Academic Programs - Recreation and Leisure Studies
- Counseling Psychology
- Counseling and Student Personnel Services: Counselor Education and Supervision Focus
- Counseling and Student Personnel Services: College Student Affairs Focus
- College Student Affairs Administration
- Professional School Counseling
- Student Affairs Leadership
- Professional Counseling
- Recreation and Leisure Studies
Mallory Anderson
Entering into my 2nd year of doctoral studies, I am enjoying living & learning in the Athens community. I have a B.S. in Business Management from Appalachian State University (Go Mountaineers!), and a M.Ed. in College Student Affairs Administration from UGA. I have had recreation and leisure woven in various capacities throughout my career. My last position was in leadership programming for college students, and my research interests involve leadership development and college student development through the outdoors. I am an avid traveler, love learning, trying new things, and I enjoy hiking, kayaking, camping and anything else that puts me in nature. I’ve recently just returned from an international graduate assistantship this summer and I’m looking forward to seeing how my experiences in Cape Town, South Africa shape my future studies.
Gail Taylor Baldwin
As a doctoral student my areas of research are: 1) Persons of all ages, ethnicities, and abilities: Mental and physical health, social support and motivation, living situations, and barriers to life quality. 2) Leisure as coping activity during and following stressful and traumatic experience. 3) Universal design: Housing and interior design for all persons, with particular consideration for children, the elderly and persons with disabilities. 4) Qualitative inquiry focusing on under-served populations, and 5) Teaching effectiveness. Exercise, watercolor painting and coffee drinking are some of my leisure activity favorites.
Rob Dussler
Rob is a fourth year doctoral student in the Recreation and Leisure Studies program. He is originally from Houston, Texas. He currently serves as the Department Chair and Director of the Outdoor Leadership Center at Young Harris College located in Young Harris, Georgia. His research interests include outdoor education, decision making, individual behavior and motivation, and intuition. He enjoys white water kayaking, fly fishing, bee keeping and spending time with his wife, Anna and his children, Gus and Tillie.
Bantu Gross
I am from New Orleans, LA. My wife and I decided to move to Georgia to attend UGA and pursue doctoral degrees. I earned a BA in psychology from Southern University of Baton Rouge and a MA in psychological counseling from Nicholls State University. My research interests include racial identity, community organization, and resiliency in adolescents. During my free time I enjoy working out, playing basketball, and hanging out with family and friends.
Nuria Jaumot-Pascual
I am a first year doctoral student from Spain. I have degrees in out-of-school education, anthropology, and organizational behavior. I have worked in informal education and vocational training for over 15 years. I have been lucky to work as a researcher and trainer for Mixing in Math (mixinginmath.terc.edu—check it out, it’s free!), an informal math education program, for the last four years. My research interests lay at the intersection of informal education, professional development, and diversity. In my free time, I like to play and read with my toddler daughter Gala and my husband Stephen.
Brian Kumm
This fall marks my third year of graduate studies in Recreation and Leisure, but my first as a Ph.D. student. My interests have grown and expanded over the past two years to include leisure and social theory, philosophy of science, and qualitative research methodologies. Ultimately my goal is to continue in the academy as a scholar, so I am very excited to not only continue growing as a researcher, but to also try my hand at teaching. I enjoy school, but I also love being outside the classroom where I can normally be found hanging out with my fiancé, Kera, and the best dog ever, Daniel Boone. I am also a musician, gardener, and I always love a good book!
Originally from Savannah, Georgia, I moved to Athens (from Seattle) in 2003. I have a B.S. In Art Education from Armstrong Atlantic St University, and an M.Ed. In Recreation and Leisure Studies from UGA. I am the current President of the Athens Folk Music and Dance Society (athensfolk.org), the parent of two children and a Sustainability Coordinator in the UGA Office of Sustainability. I have many years of graphic design and communications experiences and am always willing to help people make their resumes look better. Academically, I am interested in volunteers, specifically why they use their unobligated time in a service capacity.
Brittany Linde
Hello. My name is Brittany and I am a third year doctoral student. My current interests include leisure and aging, leisure and military life, and innovative leisure. I begin my comprehensive exams and dissertation journey this year. In my personal leisure time, I spend time with my dachshund, Maslow, play soccer, spending time with my family and close friends, reading, and relaxing! Note to self and others—Savor your leisure experience!!!
Joseph Pate
I am a doctoral candidate who returned home to Georgia to pursue my degree. I am married to my wonderful, supportive, and encouraging wife Jenny, and we have two human children – Abby and Wes, one canine child – Cloe, and two feline children – Edmund and Lyla. We are excited to re-connect with and be a part of this community and surrounding area. I enjoy hiking, woodworking, woodturning, gardening, reading, and listening to music. Scholarly, I am interested in significant lived leisure experiences with music, myths, metaphors, and meaning making and how these inform, impact, and inspire our collective journey.
Heather Robalik
Improving the quality of life for others through leisure is my passion. I have a B.S. in Leisure/Sport Management from Elon University in North Carolina and a M.S. in Recreation, Parks and Tourism from the University of Florida. I love to travel and have studied and worked throughout the world. I am very interested in human development and how travel experiences affect ones development of self. I love travel, football, anything in/on/or near the water, reading, laughing, and enjoying life in general.
Katherine Soule
I am a first year doctoral student. In 2009, I received a M.S. in Agricultural with a specialization in Recreation, Parks, and Tourism Administration from California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo. I am interested in benefits and perceived benefits of participating in outdoor recreation, with particular focus on the advantages and/or opportunities outdoor recreation provides for youth. As a new mother, I enjoy watching my daughter as she begins to explore the outdoors.
Toby Tobias
As a third year doctoral student I am looking forward to the challenge of running a new business, taking classes, preparing for my comps, and finding time for my leisure pursuits. I grew up in Rochester, NY and received my B.S. in Recreation and MBA from Arizona State University. My wife, Tanya, and I live in Atlanta with our dog (Lucky). I am a college football official; my serious leisure. If you want to know more, block out a couple of hours as it is my favorite topic. Tanya and I love to travel domestically and internationally, although we do prefer adding stamps to our passports.
Warren Caputo
My name is Warren Caputo. I am originally from Florida and recently relocated to Georgia to teach at Gainesville State College where I teach Health and Wellness, and Education classes. I am an avid runner of many years and currently training to compete in the Ironman Triathlon this November in Cozumel, Mexico. I have two boys ages three and seven, CJ and Cam. I am pursuing my terminal degree with interest in education pedagogy.
Christina Yother
I’m Christina, the mommy blogger and mama bear of the clan. I’m a freelance writer, third year PhD-er, and mother of three little punks. I love coffee, reading trashy romance novels, social media, watching paranormal reality shows, and pretending I actually know how to use my fancy digital camera. I’m somewhat competitive, slightly gullible, and weirdly neurotic about structure, organization, label makers and color-coding. Despite all this I’m still a lovely person.
