Top 10 in 10 Young Professionals to Watch

Top 10 in 10 Young Professionals to Watch

The Top 10 in 10 Young Professionals to Watch was developed in 2009 by the Augusta Metro Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with Augusta Magazine, to annually highlight ten young professionals (age 25-35) in the Augusta Region. In recognizing these individuals, the Chamber aims to expand recognition for Augusta’s young professional talent throughout Georgia.

2025 TOP 10 IN 10 APPLICATION

A summary of questions and information required on the application can be viewed in advance of applying here.

Top 10 in 10 applications are due by March 21st, 2025

The Top 10 in 10 Young Professionals to Watch receive the following:

• Biographical feature article in Augusta Magazine
• Submitted nomination for Georgia Trend Magazine’s Top 40 under 40
• Recognition and award presentation at Augusta Metro Chamber Member Economic Luncheon in June, 2025

2024 Top 10 in 10 Young Professionals to Watch

Abby Bryant, Costa Farms

Kirsten Conrad Ezuka, Club Car

Shiamante' Grimes, Textron Specialized Vehicles

Taylor Lamb, Augusta University

Aherial Polite, Augusta Technical College

Raysean Ricks, Augusta University

Jeannine Steinkuhl, Crowne Plaza North Augusta

Taggert Vinzant, House of Tag

James Whitehead, SouthState Bank

Nicholas Wood, Piedmont Hospital

2023 Top 10 in 10 Young Professionals to Watch

David Bash, Get Up Productions

Stephen Christopher Bradshaw, Queensborough National Bank & Trust

Emily Anderson Doumar, Doumar Rainsford

Patricia Galvan Fuentes, Taqueria El Ray

Garrett Green, Augusta University

Kelsey Holcomb, Savannah River Nuclear Solutions

Matt Kelly, Blanchard & Calhoun Real Estate Co.

Heather L. Smith, MAI Risk Advisors

Jacqueline G. Thomas, Turner Padget Graham & Laney, P.A.

Brandi K. Young, Young & Partners at Keller Williams Realty Augusta Partners

2022 Top 10 in 10 Young Professionals to Watch

Taylor Barbato, News Channel 6

Alicia Fitts, Peach State Federal Credit Union

Alex Griffin, MCG Foundation

Charles Jimenez, New American Funding

Stacie McBride, STACIE Social

Dalton Self, Jani-King of Augusta

Rebecca Van Loenen, Augusta Locally Grown, LLC

Kari Viola-Brooke, Child Enrichment

Briana Lanee’ Williams, Queensborough National Bank & Trust Co.

Aaliyah Lynn Wylie, Augusta Office Solutions

2021 Top 10 in 10 Young Professionals to Watch

Tianna Marie Bias, Hawk Law Group 

Amber Antoinette Brantley, Solicitor General's Office  

Kigwana Cherry, Pop-Up Augusta! 

Becky Dearden, SME CPAs 

Beth Bargeron James, Queensborough National Bank & Trust 

April Henry King, April Henry King ART 

Bradley King, 2KM Architects, Inc. 

Eleanor Prater, Destination Augusta 

Marissa L Smith, Bank of America 

Patrick Wells, Piedmont Landscape Management 

2020 Top 10 in 10 Young Professionals to Watch

Morgan Fordham Blanton, Pharmacist In-Charge/Co-Owner, Custom Pharmacy

Sabrina Dean, Director of Product Marketing, TaxSlayer

Shanteka S. Glover, Senior Security Computer Engineer, Savannah River Nuclear Solutions

Amanda Heath, Judge, Augusta Judicial Circuit Juvenile Court

Jane Marie Kinsey, Vice President, McKnight Construction Company

Luneta Louis, Quality Special Process Lead, John Deere

Sean Mooney, Partner/Director of Merchandise, Showpony

Jeffrey B. Pooser, Program Administrator, East Central Regional Hospital

Dr. Stephen J. Ramey, Radiation Oncologist/Assistant Professor, Augusta University

Jared T. Williams, Trial Attorney, The Hawk Firm

2019 Top 10 in 10 Young Professionals to Watch

Will Dyer, Senior Pastor, First Baptist Church of Augusta

Christen Engel, Senior Associate Vice President of Communications, Augusta University

