The Athens Tech Foundation has approved three new members — William C. Bushnell, Patrixia Dixen and Dwain Evans — to serve on the board of directors for a three-year term that began in January 2023.

The board, comprised of community and business leaders in the College’s 11-county service region, oversees the fundraising and private student support for Athens Technical College. The Foundation provided over $103,000 in student support in 2022 including scholarships, emergency grants, and GED test vouchers.

“I am grateful for the commitment of these community members who are willing to step up and
help support our college and our students through service, as they all bring a wealth of knowledge to the board,” said President Andrea Daniel. “We are thankful for the support of all of our Foundation board members who work to support the College in our mission of supplying skilled workers for our region.”

With more than 48 years of legal experience, Bill Bushnell has served as lead counsel in many criminal and civil jury trials and has practiced in counties throughout Georgia as well as in the Georgia Court of Appeals and the Georgia Supreme Court. Bushnell is a member of the State Bar of Georgia and the local Western Circuit Bar Association. A distinguished military honor graduate of The Citadel, Bushnell attended the University of Georgia School of Law where he received his Juris Doctor. He then attended the United States Judge Advocate Generals (JAG) Corps School and served as a JAG officer with the 101st Airborne Division and the 4th Mechanized Infantry Division. Since returning to Athens with his family, Bushnell has built a wide-ranging general legal practice.

Originally from Minnesota, Patricia Dixen earned a B.S. in Business from Winona State University and an M.S. in Marketing from the University of Colorado. She has led worldwide marketing teams for consumer and high-tech businesses, retiring in 2018. Four years ago, Patricia moved to Athens from Silicon Valley, California. She appreciates the many opportunities to volunteer and give back to the community in Athens. In particular, she has enjoyed participating in the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at the University of Georgia (OLLI@UGA), where she has led their marketing and communications committee.

Dwain Evans serves as the director of enterprise accounts, retail sector, at UPS, where his focus is developing direct-to-consumers sales strategies for national and global accounts. Evans, who resides in Greensboro, Georgia, earned a B.B.A. from Georgia College and State University with a concentration in marketing and logistics, and a strategy formulation certificate from Georgia State University. His civic commitments include service on the boards of the Institute for Community and Organizational Development (ICOD), the Greensboro Dreamers, the Boswell Hospital, the Pete Nance Boys and Girls Club, the Greene County Development Authority, and the Greene College and Career Academy.

Also elected are the 2023 Foundation officers who include chair Jeff Petrea, a director of external relations with Georgia Power, vice-chair Leslie Friedman, an independent writer and consultant, treasurer Katherine Alexander, a private wealth advisor with Synovus, and secretary Susan Bogardus, an SVP Market Executive with Bank OZK.

The mission of the Athens Tech Foundation is to partner with Athens Technical College and with the community to build the workforce of today and for the future. The Foundation is celebrating its 35th anniversary this year with a benefit dinner on April 20, 2023, at The Georgia Club in Statham, Georgia.
To learn more, visit www.athenstech.edu/foundation, email [email protected], or call (706) 355-5025.