97 Notable alumni of
Georgia State University
Updated:
Georgia State University is 689th in the world, 257th in North America, and 237th in the United States by aggregated alumni prominence. Below is the list of 97 notable alumni from Georgia State University sorted by their wiki pages popularity. The directory includes famous graduates and former students along with research and academic staff.
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Julia Roberts
- Occupations
- voice actorfilm producerfilm actormodelstage actor
- Biography
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Julia Fiona Roberts is an American actress. Known for her leading roles in films encompassing a variety of genres, she has received multiple accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, and three Golden Globe Awards. The films in which she has starred have collectively grossed over $3.9 billion globally, making her one of Hollywood's most bankable stars. After an early breakthrough with appearances in Mystic Pizza (1988) and Steel Magnolias (1989), Roberts established herself as a leading actress when she headlined the top-grossing romantic comedy Pretty Woman (1990).
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Ludacris
- Occupations
- voice actormusic executiverapperrecord producerfilm actor
- Biography
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Christopher Brian Bridges, known professionally as Ludacris, is an American rapper and actor. Born in Champaign, Illinois, Ludacris moved to Atlanta, Georgia, at age nine, where he first began rapping. Starting out with a brief stint as a DJ, he formed his own record label, Disturbing tha Peace in the late 1990s to independently release his debut studio album Incognegro (1999). After its single, "What's Your Fantasy" (featuring Shawnna), became a top 40 hit on the Billboard Hot 100, the album was re-released by Def Jam Recordings as his major label debut, Back for the First Time (2000). The latter album peaked at number four on the Billboard 200 and spawned his second top 40 single, "Southern Hospitality" (featuring Pharrell).
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Gucci Mane
- Occupations
- music executivesongwriterrapperactor
- Biography
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Radric Delantic Davis, known professionally as Gucci Mane, is an American rapper. He is credited, along with fellow Atlanta-based rappers T.I. and Jeezy, with pioneering the hip hop subgenre trap music for mainstream audiences during the 2000s. His debut studio album, Trap House (2005) was released by the independent label Big Cat Records and entered the Billboard 200; it was followed by Hard to Kill (2006), which spawned his first Billboard Hot 100 entry with its second single, "Freaky Gurl". That same year, he released his third album, Trap-A-Thon before signing with Atlantic Records to release his fourth album, Back to the Trap House (2007).
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Lita
- Occupations
- professional wrestler
- Biography
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Amy Christine Dumas is an American retired professional wrestler and singer. She is best known for her tenure in WWE under the ring name Lita. An inductee of the 2014 WWE Hall of Fame, Dumas is regarded as one of the greatest female performers in WWE history.
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Bobby Jindal
- Occupations
- writerpolitician
- Biography
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Piyush "Bobby" Jindal is an American politician who served as the 55th governor of Louisiana from 2008 to 2016. A member of the Republican Party, Jindal previously served as a U.S. representative from Louisiana from 2005 to 2008, and served as chair of the Republican Governors Association from 2012 to 2013.
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Keisha Lance Bottoms
- Occupations
- lawyerpolitician
- Biography
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Keisha Lance Bottoms is an American attorney and politician who served as the 60th mayor of Atlanta, Georgia, from 2018 to 2022. She was elected mayor in 2017. Before becoming mayor, she was a member of the Atlanta City Council, representing part of Southwest Atlanta. Bottoms did not run for a second term as mayor. President Joe Biden nominated Bottoms as vice chair of civic engagement and voter protection at the DNC for the 2021–2025 term. In June 2022, Bottoms joined the Biden administration as senior advisor and director of the White House Office of Public Engagement where she served until February 2023. Bottoms formerly served as a member of the President's Export Council.
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Mike WiLL Made-It
- Occupations
- record producersongwriterrappersinger
- Biography
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Michael Len Williams II, known professionally as Mike Will Made It (often stylized as Mike WiLL Made-It) or simply Mike Will, is an American record producer. He is best known for producing trap beats for several Southern hip hop and pop artists on commercially successful singles. His credits include "Black Beatles" and "Powerglide" by Rae Sremmurd, "Mercy" by Kanye West, "No Lie" by 2 Chainz, "Bandz a Make Her Dance" by Juicy J, "Pour It Up" by Rihanna, "Love Me" by Lil Wayne, "Body Party" by Ciara, "We Can't Stop" by Miley Cyrus, "Formation" by Beyoncé, and "Humble" by Kendrick Lamar. He embarked on a career as a non-performing lead artist in 2013 with his debut single "23" (featuring Miley Cyrus, Wiz Khalifa and Juicy J), which peaked at number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100. His 2017 follow-up single, "Rake It Up" (with Yo Gotti featuring Nicki Minaj) peaked at number eight on the chart. He has released six mixtapes and one solo studio album, Ransom 2 (2017).
