Left to right - Richey Seaton, John Hayes,
Fred White, and Andy KeelerJohn R. Hayes was awarded the 2003 Distinguished Young Professional Award by the Agricultural Economics Association of Georgia. After earning his master's degree, John began working for John Deere in the company's highest volume Southeastern sales district where he increased sales of aftermarket parts by 15%. In recognition for this success and other accomplishments, he was honored with the 2000 John Deere Leader's Circle Award which is presented to top territory field teams with the company. After successfully managing an aftermarket sales district in Mississippi and working in the company's Des Moines manufacturing facility, John was given the responsibility of managing a sales territory in the West Texas district which currently has the company's highest market share of any district in the country. As a territory manager, John counsels dealers on sales programs, inventory management, future business planning, development of marketing plans and promoting retail sales. He calls on a territory of fifteen independently owned dealer locations.
John graduated from the University of Georgia with a B.S.A. in Environmental Economics and Management in 1995 and an M.S. in Agricultural Economics in 1997. While in college, he received 1st Place Honors, Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics Undergraduate Papers Competition in 1994, 4th Place Honors, American Agricultural Economics Student Papers Competition in 1994, and published in the American Journal of Agricultural Economics Student Papers. He was on the President's List, the Dean's List, vice president of the Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics Graduate Student Association, a member of Blue Key National Honor Fraternity, a member of Gamma Sigma Delta National Agricultural Honor Society, a member of Georgia Agribusiness Council, and a member of the student section of the American Agricultural Economics Association. John's master's thesis analyzed the use of power plant by-products as a source of farm nutrients. Careful in his application of common-sense economics, John's thesis demonstrated that the combination of the cheapness of available disposal and the large supply of these by-products made it unlikely that such an endeavor was likely to be immediately profitable for Georgia's electric utilities. Also, his work clearly pointed out how plausible changes in future environmental regulations could significantly alter the results of his analysis.
As part of his graduate research project, John made several presentations to update his sponsoring company. The public speaking and presentation skills John acquired by giving these updates have been greatly beneficial in his professional career. He suggests, "Learning how to speak to a group and present your thoughts clearly and concisely will help you in any situation, whether it's in a courtroom, cotton field or boardroom." John also advises current students in the Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics to "do an internship of some kind." Although John did not participate in the internship program while in college, his experience in working with summer interns since graduation has convinced him that "the benefits are enormous in terms of gaining experience and getting a foot in the door for future employment." John is also impressed by the reception extended to the interns in his company.
John now lives in Abilene, Texas and in his leisure time, enjoys golf, scuba diving, fishing, and softball.
Left to right - Richey Seaton, David McElyea,
Fred White, and James EppersonDave McElyea was presented the 2003 Distinguished Professional Award by the Agricultural Economics Association of Georgia. Dave is Vice President of Global Financial Services (GFS) Information Management at American Express in Phoenix. His duties include developing the infrastructure and supply models and economic logic for cross-sell and acquisition for four United States businesses. Dave is truly a pioneer in his field. He began his career with American Express in the mid-1980's as a computer programmer. Upon learning that his firm did not employ economists and econometricians, he skillfully communicated the benefits of sound economic analysis to corporate executives and was allowed to hire four of his former classmates in Agricultural and Applied Economics at the University of Georgia. This core group modeled the economic decisions for American Express and almost immediately saved over $100 million annually in financial losses through analyses and recommendations. Since then, American Express has expanded their hiring of applied economists to include 400 professionals working in the areas of financial and corporate planning and marketing. Dave's greatest accomplishment since college graduation is his leading of the re-engineering of all the American Express risk management systems worldwide from 1989 through 1994. It was Dave who pioneered the use of statistical models and economic logic at American Express. As a result, econometrics is now recognized as a vital tool that is used throughout the financial services industry worldwide. Dave's accomplishments have not gone unnoticed. In 1992, he received the Smithsonian Computer Science Award.
