The following individuals will begin a three-year term on the Georgia Audubon Board of Directors beginning January 1, 2024.
Beth Allgood Blalock
Beth Allgood Blalock is an attorney with Gilbert Harrell and has a wide range of experience working on land-based environmental issues. Her primary practice areas include environmental regulatory, compliance, and permitting issues, and the acquisition and redevelopment of properties with environmental impacts. She has experience with Superfund (CERCLA), hazardous waste (RCRA and HWMA), the Georgia Hazardous Site Response Act (HSRA), solid waste, brownfields, and site evaluation and assessment.
Beth served as the Assistant Branch Chief for the Land Branch of the Georgia Environmental Protection Division, and in that capacity was responsible for the regulation of hazardous waste sites, solid waste facilities, underground storage tanks, and brownfields. She has also held roles as General Counsel for the Georgia Conservancy and as an environmental attorney with King and Spalding and the Southern Environmental Law Center. Beth graduated with a degree in ecology and political science from the University of Georgia and received her law degree from the University of Georgia.
Beth serves as a lecturer on brownfields and regulatory issues in Georgia, sits on the board of the Georgia Brownfield Association, the Georgia Environmental Conference Steering Committee, and is currently an adjunct professor at the Georgia State University College of Law. She is an active member of All Saints' Episcopal Church, where she served as the Junior Warden from 2016-2018. She is the lead facilitator of the Institute for Georgia Environmental Leadership (IGEL) and a 2016 IGEL graduate. She and her husband reside in Atlanta with their two children.
Beth Allgood Blalock is an attorney with Gilbert Harrell and has a wide range of experience working on land-based environmental issues. Her primary practice areas include environmental regulatory, compliance, and permitting issues, and the acquisition and redevelopment of properties with environmental impacts. She has experience with Superfund (CERCLA), hazardous waste (RCRA and HWMA), the Georgia Hazardous Site Response Act (HSRA), solid waste, brownfields, and site evaluation and assessment.
Beth served as the Assistant Branch Chief for the Land Branch of the Georgia Environmental Protection Division, and in that capacity was responsible for the regulation of hazardous waste sites, solid waste facilities, underground storage tanks, and brownfields. She has also held roles as General Counsel for the Georgia Conservancy and as an environmental attorney with King and Spalding and the Southern Environmental Law Center. Beth graduated with a degree in ecology and political science from the University of Georgia and received her law degree from the University of Georgia.
Beth serves as a lecturer on brownfields and regulatory issues in Georgia, sits on the board of the Georgia Brownfield Association, the Georgia Environmental Conference Steering Committee, and is currently an adjunct professor at the Georgia State University College of Law. She is an active member of All Saints' Episcopal Church, where she served as the Junior Warden from 2016-2018. She is the lead facilitator of the Institute for Georgia Environmental Leadership (IGEL) and a 2016 IGEL graduate. She and her husband reside in Atlanta with their two children.
Michael Chriszt
Michael Chriszt is vice president and regional engagement officer in the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta's Corporate Engagement Division. In this role, he serves as the Atlanta Fed’s lead public engagement officer focusing on smaller cities and towns in the Sixth District. Mike connects directly with citizens to explain the Federal Reserve and its policy decisions, and he in turn learns how the economy is performing in places he visits. He shares this information with the Bank’s senior leaders and other policy experts throughout the Atlanta Fed to deepen understanding of the regional economy.
Mike has been with the Atlanta Fed for 34 years. Prior to assuming his current responsibilities, Chriszt was a vice president and public affairs officer where he led the Bank’s outreach and communications efforts. Before joining Public Affairs, he worked in the Atlanta Fed’s Research Department, where he held numerous positions, including a leadership role in the Bank’s Regional Economic Information Network.
While at Miami University in Ohio, Mike earned two bachelor's degrees, one in history and one in diplomacy and foreign affairs. He also earned a master's degree in political science with emphases on international economics and comparative politics. Mike also has executive education certificates from both Duke University and the University of Virginia.
He has served on several boards, most recently as Chair of the Georgia Council on Economic Education and on the executive committee of Kennesaw State University’s Coles College of Business. Chriszt is a member of the National Association of Business Economists and the Atlanta Economics Club, where he served as president from 2015 to 2017. A native of Cleveland, Ohio, he is married to Maxine and they have five children and three grandchildren.
