UNG honors alumni on '20 Under 40' list

The University of North Georgia (UNG) Alumni Association has announced the 2025 honorees for its fourth annual "20 Under 40" program, honoring members of the UNG family for their personal and professional accomplishments or their distinguished service to others.

"UNG continues to produce outstanding leaders on a state, regional and national level, and I think that all our alumni base will realize the quality of emerging talent we are producing on all our campuses," Jared Patterson '14, alumni relations officer for young alumni, said. "To be able to bring these 20 honorees back to Dahlonega for an evening serves as a reminder of not only what makes UNG so special, but how our alumni can continue supporting the work being done both in my office and in the institution at large. Throughout our event, it was apparent that not only was this cohort doing exceptional things, but they are truly exceptional people. I can't think of a better group to represent UNG young alumni."

The following individuals made the list:

• Caitlin Gooch Adams '18, '21, associate director of clinical operations at Good Samaritan Health Center of Gwinnett.
• Zack Agerton '13, volunteer program manager at the Humane Society of Charlotte.
• Beth Allinger '08, director of finance and administration at the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Georgia.
• Sydney Bailey Bezely '17, deputy chief data officer and machine learning engineer for the U.S. Army Operational Test Command.
• Aaron W. Brown '13, senior vice president and chief development officer for American Culture Project and founder and principal of Brown Thrasher Strategies.
• Jessica "Bird" Brown '09, '12, co-founder and CEO of Crowded Table Events and director of innovation and operations at ConnectAbility.
• Sydney Casey '18, marketing manager at Mansfield Energy.
• Kerri Cochran '17, crime scene investigator III for the Gwinnett County Police Department.
• Chris Grimes '09, project manager at Clark, "a team of creative audio, lighting and video designers and engineers who create custom solutions to complex problems."
• Anne Hudson '13, a senior client consultant for Alera Group, a midsize brokerage firm.
• William Harrison Lance '15, senior trade and investment officer for the British government with a specialization in financial and professional services.
• Dr. Nevada LeCounte '23, associate professor of nursing and simulation specialist at the College of Coastal Georgia.
• Abigail Vandiver Loggins '16, co-owner and general manager of Big Peach Running Company's Braselton location and president of the Junior League of Gainesville-Hall County.
• Michael Trent Ricks '16, a gang investigator at the Gwinnett County Police Department and part-time criminal justice faculty member at Kennesaw State University.
• Lauren Burt Samples '07, partner at the Tillman Bailey Samples accounting firm.
• Blake Ryan Schaper '14, founder of BrookHaven Family Office, which includes a CPA firm, a law firm, wealth management advisory services, and an insurance agency.
• Melissa Clementina Silva '19, a state-licensed mortgage loan originator broker at Nexa Mortgage.
• Dr. Donald Lance Smallwood '11, program director of the Diagnostic Radiology Residency Program at Medical College of Georgia.
• Amanda Smith '16, '24, quality assurance supervisor at Seeds that Grow, a nonprofit that serves foster families.
• Joshua B. Wilson '19, clinical manager for Emory Healthcare in the Orthopedic and Sports Medicine division.