Dave received a B.A. in Economics from the University of Tennessee in 1969 and an M.S. in Agricultural Economics from the University of Georgia in 1985. He is remembered as the "perfect" graduate student who embraced the graduate program with every fiber of his being. Dave excelled in his classes and research and made excellent presentations, as well as contributing greatly to others' presentations through his questions and ideas. As a result, he was chosen as the Outstanding Agricultural Economics Master's Student in 1984. While at UGA, Dave was a member of the Agricultural Economics Graduate Student Association and Intramural Football and Softball. His courses in applied microeconomics and econometrics have helped him greatly in his professional career. He acknowledges that he had many positive role models on the UGA faculty and among graduate students. His advise to current students in the Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics is "Don't limit your choices. The uses of applied economics are everywhere!"
Dave's wife, Virginia, attended UGA to pursue a doctorate in education. She inspired Dave to also go to graduate school. Virginia is now Superintendent of Schools at Deer Valley School District in Phoenix. Dave enjoys helping his son run his Honda motorcycle dealership and going to the races with their team.
Left to right - Richey Seaton, Randy Nuckolls, Fred White, John McKissick
Charles Randall (Randy) Nuckolls was presented the 2003 Distinguished Professional Award by the Agricultural Economics Association of Georgia. Randy is the managing partner of the law firm McKenna, Long, & Aldridge in Washington, D.C. He began his career working on Capitol Hill as a legislative counsel for Georgia Senator Herman Talmadge and subsequently spent six years as chief counsel and legislative director for Georgia Senator Sam Nunn, directing the activities of the senator's ten-person legislative staff. He has twenty-seven years of experience in Washington, dealing with federal issues in public policy. Since 1986, Randy has been in private practice, counseling clients on government contracts and federal legislative and regulatory matters. His work involves assisting clients in planning legislative strategy, testimony before congressional and agency panels, interaction with congressional leaders and their staff, and organizing and administering political action committees (PACs). He counsels clients in all phases of the federal procurement process and regulatory matters before various federal agencies, including the Federal Trade Commission, the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Education, Treasury, and Defense, and the General Services Administration. Much of Randy's work concentrates on assisting higher education institutions and organizations in pursuing their federal affairs agenda. He also has particular expertise in agriculture, environment and natural resource policy issues, and serves as general counsel or Washington counsel for a number of corporations, trade associations and non-profit organizations. In addition, he works as Washington counsel to the University of Georgia.
Randy is on the Board of Directors of the State Bar of Georgia, past chairman and on the Executive Committee of the Society of International Business Fellows, and on the board of the Georgia Agribusiness Council. Also, he participated in Leadership Georgia and received the Blue Key Young Alumni Award. His greatest accomplishments since graduation have been working as chief counsel to two United States senators, his active involvement in numerous civic and professional societies in leadership roles, and becoming the managing partner in his law firm.
Randy received a B.S.A in Agricultural Economics in 1974 and a J.D. in 1977, both from the University of Georgia. While in college, he was a member of the Student Senate, president of Collegiate 4-H, vice president of the Ag Hill Council, president of AGHON, president of Blue Key, vice president of the Student Bar Association, a member of ODK and served as an intern at the Georgia General Assembly. He received a Blue Key scholarship and various College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences scholarships. In 1975, he was selected as the Outstanding Senior in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences and was winner of the Best Brief in the law school's Talmadge Writing Competition. Randy's active involvement in various campus organizations prepared him for his work in congress and his involvement in civic and professional organizations in his adult career. He gives this advice to current students in the Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics: "Sample courses in various schools and colleges. Get involved in student organizations. Study abroad to better prepare yourself for the global economy."
Randy is engaged in numerous community and civic organizations. He is past chairman and a board member of the Georgia 4-H Foundation, past president and board member of the Georgia State Society, board member and legal counsel for Keep D.C. Beautiful, past president of the University of Georgia Law School Council, on the Advisory Board of the University of Georgia Honors Program, on the Alumni Advisory Board of the Dean Rusk Center for International, Comparative and Graduate Legal Studies, on the President's Advisory Council for the Wesley Theological Seminary, on the Business Advisory Council for Very Special Arts, president of the Society of International Business Fellows, a member of the UGA Alumni Board, and a member of the Georgia Agribusiness Council Board. In addition, he is chair of the board of the Fairlington United Methodist Church. In his leisure time, Randy enjoys golf and racquetball.
