Virginia “Ginny” Hamilton is the President of our Foundation, and also works at the University of Georgia with Auxiliary Services as a Grants Professional. Previously she was the Business Manager of the One Stop Shop, overseeing the services that connect you to campus from Dining Services to Transportation and Parking. She has a B.B.A. in Marketing from Augusta State University and a M.B.A. in Management from Brenau University. She is the grant writer for the Foundation and helps develop and manage the Ashton Hope Keegan Foundation website. She is also a member of The Order of the Eastern Star, a Masonic appendant body open to both men and women. She was a caregiver of her mother, a quadriplegic, for 35 years. This has given her a lot of insight into family struggles and needs, which in turn created a passion for helping others.
Ed Keegan is a Founder, Treasurer, and Board Member. Ed is, and always will be, Ashton’s Dad.
Ed earned his B.S. Degree in Computer Science, an MBA, and an MS degree in National Resource Strategies, which focused on public/private sector cooperation in resolving the Nation’s most complex issues. He served 25 years in the US Air Force, retiring as a Colonel. Since then, he has worked for several Global IT companies as a Subject Matter Expert in Cybersecurity, IT/Computer Networking, Space Operations, and Command and Control Systems. He is an active member of the Rotary Club of Athens, and has recently started advising on the Athens Technical College Computer Information Systems Advisory Committee.
Kim Keegan is the Founder, CEO and past-President of the Ashton Hope Keegan Foundation, as well as the Chairwoman of the Board. Kim spent 15 years as a Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor along with 25 years as a Personal Trainer. Nevertheless, her favorite “job” was being Ashton’s mom. Kim was very active in board positions related to the military while Ed served in the Air Force for 25 years. Along with the busy schedule of the Ashton Hope Keegan Foundation, Kim is on the Women in Business committee for the Athens Chamber of Commerce, a volunteer and founding member at the Friends of Oconee County animal shelter and previously served on the board. Kim is also very active with the Rotary Club and is now President of the North Oconee Rotary Club.
Kim is, and always will be, Ashton’s Mom. She and Ashton did everything together, from starting an animal Foster program for the county animal shelter, to providing time and resources to educational charities, to starting and running a cake baking business. Ashton’s passion for helping those in need was infectious, and Ashton’s passion is now Kim’s passion.
Michaela Buttler serves as the Fundraising Chair for the Ashton Hope Keegan Foundation. After meeting Kim through the Leadership Oconee program, she was touched by Ashton’s story and the Keegan’s investment in the next generation of women striving to better themselves through education. Michaela has always had a passion for college students and understands the impact that education can have on an individual and their ability to achieve their full potential.
Michaela’s background includes studying in Boston, Shanghai, and London for her Masters in International Business with a concentration in Project Management from Hult International Business School and a Bachelors in Business Administration with a minor in Organizational Leadership from the University of North Georgia. Her career includes time spent with the John Maxwell Company, Chick-fil-A, and in higher education working in Orientation and Transfer Programs at the University of North Georgia where she served as a committee member for the UNG annual scholarship gala and the local Relay for Life team. She has extensive experience in event planning, donor relations, and community advancement. She currently serves as a consultant for Korn Ferry to help employers with talent acquisition and organizational strategy to support employees leaving their company or exploring new opportunities within the same organization. Michaela is currently working towards her ICF accreditation to be a certified leadership and career coach. She and her husband, Brandon, are active members in their local church and they live in Five Points with their two cats Dory & Nimmo.
Amy Borders is the Marketing and Social Media Chair for the Ashton Hope Keegan Foundation. Her passion has always been to encourage and inspire women to believe in themselves and go after their dreams. At the AHKF she is inspired by the dedication and compassion she sees in the other board members and volunteers as well as the drive and determination of the scholarship recipients.
Amy’s background includes attending the University of Georgia where she earned her undergraduate and master’s degrees in accounting before beginning her career at a local CPA firm in Augusta, GA. After a move to Gainesville, FL, she spent an extended period of time at home being a mom to her two young children. She is currently the accounting manager at See.Spark.Go, a local public relations, communications, social media and digital marketing firm where she has been able to be a part of an incredibly talented and creative team for the past five years. Amy and her husband, Brian, along with their three children, a dog and a cat call Oconee County home.
