Panelists and Speakers

Joseph Watson, Jr. is the Carolyn Caudell Tieger Professor of Public Affairs Communications. He directs the University of Georgia’s Public Affairs Communications Program, the first program in the nation to provide undergraduate students with practical training in the strategy and practice of public affairs communications focused on government, public policy, and politics. He has over 20 years of experience in public affairs campaigns and communications. Watson, a Harvard Law School graduate, served as an appointee in the Administration of President George W. Bush. Watson also worked on Capitol Hill, serving as a senior aide to former U.S. Senator Peter G. Fitzgerald (R-IL) and established and led the public affairs communications group for Fortune 100 Company, Exelon Corporation

Dr. Bryan Reber is a department head and professor in Crisis Communication Leadership and Public Relations in the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication at UGA. Dr. Reber holds a Ph.D. in Journalism from the University of Missouri and an M.S. in Journalism from the University of Kansas. Dr. Rebers teaches subjects pertaining to public relations, persuasion, campaign research, and public opinion management. Dr. Reber’s research focuses on public relations theory, practice, and pedagogy. Dr. Rebeer has published his research in the Journal of Public Relations Research, Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly, Journal of Communication Management, and Newspaper Research Journal among others.

Raye Rawls has served with the J.W. Fanning Institute for Leadership Development since 2004. Rawls holds a Master’s Degree in Human Resources from Georgia State University. Since 1983, she has traveled extensively throughout the United States offering courses in basic and advanced mediation, arbitration, conflict management, designing conflict management systems and valuing diversity. Rawls is a licensed attorney and is a member of the State Bar of Georgia. . In 2018, the Georgia Supreme Court Commission on Dispute Resolution and the Dispute Resolution Section of the State Bar of Georgia awarded her with the Chief Justice Harold G. Clarke Award in recognition of her outstanding contributions to the field of alternative dispute resolution in Georgia. 

Cheryl Johnson became the President of Leadership Montgomery in 2017. Johnson previously served as the Executive Assistant to the President at Bonnie Plants, Inc. Leadership Montgomery is a nonprofit organization that focuses on leadership and professional development programs in Montgomery, Alabama.

Doug Hooker is the executive director of the ARC. The ARC is an agency that works with local governments and regional partners to assist in land use and transportation decision-making. Doug Hookers areas of expertise include but are not limited to regional and local projects concerning energy, education, transit, transportation, and water.