The University of Georgia Foundation approved changes in leadership and board positions during its recent annual meeting.

The board voted unanimously to elect William W. “Bill” Douglas as chairman effective July 1 for a term running through June 30, 2019. He succeeds Kenneth G. “Ken” Jackson, whose term concludes June 30.

Douglas inherits the chairmanship of a foundation whose net assets are more than $1.1 billion and continue to grow as the $1.2 billion Commit to Georgia Campaign brings in additional support.

The board also elected, by unanimous vote, trustees John H. Crawford IV as vice chairman, Stephen M. Joiner as treasurer and Steve C. Jones as secretary.

The new leadership team will take the helm of a 48-member board that includes six newly elected trustees and an advisory trustee. The new members are trustees Michael J. Boudens, Christopher W. “Chris” Brown, Elizabeth W. “Betsy” Camp, Alston D. “Pete” Correll, Hillel A. “Hill” Feinberg, and John R. Parker Jr. and advisory trustee Charles E. “Charlie” Knox.

The position of chief operating officer/chief financial officer for the UGA Foundation also was filled after a nine-person search committee, led by Douglas and composed of both trustees and senior administrators of the university, conducted a national search. Rebecca Caravati, who previously served as deputy director for finance and research administration for the Georgia Tech Research Institute, will join the UGA Foundation team on July 1.

“We are thrilled to welcome Rebecca to the UGA Foundation team,” said Kelly Kerner, vice president of development and alumni relations and executive director of the foundation. “With over 30 years of experience in finance and accounting, Rebecca is well-qualified and well-suited to this leadership position, and we are delighted to have her.”

Douglas noted that the seven newly elected trustees offer a broad range of talents and capabilities across many areas of expertise, “all of which will support the foundation's primary objective of supporting and enhancing the University of Georgia’s academic mission.”

The UGA Foundation Board of Trustees also accorded emeritus status to eight trustees whose terms draw to a conclusion on June 30: Terry S. Brown, Henry D. Gregory, C. William “Bill” Griffin, Andrew M. “Jack” Head, John O. Knox, Jr., James C. “Cliff” McCurry, Susan Donziger Sherman and John P. Spalding Jr. 

“It’s with our deepest gratitude that we thank our outgoing trustees, all of whom have served with great distinction,” Douglas said. “We are incredibly grateful for their years of commitment, generosity and leadership.”

Officers:

William W. “Bill” Douglas, of Bishop, chairman. Douglas has completed two years as vice chairman and is in his seventh year of service on the board of trustees. He is a retired executive vice president of Coca-Cola Enterprises. He earned a bachelor's degree in accounting from UGA in 1983.

John H. Crawford IV, of Atlanta, vice chairman, is the managing director of equity investments of Crawford Investment Counsel Inc. Per UGA Foundation bylaws, Crawford will be the next chairman. He earned a bachelor’s degree in finance from UGA in 1988, and has served as chair of the UGA Foundation investment committee for the last three years.

Stephen M. Joiner, of Atlanta, treasurer. Joiner retired this year as partner from Deloitte and Touche LLP, one of the nation's leading professional services firms, and is now the chief financial officer of Treatment Management Company. He earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting from UGA in 1986 and has served as chair of the UGA Foundation audit committee for the last three years. 

Steve C. Jones, of Athens, secretary. Jones, a U.S. District Court judge for the Northern District of Georgia, previously served as a Superior Court judge serving Athens, Clarke County and Oconee County. He is a past president of the UGA Alumni Association. Jones earned both his bachelor's and law degrees from UGA in 1978 and 1987, respectively.

Elected trustees:

Michael J. Boudens, of West Newton, Massachusetts, is senior vice president, partner and associate director of Global Relationship Group, Worldwide, at Wellington Management Company LLP based in Boston, Massachusetts. He has been with the company since 2001. He earned his bachelor’s degree in economics from UGA in 1981.

Christopher W. “Chris” Brown, of Washington, D.C., is managing director - investment officer and founder of Brown | Miller Wealth Management Group of Wells Fargo Advisors in Washington, D.C. He has been with the firm since 1992. Brown graduated from UGA with a bachelor's degree in marketing in 1987 and has recently served on the Terry College of Business Alumni Board. 

Elizabeth W. “Betsy” Camp, of Atlanta, has just completed a term as a UGA Foundation advisory trustee. She is president and chief executive officer of DF Management Inc., a private investment and commercial real estate management company. Camp earned both her bachelor's and law degrees from UGA in 1974 and 1977 respectively, and is chair of the Terry College of Business Women Initiative Program.

Alston D. “Pete” Correll, of Atlanta, is fulfilling the unexpired term of Greg Gregory. Correll is chairman of the Correll Family Foundation and is the co-founder of Atlanta Equity, a private equity firm focused on investments in growth companies primarily in the Southeast. Correll and his wife, Ada Lee, are serving as the honorary chairs of the Commit to Georgia capital campaign for the University of Georgia. He graduated from UGA with a bachelor’s degree in marketing in 1963.

Hillel D. “Hill” Feinberg, of Dallas, Texas, is fulfilling the unexpired term of Susan Sherman. He is chairman and CEO of Hilltop Securities in Dallas, and has been serving the company in these positions since 1991. He graduated from UGA with a bachelor’s degree in finance in 1969. Feinberg also serves on the Terry College of Business Dean’s Advisory Council.

John R. Parker Jr., of Athens, has just completed a term as a UGA Foundation advisory trustee. He is the retired senior vice president and general counsel of Coca-Cola Enterprises. Parker graduated magna cum laude from UGA with a bachelor’s degree in history in 1973, and then earned a master’s degree from the University of Virginia in 1974 and his Juris Doctor from the University of North Carolina in 1985.

Advisory Trustee:

Charles E. “Charlie” Knox, of North Augusta, South Carolina, is a financial advisor at Raymond James & Associates in North Augusta and has over 20 years of experience. He graduated from UGA with a bachelor’s degree in history in 1992. Knox’s brother, Jefferson B.A. Knox, also served as a trustee from 2006-2015. 

Ex-officio trustees:

Cameron Keen is the UGA Student Government Association president succeeding Houston Gaines 

Scott D. Pegan is the UGA University Council executive committee chair succeeding Janet Frick.

Bonney Shuman is the incoming president of the UGA Alumni Association succeeding Ruth Bartlett.