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Robert Heaberlin ’00 receives national award

University of Georgia College of Education alumnus Robert (Bob) Heaberlin ’00 principal of Lee Middle School in Coweta County, has been named the 2012 recipient of the Association for Middle Level Education (AMLE) National Distinguished Educator Award. His wife, Jane ’73, also earned her B.S.Ed. in elementary education from UGA.

Heaberlin, who earned his doctorate in educational leadership at UGA, has served as president of the Georgia Association of Educational Leaders (GAEL) and president of the Georgia Association of Middle School Principals (GAMSP). He serves on both the GAEL Board of Directors and the GAMSP Board of Directors and is a member of the Georgia Middle School Association. From 2004-07, he served on the National Association of Secondary School Principals No Child Left Behind Task Force, for which he met with the United States House and Senate Education Committees and members of the U.S. Department of Education. He has advocated for additional funding in Georgia for schools that adhere to the middle school concept.

Heaberlin’s vision for Lee Middle School is to ensure the academic success and positive social growth of each student, and he encourages students to strive to exceed as scholars and citizens.

In 2012, Lee Middle School was named a Georgia Lighthouse School to Watch and a National School to Watch by the National Forum to Accelerate Middle-Grades Reform.

Heaberlin was named the 2011-12 National Association of Elementary School Principals’ (NAESP) National Distinguished Middle School Principal of the Year, and received the 2008 Dr. John Lounsbury Award—the highest award given by GAMSP. He was also named the 2006 Outstanding Middle Level Georgia Educator. In February 2012, he was honored by the Georgia House of Representatives with a resolution honoring his accomplishments in education.

Currently, he represents Georgia as the Federal Relations Director and State Leaders Representative for NAESP and travels to Washington, D.C. twice a year to meet with Congressional representatives to advocate for education.

The award, sponsored by Pearson, will be presented to Heaberlin on November 9, 2012, by the AMLE Foundation at the 39th Annual Conference for Middle Level Education in Portland, Oregon.

I am extremely proud of Heaberlin’s representation of UGA. Since leaving the University, his list of accomplishments and awards seems never-ending. It is incredible to think of the positive impact his work has had on students at Lee Middle School, the state of Georgia, and the nation. I commend Heaberlin on his unbridled service to students, and I wish him the best. Go Dawgs!

Recent Entries

05.17.2013

Betsy Crossley (BS ’77, MS ’80) elected mayor of Nashville suburb

Congratulations to newly elected Brentwood, Tenn., Mayor Betsy Crossley (BS ’77, MS ’80)!

Elected as a Brentwood City Commissioner in 2007, Crossley previously served as mayor from 2009 until 2011. She has been a member of the city's Historic Commission, Planning Commission, Tree Board and Library Board. For the past five years, she has served as a member of the Tennessee Municipal League's Board advocating on behalf of municipalities. On the state level, Crossley was appointed to a three-year term on the Tennessee Water and Wastewater Financing Board by the governor in 2011. In 2012, the Speaker of the House appointed her to a two-year term as a member of the Tennessee Local Development Authority. Crossley was the first woman ever appointed to serve in that position.

The alumna moved to Brentwood in 1999. Prior to her public service there, she was a medical researcher and teacher. Her community involvement includes Christ United Methodist Church, the Williamson County Education Foundation Board, Leadership and Youth Leadership Brentwood, Williamson County Chamber of Commerce, Brentwood Rotary Club, and the American Heart Association.

She has been married for more than 30 years to her husband, George. They have two sons who graduated from the University of Tennessee (we’ll let that slide).

We are so impressed with Crossley’s commitment to her community and are impressed by her continued leadership in the Nashville area. Best of luck in this term, Betsy!

05.16.2013

Spotlight on the Jane and Harry Willson Center for Humanities & Arts

The UGA Willson Center for Humanities & Arts is a showcase for faculty innovation and achievement. It facilitates intellectual exchange with the University and the public by the encouragement of interdisciplinary activity, which extends to the sciences and other orders of knowledge.

The Center is named for Jane Willson, the owner of Sunnyland Farms, Inc., the largest mail-order pecan business in the country, and her late husband Harry Willson, who was the chairman and CEO of Sunnyland Farms before his death in 2004.

The Willson Center for Humanities and Arts was founded as the Humanities Center in 1987 and named thereafter the Center for Humanities and Arts (1997) and the Jane and Harry Willson Center for Humanities and Arts (2005).

The Center coordinates a number of wonderful programs, including today’s special event with Ambassador James A. Joseph titled “Leadership as a Way of Being: Reflections on Nelson Mandela, Servant Leadership and Personal Renewal.” Joseph was the U.S. ambassador to South Africa from 1995 to 1999, the only person in that office to present his credentials to President Nelson Mandela. He served in the administrations of four presidents of the United States.

If you aren’t acquainted with the Willson Center, I encourage you to visit its website at www.willson.uga.edu to learn more about upcoming events. Our University is blessed to have such an incredible resource on campus – another reason it’s great to be a Georgia Bulldog!

05.15.2013

Alumnus leads Columbus, Ohio, arts council

Early last month, Tom Katzenmeyer (AB ’76) took over as president and CEO of the Greater Columbus (Ohio) Arts Council. The organization distributes funds for the arts, and advocates and markets the Central Ohio arts community. In this role, Katzenmeyer will oversee a staff of 11 and a budget of more than $6 million. His fellow Columbus cultural leaders say he is a strong choice for the position because of his expertise in navigating politics and business.

Just prior to joining the Arts Council, the alumnus served as senior vice president for university communications for The Ohio State University. At Ohio State, Tom oversaw university-wide communications and reputation management.

Before joining Ohio State, he was senior vice president of investor, media, and community relations for Limited Brands, Inc. He was responsible for the company’s relationships with investors and analysts, local media, national business and trade press, and the nonprofit and philanthropic community.

Prior to joining Limited in 1990, Katzenmeyer served as executive assistant for legislative affairs to the Governor of Ohio for four years. His public service career spans nearly 15 years, including time on the staff of Ohio House of Representatives and the Ohio Department of Development.

Congratulations to Tom as he takes on this new role – I have no doubt he will help the Greater Columbus Arts Council continue to thrive!

Information for this post was sourced from the Greater Columbus Arts Council website and The Columbus Dispatch.

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