College of Health Sciences Leadership Board

Travis J. Aultman obtained his Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Georgia College in December 2020. He received Georgia College’s Young Alumnus of the Year Award in 2021. Upon graduation, Travis moved to Birmingham, Alabama, and worked as a Registered Nurse at the University of Alabama at Birmingham Hospital on a cardio-hospitalist floor prior to transferring to adolescent psychiatry. Travis moved back to middle Georgia in August 2022 and joined Piedmont Macon Medical Hospital where he quickly transitioned to a clinical nursing education role and now develops and implements education for Piedmont’s inpatient behavioral health nursing units. In addition to working at Piedmont, Travis also serves as an adjunct clinical faculty member for the School of Nursing at Georgia College. He is currently pursuing his Doctorate of Nursing Practice at the University of Alabama-Birmingham with an advanced practice concentration in psychiatric mental health nursing. His research and quality improvement interests include psychiatric patient safety, integrated behavioral health, violence prevention and management, community psychiatry, forensics nursing, and disaster/terrorism nursing.

Travis has been on the COHS Leadership Board since 2023.

David Babb is Physical Therapy Assistant and Managing Partner of Serenity PT in Milledgeville, GA since 2010. He is a Milledgeville native. David received his Associate of Science in Physical Therapy Assistance from Middle Georgia College and Bachelor of Science in Health Education from Georgia College. David has been on the COHS Leadership Board since 2022.

Sarah Kay Brooks is currently the Chief Nurse Executive at Central State Hospital (CSH) in Milledgeville, GA. Kay has worked at CSH for over 29 years and thoroughly enjoys her work. She is also a Part-Time Clinical Instructor/Adjunct Professor of Nursing at Georgia College. Kay received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Master of Science in Nursing, and Doctorate of Nursing Practice degrees from Georgia College. Additionally, Kay is a certified and licensed Advanced Practice Registered Nurse in Psychiatric Mental Health and holds a current Nursing Home Administrator license. 

Kay has been on the COHS Leadership Board since 2015.

Tammy Carroll joined Benchmark Human Services in 2011. Her passion and drive in serving children and adults with special needs is evident in her daily living as well as practice. Tammy has over 30 years of experience in serving others across several different states. Prior to joining Benchmark, Tammy served as the Director of Clinical Services for Partlow Developmental Center in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Additionally, she served as adjunct faculty, training students in the applied behavior analytic field at Georgia State University, the University of Alabama and Armstrong Atlantic State University which is now Georgia Southern University. Tammy has a niche for envisioning potential markets and growing them. She also enjoys mentoring others towards higher professional growth.

Tammy graduated from Auburn University at Montgomery with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology. Then she went on to pursue a Master of Science in Counseling and Human Development from Troy State University. After taking two years break from school, Tammy returned to the University of Kansas where she pursued another Master of Science and a Doctorate in Human Development and Child Psychology. Tammy is a board-certified behavior analyst at the doctorate level.

Tammy believes work hard and play harder. In her spare time, she enjoys being with her family on the lake, vacations and visiting other family members. Tammy also enjoys gardening, practicing Pilates and yoga and just sitting still.

Tammy has been on the COHS Leadership Board since 2022.

Kevin Carter is the Director of Wellness Services at Navicent Health in Macon, GA.  He received his Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science as well as his Master in Education in Health Education from Georgia College.  He also played collegiate baseball while attending Georgia College and later served as adjunct professor in the Exercise Science Department.  Kevin has been employed at Navicent Health for 23 years in various positions.  His current oversight duties include cardiopulmonary rehabilitation, 2 medical based fitness centers, employee wellness programming, and employee clinic operations.  Kevin has served for over 20 years to support the American Heart Association.  He also serves on the Central Georgia Regional Credit Union board.  

Kevin has been on the COHS Leadership Board since 2018.

