2017 Fellowship Class Announced
The University of Georgia Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication is pleased to announce its 2017 Fellowship class.
Established in 2008, the Grady College Fellowship honors friends of the college whose accomplishments, friendship and service to the industries they serve have made a positive impact on Grady College.
This year’s Grady Fellowship inductees include Suzy Deering, Phil Meeks, Amy Robach, Carla Sacks and Kathleen Trocheck.
Bonnie Arnold (ABJ ’77), president of DreamWorks Animation, will receive the John Holliman Jr. Lifetime Achievement alumni award and will also be inducted into the Fellowship.
“We’re so pleased to induct the newest class of the Grady Fellows—the very embodiment of all that is best about Grady College and its vast network of alumni and friends,” said Charles N. Davis, dean of Grady College. “This impressive class adds to the luster of the Grady brand and serves as a point of pride for all Grady graduates.”
One alumnus, Robert M. Pollock, will be inducted that same evening into the Sanford Circle, a posthumous membership created to honor friends of Grady College whose achievement and generosity of spirit remain with the college.
Suzy Deering — Deering is chief marketing officer of eBay North America. Prior to joining eBay, she served as CEO of Moxie, a digital advertising agency, and worked for more than a decade at Verizon. She was recognized by “Advertising Age” as part of their “Top 40 Under 40” list in 2007, and was instrumental in the foundation of the Drake House in Atlanta, a crisis residential assessment center for homeless women and children. Although she took several classes at Grady College during her time at UGA, she is a graduate of Family and Consumer Sciences with a degree in home economics and journalism.
Philip Meeks (ABJ ’76) — Meeks is executive vice president and president of Spectrum Enterprise at Charter Communications. In this role, Meeks oversees all commercial operations, marketing and strategy and sales. Previously, he served in executive management positions at Time Warner Cable and Cox Business. He majored in advertising at Grady College.
Amy Robach (ABJ ’95) — Robach serves as news anchor for “Good Morning America” and is the author of “Better: How I Let Go of Control, Held On To Hope, and Found Joy in My Darkest Hour,” about her unexpected journey with breast cancer. In the past year, Robach has reported from Brussels on the terrorist bombings in Belgium, the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro and Election Night 2016 from Trump headquarters. Prior to ABC, she worked at the TODAY show and as an NBC national correspondent. Robach delivered the UGA commencement keynote address in 2015. She studied broadcast news at Grady College.
Carla Sacks (ABJ ’88) — Sacks is the founder of Sacks & Co, a music and film public relations agency with offices in Los Angeles, New York and Nashville. With three decades in the music industry, she is sought out to develop, shape, and execute public image strategies for both world-renowned and emerging artists spanning all genres of music—from pop, rock, rap and country to classical and jazz. Beyond music, her firm’s clients include highly acclaimed filmmakers, film producers, theater companies, art presenters and entrepreneurial business ventures. She majored in telecommunications at Grady College.
Kathleen Trocheck (ABJ ’76) — Trocheck is a well-known author of more than 24 novels under her real name and also the pen name, Mary Kay Andrews. Many of her books have been New York Times bestsellers including “The Fixer Upper,” “Savannah Breeze,” and “Blue Christmas.” Prior to writing novels, Trocheck worked as a reporter at The Savannah Morning News, The Marietta Journal and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. She has a cookbook, “The Beach House Cookbook,” coming out this May. Trocheck majored in newspapers at Grady College.
The Sanford Circle honoree, Robert M. Pollock (ABJ ’39), was a screenwriter along with his wife, Eileen. He is most notably known as a screenwriter and supervising producer for “Dynasty” and “The Colby’s.” Pollock also served in World War II as General Dwight D. Eisenhower’s chief of public radio relations. He was 99-years-old when he passed away in 2016.
The recognition of the Fellows, along with recognition of the Grady College Alumni Award winners, takes place at “Grady Salutes: A Celebration of Achievement, Commitment and Leadership” on April 28 at the Tate Student Center.
Registration for this event is now closed, please contact Karen Andrews, karena@uga.edu for more information.
Date: March 3, 2017Author: Sarah Freeman, freemans@uga.edu
Contact: Sarah Freeman, freemans@uga.edu