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William DuVall
- Occupations
- composerrecord producersingerguitaristlyricist
- Biography
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William Bradley DuVall is an American musician best known as the current co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist for the rock band Alice in Chains. He joined Alice in Chains in 2006, replacing the band's original lead singer, Layne Staley, who died in 2002, and shares vocal duties with guitarist/vocalist Jerry Cantrell. DuVall has recorded three albums with the band: 2009's Black Gives Way to Blue, 2013's The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here, and 2018's Rainier Fog. DuVall won an ASCAP Pop Music Award for co-writing the song "I Know" for Dionne Farris in 1996, and has earned three Grammy Award nominations as a member of Alice in Chains.
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Ray Stevens
- Occupations
- record producersinger-songwriterpianistsinger
- Biography
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Harold Ray Ragsdale, known professionally as Ray Stevens, is an American country and pop singer-songwriter and comedian. He is best known for his Grammy-winning recordings "Everything Is Beautiful" and "Misty", as well as novelty hits such as "Gitarzan" and "The Streak". Stevens has received gold albums for his music sales and has worked as a producer, music arranger, and television host. He is also an inductee of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, the Georgia Music Hall of Fame, the Christian Music Hall of Fame, and the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.
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Andy Stanley
- Occupations
- writerpastor
- Biography
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Charles Andrew Stanley, known as Andy Stanley, is an American who is the founder and senior pastor of North Point Ministries, a nondenominational evangelical Christian church with several campuses across the north metro Atlanta areas. He is the founder and senior pastor of North Point Community Church.
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Daffney
- Occupations
- film actormanagerprofessional wrestleractor
- Biography
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Shannon Claire Spruill was an American professional wrestler, wrestling manager and actress better known by her ring name Daffney.
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Melissa Ponzio
- Occupations
- film actoractortelevision actor
- Biography
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Melissa Ponzio is an American actress, best known for her roles as Melissa McCall on Teen Wolf and Karen on The Walking Dead. Ponzio has also starred in Chicago Fire as Donna Robbins.
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Lady Bunny
- Occupations
- promoterdrag queendisc jockeyfilm actor
- Biography
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Lady Bunny, previously known as Bunny Hickory Dickory Dock, is an American drag queen, nightclub DJ, actor, comedian, and event organizer. She is the founder of the annual Wigstock event, as well as an occasional television and radio personality. She has released disco singles such as "Shame, Shame, Shame!" and "The Pussycat Song", and has hosted two one-woman comedy shows, 'That Ain't No Lady!' and 'Clowns Syndrome'.
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Melissa Ordway
- Occupations
- modelactor
- Biography
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Melissa Pam Gaston is an American actress and model. She is best known for portraying Abby Newman on the CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless. In May 2022, she was nominated for an Emmy for Best Supporting Actress in a Daytime Drama for her portrayal of Abby Newman on The Young and the Restless. Gaston has been featured in campaigns by a number of major brands including Skechers, Old Navy, David's Bridal, Anchor Blue and Tillys.
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Tam O'Shaughnessy
- Enrolled in Georgia State University
- Graduated with Bachelor of Science in biology
- Graduated with Master of Science in biology
- Occupations
- psychologistwriterbusinesspersonchildren's writerscience writer
- Biography
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Tam Elizabeth O'Shaughnessy is an American children's science writer, associate professor emeritus of school psychology, and former professional tennis player. She co-founded the science education company Sally Ride Science together with her life partner, astronaut Sally Ride – the first American woman and third woman in space. The company was relaunched as a nonprofit entity, Sally Ride Science at UC San Diego, on October 1, 2015. O'Shaughnessy serves as executive director.
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Brad Raffensperger
- Years
- 1955-.. (age 70)
- Enrolled in Georgia State University
- Graduated with Master of Business Administration
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Bradford Jay Raffensperger is an American businessman, civil engineer, and politician serving as the secretary of state of Georgia since 2019. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served in the Georgia House of Representatives, representing District 50.
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R. J. Hunter
- Occupations
- basketball player
- Biography
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Ronald Jordan Hunter is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the Georgia State Panthers under the direction of his father and Georgia State head coach, Ron Hunter, being named twice Sun Belt Player of the Year as well as the Sun Belt Conference Male Athlete of the Year. He holds the school record for most career points with a total of 1,819 after just three seasons of play.
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Omar Dorsey
- Occupations
- actortelevision actor
- Biography
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Omar Dorsey is an American actor. He has appeared in films The Blind Side, Django Unchained (2012), and Selma (2014) playing James Orange. In 2016, Dorsey began starring as Hollingsworth "Hollywood" Desonier in the Oprah Winfrey Network drama series Queen Sugar.