Crystal Champion, PT, DPT, CLT-ALM, Cert. DN has over 14 years’ experience as a Physical Therapist. She received her Bachelor of Science in Health Education with a Concentration in Exercise Science in 2004 from Georgia College. She received both her Master of Science and Doctorate in Physical Therapy degrees from the Medical College of Georgia. She is also a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Dr. Champion is a Certified Lymphedema Therapist and currently specializes in cancer rehabilitation. She also holds a certification in Advanced Lymphedema Management. Dr. Champion is the owner of her own private practice Eminence Physical Therapy, LLC and is also the Executive Director and Founder of her non-profit organization Champions Can! Foundation for Cancer Wellness, Inc. The organization advocates for cancer survivorship for patients with all cancer diagnoses. Additionally, Dr. Champion serves as an Elevate Ambassador for the National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship and serves on the GC3 Advocacy Council for the Georgia Center for Oncology Research & Education.

Crystal has been on the COHS Leadership Board since 2021.

Belinda Christensen received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Georgia College in 1996. She has worked in the Intellectual Developmental Disabilities (IDD) and Behavior Health field for over 30 years with experience in both public and private systems. She has served in leadership positions in both inpatient and outpatient systems, including being a licensed healthcare administrator of a large IDD skilled nursing facility and director of a community residential program with homes serving IDD and behavior health individuals with significant behavior management and medically fragile supports. Belinda has been with Benchmark Human Services for 11 years and has worked on numerous expansion and start-up projects as well as assisting with medical training and policy development for the company. Her current position is RN Quality Management Director in Georgia. She is a member of the Developmental Disabilities Nursing Association (DDNA). During her time away from work, Belinda enjoys gardening, traveling, and spending time with her family.

Belinda has been on the COHS Leadership Board since 2023.

Anresa Davis is a retired Registered Nurse and retired Senior Residency Counselor.  She received her Associate Degree in Nursing from Georgia College in 1975 and her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the Medical College of Georgia in 1976. While at Georgia College she was a Resident Advisor, basketball cheerleader for the Colonials, and a work/study student at the Ina Dillard Russell Library for 3 years. For over 20 years, Anresa served in the surgical intensive care unit and in the emergency department. In August 2019, she retired after 19+ years from Park Springs, a lifecare community in Stone Mountain, GA.  Anresa is active in the Rotary Club of Stone Mountain and is the lay leader at Mountain Park United Methodist Church. 

Anresa has been on the COHS Leadership Board since 2020.

Deborah Eason, OTR/L is a practicing Occupational Therapist who received her Occupational Therapy degree from the University of Wisconsin. She has enjoyed her chosen career for 30+ years and has treated clients in multiple settings including skilled nursing, mental health, public school, corrections/forensics, and orthopedic and brain injury rehabilitation. Currently employed as a PRN Therapist at Georgia War Veterans Home in Milledgeville, GA, and as a Contract Therapist with Benchmark Human Services. She is an active member of the American Academy of Cerebral Palsy and Developmental Medicine; the Assistive Technology Industry Association; and the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA).  She is an AOTA Proposal Reviewer for Annual Conference submissions in the areas of Developmental Disabilities and Productive Aging.

Deborah has an interest in history and is presently pursuing a Master’s in World War II Studies at Arizona State University. She has been on the COHS Leadership Board since 2019.

Michelle Evans, PT, is a practicing licensed Physical Therapist who received her Bachelor of Science in Physical Therapy from the Medical College of Georgia in 1995. She also attended Georgia College for her college prerequisite courses. Michelle is currently employed by Advanced Rehabilitation Management Company. She has worked at Washington County Regional Medical Center in Sandersville for a total of 22 years holding various positions in Management including Director of Rehabilitation Services and oversight duties for the  Outpatient Wound Care Clinic and Hospital owned Physician Practices.  She has worked in multiple patient care settings including Acute Care, Subacute Rehab, Nursing Home, Outpatient, and Home Health Care.  Michelle also has taught the Wound Care Curriculum for the PT Assistant Program at Athens Technical College for the past 9 years.  She is certified in the practice of Dry Needling and is a Certified Clinical Instructor under the American Physical Therapy Association. 

Michelle has been on the COHS Leadership Board since 2017.

