Hull College Advisory Board

Dave Brendza is the Division Vice President and General Manager for the OneADP Augusta and OneADP Louisville locations.

Dave’s role is to lead the OneADP Augusta and OneADP Louisville locations and oversee their growth. Since his arrival, the Augusta facility has grown approximately 50%. Dave oversaw the $22 million expansion project completed in 2017 which added additional jobs and amenities. OneADP Augusta’s current organization includes approximately 1500 associates, 6 business units, and more than 200 different functional roles to a capacity of nearly 1800 associates. The OneADP Louisville location has approximately 700 associates, 4 business units, and 130 different functional roles with a capacity of 1100 associates. During his tenure, the ADP Augusta location has been voted “One of the Best Places to Work” in the State of Georgia by Georgia Trend magazine, TCFA Benefactor of the Year by the technical colleges of Georgia, and twice named the Philanthropic Company of the Year by the Augusta Chapter of Association of Fundraising Professionals along with being named Corporation of the Year by the Augusta Metro Chamber in December 2020.

Dave is a 37-year veteran of ADP. He has held multiple senior leadership roles within ADP. Before coming to Augusta, Dave served as Vice President of Client Service for the ADP Major Accounts Central Region located in Cleveland, Ohio. He graduated from Robert Morris University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in 1983 with a bachelor’s degree and majors in Accounting and Management Information Systems. He also is the graduate of a number of ADP Executive Training Programs.

Dave relocated to the Augusta area in March 2014. Since coming to Augusta, Dave is involved in Augusta Rotary, serves as the vice chair for the Executive Board of Directors Augusta Chamber of Commerce; former Executive Board Chair for the American Red Cross Augusta Chapter; board member of the AUSA Fort Eisenhower Alliance, the Business Education Advisory Council for Richmond County Schools, Augusta University Foundation, and University of South Carolina – Aiken Educational Foundation.

Dave is married to Nadine, a Registered Nurse at University Hospital, and they have two children. Angela lives in New York City and works for Paleato Law, and Alec who recently graduated from Miami University of Ohio in May 2020 is now working for Textron in Providence, RI.

Helen Caldwell joined Synovus in January 2020 as Group Vice President and Commercial Banker. Helen began her banking career in 2005 in Charleston, SC, following an early career in hospitality. Helen has spent 12 years in Treasury Management, where she developed and implemented Treasury Management programs for two community banks in the Augusta Market. Since 2005, Helen has maintained that service-first mentality by developing close relationships with her customers. She has dedicated putting the customers’ needs first while consistently doing what is best for the customer, the community, and her company.

Helen received her undergraduate degree in Studio Art from the University of Mississippi. Helen is an honor graduate from the Georgia Banking School, where she is currently a faculty member teaching Treasury Management and serves on the Board of Directors.

Helen serves the Columbia County Chamber of Commerce as a member of the Executive Committee, Finance Committee, and Real Estate Task Force Committee.

Helen is an alumnus of Leadership Augusta (Class of 2013), Leadership Columbia County (Class of 2021), and Georgia Forward Young Gamechangers Leadership Program (Class of 2016). Helen is also a recipient of the 2010 “Top 10 in 10, Young Professionals to Watch” award presented by the Augusta Metro Chamber of Commerce.

Helen was born and raised in Columbia County, GA, where she resides with her husband, Wade, and three children.

Alan Griffin (BBA, ’82; MBA, ’87) is President/CEO of MCBS since 2000, with more than 30 years in the healthcare industry. MCBS specializes in all areas of practice management and billing services, including strategic planning, practice merger and start up, joint ventures, facility development, financial planning and analysis, physician services, and billing operations. He is a member of First Baptist Church, where he has served on various committees over the years to include the Pastor Search, Finance, Property, and Stewardship Committees. Alan also serves on the American Red Cross of Augusta and Jud C. Hickey Center for Alzheimer’s Care Community Boards. Additionally, he served on the Board of Governors at the Augusta Country Club and was president in 2019, and he is a former member and past president of the Uptown Kiwanis Club of Augusta. Alan is married to Angela Adams Griffin, and they have two married children and two grandchildren.

Stefanie Leann Holmes is a graduate of Greenbrier High School with honors and Augusta State University where she received a Bachelor of Business Administration with a major in Accounting. She moved to the “Triangle,” the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill, NC, area after college.

Beginning her accounting career in industry working for a golf products retailer, she then spent several years as a Medicare auditor working closely with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.  Stefanie received her CPA license in 2011 and a Juris Doctor from NCCU School of Law followed in 2013. 

After graduation, Stefanie joined the ranks of the Big Four at KPMG as a Federal Tax Associate dealing primarily with foreign private equity clients.