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Louie Giglio
- Occupations
- pastor
- Biography
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Louie Giglio is an American Christian pastor. He is the leader of Passion City Church in Atlanta. The founder of the Passion Movement, he is an author and public speaker.
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ABRA
- Occupations
- singer-songwriteractorsinger
- Biography
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Gabrielle Olivia Mirville, known professionally as Abra (stylized as ABRA), is an American singer and songwriter. She is currently signed to Polo Grounds Music and RCA Records, and was formerly signed to Awful Records.
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Kat Cole
- Occupations
- businessperson
- Biography
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Katrina "Kat" Cole is an American businesswoman. She is the CEO of AG1, formerly known as Athletic Greens. She was previously the chief operating officer and president of North America for Focus Brands and the president of Focus Brands' subsidiary Cinnabon, an American chain of retail bakeries specializing in cinnamon buns. Earlier in her career, she was the executive vice president of Hooters.
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Henry Jenkins
- Occupations
- university teacheressayist
- Biography
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Henry Guy Jenkins III is an American media scholar and Provost Professor of Communication, Journalism, and Cinematic Arts, a joint professorship at the University of Southern California (USC) Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism and the USC School of Cinematic Arts. He also has a joint faculty appointment with the USC Rossier School of Education. Previously, Jenkins was the Peter de Florez Professor of Humanities as well as co-founder and co-director (with William Uricchio) of the Comparative Media Studies program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He has also served on the technical advisory board at ZeniMax Media, parent company of video game publisher Bethesda Softworks. In 2013, he was appointed to the board that selects the prestigious Peabody Award winners.
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Michelle Thaller
- Occupations
- university teacherastronomerphysicistjournalist
- Biography
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Michelle Thaller is an American astronomer, research scientist, and science communicator. Thaller is formerly the Assistant Director for Science Communication at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. She retired in 2024 after 27 years at NASA.
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David Buchanan
- Occupations
- baseball player
- Biography
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David Andrew Buchanan, is an American professional baseball pitcher in the Texas Rangers organization. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Philadelphia Phillies and Cincinnati Reds, in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Tokyo Yakult Swallows, and in the KBO League for the Samsung Lions.
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Ken Lewis
- Occupations
- banker
- Biography
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Kenneth D. Lewis is the former CEO, president, and chairman of Bank of America, currently the second largest bank in the United States and twelfth largest by total assets in the world. While CEO of Bank of America, Lewis was noted for purchasing the failing companies Countrywide Financial and Merrill Lynch, resulting in large losses for the bank and necessitating financial assistance from the federal government. On September 30, 2009, Bank of America confirmed that Lewis would be retiring by the end of the year. Lewis was replaced by Brian Moynihan as president and CEO and Walter Massey as chairman of the board.
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Bee Nguyen
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Bee Nguyen is an American nonprofit executive and politician who served as a member of the Georgia House of Representatives from the 89th District from 2017 to 2023. A member of the Democratic Party, she was elected during a special election in December 2017 to fill the seat vacated following Stacey Abrams's resignation in August 2017 to focus on her run for governor. Nguyen is the first Vietnamese-American elected to the Georgia House of Representatives.
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OG Parker
- Occupations
- songwriterrecord producer
- Biography
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Joshua Isaih "'OG" Parker, is an American hip hop record producer from Atlanta, Georgia. In 2015, he worked as an in-house producer for the record label Quality Control Music. His stage moniker is adapted from his early affiliation with OG Maco's collective OGG, where he became acquainted with frequent collaborator Deko. Parker has since produced for prominent artists including Megan Thee Stallion, Migos, Drake, PartyNextDoor, Chris Brown, Jazmine Sullivan, Gucci Mane, Fetty Wap, K Camp, and YFN Lucci.
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Carolyn D. Meadows
- Biography
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Carolyn Dodgen Meadows is an American conservative activist, who served as president of the National Rifle Association (NRA). She was elected the organization's president in April 2019 after then-president Oliver North was forced out of the position. She also serves as 2nd vice chairwoman of the American Conservative Union's board and as chairwoman of the Stone Mountain Memorial Association Board of Directors.
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Brenda Fitzgerald
- Occupations
- obstetrician
- Biography
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Brenda Fitzgerald is an American obstetrician-gynecologist who served as the 17th Director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the Donald Trump administration from July 2017 to January 2018. Her tenure was one of the shortest in the office's history, excluding interim appointments. Previously, she was the Commissioner of the Georgia Department of Public Health from 2011 to 2017.
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Jody Powell
- Occupations
- spokesperson
- Biography
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Joseph Lester "Jody" Powell, Jr. was an American political advisor who served as a White House press secretary during the presidency of Jimmy Carter. Powell later co-founded a public relations firm.