Elizabeth joined Navicent Health in 2011 and currently serves as the Associate Chief Nursing Officer at Atrium Health Navicent Baldwin. Elizabeth has over 10 years of healthcare experience and is passionate about people, leadership and customer satisfaction. Prior to joining Navcient Health Baldwin, she served as the Director for Inpatient Oncology and Palliative Navicent Health in Macon, GA.

Elizabeth graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of North Alabama where she also completed her Master of Science in Nursing in Nursing Clinical Leadership. In addition, she has earned various notable awards and achievements including serving as an Ambassador for GHA, Best in Class Employee Engagement and Executive Coaching Academy Passion Award. During her time away from work, Elizabeth enjoys cooking, gardening, college football and public speaking. Elizabeth seeks out all opportunities to transform nursing culture, lead, motivate and inspire others to perform at their highest level.  Elizabeth has been on the COHS Leadership Board since 2022.

Richard Garrett is Chief Research Officer at Eduventures. He has nearly 25 years of experience in higher education research, consulting and policy. From 2015-2019, Richard was also Director of the Observatory on Borderless Higher Education, a think tank, part of Tribal Group, focused on global developments in online learning, internationalization and commercial activity and partnerships. Prior to Eduventures, Richard was North America Director for i-graduate, working with clients of the International Student Barometer, the world’s largest survey of the international student experience. From 2005-2013, Richard led Eduventures online higher education practice. In addition, Richard has worked as a researcher in the School of Education & Continuing Studies at the University of Surrey in the UK and as a policy analyst at the UK Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education. He has a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree from King’s College London and a Postgraduate Certificate in Education from the University of Cambridge.

Richard has been on the COHS Leadership Board since 2021.

Joy is currently a Family Nurse Practitioner at CVS Minute Clinic in Macon, Georgia. She serves as the Lead Provider for Region 42, which encompasses the Middle and Coastal Georgia Areas. She is also a Part-Time Adjunct Professor of Nursing at Georgia College. She received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing with a Minor in Community Health in 2009, Master of Science in Nursing – Family Nurse Practitioner in 2015, and Doctor of Nursing Practice in 2017 at Georgia College. Additionally, Joy obtained her Master in Business Administration Healthcare Management in 2019 at Western Governors University. Joy serves on the Georgia Nurses Association Board of Directors as the Director of Nursing Practice and Advocacy.  

Joy has been on the COHS Leadership Board since 2020.

Rodriques (Rod) A. Lambert is currently starting a new role as a Health Equity Officer in the Division of State and Local Readiness at the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Prior to joining the CDC, Rod was the Core HIV/AIDS Surveillance Coordinator in the Department of Epidemiology at the Georgia Department of Public Health (GDPH) for 11 years. Prior to his role with the GDPH, he was a CDC Public Health Associate Program (PHAP) Fellow in the Coastal Health District of Savannah. During his time as a PHAP Fellow, he obtained experience working in infectious diseases, STD prevention, and emergency preparedness. In total, Rod has over 20 years of public health experience working in health promotion, infectious diseases, epidemiology, emergency preparedness, and program management. He has completed these duties in various public health settings including faith-based, non-profit, clinical, academic, and local and state health departments. Rod received his Bachelor of Science in Community Health (now Public Health) at Georgia College and Master of Public Health and Doctorate in Epidemiology from Walden University.

Rod has been on the COHS Leadership Board since 2023.

Antonio B. Lawrence is the current Program Manager for the Georgia Department of Public Health-West Central District in Prevention Services. He graduated from Georgia College in 1989 with a Bachelor of Science in Community Health (now Public Health) and a minor in Psychology. Antonio has received numerous certifications from the CDC including ISTDI certification, STD Intervention for Supervisors, and Effective Principle of Supervision and Leadership. He has been employed with the Georgia Department of Public Health for 31 years. During his tenure, Antonio has received numerous awards including the Janet Stancliff Epidemiology Award, the Sellers-McCroan Award, the 2015 District STD Manager of the Year, and the 2017 Lifetime Achievement Award from the Office of HIV/AIDS Prevention. Additionally, Antonio is a former Board member of the Georgia Public Health Association (GPHA), former Epidemiology Chairperson of GPHA, member of the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Incorporated, founding member of the African American Alumni Council, and co-founder of the Dr. Helen Hill Scholarship at Georgia College.