However, after spending ten years in the North Carolina, Stefanie took a leap of faith to come back home and start her own business as a solo practitioner here in the CSRA. Stefanie is now the owner of her own firm, Summerville Tax & Accounting, taking the reins in February 2016.

Garnett Johnson is the 85th Mayor of the City of Augusta and the President and Owner of Augusta Office Solutions and Modern Business Workplace Solutions, professional services provider companies specializing in the commercial office furniture and office supply industry. Headquartered in downtown Augusta and an office location in Savannah, both companies support a national customer base across all sectors including private, education, government, and healthcare.

Engaged civically, Garnett serves on numerous boards. Among them is the Augusta Metro Chamber of Commerce where he serves on the Executive Committee as Chairman Elect. Appointed by Governor Brian Kemp, he is also a board member for the Georgia Department of Economic Development. A passionate supporter of the mission of the American Heart Association, Garnett is a member of the Executive Leadership team and Past Chairman of the American Heart Association’s Augusta-CSRA Heart Ball.

Garnett has been recognized numerous times as an award-winning business leader and entrepreneur some of which include The Augusta Metro Chamber of Commerce 2018 Entrepreneur of the year and The Greater Augusta Black Chamber of Commerce 2019 Small Business of the year.

Garnett is a proud graduate of the Richmond County School System and a graduate of Augusta University’s Hull College of Business, where he earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree with a concentration in Business Management.

Walton “Buzzy” Johnson is the past senior director of the Masters Tournament, having served in that role from 1989 – 2020. He is a native Augustan, who graduated from the Academy of Richmond County, then earned his BBA in Accounting from the University of Georgia, and completed some post graduate courses in accounting from then Augusta College. Prior to serving as the senior director of the Masters Tournament at the Augusta National Golf Club, and from 1974 – 1989, Buzzy was a CPA with Serotta, Maddocks, et al, Mauldin and Jenkins, and opened his own accounting firm.

Elizabeth M. Morrison, CPA, is a partner with Cherry Bekaert, LLP, since 1988, focusing on tax services. She is affiliated with the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), Georgia Society of Certified Public Accountants (GSCPA), and the Augusta Estate Planning Council.

Within the community, Beth is involved with Augusta Symphony Orchestra, Salvation Army advisory board, and Tuttle Newton Home. Beth received her BBA in Accounting from Augusta State University.

Erwin Reid is Senior Vice President of International Restaurant Development for Chick-fil-A, Inc. In his current role, Erwin oversees market strategy, leads site selection and related negotiations, develops local partnerships and participates in applicable networking/conferences for Chick-fil-A’s expansion outside of the United States.

He began his career in 1978 as a team member in a Chick-fil-A restaurant in Augusta, GA, and became a part of the Chick-fil-A office staff in 1983. Erwin has served in Chick-fil-A’s Operations department, led the Real Estate department, and ultimately led all of Restaurant Development. This included overseeing the departments of Market Strategy, Real Estate, Design and Development, and Construction for all new Chick-fil-A restaurants.

Erwin is a member of the International Council of Shopping Centers, National Association of Corporate Real Estate Executives, and Commercial Investment Real Estate Institute. He serves on the Advisory Board of Shepherd Center and the Foundation Board of Trustees for Atlanta Youth Academy.

Erwin earned a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Augusta State University and is also a graduate of the Harvard Business School’s Advanced Management Program.

Erwin and his wife, Allison, have five children: Ruthie, Carolyn, Elizabeth, Clare, and Lance. He and his family attend Northside Methodist Church of Atlanta.

Dennis Trotter is a founding partner of JordanTrotter Commercial Real Estate and has been in all aspects of commercial brokerage and development since 2002, covering Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina.

He has brokered and developed numerous projects for nationally branded users, ranging from single tenant projects to large scale office, industrial, and retail developments. Dennis co-founded JordanTrotter Commercial Real Estate in 2013, and the firm has completed more than $700M of transactions in the greater CSRA since inception and currently manages more than 1,000,000 square feet of retail, office, and warehouse properties in the CSRA.

Dennis is a 2000 graduate of Furman University with a degree in Business Administration and is married to Kathi, with children ages 13, 11, and 8 who attend Episcopal Day School.

LTC Bryan Vaden currently serves as the commander of the 369 Signal Battalion at Fort Eisenhower.

He was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Signal Corps in May 2003 from East Carolina University. Before his assignment to 369 Signal Battalion, he served as the Professor of Military Science at the University of Central Missouri.

LTC Vaden has served in numerous assignments for the past 18 years, including Deputy for the Joint Improvised-Threat Defeat Organization at the Pentagon and Assistant Professor of Military Science at East Carolina University. 