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Mike Collins
- Enrolled in Georgia State University
- Graduated with Bachelor of Arts in business studies
- Occupations
- businesspersonpolitician
- Biography
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Michael Allen Collins Jr. is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for Georgia's 10th congressional district since 2023. He is a member of the Republican Party. While in Congress, he introduced the Laken Riley Act.
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Nicole Mitchell
- Occupations
- meteorologistpoliticianweather presenter
- Biography
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Nicole Lynn Mitchell is an American politician, military officer, and meteorologist. She represents the cities of Woodbury and Maplewood in the Minnesota Senate. Mitchell is also a Lieutenant Colonel in the Air National Guard, commanding the 126th Weather Flight.
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Paul Coverdell
- Occupations
- businesspersonpolitician
- Biography
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Paul Douglas Coverdell was an American politician who served as a United States senator from Georgia from 1993 until his death in 2000. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as the director of the Peace Corps from 1989 to 1991 under President George H. W. Bush.
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Lance Krall
- Occupations
- film actorscreenwritertelevision actorfilm editor
- Biography
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Lance Krall is an American producer, screenwriter, and actor. He became well known after his portrayal as "Kip" in the role in faux-reality show The Joe Schmo Show. He went on to create and star in The Lance Krall Show and Free Radio. He is the co-founder of Picture It Productions, a television development and production company based in Atlanta.
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Will Turpin
- Occupations
- singersongwriter
- Biography
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William Ross Turpin is an American musician. He is best known for being the bassist of the rock band Collective Soul. He is also a solo artist, and tours with his backing band, the Way. His debut EP, The Lighthouse, was released in 2011. He owns an indie record label called Gooey Music.
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Lynn Westmoreland
- Enrolled in Georgia State University
- Studied in 1969-1971
- Occupations
- real estate developerpolitician
- Biography
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Leon Acton "Lynn" Westmoreland is an American politician who was the U.S. representative for Georgia's 3rd congressional district from 2007 to 2017 and the 8th district from 2005 to 2007. He is a member of the Republican Party.
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Maria Chappelle-Nadal
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Maria Nicole Chappelle-Nadal is an American politician who served in the Missouri House of Representatives from the 86th district from 2019 to 2021. A Democrat from University City, Missouri, she represented district 14 in the Missouri Senate from 2011 to 2019. She previously served in the Missouri House of Representatives from district 72, a position which she held from 2005 to 2011. In 2010, Chappelle-Nadal was elected to the Missouri Senate to succeed fellow Democrat Rita Heard Days of St. Louis.
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Tabetha S. Boyajian
- Years
- 1980-.. (age 45)
- Enrolled in Georgia State University
- 2003-2005 graduated with Master of Science in physics
- 2005-2009 graduated with Doctor of Philosophy in astronomy
- Occupations
- astronomer
- Biography
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Tabetha "Tabby" Suzanne Boyajian is an American astronomer and associate professor at Louisiana State University. She works in the fields of stellar interferometry, stellar spectroscopy, exoplanet research, and high angular resolution astronomy, all particularly at optical and infrared wavelengths. Boyajian was the lead author of the September 2015 paper "Where's the Flux?", which investigated the highly unusual light curve of KIC 8462852; the star is colloquially known as Tabby's Star in her honor.
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Aliyah's Interlude
- Occupations
- rapperfashion influencersinger
- Biography
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Aliyah Bah, known professionally as Aliyah's Interlude, is an American influencer and rapper. After starting her TikTok account in 2020, she became popular on the platform in 2022 for her fashion aesthetic, which became known as AliyahCore online. Her debut single, "It Girl", was released in 2023 and went viral on TikTok.
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Foley Beach
- Occupations
- bishop
- Biography
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Foley Thomas Beach is an American Anglican bishop. He was the second primate and archbishop of the Anglican Church in North America, a church associated with the Anglican realignment movement, and is the first diocesan bishop of the Anglican Diocese of the South. Beach was elected as the church's primate on June 21, 2014. His enthronement took place on October 9, 2014. During his primacy, he served as chairman of the Global Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans Primates Council and led the ACNA through a period that included the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Mike Malloy
- Occupations
- journalisttelevision producerradio personality
- Biography
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Michael Dennis Malloy is a progressive American radio broadcaster based in Atlanta. Previously his show has been carried by WSB (AM) Atlanta, WLS (AM) Chicago, the I.E. America Radio Network, the Air America Radio network, Nova M Radio and the On Second Thought network. He is now self-syndicated. Politically, he describes himself as "a traditional Liberal Democrat doing his part to return the Democratic Party to its Liberal roots."
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Cynthia Coffman
- Occupations
- lawyer
- Biography
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Cynthia Honssinger Coffman is an American attorney and politician from the state of Colorado. A Republican, she was elected Attorney General of Colorado in 2014, serving a single term from 2015 to 2019.
