Hailing from 13 different universities and hometowns spread across 10 different states, Georgia State University is pleased to announce the hiring of 17 new graduate assistants in the department of athletics for the 2011-12 academic year.
All of the new graduate assistants boast an eclectic mix of experience ranging from scholastic to professional athletics. These 17, who will be joined by other new hires in the department before the fall semester begins, will help GSU strive for athletic excellence utilizing not only their academic aptitude, but an acute collective knowledge, and even first-hand experience, of collegiate athletics.
Robert Carnes and Randy Lieberman join Sports Communications this summer while Sports Medicine welcomes Jacob Keller, Jessica Hemsley, Ali White and Brandon Dobo. Also joining GSU in the summer are Jenna Closner, William Judson, Leshonda Lillard, Monica Pope and Sara Dashiell in Student-Athlete Academic Development, Leslee Roper in Facilities & Operations, Yolanda Berryhill in Strength & Conditioning, Nate Summers as the Men's Basketball Graduate Manager, Alexandra Abbajay in Panther Corporate Sales, Elizabeth Pangle in Ticket Sales and Dan Glynn in the football Equipment Office.
Robert Carnes joins GSU's Athletic Communications office after graduating from the University of Georgia this spring with a bachelor's degree in journalism. Carnes is an Atlanta native, graduating from Dunwoody High School in 2007. He will handle the publicity of the cross country, track & field and softball teams at GSU while pursuing a master's degree in sports administration. Carnes is an Eagle Scout, and studied abroad for six weeks at Oxford University in pursuit of his undergraduate degree.
Athletic Communications welcomes a second graduate assistant, Randy Lieberman, who previously worked as the Assistant Sports Information Director at Washington & Jefferson College in Washington, Pa. Born in Orlando, Fla., Lieberman grew up in Stroudsburg, Pa and graduated from the University of Pittsburgh in the spring of 2010 with a bachelor's degree in communications and English writing. Lieberman will handle men's soccer and men's and women's tennis at GSU and is a devoted Pittsburgh Steelers, Pittsburgh Penguins and Cleveland Indians fan.
Jacob Keller joins Sports Medicine after he graduated from Florida State University this spring, earning a bachelor's degree in athletic training. Keller, who grew up in Sarasota, Fla., worked with the Seminoles' baseball and track & field teams and assisted Tallahassee Community College's sports programs. He is an outdoor enthusiast who enjoys canoeing, boating, hiking and mountain biking among many things and is pursuing his master's degree in sports medicine at GSU. His primary team responsibility will be football.
A University of Florida graduate, Jessica Hemsley also joins the Sports Medicine department as a graduate assistant. She earned her bachelor's degree in athletic training while working with the Gators' women's basketball, football and track & field teams. She will be working with football and men's and women's tennis at GSU while she pursues her master's degree in sports medicine. The Washington Post featured Hemsley in a Jan. 17, 2007 article after she became the first girl to play varsity high school boys basketball in Washington D.C. public school history.
Certified as an EMT in the state of Illinois, Ali White is Sports Medicine's third new graduate assistant. Born in Springfield, Ill., White graduated from Central Michigan University in Dec. 2010 after she majored in sports medicine and athletic training with a double minor in nutrition and exercise science. White assisted the Chippewas' field hockey, women's soccer, football and wrestling teams and did an internship at Auburn University where she worked with the Tigers' women's soccer, football and swimming & diving teams. White will pursue her master's degree in sports medicine at GSU while handling the health of the softball team.
A native of St Marys, Ga., Brandon Dobo joins the Sports Medicine staff as a graduate assistant after graduating from Georgia Southern University this spring. Dobo majored in athletic training and completed a six-week internship with the Detroit Lions last summer, assisting with that team's preseason training camp. Dobo is pursuing a master's degree in sports medicine at GSU while assisting the cross country and track and field squads. He has lived in three states in his life (Conn., Hawaii and Ga.) and once rode with his father, a member of the U.S. Navy, on a submarine in the Hawaiian Islands.