Antonio has been on the COHS Leadership Board since 2022.

Sharon Brantley Little, RN, MSN has over 25 years of experience as a registered nurse. She is a native of Milledgeville, and graduated from Georgia College in 1988 with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Biology. After several years of teaching middle grades science, she returned to college and obtained her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Columbus State University in 1993. Additionally, she obtained her Master of Science in Nursing Education from Mercer University. She is also a member of the American Nurses Association, Georgia Nurses Association, Georgia Association for Nursing Education, and the Henry County Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority.  Sharon and her husband, William, reside in Stockbridge, Georgia, and she is currently the Lead Medical Record Abstractor with Chickasaw Nation Industries (CNI), which is a federal contractor with the Center for Disease Control. In her role with CNI, she reviews and abstracts relevant health data from medical records of participants in the CDC's V-Safe Pregnancy Registry which seeks to understand the safety of the COVID-19 vaccine in pregnant women and their infants. Sharon has a passion for mentoring and volunteering, and she spends time each summer working with youth who have experienced personal loss through her work as a camp nurse with Experience Camps and as a volunteer with C.H.O.I.C.E.S. for Kids, which is a nonprofit organization whose aim is to end childhood obesity. Sharing her love for nursing education, Sharon dedicated 3 years of her career as a clinical instructor at Augusta University in Augusta, GA from 2010-2012 and as an instructor in the skills lab and simulation at Georgia State University-Perimeter College from 2019-2020.

Sharon has been on the COHS Leadership Board since 2021.

Beth Mann is from Fort Valley, Georgia and began her healthcare journey as a Patient Care Assistant at Peach County Hospital in 1984.  She received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Georgia Southwestern University in 1988 and immediately started her nursing career as a staff nurse in the Coronary Care Unit at Atrium Health Navicent The Medical Center, formerly The Medical Center of Central GA. Beth accepted her first leadership position in 1991 as an Assistant Director of the CVICU.  She obtained her Master of Science in Nursing at Georgia College in 1995. Beth has served as Director and Assistant Vice President for various cardiovascular, med/surg, orthopedic and ICU areas. She was promoted to Vice President of Cardiovascular Services and Nursing Strategy in 2017.  In 2019, Beth accepted the role of Associate Chief Nurse Officer.  She achieved Nurse Executive Advanced Board Certification in October 2020.

Beth has also worked with the cardiovascular services team to implement multiple new programs, grow volumes, and achieve the triple crown in Cardiovascular Accreditation. Most recently, her focus has been on COVID management, Magnet re-designation, nursing quality indicators, patient experience and preparation for EPIC (Nursing Champion).

Beth is married to Bill Mann and together they have 8 children, 4 grandchildren, 1 dog, 1 cat and 13 grand-dogs/cats.  The Mann’s reside in Byron and are members of Southside Baptist Church in Warner Robins. They are involved in a Life Group and work as leaders in Children’s Ministries (Awana) at Southside.  They also volunteer at various organizations throughout the year.  Beth and Bill are huge Auburn Tiger football fans. The Mann’s enjoy spending time with family, doing anything outdoors, and taking trips to the beach or mountains.

Beth has been on the COHS Leadership Board since 2022.

Kristin obtained three degrees from Georgia College including her Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Master of Science in Nursing with a Family Nurse Practitioner focus, and Doctor of Nursing Practice. Kristin is also an entrepreneur, functional and lifestyle medicine guru, personal trainer, group fitness instructor, and lover of everything health and wellness.

Passionate about taking a Personalized Medicine approach, Kristin focuses on uncovering the root cause of chronic illness and disease. Taking into account her patient's lifestyle, diet, genetics, environment, and stress, each treatment plan is unique and individualized.

Kristin has been serving and caring for patients for over 10 years. She strives every day to provide high-quality care by doing everything with compassion, integrity, and above all a serving heart.

Kristin founded STAT Wellness, which stands for Strength To Achieve Total Wellness, to help transform medicine. At STAT Wellness, the goal is to partner with each patient and help them not only look their best but to feel their best by combining the best practices of medicine and movement.

