Victoria DuRee:

Victoria attended Los Angeles City College and had experience in the sales field, working as a national sales trainer for a large corporation in Los Angeles, Califorina. Before coming to Georgia Southern in 1988 to serve as administrative support to the Physics Department, she was a columnist for a local newspaper. While working with the Physics Department, she created the GS TOP STEP tutorial program, which matches GSU students to public school children in the surrounding community for one-on-one academic assistance and mentoring. TOP STEP received the 303 rd Daily Point of Light Award from President George Bush in 1990, as well as state, regional, and local awards; today it continues to assist children in grades two through twelve and provide GSU students with the opportunity to experience the education career field first hand.

  The Office of Volunteer Services was created in 1992 and Victoria became its first Administrative Coordinator.

  She was selected as a commissioner to the Georgia Commission for National and Community Service by the governor in 1990, as an honoree on the Coca-Cola Centennial Olympic Wall in Atlanta in 1996, and serves on several non profit boards in the community, as well as an advisor to the Alpha Phi Omega service fraternity at Georgia Southern.

Theresa Beebe Novotny:

Theresa Beebe Novotny is the Director of the Leadership and Outreach Programs office.  She oversees the Volunteer Services, Parent Programs, and Off-Campus Housing. 

As the Leadership Development Director she oversees several leadership programs.  These programs include Camp Eagle a weekend retreat in the summer for incoming new students to start focusing on their leadership skills.   Eagle Summit is another weekend retreat for student leaders in the fall.   She teaches the Eagle Leadership EDGE program and Leadership Accent both programs are a 10 week non-credit leadership class that focuses on the Social Change Model for Leadership Development and leadership theories.  Other programs include the Search for Southern Leaders, the Leadership Transcript, the Leadership Library, the Awards & Recognition Banquet, the John F. Nolen, Jr., Hall of Leader and the Southern Talon Award, and the Southern Leaders Cookout.

She is a member of the First Year Advisory Council and serves as the Program Coordinator for the First Year Experience.  She is also a member of the SOAR Advisory Council, chairs the Leadership Advisory Board.  Theresa teaches GSU 1210 each year with a focus on campus engagement. 

Theresa has been at Georgia Southern since October of 1995.  She served as the Activities Coordinator for the Office of Student Programs from 1995 to 2000.  Then as the Career Service Specialist for Career Services in the College of Business Administration. 

Theresa graduated with a Master of Education in Student Personnel in Higher Education from the University of Florida.  She completed her Master of Business Administration with an emphasis in International Business from Georgia Southern University.  She earned her Bachelor of Science from Johnson & Wales University in Providence, RI. 

She is married to Patrick Novotny and they have a beautiful dog named Zoe.

Dr. Lori Amy:

Lori Amy is Director of the Women’s and Gender Studies Program at Georgia Southern University. Her research in narrative, memory, and trauma analyzes the ways in which the visible violences a culture acknowledges are structured by invisible, culturally normative violences. She is particularly interested in the means by which marginalized voices are circum(in)scribed within the symbolic and social orders determining "truth" and "legitimacy," and the potential for these voices to enter into and refigure public discourse. Her current book project, The Wars We Inherit, is a work of serious nonfiction that uses the personal/(auto)biographical as a vehicle for confronting the complex interpersonal and cultural forces that structure domestic violence. Her recent publications include "Teaching for Peace in a Digital Age"; "Violent Matters, Classroom Practices: Teaching Etel Adnan's Sitt Marie Rose"; and "Contemporary Travel Narratives and Old Style Politics: American Women Reporting After the Gulf War."

Dr. Catherine Chaput:

Catherine Chaput is an assistant professor in the department of Writing and Linguistics where she teaches courses in rhetoric and cultural studies. Bridging various theoretical fields, she explores the myriad interdependencies among economic globalization, practices of everyday culture, and institutional, state, and transnational political regulations. She has published on the pedagogical linkages between theory and activism, the history and globalization of the U.S. public university system, and the reinscription of family values in the discourses of reality TV. Currently, she is working on “Inside the Teaching Machine: The U.S. Public Research University, Surplus Value, and the Political Economy of Globalization,” a book-length study of the origins and consequences of the global university. She is also researching and writing about the relationships among globalization, reality TV, and classed, raced, gendered, sexual, and national identities.

Sarah Taylor:

 Sarah Taylor is a Psychology major from Statesboro, Georgia.  She is actively involved in the Southern Pride Marching Band, Tau Beta Sigma, Georgia Southern Volunteer Services' Student Action Board, Gamma Beta Phi, Psy Chi, the Psychology Coalition, and the Georgia Southern Peer Leader program.  Sarah enjoys helping others and defending the rights of children and animals. Sarah’s future plans include pursuing a master’s degree and becoming a marriage/family counselor.

Virgil Watkins:

 Virgil Watkins is a Public Relations major from Macon, Georgia. He is currently an integral part of several on-campus organizations, including the Student Action Board of Volunteer Services, the Eagle Entertainment Public Relations Committee, and the Eagle Entertainment Global Awareness Committee. During school breaks, Virgil works in Macon’s City Hall as a communications assistant for Mayor C. Jack Ellis. Virgil is proud to be active in Macon’s politics and works as a volunteer for the Democratic Party during election seasons. He has been recognized nationally for community service and has received the President's Student Service Award in appreciation for his efforts in 2000 and 2001. Virgil enjoys volunteer work and believes that giving is the most powerful way to transform society: “Volunteering has made a tremendous impact on my life. It makes me realize and highly appreciate my blessings. Therefore, I choose to be a blessing to others through community service. By participating in community service projects, I have learned that no human is immune from being the target of homelessness. Long term illness, domestic violence, inadequate work skills, making bad choices, personal problems, and unemployment can impact anyone regardless of education, age, or race.”

The Advisory Board also includes:

Dr. Steven Engel

Lyn Hugensmith

&

Linda Suddeth

PCEST Support Staff

Paul Forté:

Paul Forté serves as the student assistant and webmaster for the Project for Civic Engagement and Social Transformation. He is a freshman Information Technology major from Dallas, Georgia and is actively involved in the Georgia Southern University Honors Program, the Association of Information Technology Professionals (AITP), and the Honors Ambassador program. He strives for academic excellence and has always had a passion for learning. Paul is a recipient of the 2003-2004 President’s Scholarship and is currently on the Dean’s List. His main interests include Web design, computer networking, and furthering the advancement of the Open Source community. Paul also takes great interest in politics and is an activist for environmental issues and social justice. He is a proud member of MoveOn.org and International A.N.S.W.E.R. (Act Now to Stop War and End Racism), as well as a supporter for the Axis of Justice political organization. When he’s not at his computer, Paul enjoys studying music (particularly acoustic/classical guitar and trumpet), reading, attending cultural and social events, and serving in various community service projects.