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Nika Rurua
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Nikoloz "Nika" Rurua was a Georgian politician, and a member of the Cabinet of Georgia in the capacity of Minister of Culture and Monument Protection of Georgia, from 10 October 2008 until 25 October 2012. Rurua previously served as the Deputy Chairman of the Committee for Defence and Security of the Parliament of Georgia.
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Stephen Dickson
- Biography
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Stephen Marshall Dickson is an American former Air Force pilot and Delta Air Lines executive who served as the 18th Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration from August 2019 to March 2022.
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David Liss
- Occupations
- writernovelist
- Biography
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David Liss is an American writer of novels, essays and short fiction; more recently working also in comic books. He was born in New Jersey and grew up in South Florida. Liss received his BA degree from Syracuse University, an MA from Georgia State University and his M. Phil from Columbia University. He left his post-graduate studies of 18th Century British literature and unfinished dissertation to write full-time. "If things had not worked out with fiction, I probably would have kept to my graduate school career track and sought a job as a literature professor," he said. A full-time writer since 2010, Liss lives in San Antonio, Texas, with his wife and children.
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Desi Banks
- Occupations
- actorcomedianAmerican football player
- Biography
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Desi Terrell Banks Jr. is an American comedian and actor. He played two seasons of college football for Morehead State as a wide receiver.
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Taj McWilliams-Franklin
- Occupations
- basketball playerbasketball coach
- Biography
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Taj McWilliams-Franklin is an American former professional basketball player.
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Penny Hart
- Occupations
- American football player
- Biography
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Marjahn Penny Mathias Hart is an American professional football wide receiver. He played college football for the Georgia State Panthers and was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Indianapolis Colts after the 2019 NFL draft.
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Karsten S. Heckl
- Years
- 1964-.. (age 61)
- Enrolled in Georgia State University
- Graduated with bachelor's degree
- Occupations
- military leadermilitary officer
- Biography
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Karsten Selby Heckl is a retired United States Marine Corps lieutenant general who last served as the deputy commandant for combat development and integration and commanding general of the Marine Corps Combat Development Command. Heckl previously served as the commander of I Marine Expeditionary Force. He previously served as commander of the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing.
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Ousman Krubally
- Occupations
- basketball player
- Biography
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Ousman Krubally is an American-Gambian professional basketball player who last played for Niners Chemnitz of the Basketball Bundesliga (BBL). He is a 2.02 m (6' 7 1⁄2") tall power forward and small ball center. After playing four years of college basketball at Georgia State, Krubally entered the 2010 NBA draft, but he was not selected in the draft's two rounds.
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Lewis A. Massey
- Occupations
- lobbyistpolitician
- Biography
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Lewis A. Massey is an American businessman and politician from the U.S. state of Georgia. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as Georgia Secretary of State, and was a candidate for governor of Georgia in 1998.
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Adam Schultz
- Enrolled in Georgia State University
- 2002-2006 graduated with Bachelor of Arts in economics and Spanish
- Occupations
- photographer
- Biography
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Adam Schultz is an American photographer who served as the chief official White House photographer for the presidency of Joe Biden from 2021 to 2025.
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Farooq Kperogi
- Occupations
- journalistlinguistacademic
- Biography
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Farooq Adamu Kperogi, is a Nigerian-American professor, author, media scholar, newspaper columnist, blogger and activist. He was a reporter and news editor at many Nigerian newspapers including the Daily Trust, Daily Triumph and the now defunct New Nigerian.
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Max Burns
- Enrolled in Georgia State University
- In 1977 graduated with Doctor of Philosophy
- Occupations
- university teacherpolitician
- Biography
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Othell Maxie Burns Jr. is an American politician and academic from the state of Georgia. A member of the Republican Party, Burns has represented the 23rd district in the Georgia State Senate since January 2021. He previously served in the United States House of Representatives from 2003 to 2005, representing Georgia's 12th congressional district. From 2012 to 2017 he was the president of Gordon State College in Barnesville, Georgia.
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Joanna Klatten
- Occupations
- golfer
- Biography
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Joanna Klatten is a French professional golfer who mainly played on the LPGA Tour. She won four tournaments on the ALPG Tour and climbed into the top-100 of the Women's World Golf Rankings in 2014.
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Christina Warren
- Occupations
- journalistpodcaster
- Biography
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Christina Warren, is an American developer advocate, podcaster, and writer. She wrote for Mashable, The Unofficial Apple Weblog, and Downloadsquad.
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Steve Tumlin
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Raymond Stevens "Thunder" Tumlin Jr. is an American politician. He was a member of the Georgia House of Representatives representing District 38, which encompasses parts of Cobb County. He became mayor of Marietta, Georgia in 2010 and was reelected in 2013. Tumlin has served as Chairman of the Board of the Marietta Board of Education. He serves as Chairman of the Marietta Board of Lights and Water and was elected to the Board Of Directors of the Municipal Electric Association of Georgia (MEAG) in 2013. Tumlin is a member of the Republican Party.
