Panelists and Speakers

Since 2016, Jake Maas has directed the Office for Proposal Enhancement at the University of Georgia, which works to help faculty write more competitive grant proposals. The emphasis is on large, complex, interdisciplinary proposals, primarily to US federal agencies like NIH, NSF, and USAID. Prior to taking on this role, he worked in the Office for Sponsored Programs at UGA for 8 years, where he reviewed proposals and grant awards, cooperative agreements, and contracts. He has a Master’s degree in English from the University of Wisconsin, where he worked in the Writing Center for several years.

McKinney graduated from the University of Georgia with a Bachelor of Social Work degree. She continued her education with a Certificate of Gerontology from Kennesaw State University, a Certificate of Leadership from the University of Dayton, and Certificates of Basic and Advanced Nonprofit Financial Management from Duquesne University’s Nonprofit Leadership Institute. She served as Director of Development for the Georgia 4-H Foundation based at the University of Georgia and has served as the Director of Development and Volunteer Services for the Athens Community Council on Aging.

Emily Nichols is the Associate Vice President of Community Impact and Innovation at United Way of Northeast Georgia, where she oversees grantmaking, partnerships, and results-based community improvement efforts throughout a twelve-county region.  She uses her expertise to help improve capacity among the nonprofit sector and connect donors with community-based solutions to our region’s most persistent social problems. Emily helps to support United Way of Northeast Georgia so that every man, woman, and child in Northeast Georgia has access to quality education, financial stability, and a healthy lifestyle.

Mr. Dave Ward is the Chief Executive Officer at MedLink Georgia, Inc., a federally qualified health center that provides comprehensive, high-quality primary health care services to individuals residing in Northeast Georgia. Mr. Ward has been with MedLink Georgia since 2011 and has served as the CEO since 2015. He earned a Masters in Business from Regis University in Denver, Colorado and is a Certified Public Accountant. He is a seasoned manager with more than 30 years of experience in business administration and accounting. Under Mr. Ward’s leadership, MedLink Georgia, Inc. has grown from ten to eighteen community health centers, expanding services to encompass behavioral health, oral health, occupational health, and rehabilitation and wellness. Mr. Ward is a member of the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC), the UCLA Health Care Executive Program, American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, and the Colorado Society of Certified Public Accountants.

Lemuel Laroche is a professor in the School of Social Work at the University of Georgia and the founder of Chess & Community. Chess & Community is a nonprofit based in Athens, Georgia that utilizes the game of chess as an analogy for long term strategic planning. The organization focuses specifically on empowering youth through critical thinking, academic enrichment, and community engagement.