A summer 2010 graduate of nearby Kennesaw State University, Jenna Closner joins GSU's Student-Athlete Development department as a graduate assistant. Closner, born in Rescue, Calif., graduated with a bachelor's degree in health and exercise science at Kennesaw State. She was a four-year member of the Owls' softball team, serving as a team captain her junior and senior seasons. She likes to draw, specifically pencil sketches.
A native of nearby Fayetteville, Ga., William Judson also joins Student-Athlete Development as a graduate assistant this fall. Judson graduated in 2009 from the University of Illinois with a bachelor's degree in sports management. He was a four-year member as a wide receiver on the Fighting Illini football team, finishing his career with 27 catches for 431 yards and two touchdowns. His favorite movie is "Who Framed Roger Rabbit."
Leshonda Lillard will join Student-Athlete Development after graduating from Emory University in Dec. 2010. Lillard, a native of Bloomington, Ind., completed her bachelor's degree in psychology and was a two-year member of the Eagles' women's basketball team. She was a volunteer assistant coach in the fall of 2010 for the team and spent two years in event management at Emory which included facility management, gameday operation and announcing responsibilities. Lillard recently lived in Bulgaria for three months prior to coming to GSU.
An Atlanta native, Monica Pope is Student-Athlete Develoment's fourth new face this fall. Before going to Furman University, Pope led nearby Creekside High School to the women's basketball Region 4-AAAA Championship and was named Metro-Atlanta Player of the Year her senior season. She transferred to North Carolina State University, where she graduated in 2006 with a bachelor's degree in accounting. She played three years on the Wolfpack women's basketball team and averaged 5.5 points per game in 31 games (22 starts) during her final season in 2005-06.
A proud GSU product, Sara Dashiell, joins Student-Athlete Development as a graduate assistant after graduating with a bachelor's degree in public relations this spring. Dashiell, a Lawrenceville, Ga., native, was a two-year member of the Panthers' women's soccer team. She posted a hat trick in GSU's 4-3 victory over North Florida in 2009. She interned at 94.9 "The Bull" in the marketing department during her undergraduate years.
Leslee Roper enters her first year as a graduate assistant in Facilities and Operations after working with the department as a student assistant last year. Roper will begin her second year in pursuit of a sports administration master's degree at GSU. Born in Sierra Vista, Ariz., Roper dedicated herself to a career in sports after tearing her ACL and meniscus during her freshman year playing basketball at Columbia High School in Maplewood, N.J. She came to GSU from North Carolina A&T State University after graduating in 2010 with a bachelor's degree in sports science and fitness management.
Another of GSU's own, not to mention a three-time CAA track & field champion (two discus, one shot put), Yolanda Berryhill joins GSU's Strength and Conditioning department as a graduate assistant this fall. Berryhill is currently completing an internship at Georgia Tech in order to earn her bachelor's degree in exercise science from GSU this summer. She will pursue a master's degree in the same subject and will work with the men's and women's track & field teams.
Nate Summers begins his first year as the men's basketball graduate manager this fall. Summers, a 2009 graduate of IUPUI with a bachelor's degree in sports management, will assist head coach Ron Hunter with data services, statistics software, recruiting, team management and day-to-day duties. A Logansport, Ind., native, Summers will pursue his master's degree in sports administration at GSU.
Panther Corporate Sales welcomes recent KSU graduate Alexandra Abbajay as a graduate assistant this fall. Abbajay, born in Raleigh, N.C., interned for two years with the Atlanta Hawks in the public relations department and for six months in client services with the Tampa Bay Lightning. Abbajay will handle sponsorships with athletics. She went to high school in four different states all four years (Tenn., Fla., Ill. Ga.). She is a graduate of Kennesaw State.
The GSU Sales department welcomes Elizabeth Pangle as its new graduate assistant this fall. Pangle graduated from the University of Tennessee with a bachelor's degree in communication, journalism and electronic media with a concentration in sports journalism this spring. While at UT, Pangle interned with IMG College/The Vol Network and the TEAM UT Super Bowl Committee.
All 16 graduate assistants mentioned join an already diverse assembly of assistants in their second years at GSU.
The fresh faces bring a new infusion of talent to Panthers athletics as well as a significant dedication to their post-graduate studies. The GSU athletics department welcomes them and wishes each of the new graduate assistants the best of luck this fall semester as they pursue their respective degrees.