Michael Chriszt is vice president and regional engagement officer in the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta's Corporate Engagement Division. In this role, he serves as the Atlanta Fed’s lead public engagement officer focusing on smaller cities and towns in the Sixth District. Mike connects directly with citizens to explain the Federal Reserve and its policy decisions, and he in turn learns how the economy is performing in places he visits. He shares this information with the Bank’s senior leaders and other policy experts throughout the Atlanta Fed to deepen understanding of the regional economy.
Mike has been with the Atlanta Fed for 34 years. Prior to assuming his current responsibilities, Chriszt was a vice president and public affairs officer where he led the Bank’s outreach and communications efforts. Before joining Public Affairs, he worked in the Atlanta Fed’s Research Department, where he held numerous positions, including a leadership role in the Bank’s Regional Economic Information Network.
While at Miami University in Ohio, Mike earned two bachelor's degrees, one in history and one in diplomacy and foreign affairs. He also earned a master's degree in political science with emphases on international economics and comparative politics. Mike also has executive education certificates from both Duke University and the University of Virginia.
He has served on several boards, most recently as Chair of the Georgia Council on Economic Education and on the executive committee of Kennesaw State University’s Coles College of Business. Chriszt is a member of the National Association of Business Economists and the Atlanta Economics Club, where he served as president from 2015 to 2017. A native of Cleveland, Ohio, he is married to Maxine and they have five children and three grandchildren.
Colleen McEdwards
Colleen McEdwards is an online instructor with the University of Florida’s renowned distance-learning graduate program in communication and media studies (CJC Online). She designs and delivers online courses in video storytelling.
After a 30-year career in international media at the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and CNN International, Colleen transitioned to academia, helping new generations of communicators discover what’s next for digital media. She has taught at the Sam Nunn School of International affairs (Georgia Tech), Georgia State University, and Kennesaw State University. She served as founding coordinator and online graduate instructor in a new, Social Impact Media Specialization at Saybrook University. She currently sits on the Board of Trustees at Saybrook.
Colleen directed multiple study abroad programs in media entrepreneurship in Hong Kong. She served as director of GSU's journalism writing center where she more than doubled student participation in her leadership tenure. She piloted measurement and evaluation systems to quantify mastery and learning transfer.
A 30-year international media veteran, Colleen holds a Ph.D. in Education (instructional design and technology management). Named as a Fulbright Specialist in 2018, she is passionate about forging ties with international organizations seeking to better align the media ecosystem with social justice initiatives.
Prior to her transition to academia, Colleen spent almost 20 years as an anchor and correspondent for CNN International. She reported on major stories in news, documentary and digital formats all over the world, particularly in Russia, Europe and Asia. She has won several awards for her political reporting, including the New York Festival Award, a Worldfest Houston Award, and multiple Peabody awards for team coverage of major global events. Passionate about lifelong learning and andragogy, she earned a Ph.D. in Education while working at CNN International, partnering with CNN’s international affiliates throughout the process.
McEdwards studied Russian in St. Petersburg and honed her French conversational skills while living in Canada and Europe. Dr. McEdwards is a United States/Canadian citizen, a former competitive athlete and an avid sports fan.
Colleen McEdwards is an online instructor with the University of Florida’s renowned distance-learning graduate program in communication and media studies (CJC Online). She designs and delivers online courses in video storytelling.
After a 30-year career in international media at the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and CNN International, Colleen transitioned to academia, helping new generations of communicators discover what’s next for digital media. She has taught at the Sam Nunn School of International affairs (Georgia Tech), Georgia State University, and Kennesaw State University. She served as founding coordinator and online graduate instructor in a new, Social Impact Media Specialization at Saybrook University. She currently sits on the Board of Trustees at Saybrook.
Colleen directed multiple study abroad programs in media entrepreneurship in Hong Kong. She served as director of GSU's journalism writing center where she more than doubled student participation in her leadership tenure. She piloted measurement and evaluation systems to quantify mastery and learning transfer.