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Walter Kimbrough
- Occupations
- academic
- Biography
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Walter Kimbrough is an American academic administrator who served as the 7th president of Dillard University from 2012 to 2022. Kimbrough was previously the president of Philander Smith College from 2004 to 2012.
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Sharon Dahlonega Raiford Bush
- Occupations
- journalisttelevision presenter
- Biography
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Sharon Dahlonega Bush is an American television newscaster and print journalist. She was born in Greensboro, North Carolina, and resides in Los Angeles, California. She was an executive producer of the 1985 National Blues Music Awards.
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Eddie Rush
- Occupations
- basketball player
- Biography
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Eddie F. Rush is a professional basketball referee in the National Basketball Association (NBA). As of the 2006–07 NBA season, he had officiated 1,245 regular season, and 140 playoff games, including nine NBA Finals games.
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Chika Oduah
- Occupations
- journalist
- Biography
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Chikaodinaka Sandra Oduah is a Nigerian-American journalist, poet and cultural entrepreneur who has worked as a television news producer, correspondent, writer and photographer. She is the founder of Zikora Media & Arts, which operates as a media production company and a cultural institution. Oduah was formerly a correspondent for VICE News. Known for her unique human-focused ethnographic reporting style with an anthropological approach, she was awarded a CNN Multichoice African Journalist Award in 2016. Upon the abduction of 276 schoolgirls by the terrorist group Boko Haram in Chibok, northeastern Nigeria, she was the first international journalist to visit and spend extensive time in the remote community of Chibok. Her thorough and exclusive coverage of the mass kidnapping won her the Trust Women "Journalist of The Year Award" from the Thomson Reuters Foundation in 2014. Oduah's reporting explores culture, history, conflict, human rights, and development to capture the complexities, hopes and everyday realities of Africans and people of African descent.
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Sheryl McCollum
- Born in
-
United States - Occupations
- manager
- Biography
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Sheryl "Mac" McCollum is an American crime analyst, college professor, author, and founder and director of the non-profit Cold Case Investigative Research Institute based in Atlanta, Georgia, and a crime scene analyst for a CBS affiliate.
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Jerry Huckaby
- Occupations
- farmerpolitician
- Biography
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Thomas Jerald Huckaby is an American politician who served in the United States House of Representatives from Louisiana's 5th congressional district for 16 years, from 1977 to 1993.
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Larry Jaster
- Occupations
- baseball player
- Biography
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Larry Edward Jaster is an American former professional baseball player and coach. He played in Major League Baseball as a left-handed pitcher between 1965 and 1972 for the St. Louis Cardinals, Montreal Expos and the Atlanta Braves. After his playing career, Jaster served as a major league coach and then as a pitching coordinator for the Braves.
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Taylor Alxndr
- Years
- 1993-.. (age 32)
- Occupations
- musiciandrag queenLGBTQ rights activist
- Biography
-
Taylor Alxndr is an Atlanta social activist, community organizer, entertainer, drag queen, and founder of the LGBTQ non-profit "Southern Fried Queer Pride".
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Curtis Washington
- Occupations
- basketball player
- Biography
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Curtis Owen Washington is an American professional basketball player. He played the majority of his college basketball career for the Georgia State Panthers after transferring from USC.
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Chip Rogers
- Years
- 1968-.. (age 57)
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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William "Chip" Rogers is the former President and CEO of the American Hotel & Lodging Association and past President and CEO of Asian American Hotel Owners Association, the largest hotel owners association in the United States. Rogers is a former American politician from the state of Georgia. He is a Republican and was first elected in 2002 to the Georgia House of Representatives, in 2004 he was elected to the Georgia State Senate. Rogers was elected Senate Majority Leader in 2008 and again in 2010. In November 2012 Rogers resigned his position as Senate Majority Leader, and in December, he resigned his position in the state Senate. He took up the position of host and Executive Producer of the statewide Georgia Public Broadcasting radio program Georgia Works. After being fired from that position, he became the President of AAHOA.
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Mary Hood
- Occupations
- novelist
- Biography
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Mary Hood is a fiction writer of predominantly Southern literature, who has authored three short story collections – How Far She Went, And Venus is Blue and A Clear View of the Southern Sky – two novellas – And Venus is Blue (also the title of her second short story collection) and Seam Busters – and a novel, Familiar Heat. She also regularly publishes essays and reviews in literary and popular magazines.
