Two Grady students selected as new Tieger Fellows in Public Affairs Communications

Students to conduct media relations for the nation’s first Public Affairs Communications program

The University of Georgia Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication announced the selection of two new Tieger Fellows for the spring of 2019: Madison Gable and Anna Leigh Herndon. The Tieger Fellowship supports the mission of the College’s first-in-the-nation Public Affairs Communications (PAC) Program by providing students the opportunity to apply skills learned in the classroom to real-world public affairs work promoting the PAC program.

The
new Tieger Fellows are responsible for managing media relations on behalf of
the program and succeed the program’s first media relations fellow, Sarah
Cunningham, who graduated in December. Herndon is responsible for managing
local media relations while Gable is responsible for conducting national media
relations.  

The Tieger Fellowship is funded with support from Grady
College alumna Carolyn Caudell Tieger, who graduated in 1969 and who also funds
the Tieger Professorship currently held by Joseph Watson, Jr.

“We
are proud to welcome Anna Leigh and Madison as our newest Tieger Fellows,” said
Watson. “This fellowship would not be possible without the vision and funding
of Carolyn Caudell Tieger. Through her support we are able to continue to build
upon the early successes of the program by recognizing amazing students and
providing them with a unique opportunity to support the PAC program and develop
skills that will prepare them for their careers.”

As
members of the 2016 PAC cohort, Herndon and Gable have enriched their academic
experiences with real-world applications. They are looking forward to serving
the program in their respective roles and eventually using these learned skills
in their careers.

Madison Gable is a senior studying journalism and political science and is
expected to graduate in May 2019. Last year, Gable served as the director of
policy research on UGA’s Student Government Association and was a staff writer
at Georgia Political Review. Originally from Roswell, Georgia, Gable spent this
past summer interning in the communications office at Public Citizen, a
nonprofit consumer advocacy organization in Washington D.C. After graduation,
Gable hopes to pursue a career in public affairs communications.

Anna Leigh Herndon, from Valdosta, Georgia, is a senior studying public relations
and political science. In addition to her role as a Tieger fellow, Herndon
currently serves as the marketing and branding manager for The Red & Black
student newspaper and the C. Richard Yarbrough Crisis Communication intern for
the UGA Crisis Communication Coalition. Last summer, Herndon participated in
the Grady@DC program, working as a press intern for U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson
and a communications intern at the Institute for Energy Research. Upon
graduating, Herndon would like to work in political communications.