The University of Georgia Foundation today announced changes in leadership and board positions voted upon at its recently concluded annual meeting in St. Simons.

The board voted unanimously to elect Kenneth G. “Ken” Jackson as chairman effective July 1 for a term running through June 30, 2017. He succeeds John P. Spalding, whose term concludes at midnight June 30.

The board also elected, by unanimous vote, trustees William W. “Bill” Douglas III as vice chairman, Terry S. Brown as treasurer and Steve C. Jones as secretary.

Jackson, who completes two years as vice chairman and is in his 10th year of service on the board of trustees, has served in key positions on the executive, nominating and governance and finance committees, the latter two of which he chaired. He is executive vice president and chief financial officer for Dalton-based floor covering industry leader Shaw Industries. Jackson holds his bachelor’s (1979) and master’s (1980) degrees in accounting from the Terry College of Business.

“Ken has been immensely helpful to me in leading this organization,” said Spalding in welcoming his successor. “His role in our donor outreach efforts has been one of the main reasons we continue to have success in supporting the university’s fundraising.

“With Ken as chairman, I am confident in the foundation’s continued ability to support the academic mission of the University of Georgia,” Spalding also said.

Jackson inherits the chairmanship of a foundation whose endowment grew during Spalding’s term by more than $200 million to more than $1 billion.

“I am honored to have been vice chairman during John’s term and offer my personal thanks for his service to the university and the foundation,” Jackson said. “He was an exemplary leader and I’m certain I will be calling upon him for advice and counsel as I fulfill the responsibilities of my new position.”

Officers

Douglas, who by UGA Foundation bylaws will be the next chairman, is executive vice president of Coca-Cola Enterprises, the world’s largest bottler of Coca-Cola products. He earned a bachelor’s in accounting from the Terry College of Business in 1983.

Brown is a real estate executive with EDENS, a Columbia, South Carolina-based developer, owner and operator of community-oriented shopping places in primary markets throughout the East Coast. He earned a bachelor’s in accounting from the Terry College of Business in 1984.

Jones is a U.S. District Court judge in Atlanta and past president of the UGA Alumni Association. Prior to his federal appointment, Jones was a Superior Court judge serving Athens, Clarke County and Oconee County. Jones earned both his bachelor’s and law degrees from UGA in 1978 and 1987 respectively. 

When the new leadership team members take office, they will have four new elected trustees with whom to work in the coming term: Eleanor Banister, Mark Chandler, Jennifer Flanagan and Ted McMullan.

Elected Trustees

Banister is a partner in the Atlanta-based law firm of King & Spalding where her practice focuses on employee benefits and executive compensation. Banister is a summa cum laude graduate of the UGA College of Education from which she earned a BSED in middle school education in 1973. She was a magna cum laude graduate of the UGA School of Law where she earned her Juris Doctor in 1979.

Chandler, who completes a term as a UGA Foundation advisory trustee, is president and founder of Habersham Properties, an Atlanta property management and brokerage firm. Chandler earned a BBA in finance from the Terry College of Business in 1981, is a certified public accountant and has held a real estate license with the Georgia Real Estate Commission for more than 15 years. He has been an active real estate investor for more than two decades.

Flanagan is an Atlanta philanthropist who serves on the UGA Board of Visitors and has supported a broad range of organizations and institutions including the UGA in Washington program. She is a 1982 graduate of Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in art history.

McMullan, who completes a term as a UGA Foundation advisory trustee, is president and chairman of Atlanta-based Covington Investments LLC, a privately owned firm he founded in 1997. Covington’s related companies own and operate senior living communities in Florida, Iowa, Ohio and Tennessee. He is the son of Marilyn and John F. McMullan, an emeritus trustee of the University of Georgia Foundation. McMullan earned a bachelor’s degree from Georgetown University in 1991 and an MBA from the Terry College of Business in 1993.

Ex-Officio Trustees

Johnelle Simpson is the University of Georgia student body president succeeding Drew Jacoby.

Ruth Bartlett is the incoming president of the University of Georgia Alumni Association succeeding Tim Keadle.

“I am looking forward to working with the new trustees,” Jackson said. “Their combined talents complement those of a board that have outstanding capabilities across many areas of expertise, all of which will help us fulfill the foundation’s primary objective of supporting and enhancing the University of Georgia’s academic mission.

“It is always bittersweet to see our good friends leave the board as their terms expire, but it is always exciting to see and hear the diverse perspectives new trustees bring to the organization,” Jackson added. “On behalf of the board, I offer our sincerest thanks to the foundation’s outgoing trustees for their hard work and dedication, and welcome to our newest trustees, we look forward to your contributions to our efforts.” 

Emeritus Trustees

The University of Georgia Foundation board accorded emeritus status to six trustees whose terms draw to a conclusion on July 1: Michael H. Godwin, Gail J. Hunnicutt, Sarah Corn Irby, Jefferson B.A. Knox, William N. Searcy and Charles S. Williams Jr.

“We are tremendously thankful to have had the privilege of working with this group of professionals,” Spalding said. “They contributed greatly to the growth and success of the University of Georgia Foundation through their gifts and their service and I hope they will remain engaged with the university and the foundation in the years to come as emeritus trustees.”