A 30-year international media veteran, Colleen holds a Ph.D. in Education (instructional design and technology management). Named as a Fulbright Specialist in 2018, she is passionate about forging ties with international organizations seeking to better align the media ecosystem with social justice initiatives.
Prior to her transition to academia, Colleen spent almost 20 years as an anchor and correspondent for CNN International. She reported on major stories in news, documentary and digital formats all over the world, particularly in Russia, Europe and Asia. She has won several awards for her political reporting, including the New York Festival Award, a Worldfest Houston Award, and multiple Peabody awards for team coverage of major global events. Passionate about lifelong learning and andragogy, she earned a Ph.D. in Education while working at CNN International, partnering with CNN’s international affiliates throughout the process.
McEdwards studied Russian in St. Petersburg and honed her French conversational skills while living in Canada and Europe. Dr. McEdwards is a United States/Canadian citizen, a former competitive athlete and an avid sports fan.
Sally Sears
Sally Sears, an award-winning news reporter and author, is a founding director of the South Fork Conservancy.
The Trust for Public Land named her its 2015 Trail Blazer for her leadership of the vision of linking communities with low-impact trails along the South Fork and other tributaries of Peachtree Creek. Her travel memoir earned her best seller status among Amazon’s 2021 authors.
Sally’s environmental and community work is an outgrowth of decades of news reporting in growing cities across the South. Special televised reports on solutions to north Georgia’s growth issues of water, land use, and traffic helped her find the broader community connections to create cooperation among partners. She is a frequent speaker at conferences on trails, parks, and natural resources.
Sally covered politics and suburban growth for metro Atlanta television stations, including WAGA and WSB TV, since 1984. She served as the founding chair of the DeKalb County watershed oversight committee in 2009. The Atlanta Journal Constitution published her writing in November 2022 on unique solutions to metro sewer problems revealed by US Justice Department lawsuits involving violations of the Clean Water Act.
Sally is currently a member of DeKalb County’s advisory board for the Department of Recreation, Parks, and Cultural Affairs. She is a member of Emory University’s Board of Visitors.
Sally is a native of Montevallo, Alabama, and a magna cum laude graduate of Princeton University. She lives in Atlanta with her husband, Richard Belcher, and their son, Will.
Sally Sears, an award-winning news reporter and author, is a founding director of the South Fork Conservancy.
The Trust for Public Land named her its 2015 Trail Blazer for her leadership of the vision of linking communities with low-impact trails along the South Fork and other tributaries of Peachtree Creek. Her travel memoir earned her best seller status among Amazon’s 2021 authors.
Sally’s environmental and community work is an outgrowth of decades of news reporting in growing cities across the South. Special televised reports on solutions to north Georgia’s growth issues of water, land use, and traffic helped her find the broader community connections to create cooperation among partners. She is a frequent speaker at conferences on trails, parks, and natural resources.
Sally covered politics and suburban growth for metro Atlanta television stations, including WAGA and WSB TV, since 1984. She served as the founding chair of the DeKalb County watershed oversight committee in 2009. The Atlanta Journal Constitution published her writing in November 2022 on unique solutions to metro sewer problems revealed by US Justice Department lawsuits involving violations of the Clean Water Act.
Sally is currently a member of DeKalb County’s advisory board for the Department of Recreation, Parks, and Cultural Affairs. She is a member of Emory University’s Board of Visitors.
Sally is a native of Montevallo, Alabama, and a magna cum laude graduate of Princeton University. She lives in Atlanta with her husband, Richard Belcher, and their son, Will.
The following members of the Georgia Audubon Board of Directors are up for re-election to a second three-year term beginning January 1, 2024.
Joshua Andrews
Joshua Andrews currently serves as the Manager of Environmental Affairs for Georgia Power Company, in Atlanta, where he is responsible for managing a multi-faceted team in support of environmental compliance and policy related activities related to air, water and natural resources permitting, environmental laboratory, and environmental compliance assurance. He has nearly a decade of experience working with an electric utility with a primary focus on state electric utility regulatory efforts. Joshua has worked for Georgia Power Company since 2017. Prior to this time, he worked for Southern Nuclear Operating Company in Birmingham, Alabama, and Savannah River Remediation, in Aiken, South Carolina. He earned a B.S. in nuclear and radiological engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology where he swam on the varsity swim team. Joshua lives in Powder Springs.
