Laura Loving
Kimberly Bearden
Kimberly Nungesser
Maxine Clark

Laura Loving '93

Laura Loving was born in Charlotte, N.C., in 1970 and grew up in the Atlanta area. She earned a Bachelors of Fine Arts from the University of Georgia in 1993. Painting with oil enamel on canvas, Laura has developed a distinctive style consisting of bold lines, dramatic surface patterns and pure color that result in vibrant paintings with strong poetic energy.

Laura describes her work: "I take everyday images and recreate them into my own animated version of the world. I consider my art to be an invention of reality rather than purely an exact imitation. I exaggerate color and shape to create art that is humorous, alive and uplifting. The evolution of my style has its roots in American Folk and Pop Art. Having lived and worked in Nice for two years, the rich artistic heritage of the French Riviera has also had a strong effect on my work."

"I want my art to create a positive bond with the viewer. Without question, making a connection with someone through my paintings is the best part of being an artist."

Laura has exhibited in solo and group shows throughout the United States and abroad. In New York, she has shown at Lincoln Center's Cork Gallery, Pratt Institute, Strut Gallery, Anthem Gallery, and Trunkt Gallery. In 2005, Laura was commissioned to create the artwork for the Fall Cabaret Convention at Jazz at Lincoln Center. In Atlanta, Laura was commissioned to create the official serigraph for the 1998 Music Midtown festival. In 2007 and 2008, her work was featured in Saks Fifth Avenue's Spotlight on Art for emerging southern artists. Laura has also shown with the Wonderwall Gallery in Cirencester, England, and Chaleurs du Sud in Nice, France.

Laura's work hangs in homes and businesses around the world, including Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children, King and Spalding, Troutman Sanders, BT Radianz, The NYSE, NASDAQ, D/A Capital and Ash Hollow Winery. Her work has been showcased at the Atlanta Alumni Center and currently has artwork on display at the One Live Oak Center in Buckhead.

Laura also donates her work to charities in New York, North Carolina and Georgia each year. She was recently commissioned by the New York City Parks Department and the Junior League of New York to create two murals for Tony Dapolito Recreation Center in Greenwich Village.

Laura currently resides in New York City with her husband Peter. She finds the energy of the city makes it a dynamic and exciting place to live and work. Check out www.LauraLoving.com to see her portfolio, newest additions that include scenes of UGA and Paris France as well as information on future exhibits.

Kimberly Bearden '87

Kimberly Bearden is the co-founder, executive director, and language arts teacher at the Ron Clark Academy, an innovative teacher training facility and middle school for Atlanta's inner-city youth. Ms. Bearden was selected from over 70,000 nominations to be honored as the Disney American Teacher Awards Outstanding Middle School Humanities Teacher. The Milken Family Foundation selected her as one of 155 teachers from across the nation to receive the Award for Excellence in Education, and she was the chosen from among 7,000 teachers as Teacher of the Year in Cobb County, Georgia.

Ms. Bearden is a member of the Leadership Atlanta Class of 2008, and she received the Phoenix Award from Mayor Shirley Franklin for her dedication to the education. Kimberly is a former Finalist for Georgia Teacher of the Year and the Phenomenal Woman of Character Award. Over the past twenty-two years, she has been a teacher, instructional lead teacher, curriculum director, school board member, staff development trainer, and middle school principal. She earned her BS in Education from UGA in 1987.

Kimberly Nungesser '00

Kim graduated from UGA in 2000 with a Bachelor's of Business Administration in International Business. She is the Recruiting Coordinator at Dixon Hughes. In her free time, Kim owns and manages Fancy, a gift and stationery business.

In addition to being an active member of the UGA Alumni Association, she is an outstanding Women of UGA volunteer. She hosted Women of UGA lunch groups in downtown Atlanta in February and March. Kim also initiated the Women of UGA group on Linked-In and currently promotes events and helps to recruit new hosts for the lunch groups. Her passion for empowering fellow UGA Alums is invaluable to the Alumni Association.

Maxine Clark '71

Maxine Clark is one of the true innovators in the retail industry. During her 30-year career, her rare ability to spot emerging retail and merchandising trends and insight into the desires of the American consumer generated growth for retail leaders, including department store, discount and specialty stores. In 1997, she founded Build-A-Bear Workshop, a teddy-bear themed experience retail store. At year end 2006 there were over 300 Build-A-Bear Workshop stores worldwide, including company-owned stores in the U.S., Canada and the United Kingdom and franchised stores in Europe, Asia and Australia.

In 2006 Clark was inducted into the Junior Achievement National Business Hall of Fame and received the 2006 Luminary Award for Entrepreneurial Achievement from the Committee of 200. She was named a Customer-Centered Leader in the 2005 Customer First Awards by Fast Company. Clark was one of the Wonder Women of Toys by Playthings magazine and Women in Toys, and was also one of the National Finalists in Retail for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2004. In 2005, the National Association of Small Business Investment Companies (NASBIC) made Build-A-Bear Workshop Portfolio Company of the Year, it was named one of the International Council of Shopping Centers "Hottest Retailers of 2004" and the Retail Innovator of the Year for 2001 by The National Retail Federation.

Clark is a member of the Board of Directors of The J.C. Penney Company, Inc., and serves on the Board of Trustees of the International Council of Shopping Centers and Washington University in St. Louis. She is Chairman of the Board of Directors of the St. Louis Chapter of Teach for America and a member of the Committee of 200. She is a graduate of the University of Georgia. In 2006, her first book "The Bear Necessities of Business: Building a Company with Heart" was published.

Maxine leads her company and encourages creativity in all aspects of her business. She is a role model to young children, and even includes them as key advisors. She stays close to customers with a "Cub Advisory Board," a group of 20 boys and girls 8-17 years old who review new products and suggest additional ones. It meets with Clark and her team 3-4 times per year. "They are fearless and honest," she says. "If they approve of something, we are pretty certain to have a winner."