Kristin has been on the COHS Leadership Board since 2021.

Nicole Paulk (Nikki) is the Chief Operating Officer at Allegiant Anesthesia, LLC in Macon, GA. She overseas the administrative operations at Allegiant Anesthesia, LLC. She received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Master of  Science in Nursing Administration, and Master of Business Administration degrees from Georgia College. Nikki brings 25 years of experience in clinical healthcare delivery and strategic business planning. For more than 15 years, she has held senior level executive leadership positions ranging from large tertiary to rural hospital settings. Nikki has professional affiliations with Sigma Theta Tau International - Theta Tau Chapter, Phi Kappa Phi, as well as a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives.

Nikki has been on the COHS Leadership Board since 2020.

Jeanne Sewell was an Associate Professor in the School of Nursing and Director for the Center for Teaching and Learning at Georgia College until she retired with 28 years of service in July 2019.  She has a post-Master’s degree in Nursing Informatics from Duke University, a Master of Science in Nursing from the University of Maryland at Baltimore and Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the Medical College of Georgia, (now Augusta University), and a Diploma in Nursing from Georgia Baptist School of Nursing (now Georgia Baptist College of Nursing, Mercer University).  She is the author of the textbook, Informatics and Nursing: Opportunities and Challenges.  The sixth edition of the textbook was published in 2018.  She began her teaching career after many years as a clinician where she had expertise in nursing management, medical-surgical nursing, and pediatrics. 

Jeanne has been on the COHS Leadership Board since 2019.

Sheri L. Testani is the Chief Nursing Officer for Piedmont Macon Medical and Piedmont Macon North Hospitals. She brings 26 years of experience specializing in cultural transformation, leadership development of staff, positivity in the work environment, process efficiencies, regulatory readiness, and creating a high-reliability safety culture. Sheri most recently served in the dual roles of VP of Patient Care and Chief Nursing Officer at McLaren Health Care in Michigan and prior to that held the same roles with Tenet Healthcare in South Florida.

Sheri is currently completing her Doctorate of Nursing Practice with a concentration in Health Systems Executive Leadership from the University of Pittsburgh. She obtained her Master of Science in Nursing from the University of Phoenix, Bachelor of Applied Arts in Industrial Administration and Engineering from Central Michigan University, Bachelor of Human Kinetics from the University of Windsor, and a Diploma of Health Science in Nursing from St. Clair College of Applied Arts and Science in Windsor, Ontario.

Sheri is board certified as a Nurse Executive through American Nurses Credentialing Center and is an active member of the American Organization of Nurse Leaders and Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing.  She was the recipient of the American Association of Critical Care Nurses (AACN) Circle of Excellence Award Recipient 2014. She serves as an advisory board member for Schools of Nursing with CGTC, MGSU, and Wesleyan College. Sheri is married to her husband, Tim, and has two daughters, Vanessa & Erica, along with five stepchildren. She enjoys the outdoors, reading and softball. 

Sheri has been on the COHS Leadership Board since 2022.

Scott Van Sant, MD, PC obtained his medical degree from the University of South Florida and completed his psychiatry residency training at Emory University in Atlanta. He is board-certified in general adult and forensic psychiatry.  He has spent his entire career in the public sector behavioral health field, including formerly serving as medical director of DeKalb Crisis Center in Atlanta Georgia; chief medical officer of Central State Hospital in Milledgeville, Georgia; medical director of Augusta University's adult and geriatric inpatient psychiatric units; and associate training director of Medical College of Georgia's general psychiatry residency training program. Presently, he is Clinical Director of Benchmark Human Services Georgia Crisis Programs, which provides emergency mobile crisis interventions for individuals with mental health and developmental disability diagnoses across the state of Georgia.  Also, he provides telepsychiatry services to community mental health centers in Michigan. His particular professional interests include psychopharmacology, treatment of persons with chronic severe mental illness, management of co-occurring psychiatric and intellectual disabilities, and improvement of mental health delivery systems.  

Scott has been on the COHS Leadership Board since 2019.