Tuesday’s announcement of the transformational gift from the Woodruff Foundation and President Blake’s vision for our campus to become a “college town downtown” is another turning point in GSU’s rich history. More information on this exciting news can be found at College Town Downtown.
The work to complete the projects in the plan by 2026 will require a monumental effort by our campus community. Anyone who knows Georgia State University knows that drive and determination are fundamental traits of our students, faculty and staff, and the opportunity to transform our campus will be embraced and accomplished by all.
There have been a lot of moving parts to get us to this point, and I wanted to take the opportunity to recognize the outstanding effort of the GSU staff who have assisted in the process thus far. A special thanks goes to these teams who have worked so selflessly and diligently over the past several months:
Campus Safety Initiatives Team
Ramesh Vakamudi, VP – Facilities and Building Services
Kim Bauer, Asst. VP – Facilities Design and Construction
Brad Freeman, VP – Finance & Administration, CFO
Michael Parkerson, VP - Government Relations
Susan Ridley, Senior Director, Finance Administration and Risk Mgmt.
Anthony Coleman, Chief of Police
Fred Hammett, Director of Emergency Services
Kelly Wilson, Director, Facilities Planning
Mark Rountree, Assistant to the Executive VP & Chief Operating Officer
PRMC/Creative Team
Jo Ann Herold, Interim VP — PRMC
Renata Irving, Director, Strategic Communications
Cody Benson, Senior Director, Digital Strategy
William Inman, Executive Editor
William Davis, Director, Video & Photography
Classroom Space Planning Team
Ramesh Vakamudi, VP – Facilities and Building Services
Brad Freeman, VP – Finance & Administration, CFO
Allison Calhoun-Brown, Senior VP for Student Success
Tarrah Mirus, University Registrar
Phil Ventimiglia, VP for Technology and Instructional Innovation, CIO
Lee Webster, Director of Technology Learning Environments
Michael Sanseviro, VP — Student Engagement and Programs
Strategic Planning Team
Nicolle Parsons-Pollard, Provost & Executive VP for Academic Affairs
Cynthia Villaverde, VP — Financial Planning and Operations
Cynthia Lester, Associate Provost for Strategic Initiatives
These campus leaders have given their time and energy to open the door for this opportunity, and I am grateful to work alongside them guided by the leadership and vision of President Blake. More work is ahead to transform our campus, but due to the great people at Georgia State this effort will undoubtedly be a tremendous success.
L. Jared Abramson
Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer