Teaming Up for Success: How to Effectively Collaborate with Academic Faculty to Secure Large-Scale Federal Grants

David Meyers, Senior Public Service Associate, J.W. Fanning Institute for Leadership Development

As a senior public service associate in the J.W. Fanning Institute for Leadership Development, David Meyers’ area of expertise is in youth leadership development with a focus on supporting young people who have experienced homelessness or foster care, as well as the institutions and families that serve them. He serves as the director of the Embark Georgia Center, a program that serves as a statewide network to connect Georgia campuses in support of foster and homeless youth. Meyers joined the Fanning Institute with over two decades of child welfare experience, both in the public and private sectors. He also has extensive training experience, including training over 500 foster and adoptive families. Additionally, Meyers serves as an adjunct faculty member at the School of Social Work. He holds a master’s degree and a Ph.D. from UGA.

Katie Hill, Public Service Assistant, Carl Vinson Institute of Government

Katie Hill joined the Carl Vinson Institute of Government in 2020, where she works on projects concerning environmental policy and development, natural resource planning, land conservation, wastewater infrastructure and more. Prior to her current role, Hill served as a legal associate at UGA’s River Basin Center, where she worked on several environmental policy and planning projects, as well as authored guidebooks on local wetlands protection, coastal wastewater management and ad valorem taxation of conservation easement properties. She is a former member-at-large for the Environmental Law section of the State Bar of Georgia, as well as member of the 2018 class of the Georgia Institute for Environmental Leadership. Hill also received her J.D. from the UGA School of Law.

Shana Jones, Associate Director, Carl Vinson Institute of Government

Shana Jones has been with the Carl Vinson Institute of Government since 2014, where she has held the title of associate director since. In her work, Jones assists communities with managing legal and policy issues related to natural resources, coastal flooding and land use. Prior to joining the Institute of Government, Jones was the director of the Virginia Coastal Policy Clinic at William and Mary Law School. Jones also has previous experience in nonprofit policy group management, clerking at the state and federal levels, and worked in the Texas Governor’s Office.

Mark Risse, Director, Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant

Mark Risse has served as the director of the Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant since 2013. His expertise is in areas including stormwater management, soil and water conservation, and non-point source pollution management. In his current role, Risse oversees the unit’s research, education and extension programs, and manages budgets, policy and personnel related to the unit. Risse earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in agricultural engineering at UGA. Prior to joining the Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant, Risse spent nearly two decades in the UGA Cooperative Extension as a water resources specialist. Additionally, Risse is a Walter Bernard Hill Fellow — the highest honor at UGA for public service and outreach.

Don Nelson, Professor and Director of Graduate Studies, Department of Anthropology, Franklin College of Arts and Sciences

Don Nelson has served as a professor at UGA since 2009 and currently teaches in the department of anthropology at the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences. Nelson has a wide variety of research publications within the field of anthropology, with research interests including water security and management, sustainability, global climate and environmental change, drought vulnerability and remote sensing. Nelson has worked extensively in Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as Africa. His current research projects are focused on water security, disaster risk, socioenvironmental system dynamics and participatory planning in Brazil, Uruguay and the U.S. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Arizona.

Bryan Fluech, Associate Director of Extension, Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant

As associate director of Extension for Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant, Bryan Fluech oversees the coordination of marine extension activities throughout Georgia and serves as the unit’s fisheries specialist. Fluech has been with the unit since 2015. Prior to working at UGA, Fluech served as a Florida Sea Grant extension agent and county extension director for the University of Florida. He also has experience in middle and high school education, as well as working as a wetlands field technician, zookeeper and naturalist. Fluech received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Tennessee and his master’s from the University of Florida.