Projects to his credit includes the Kendeda Building for Innovative Sustainable Design at Georgia Tech, which aims to be the most sustainable building ever built in the southeastern U.S and Trees Atlanta’s new Urban Ecology Center, just nearing completion. Other projects on which he has worked include the Gwinnett Environmental and Heritage Center, Chattahoochee Nature & Discovery Center, the Blue Ridge Parkway Visitor Center, The Bascom Visual Arts Center, and the High Museum of Art.
Joshua Andrews currently serves as the Manager of Environmental Affairs for Georgia Power Company, in Atlanta, where he is responsible for managing a multi-faceted team in support of environmental compliance and policy related activities related to air, water and natural resources permitting, environmental laboratory, and environmental compliance assurance. He has nearly a decade of experience working with an electric utility with a primary focus on state electric utility regulatory efforts. Joshua has worked for Georgia Power Company since 2017. Prior to this time, he worked for Southern Nuclear Operating Company in Birmingham, Alabama, and Savannah River Remediation, in Aiken, South Carolina. He earned a B.S. in nuclear and radiological engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology where he swam on the varsity swim team. Joshua lives in Powder Springs.
Projects to his credit includes the Kendeda Building for Innovative Sustainable Design at Georgia Tech, which aims to be the most sustainable building ever built in the southeastern U.S and Trees Atlanta’s new Urban Ecology Center, just nearing completion. Other projects on which he has worked include the Gwinnett Environmental and Heritage Center, Chattahoochee Nature & Discovery Center, the Blue Ridge Parkway Visitor Center, The Bascom Visual Arts Center, and the High Museum of Art.
Robert Cooper
Dr. Robert Cooper is an Emeritus Professor of Wildlife Ecology in the Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources at the University of Georgia (UGA) in Athens. He retired from UGA in 2019 but remains active in research, teaching and conservation. He specializes in ornithology, conservation biology, and wildlife population dynamics. Bob’s research focuses on how human activities influence ecological systems and the services they provide. Birds are his primary focal species because they serve such important ecological roles, are often good ecological indicators, and are just so interesting. Bob holds a B.S. and M.S. from UGA, an M.S. in statistics from the University of Wyoming, and a Ph.D. in wildlife biology from West Virginia University. He is an Elected Fellow of the American Ornithological Society. His research, teaching and mentorship have been recognized by awards from UGA, the bird conservation group Partners in Flight, the Georgia Ornithological Society and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, among others. Bob has served on the Georgia Audubon Board of Directors since 2021. He currently lives in Augusta.
Dr. Robert Cooper is an Emeritus Professor of Wildlife Ecology in the Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources at the University of Georgia (UGA) in Athens. He retired from UGA in 2019 but remains active in research, teaching and conservation. He specializes in ornithology, conservation biology, and wildlife population dynamics. Bob’s research focuses on how human activities influence ecological systems and the services they provide. Birds are his primary focal species because they serve such important ecological roles, are often good ecological indicators, and are just so interesting. Bob holds a B.S. and M.S. from UGA, an M.S. in statistics from the University of Wyoming, and a Ph.D. in wildlife biology from West Virginia University. He is an Elected Fellow of the American Ornithological Society. His research, teaching and mentorship have been recognized by awards from UGA, the bird conservation group Partners in Flight, the Georgia Ornithological Society and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, among others. Bob has served on the Georgia Audubon Board of Directors since 2021. He currently lives in Augusta.
