GSPE State Board.  Steve has also served on the American Cancer Society – Bibb Unit, including serving as Board Chair.  He and his spouse, Jane, have two grown children.  Steve enjoys golfing and fishing.
 

Rickey E. Smith, was an environmental compliance professional, most recently serving as the Environmental Laboratory Services Manager for Georgia Power Company’s Environmental Laboratory in Smyrna, Georgia.  He graduated from Georgia College in 1987, earning his Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry. While at Georgia College he was a founding member of the Mu Psi chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity, and he served as their first president. In 1988 Rickey began his Southern Company career as a chemist at Georgia Power’s Plant Vogtle. During his 28-year career, he worked in several entities within the Southern Company family including Southern Company Services, Mississippi Power, Georgia Power, and Southern Nuclear. Currently, Rickey is an elementary educator in Cobb County. 
His other professional and civic involvements include board member of the Institute for Georgia’s Environmental Leaders; Chairman’s Club member of the Cobb County Chamber of Commerce; board member of Keep Georgia Beautiful Foundation; member of EPRI - Power Plant & Environmental Chemist Committee.

Rickey is married to the former Natalie Davis, also a Georgia College graduate. Natalie earned her B.S. in Nursing in 1987. Rickey and Natalie reside in Marietta Georgia with their two children, Rickey Jr. and Sydney Christina.  
 

Beth Thompson is a retired Gwinnett County Public School Librarian and Media Specialist. She currently works part-time for Gwinnett County Public Libraries. She graduated from Georgia College in 1973, earning a degree in English. She earned her Master of Education degree in 1973 and her Education Specialist degree in 1994 from the University of Georgia. She is a graduate of the Leadership Gwinnett Program, Gwinnett County Chamber of Commerce. She currently serves as the Scholarship Chair of Gwinnett County Retired Educators Association.

Beth has held numerous executive leadership positions including president, of Georgia Disciples Women; Christian Church (Disciples of Christ); executive committee member, of Regional Board, Christian Church in Georgia; president, of Gwinnett Democratic Women; district chair, of Georgia Federation of Democratic Women; treasurer, Democrats of Gwinnett PAC; president, Board of Directors, Gwinnett County Seat Players Community Theatre; and founding member, Executive Board and managing director, Theatre Gwinnett. She has served in leadership positions for Gwinnett County American Red Cross Board, the 21st Century Leaders Volunteer Center program, Collins Hill High School Volunteer Center, and Lawrenceville Kiwanis Club.  

In her spare time, Beth enjoys genealogy, theatre, art, photography, gardening, and writing. 
 

A native of Bryan County, Mary Virginia Warnell was born in Groveland, Georgia, a community in northwest Bryan County.  She attended elementary school through high school in Pembroke, graduating with honors from Bryan County High School.

In 1971, she received a BS degree in Home Economics from Georgia College at Milledgeville.  A member of Phi Upsilon Omicron honor society, she was named Outstanding Home Economics Alunmna for Georgia College in 1982.

Mary was employed 24 years by the Dairy Council in Atlanta, first providing nutrition education workshops to teachers, school food service staff, and health professionals throughout metro Atlanta and north Georgia.  Later, she was named nutrition education director for the Southeast United Dairy Industry Association where she coordinated the nutrition education program for nine southeastern states and served as liaison for program development and evaluation with the National Dairy Council in Chicago.

During her professional career, Mary served in many state leadership roles including president of the Georgia Home Economics Association (GHEA), the Georgia Business Section of GHEA, and the Georgia Nutrition Council.  She was presented the Award of Excellence by the Georgia Nutrition Council and was twice named Georgia’s Outstanding Home Economist in Business.  She served as president of the Bryan County United Way Board of Directors, president of the North Bryan Chamber of Commerce and was instrumental in developing the Shop North Bryan First (SNBF) program.  Mary also represented Bryan County serving three terms on the Savannah Technical College Board of Directors.  

Following the footsteps of her grandfather, D. B. Warnell, and her father, Charles F. Warnell, she chose to volunteer her services through her work as an elected official.  Mary served two terms on the Bryan County Board of Education and was the third generation of the Warnell family to represent Pembroke on the Bryan County Board of Education.  She then served four years as mayor of the City of Pembroke.
Mary is currently a board member of the Bryan County Farm Bureau and serves on the Friends Board of the Coastal Georgia Botanical Gardens at the Historic Bamboo Farm where she received her Master Gardener certification.  Mary is a Marne Rock Star for the Army’s 3rd Infantry Division headquartered at Fort Stewart, Georgia and is a volunteer in the Division’s Museum.   Mary has completed Leadership Bryan, Georgia Academy for Economic Development and received a certificate of achievement through the Georgia Municipal Association.  

Mary resides in Pembroke and serves as Treasurer of Groveland Farms, Inc. and Warnell Timber & Land, LP.  She is a member of the Independent Presbyterian Church in Savannah, Georgia.
 

Thomas Wells, M.D. is an internal medicine specialist with Piedmont Athens Regional, also serving as Regional Medical Director for Quality and Population Health for the Piedmont Clinic and Assistant Professor of Medicine with Augusta University.   He graduated from Georgia College in 1990, earning his Bachelor of Science degree in biology with a minor in chemistry.  While at Georgia College he was a member of the Beta Beta Beta Biology Honors Society. He earned his Doctor of Medicine degree from the Medical College of Georgia in 1994 and was elected as a Fellow of the American College of Physicians in 2016.  

Tom has served as a member of the Board of Trustees of Prince Avenue Christian School, scoutmaster for Boy Scouts of America, volunteer physician for Prince Avenue Christian School and Varsity Football, and Mercy Clinic, and he is an active member of Prince Avenue Baptist Church. 
His wife Amy attended Georgia College from 1991 -1994.

Tom and his wife, Amy, live in Athens, Georgia, with their four sons: Wesley, Luke, Tanner and Zach.