Linda is a licensed REALTOR® with Coldwell Banker Upchurch Realty. She is known for her endless energy to get things done to find creative solutions to help her clients with their home buying and selling goals. When not working, Linda is busy staying involved in volunteer and community organizations around Athens and Oconee. She is an active member of the Oconee County Chamber of Commerce, where I recently received recognition for Volunteer of the Year. Linda has served on many boards with business associations as well as ones in the non-profit sector. She is a world traveler, a collector, and a fashionista. Some of her favorite local recommendations are the Classic Center for events, UGA games, and Chops & Hops for a bite to eat (my favorite is the salmon!). Linda’s wealth of knowledge and her tremendous energy to help others is an asset to the Ashton Hope Keegan Foundation. As a board member, she has brought many fresh ideas and is always rolling up her sleeve to help.
CarolAnn is the Secretary for the Ashton Hope Keegan Foundation. She is a health/fitness professional known as the trainer’s trainer. CarolAnn, has become one of the country’s leading fitness educators, authors, and national presenters. Combining a Master’s degree in Exercise Science/Health Promotion with several fitness certifications/memberships, she has been actively involved in the fitness industry for over 3 decades. As one of the leading experts, she has served on several health advisory boards, performed as a wellness fitness coordinator, owned her own private studio, and operated several gyms. She is the creator and star of The Steel Physique Fitness on Demand series as well as the creator and founder of Chiseled Faith, a faith-based health and fitness program, offering exercise and nutrition programming for individuals through churches, community centers, and online. She has been selected as the 2019-2021 Fitness Superstar by the National Fitness Hall of Fame. Locally, she enjoys personal training clients, teaching pilates, and serving as the HOA president for her community. She now serves on the AHK board applying her passion for women’s education and business opportunities. CarolAnn currently lives in Bishop, GA with her hysterically funny husband, intelligent and beautiful daughter, and her furry babies…golden retriever, Behr and great pyrenes, Appollo.
UGA MBA Fellow Board Members
Isaiah Washington comes to be a board member from the UGA MBA Fellowship office. As a student, he serves as a voting ex officio member serving a 20-month term. Isaiah is a Navy veteran who still serves in the Navy Reserves. He brings the AHKF a plethora of energy and a fresh perspective of dedicated Fellows, a strong connection to the network of the Georgia MBA community, and helps advance our goal of shaping the next generation of civic leaders. He is making a positive impact on the community and has great marketing insight as he serves on the AHKF marketing committee.
Callie Weir is a first-year MBA student at the University of Georgia Terry College of Business. She is thrilled to partner with the Ashton Hope Keegan Foundation and continue the important work the Foundation is doing to empower women through education. Callie has long been passionate about empowering women through education, and has spent many years serving as a mentor to other women as they pursued their educational dreams, providing advice, encouragement, and support.
Emeritus Board Members
Martha “Tish” Rumsey is an Emeritus board member and became friends with Ashton and her family in 2014, through the animal adoption program they started. Originally from Savannah, Tish went to the Athens area for college; finishing her undergraduate degree in sociology, raising two sons, and later a graduate degree in social work.
While working with troubled teenagers in therapeutic roles, she became involved in fostering mostly teenagers through the Department of Family and Children Services. She did this for around 18 years. Five years ago she joined the Oconee County Department of Family and Children Services Board.
She sees the work that the Ashton Hope Keegan Foundation is doing as an extension of her lifelong interests in helping others who find themselves in difficult situations better themselves through education.
Terri Davis is an Emeritus board member and has been a part of the Foundation since the inception. She has served on the Board of Directors for The Jeanette Rankin Women’s Scholarship Foundation, Samaritan Center for Counseling & Wellness, Community Connection of NE GA and The Ashton Hope Keegan Foundation. She is an active member of the community working with many non-profit organizations. Her non-profit development, fundraising & volunteer coordinator experience spans several decades and includes organizations such as Habitat for Humanity, St. Jude’s Recovery Center, Athens & Atlanta Food Bank, Hands on Atlanta and Special Olympics. Terri works in Real Estate since 2000 and is an Associate Broker with Keller Williams Realty – Greater Athens.
She has practiced yoga and meditation for many years and likes to bring these calming, mindful practices into her personal & professional life. Terri & her husband Tom live in the Normaltown area of Athens.