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80 l Macon Magazine aPRiL/MaY 2014 ADVERTISING | WOMEN IN BUSINESS Stephanie Folsom 990 Riverside Drive | Macon, GA 31201 www.coldwellbankercommercialeb.com 800.926.0990 Stephanie Folsom began her journey in commercial real estate in the summer of 1999 with Coldwell Banker Commercial Eberhardt & Barry, Inc. immediately following graduation from the College of Charleston. Her passion and desire to pursue this field came from her grandmother, "Nana," who shared that a close family friend had been extremely successful in commercial real estate. So, at the unusual age of 12 Stephanie chose her lifelong career path and decided that she, too, would be a commercial Realtor. It has now been 15 years and Stephanie still loves the challenge and rewards that come with the business. Her area of concentration is office/retail leasing and sales, investment sales, and property management. Stephanie has a strong history of taking a property with a large vacancy rate, leasing it up, and selling it as an investment property for the client. Continued education of a Certified Commercial Investment Member degree has assisted Stephanie with networking and successful production which has landed her many awards with Coldwell Banker Commercial including Number One Producer for the state of Georgia and Elite Top Two Percent Producer Nationally. Stephanie continues to work hard to listen to her clients and looks at every relationship as an opportunity to help a client improve their return, find the perfect office, assist with growth or downsize needs, and to educate the client on the market conditions so that every decision is well thought out and productive. Vincent M. Oddo, President & CEO Birch Communications, Inc. I have personally worked with Stephanie Folsom for the past eight years. During this past year, Stephanie assisted us relocate our Operations Center within our desired North Macon area of preference. Her diligence, counsel and creativity in this very important matter were outstanding. As a result of her hard work we were able to find the right space in North Macon and Stephanie also met our timeline and budget requirements which resulted in a very successful relocation to our new space. I am convinced that our recent successful relocation in North Macon would not have been possible without Stephanie's involvement in our project. For that the entire Birch Family is grateful!! Stephen Collins, Chief Operating Officer CANTOR FUND MANAGEMENT, LLC Stephanie has been a delightful pleasure to work with since we acquired Vineville Crossing Retail Center back in the summer of 2013, a true, hard-working professional who performs her daily responsibilities with only the highest sense of integrity. Her performance and overall service has been beyond stellar and far exceeded our expectations, as she was able to significantly increase occupancy and generate a higher rate of income in only a few short months with virtually no out-of-pocket improvement expense. Without a doubt, I would strongly recommend her to any ownership group looking to take their asset or portfolio to the next level, who ultimately demand the best of the best in high-quality service. Nathan Cumbie, CEO, NEXus Medical Holdings, LLC Stephanie has assisted NEXus Medical Holdings with leasing, sales and acquisitions of business and medical offices. Her experience in the field of commercial real estate and her knowledge of financing methodologies contribute to her ability to consistently bring a creative approach and a can do attitude to the table. Stephanie is always the first person that we call when we are seeking a new location, whether local or elsewhere, due to her vast network of contacts. PHOTO BY JENNIFER HAYSLIP ADVERTISING | WOMEN IN BUSINESS Jennifer Brannon is excited to be part of the new Middle Georgia State College. "We are developing emerging leaders," said Brannon, vice president of Student Affairs. "Middle Georgia State is an amazing place of learning, with dedicated faculty and staff who share the goal of helping each and every student succeed." Brannon is one of seven vice presidents who comprise Middle Georgia State's executive leadership. Three of the others are Dr. Martha L. "Marti" Venn, vice president for Academic Affairs; Dr. Sheri Rowland, vice president of Enrollment Management; and Nancy Stroud, vice president of Fiscal Affairs. All were key players in the success of the recent consolidation of Middle Georgia College (founded in 1884) and Macon State College (founded in 1968). "Although the consolidation was challenging, we are coming out of it a stronger institution and a college of choice for the midstate region and beyond," said Rowland, who leads Middle Georgia State's operations of recruitment, admissions, registrar, financial aid and communications. The college now has 8,000 students on five campuses (Macon, Cochran, Dublin, Eastman, Warner Robins), nine academic schools offering dozens of programs leading to baccalaureate and associate degrees, campus housing, thriving student life/athletics programs and a new president, Dr. Christopher Blake. In addition to the vice presidents, the institution's vanguards include nine academic deans, among them Dr. Debra Matthews in the School of Liberal Arts and Dr. Rebecca Corvey in the School of Health Sciences. These six women bring a combined 120+ years of higher education experience to Middle Georgia State. Brannon's home from 1997-2012 was Middle Georgia College where she started as Student Activities director. She later worked in admissions and registrar. Her promotion to Student Affairs vice president came during consolidation last year. "I am responsible for the scope and quality of student affairs at all of our campuses," Brannon said. Corvey, who has worked in higher education for more than 30 years, joined the Macon State faculty as director of nursing in 2003 and was named dean of Health Sciences in 2011. "So many of our students live and work in the surrounding communities," Corvey said. "I think one of the greatest impacts Middle Georgia State has on this region is graduating students who give back to their communities in exciting and enduring ways." Matthews, who was a 22-year-old Howard University graduate student when she taught her first class, joined the college faculty full time in 1990. She progressed through the academic ranks while earning a Ph.D. in English and is beginning her second year as dean of Liberal Arts. "Our school offers a number of programs to prepare students for careers that require excellent skills in critical thinking, oral/written communications, research technology and the fine arts," Matthews said. Rowland began her career in higher education nearly 20 years ago, starting as a counseling coordinator in the Florida community college system. "I had wonderful mentors who over the years gave me the opportunity to serve in various positions in enrollment services, student affairs and institutional research," she said. During her two years at Middle Georgia State, she said she has been impressed with the institution's resilience and the faculty and staff's dedication to student success. Stroud, in her role as Fiscal Affairs vice president, oversees all business and budget functions of the college. She started as a part-time budget manager in 1998 at Macon State and advanced to several fiscal affairs posts before becoming vice president in 2012. "Middle Georgia State is educating the people who live here, work here and will stay here and become the backbone of their communities," Stroud said. Venn arrived at Macon State in 2005 to take the reins of the college's new School of Education. Under her leadership, the school grew its enrollment, earned accreditation and expanded its programs. As Academic Affairs vice president, her primary responsibilities are providing academic direction to Middle Georgia State's five campuses and 300 faculty. "We take our mission very seriously," she said, "and that is 'to serve the educational needs of a diverse population through high quality programs connected to community needs in a global context and to serve as a leader for the intellectual, economic and cultural life of the region.'" Middle Georgia State College 100 College Station Drive | Macon, GA 31206 478.471.2800 | www.mga.edu PHOTO BY MARYANN BATES Middle Georgia State's executive leadership includes, from left, Dr. Martha L. "Marti" Venn, Jennifer Brannon, Dr. Sheri Rowland, Nancy Stroud, Dr. Rebecca Corvey and Dr. Debra Matthews.