Key Personnel

Karen Burg, Principal Investigator

• Harbor Lights Chair in Biomedical Research
• Vice President for Research
• University of Georgia

Isaac Crumbly, Workforce Development/Community Partnership Facilitator

• Associate Vice President for Careers and Collaborative Programs
• Director, Cooperative Developmental Energy Program
• Fort Valley State University

Govind Kannan, Workforce Development/Community Partnership Facilitator

• Professor & Dean
• College of Agriculture, Family Sciences and Technology
• Fort Valley State University

Matt Dunne, Innovation in Place Facilitator

• Center on Rural Innovation

Neela White, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Accessibility Council for Inclusive Innovation Co-Lead

• Project Director, Inclusive STEM Ecosystems for Equity & Diversity
• American Association for the Advancement of Science

Karen DeMeester, Next GA Evaluator

• Public Service Associate
• UGA Carl Vinson Institute of Government

Alex Aspley Esco, Project Manager

• Project Manager
• UGA Office of Research

Chithra Adams, Innovation Group Leader

• Director of Learning & Evaluation
• VentureWell

Sue Chapman, Workforce Group Leader

• Associate State 4-H Leader
• UGA Cooperative Extension

Harshvardhan Thippareddi, Use-Inspired Research Group Leader

• John Bekkers Professor in Poultry Science
• Interim Associate Dean for Research
• UGA College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences

Andrea Scarrow, Community Engagement Group Leader

• Southwest District Director
• UGA Cooperative Extension

Matt Colvin, Industry & Economic Development Group Leader

• Director of Economic Development
• UGA Office of Research

Laura Perry Johnson, Quality of Life & Wellbeing Group Co-Leader

• Associate Dean for Extension
• UGA College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences

Anna Scheyett, Quality of Life & Wellbeing Group Co-Leader

• Professor
• UGA School of Social Work