Georgia State University Alumni Association Announces 40 Under 40 Class of 2022

ATLANTA—The Georgia State University Alumni Association has selected the honorees for its 2022 class of outstanding alumni under the age of 40.

“These remarkable young Georgia State alumni are doing incredible work in the world, and I’m excited to see the meaningful contributions they’ll make going forward,” said Georgia State President M. Brian Blake. “Congratulations to this exceptional class of Panther leaders.”

The 40 Under 40 program was started in 2018 and annually honors, recognizes and celebrates the most influential and impactful Georgia State graduates who embody the values of the university.

“Every year Georgia State awards more than 10,000 degrees to talented graduates who are prepared to succeed in their chosen fields, and every year there are more and more dynamic and accomplished Panther entrepreneurs, leaders, doers, creators, innovators and difference-makers in every sector,” said Christina Million (MBA ’10), associate vice president of alumni affairs and executive director of the Georgia State Alumni Association. “The 2022 class of 40 Under 40 honorees exemplify The State Way and have distinguished themselves with Panther pride in their professional fields and communities.”

The 2022 class of 40 Under 40 alumni will be honored at a March 24 ceremony and reception at the Foundry at Puritan Mill, 916 Joseph E. Lowery Blvd. NW, Atlanta. The event is open to the public and tickets are $40. Sponsorship opportunities are available.

The Georgia State University Alumni Association 40 Under 40 Class of 2022:

• Na'ilah Amaru (M.P.P. ’09), advocacy and policy director, Human Services Council
• Thomaesa Bailey (M.S.W. ’14, M.P.A., J.D. ’20), district director, U.S. House of Representatives, Office of Congresswoman Carolyn Bourdeaux
• Ronda G. Broome (M.S. ’11), senior manager, clinical abstraction, Syapse
• Tiffani Brown (A.S. ’04, B.A. ’08), director, The Glam Gives Back Foundation
• Joshua Byrd (B.S. ’06), program chair, School of Criminal Justice and School of Information Technology, American InterContinental University
• Carmen Callaway (M.S. ’10), well-being services section director, Georgia Division of Family and Children Services
• Anthony Cruz (B.S. ’08), CEO, Break It Down
• Braxton Davis (J.D. ’11), associate general counsel, patents, Facebook
• Megan Hodgkiss (B.A. ’04, M.A. ’06, Ph.D. ’17), CEO and principal writer, Hodgkiss Consulting
• Vanessa Ibarra (B.A. ’09, M.I.B. ’13), international affairs director, Mayor’s Office - City of Atlanta
• Umama Kibria (B.B.A. ’14), co-founder, CEO, SweatPack
• Donald Kirkland (B.B.A. ’11, M.A. ’12, MBA ’18), director of government and public affairs, Georgia Department of Natural Resources
• Afton Lucente (EMBA ’16), head of Americas field and channel marketing, Axis Communications
• Evan Malbrough (B.A. ’20), founder, The Georgia Youth Poll Worker Project
• Rejess Marshall (B.B.A. ’10, MBA ’19), program manager – diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility, Iron Galaxy Studios
• Randi Mason (M.P.A. ’07), vice president, economic development, Decide DeKalb
• Sherell A. McArthur (Ph.D. ’14), associate professor, University of Georgia
• Ivey McCloud (MBA ’10), senior manager, customer marketing, GE Appliances
• Lyn McCord (B.A. ’04), financial crimes compliance governance and payments chief risk officer, U.S. Bank
• Jasmine McKeiver (M.S. ’16), marketing manager, Qurate Retail Group
• Tamara Melton (M.S. ’07), executive director and co-founder, Diversify Dietetics
• Isha Metzger (B.A. ’08), assistant professor, Georgia State University; Owner, Cultural Concepts
• Jessica A. Mitchell (B.S. ’16), campus outreach specialist, Google
• Aprille Blair Moore (B.S. ’05), captain, Fulton County Sheriff’s Office
• Chris Moultrie (B.A. ’07, B.S. ’10), senior software engineer, GitHub, Inc.
• Mike Norris (B.A. ’19), vice president, Aurign
• Fortune Onwuzuruike (B.I.S. ’17), security program manager, Microsoft
• Takashi Otsuka (B.B.A. ’09), owner/CEO, MGK Hospitality
• Cynthia Padilla Pearson (B.S. ’08), program manager, Atlanta Volunteer Lawyers Foundation
• Pamela Peynado (B.A. ’07, J.D. ’15), partner, Lee and Peynado Immigration Law Group
• Davonne Reaves (B.S. ’10), president, The Vonne Group
• Tia Rogers (Ph.D. ’16), lieutenant, United States Public Health Service; epidemiologist, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Antonius Skipper (B.S. ’07, M.A.’ 12), assistant professor, Georgia State University
• Shirley Anne Smith (B.A. ’08), executive director, Atlanta Fire Rescue Foundation
• Brett Tarver (J.D. ’12), associate attorney, Troutman Pepper
• Jewel Thompson (MBA ’15), assistant lecturer of entrepreneurship, Ashesi University
• Nikita Trivedi (B.B.A. ’09), director of corporate philanthropy, Georgia Power
• Celia Willis (B.A. ’11), CEO, KWI Communications
• Taos Wynn (M.P.A., J.D. ’21), founder and CEO, Perfect Love Foundation
• Christian Zimmerman (B.B.A. ’15), CEO, Qoins