A number of employees from the UGA Carl Vinson Institute of Government were recognized by the Office of the Vice President for Public Service and Outreach during a fall appreciation event.

Emily Schattler, a program coordinator in the Infrastructure and Community Resilience Division, was honored with the Public Service and Outreach Staff Award for Excellence. The award recognizes PSO staff for their exceptional job performance, workplace creativity and innovation and commitment to service. Schattler supports the research and project management activities of federal grant-funded, multidisciplinary work, including the Defense Communities Resilience Program. She is known for her expertise in budget development, vast knowledge of UGA policy, state and federal guideline compliance, strong work ethic, commitment to service, exceptional communication skills, and workplace creativity and innovation. More about Schattler’s outstanding work can be found here.

Several other institute employees also were recognized at the event for their specific contributions and service in 2024.

Scott Pippin and Shana Jones of the institute’s Infrastructure and Community Resilience Division received a VP Award for Excellence in Grants & Sponsored Programs. Both have successfully pursed large federal grants, and Pippin was responsible for securing support agreements with the U.S. Army totaling nearly $6 million in 2024.

Dan Lasseter, faculty and human resources management expert, was honored with a VP Award for Excellence in Scholarship. Lasseter was recognized as a role model for integrating scholarship into his work. Lasseter started this journey as PSO Scholarship Academy participant, then became a coach for Cohorts 2 and 3 of the academy and continues to publish and present.

Staff from the Office of Communications at the institute were recognized with the VP Award for Excellence in Overall Team Achievement for the “We Know Georgia” campaign. The campaign, directed by the institute’s Courtney Alford-Pomeroy and Shannah Montgomery from the Office of the Vice President for Public Service and Outreach, involved a comprehensive messaging strategy and included a social media campaign, a UGA-wide website, internal and external messaging and targeted stories about PSO’s economic impact across the state. It was developed by a team of communicators across PSO units, including institute Communications staff Margaret Blanchard, Melissa Charles, Rhiannon Eades, Sara Ingram and Grace Williamson.

In addition, several institute employees were recognized for their years of service to the university. Those employees included:

Institute of Government Director Rob Gordon lauded institute employees for their service and excellence.

“Institute of Government team members make so many good things happen for the state of Georgia, our government leaders, and the communities we serve across the state,” Gordon said of the institute as a whole. “I am extremely proud of the work we do together.”