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David Adelman
- Enrolled in Georgia State University
- Graduated with Master in Public Administration
- Occupations
- lawyerpolitician
- Biography
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David Isaac Adelman is an American businessman, lawyer and diplomat. He was the United States Ambassador to the Republic of Singapore from April 2010 to September 2013. Adelman is the Managing Director and General Counsel of asset manager Krane Funds Advisors in New York. He is a Trustee of the National Committee on American Foreign Policy and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. For more than a decade he has taught international relations as an adjunct professor at New York University. Adelman's official papers are part of the collection at the Richard B. Russell Library at the University of Georgia. In 2016, in recognition of his public service the State of Georgia dedicated a bridge as the Ambassador David Adelman Bridge on State Highway 42. Adelman is a member of the Advisory Council of the Israel-Asia Center.
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Glenn Richardson
- Occupations
- lawyerpolitician
- Biography
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James Glenn Richardson is an American attorney and the former Speaker of the Georgia House of Representatives, in the state of Georgia.
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Trey Kelley
- Born in
- United States
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Othel Doyle Kelley is an American politician and lawyer. He served as the Republican Majority Whip of the Georgia House of Representatives until July 2021 from House District 16, covering much of Bartow, Haralson, and Polk Counties.
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Grant Henry
- Years
- 1956-.. (age 69)
- Occupations
- artist
- Biography
-
Grant Henry, aka Sister Louisa, is an American former divinity student, artist, and businessman based in Atlanta, Georgia. He is best known for his artwork and installations created as his alter ego "Sister Louisa" and for being the proprietor of the popular Atlanta bar, Sister Louisa's Church of the Living Room and Ping Pong Emporium.
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Charles S. Shapiro
- Years
- 1949-.. (age 76)
- Occupations
- diplomat
- Biography
-
Charles Samuel Shapiro is an American diplomat (serving since 1977 in a variety of capacities, primarily relating to Latin America) and a former U.S. ambassador to Venezuela (2002 - 2004). He was President of the Institute of the Americas from October 2011 to July 2014, when Ambassador Shapiro was named the President of the World Affairs Council of Atlanta.
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Allen John
- Occupations
- golfer
- Biography
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Allen John is a German professional golfer. He is profoundly deaf. He became a professional golfer in 2011 and played on the Challenge Tour in 2012. He was re-instated as an amateur in 2016. He represented Germany at the 2017 Summer Deaflympics when golf was included in the Summer Deaflympics for the first time and competed in the men's individual golf event securing a gold medal. Since 2018, John has returned to the professional ranks.
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Curt Thompson
- Years
- 1968-.. (age 57)
- Occupations
- lawyerpolitician
- Biography
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Curt Blackburn Thompson II is an American politician and former State Senator in the Georgia State Senate. In February, 2023, Thompson was elected to the State Transportation Board from Georgia's Congressional District 7 for a 5-year term. He was elected to the state senate in 2004 and represented the 5th District. Despite being in the minority party, he served as Chair of the Special Judiciary Committee. Before his 14 years in the state senate, he served in the Georgia House of Representatives from 2003–2005.
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Paul A. Lombardo
- Years
- 20th Century
- Occupations
- legal scholar
- Biography
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Paul A. Lombardo is an American legal historian known for his work on the legacy of eugenics and sterilization in the United States. Lombardo’s foundational research corrected the historical record of the 1927 U.S. Supreme Court case of Buck v. Bell. He found Carrie Buck’s school grades and the grades of her child Vivian. He was the last person to interview her, and he discovered the pictures of all three generations of the Buck family. In 2002, he sponsored and paid for a memorial plaque that was installed in Buck’s hometown of Charlottesville, Virginia.
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Joel Sjöholm
- Occupations
- golfer
- Biography
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Joel Nils Patricio Sjöholm is a Swedish professional golfer, who has played on the European Tour and the Challenge Tour. He has won twice on the Challenge Tour; in 2017 and 2022.
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Ella Powell
- Occupations
- association football player
- Biography
-
Ella Mae Florence Powell is a Welsh footballer who plays as a defender for Women's Championship club Bristol City and the Wales national team.
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Christine Riordan
- Years
- 1964-.. (age 61)
- Occupations
- scientist
- Biography
-
Christine M. Riordan is an academic administrator and the 10th president of Adelphi University in New York.
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Walter Fillmore
- Enrolled in Georgia State University
- Graduated with master's degree in education
- Occupations
- military officer
- Biography
-
Brigadier General Walter Daniel Fillmore was a general officer in the United States Marine Corps.
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W. Frank Blount
- Occupations
- business executive
- Biography
-
William Frank Blount, AM is an American businessman, and currently the chairman and CEO of venture capital firm JI Ventures, Inc. Blount previously served as chairman and CEO of Cypress Communications Inc., and director and CEO of Telstra Corporation Limited in Australia.