Marc Goncher
Marc Goncher is a husband and father of three teenage boys, who lives in the Morningside neighborhood of Atlanta, Georgia. Marc has worked as the Senior Legal Counsel, Environmental, Safety and Sustainability for The Coca-Cola Company since 2016. Prior to joining Coke, he served in the City of Atlanta Law Department for 12 years, a large portion of which was spent advising the City on compliance with the Clean Water Act. Marc eventually became the Deputy City Attorney that managed the finance legal team, advised the City Council, and reported directly to the City Attorney. He also served as an Assistant Attorney General for the Georgia Attorney General Office's Environmental Section and started his legal career working in private practice in Savannah, Georgia. Marc grew up in the Maryland suburbs of Washington, D.C., and came to Georgia in 1993 to attend Emory University, staying to attend Emory Law, get married and start a family. Since his arrival in Georgia he has managed to travel to many parts of the state, helped by his participation in the 2011 Class of the Institute for Georgia Environmental Leadership. Marc enjoys backyard birding and incorporating bird watching and enjoyment of nature into family vacations. An avid bird photographer, Marc's favorite bird that can be found in Georgia is the Ruby-throated Hummingbird and his "spark bird" is the Prothonotary Warbler.
Marc Goncher is a husband and father of three teenage boys, who lives in the Morningside neighborhood of Atlanta, Georgia. Marc has worked as the Senior Legal Counsel, Environmental, Safety and Sustainability for The Coca-Cola Company since 2016. Prior to joining Coke, he served in the City of Atlanta Law Department for 12 years, a large portion of which was spent advising the City on compliance with the Clean Water Act. Marc eventually became the Deputy City Attorney that managed the finance legal team, advised the City Council, and reported directly to the City Attorney. He also served as an Assistant Attorney General for the Georgia Attorney General Office's Environmental Section and started his legal career working in private practice in Savannah, Georgia. Marc grew up in the Maryland suburbs of Washington, D.C., and came to Georgia in 1993 to attend Emory University, staying to attend Emory Law, get married and start a family. Since his arrival in Georgia he has managed to travel to many parts of the state, helped by his participation in the 2011 Class of the Institute for Georgia Environmental Leadership. Marc enjoys backyard birding and incorporating bird watching and enjoyment of nature into family vacations. An avid bird photographer, Marc's favorite bird that can be found in Georgia is the Ruby-throated Hummingbird and his "spark bird" is the Prothonotary Warbler.
Susan Maclin
A life-long bird watcher and retired corporate archivist, Susie Maclin splits her time between homes in Georgia and Montana. A native of Dallas, Texas, Susie has lived in places ranging from the Belgian Congo (now Zaire) to Kenya, Oklahoma, and New York. She has served in an advisory capacity for both Houston (Texas) Audubon and Montana Audubon, along with her late husband, John Whitmire, who also served on the board of National Audubon for eight years. Susie says that home has always been where “I am currently.” In 2015, on the recommendation of a friend, she signed up to participate in the In-town Christmas Bird Count, where she was a member of Joy Carter’s team, and so began her affiliation with then Atlanta, now Georgia Audubon. Susie participates each year in a Big Bird Day in Montana, and 2021 will mark her 20th consecutive year participating in this event. Susie has a B.S. in history, from Bartlesville Wesleyan College, and a Masters in library and information science from the University of Oklahoma. She spent her career as a curator and corporate archivist in locations ranging from the Oklahoma History Museum to the Rare Books and Health Sciences Library at Columbia University. She also served as Corporate Archivist and Curator of Special Properties for the American International Group (AIG) in New York City before retiring in 2002.
A life-long bird watcher and retired corporate archivist, Susie Maclin splits her time between homes in Georgia and Montana. A native of Dallas, Texas, Susie has lived in places ranging from the Belgian Congo (now Zaire) to Kenya, Oklahoma, and New York. She has served in an advisory capacity for both Houston (Texas) Audubon and Montana Audubon, along with her late husband, John Whitmire, who also served on the board of National Audubon for eight years. Susie says that home has always been where “I am currently.” In 2015, on the recommendation of a friend, she signed up to participate in the In-town Christmas Bird Count, where she was a member of Joy Carter’s team, and so began her affiliation with then Atlanta, now Georgia Audubon. Susie participates each year in a Big Bird Day in Montana, and 2021 will mark her 20th consecutive year participating in this event. Susie has a B.S. in history, from Bartlesville Wesleyan College, and a Masters in library and information science from the University of Oklahoma. She spent her career as a curator and corporate archivist in locations ranging from the Oklahoma History Museum to the Rare Books and Health Sciences Library at Columbia University. She also served as Corporate Archivist and Curator of Special Properties for the American International Group (AIG) in New York City before retiring in 2002.