He was also assigned as Battalion Operations Officer and Executive Officer for 67th Expeditionary Signal Battalion, 35th Signal Brigade; Rear-Detachment Commander for 1st Squadron, 75th Cavalry Regiment; and Company Commander of Charlie Company, 2nd Brigade Special Troops Battalion, Brigade S6 for 2nd Brigade, 101st Airborne Division.

LTC Vaden graduated from East Carolina University with a degree in Operations Management. He holds a Master of Arts in Information Technology Management from Webster University.  LTC Vaden is a graduate of The Joint Advanced Warfighter School, Norfolk, VA; the Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, KS; The Signal Captains Career Course, Fort Eisenhower and the Signal Officer Basic Course,Fort Eisenhower.

LTC Vaden's military awards and decorations include: the Bronze Star Medal, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal (four oak leaf clusters), the Army Commendation Medal (two oak leaf clusters), the Army Achievement Medal, and the NATO Medal. LTC Vaden's special skill badges include: the Combat Action Badge and Airborne Parachutist Badge.

He is married to his wife of 15 years, Sarah, and has two children Alyssa (8) and Addison (5).

Greg Van Bladel is Operations Group Controller, Small Ag & Turf at John Deere for U.S. and Canada, a position he has held since August 2020. He is responsible for the financial reporting and the internal controls of these manufacturing operations, as well as leading the financial planning and analysis activities to support the Small Ag & Turf business units and the associated production systems.

Greg joined John Deere in 1995 as an intern in the Horicon, Wisconsin factory. His first position after graduation was Cost Accountant at John Deere’s corporate headquarters in Moline, IL. His subsequent positions include Auditor; International Audit Supervisor (Germany); Accounting Supervisor (Netherlands); Senior Financial Analyst – JD Financial; Manager Debt & Securitization Accounting – JD Financial; Controller John Deere Financial (Australia); Manager – Global Funding; and Manager – Treasury Operations. He moved to Augusta in 2010 as the Factory Controller and was named Product Line Controller – Global Utility Tractors in 2013 and Product Line Controller – Small Tractors & Loaders in 2016.

Greg earned a B.A. in Accounting from Augustana College (IL) and an MBA from the University of Chicago, Booth School of Business. He is affiliated with the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), Georgia Society of CPAs, Institute of Management Accountants, and Chartered Global Management Accountants, and holds the CMA and CPA certifications.

Kevin Wade (BBA, Finance) is the founder and President/CEO of IntelliSystems. He has 32 years of experience advising business clients with the most productive deployment of telecommunication and information technology to increase business profitability. He speaks to various organizations and media outlets in the Augusta, GA, and Columbia, SC, area about cybersecurity protection, IT best practices, and how to leverage technology in the workplace.

In 2012, Kevin was named the Augusta Metro Chamber of Commerce’s “Entrepreneur of the Year,” and has two published books entitled, “How to Avoid Being Squeezed by Your ‘So-Called’ Computer Expert” and “What Every Business Owner Must Know About Choosing an Honest, Competent, Responsive Computer Guy.”

Kevin’s past volunteer activities include serving on the Augusta Metro Chamber of Commerce’s Board of Directors, Augusta University’s James M. Hull College of Business Advisory Board, Treasurer of The Greater Augusta Partnership for Literacy, and Chairman of The Augusta Partnership for Children.

He also previously served on the CSRA Girl Scout Council Technology Committee and the boards of Junior Achievement of the CSRA, Easter Seals of East Central Georgia, and the Georgia-Carolina Boy Scout Council.

Kevin is past president of The Rotary Club of Augusta, former Georgia Rotary Student Program Trustee, former Assistant Governor representing the Augusta area clubs, and most recently Rotary Group Study Exchange team member to District 1800 in North-Central Germany. He is a Paul Harris Fellow Major Donor and a member of the Paul Harris Society.

In addition, Kevin’s accomplishments include Completing IBM’s Professional Sales Management Program and is a graduate of Leadership Augusta in 1999.

He is married to DeLane G. Wade, and they have two sons. He enjoys music recording and production, model railroads, working outdoors, and golf.

Ashleigh Wilder is the Chief Human Resources Officer at TaxSlayer. Ashleigh and her team are responsible for attracting and retaining TaxSlayer’s top talent.

She started her career with the company in 2012, focused in marketing as an online marketing specialist. Ashleigh discovered her passion centered more around interacting and advancing the people at TaxSlayer over marketing and overall TaxSlayer brand, and she transitioned into the world of human resources in 2015. Since then, she oversees all initiatives relating to TaxSlayer’s culture and exceptional team members.

Ashleigh holds a BBA in Marketing from Mercer University and a Master of Science in Marketing from the University of Alabama.