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Jet Lowe
- Years
- 1947-.. (age 78)
- Enrolled in Georgia State University
- 1971-1981 studied photography
- Occupations
- photographerarchitectural photographer
- Biography
-
John T. "Jet" Lowe is an American photographer. He is one of the photographers employed by the U.S. National Park Service on the Historic American Buildings Survey and Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) projects, and was the supervisor of engineering photography for HAER until his retirement in July 2013. His book, Industrial Eye: Photographs by Jet Lowe from the Historic American Engineering Record was published in 1986 by the Preservation Press.
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Predrag Gosta
- Occupations
- conductor
- Biography
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Predrag Gosta is a Serbian-American conductor, harpsichordist, and baritone.
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Siobhan Wilson
- Occupations
- association football player
- Biography
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Siobhan Marie Wilson, also known as Shiv Wilson or just Shiv, is a footballer who plays as a defender for Birmingham City. Born and raised in England to a British Jamaican father, she is capped for the Jamaica women's national team.
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Anya Liftig
- Years
- 1977-.. (age 48)
- Occupations
- artist
- Biography
-
Anya Liftig is an American performance artist and memoirist.
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Yolo Akili
- Occupations
- writerHIV/AIDS activistpoetjournalist
- Biography
-
Yolo Akili, also known as Yolo Akili Robinson, is an activist, writer, poet, counselor, and community organizer who advocates for addressing mental and emotional health needs in the Black community. He is the author of Dear Universe: Letters of Affirmation and Empowerment, and the founder and executive director of BEAM (Black Emotional and Mental Health Collective).
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Chesya Burke
- Occupations
- writernovelist
- Biography
-
Chesya Burke is an American editor, educator and author of comic books and speculative fiction, most notably horror and dark fantasy. She has published over a hundred short stories, essays, and articles in magazines and anthologies such as Clarkesworld, Apex Magazine, Nightmare Magazine, and Stories for Chip: A Tribute to Samuel R. Delany. Her short story collection Let's Play White was published in 2011 while her debut novel, The Strange Crimes of Little Africa, was released in late 2015. Nikki Giovanni has compared Burke's fiction to that of Octavia Butler and Toni Morrison.
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Henry Doctor, Jr
- Enrolled in Georgia State University
- Graduated with Master of Arts in counseling and psychological services
- Occupations
- military officer
- Biography
-
Lieutenant General Henry Doctor Jr. was the Commanding General, 2nd Infantry Division, Eighth United States Army, based in South Korea. His last assignment was as The Inspector General of the U.S. Army.
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Travis L. Williams
- Occupations
- basketball coach
- Biography
-
Travis L. Williams is a former NCAA Division I & II Head Men's Basketball coach at Tennessee State and Fort Valley State University, assistant coach at Georgia State, Mercer, & Chicago State University
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Steven Tiley
- Occupations
- golfer
- Biography
-
Steven John Tiley is an English professional golfer.
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Sharon Beasley-Teague
- Years
- 1952-.. (age 73)
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
-
Sharon Beasley-Teague is an American politician from Georgia. She is a member of the Democratic Party and a member of the Georgia House of Representatives representing the state's 65th district. In 2020, she was defeated in the runoff election by Mandisha Thomas.
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Soumaya Khalifa
- Occupations
- business executive
- Biography
-
Soumaya Khalifa is the founder and executive director of the Islamic Speakers Bureau of Atlanta. She is an American Muslim of Egyptian origin, with a career in Human Resources and a consulting practice specializing in intercultural communications, leadership development and corporate diversity.
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Jeff Kipnis
- Occupations
- curator
- Biography
-
Jeffrey Kipnis is an American architectural critic, theorist, designer, film-maker, curator, and educator.
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Na'Taki Osborne Jelks
- Born in
- United States
- Enrolled in Georgia State University
- In 2016 graduated with Doctor of Philosophy
- Occupations
- entrepreneurenvironmental scientist
- Biography
-
Na'Taki Osborne Jelks is an American environmental scientist. She is an assistant professor of environmental and health sciences at Spelman College, and a visiting professor of public health at Agnes Scott College. She is known for her activism in environmental justice and urban sustainability, for which she was named a Champion of Change by the White House in 2014.
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C. J. Cochran
- Occupations
- association football player
- Biography
-
Carl Howard "CJ" Cochran Jr. is an American professional soccer player who plays as a goalkeeper.
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Andrew Letherby
- Occupations
- long-distance runner
- Biography
-
Andrew Letherby is an Australian former long-distance runner who won a bronze medal in the marathon at the 2002 Commonwealth Games.
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Carrie Hawks
- Born in
- United States
- Occupations
- animatorfilmmakerfilm directordesigner
- Biography
-
Carrie Hawks is a gender non-conforming director and animator. They are known for their work on Black Enuf.