Meredith Guedry, Financial Advisor, Bank of America | Merrill Lynch

Jordan Pierce, Augusta Market President, First Community Bank

Molly Richardson, Director of Strategic Communication, TaxSlayer

Morgan Schaffer, Marketing Director, Textron Specialized Vehicles

Mitchell Snyder, Attorney, Hull Barrett, PC

Alicia Sweat, Director of Operations, Burn Foundation of America

Vanessa C. White, Program Manager, Augusta University

Le’Joi N. Williamson, Chief Assistant Solicitor General, Richmond County Solicitor General’s Office

2018 Top 10 in 10 Young Professionals to Watch

Seth Babb, Director of Consumer Products, TaxSlayer

Crystal Bass, Project Manager - Golf, Textron Specialized Vehicles

Brittany A. Bush, Richmond County Elementary Teacher, Richmond County Board of Education

Kayla Evette Cooper, Staff Attorney, Augusta, Georgia Consolidated Government

Crystal Jewel Crawford, Educator, Richmond County School System

Mary Anne Harasim, Director of Operations, Extended Enterprise, IntelliGenesis

Garon Muller, Litigation Associate, Burnside Law Firm

Prathik Reddy Padi, Manager IT SAP, Textron Specialized Vehicles

Robert Trinidad, Founder / Executive Director, Hope Today For A Better Tomorrow

Alicia Huff Vinyard, Breast Surgical Oncologist, Augusta University Medical Center-Georgia Cancer Center

2017 Top 10 in 10 Young Professionals to Watch

Bhagelu Ram Achyut, PhD, Assistant Professor, Augusta University, Medical College of Georgia

Aliegha Brigham, Project Manager, Richmond County Tax Commissioner’s Office

Curtis Briscoe, Commercial/Industrial Tax Appraiser III, Augusta-Richmond County Tax Assessor’s Office

Daniel Burroughs, Managing Member, Attorney, Burroughs Elijah, LLC

Karlton Clay, Founder, CEO, Victory Productions, LLC

Bianca Islam, PhD, Research Assistant, Augusta University, Georgia Cancer Center

Iryna Lebedyeva, PhD, Assistant Professor of Chemistry, Augusta University

Paige Miller, Development Director, Hope House, Inc.

James Scott Quarles III, Assistant Men’s Basketball Coach, Adjunct Professor, Augusta University

Lindsey Swartzbaugh, Marketing and Business Development, R. W. Allen Construction LLC

2016 Top 10 in 10 Young Professionals to Watch

Jonathon Davis, Existing Industry Coordinator, Augusta Economic Development Authority

Carlton Lewis Deese, Associate Director, Georgia War Veterans Nursing Home, AU

Cleveland Fann, Distribution Manager, Georgia Power, East Region

Everett Davidson Harbeson, Landscape Architect/Project Manager, Johnson, Laschober & Assoc.

Austin Jackson, Owner/Attorney, Jackson Law Offices

Whitney Lessem, Product Engineering & VA/VE Group Lead, Textron Specialized Vehicles

Nicholas Madden, MD, Radiation Oncology Resident, Augusta University

Elizabeth McGee, Architect, Cheatham Fletcher Scott

David Pope, PharmD, Co-Founder/Chief of Innovation, Creative Pharmacist

Nathan Vick, Architect, Christopher Booker & Associates

2015 Top 10 in 10 Young Professionals to Watch

Dr. LaShawnda Dennis, Associate Professor, Paine College Department of Education

Brandon Elijah, Managing Partner, Burroughs / Elijah, LLC

Priscilla Gary, HR & Benefits Manager, ADP & Enhanced Career Services

Charles Goodman, Senior Pastor / Teacher, Tabernacle Baptist Church

Kaden Jacobs, Director of Strategic Initiatives, Augusta Metro Chamber

Christopher Kenny, Labor Counselor / Attorney, Army Cyber Center of Excellence

Scott Poag, Project Manager, Augusta Economic Development Authority 

Thomas Sherrouse, Financial Analyst, MAU Workforce Solutions 

Stacey Snyder, Executive Vice President, Ocozzio

Serah Tyler, HR & Recruiting Manager, Rural Sourcing, Inc

2014 Top 10 in 10 Young Professionals to Watch

Jason Blanchard, Attorney, Tucker Long, PC

Courtney Bodie, Attorney, Moses Law Group, LLC

Lauren Dallas, Marketing Coordinator, Augusta Sports Council

Fletcher Dickert, Project Manager, Allen+Batchelor Construction, Inc

Maria Lynn Fuller, Director of Operations for Human Capital Management, Automatic Data Processing (ADP) 

Isaac Kelly, Recruiter / Staffing Specialist / Business Development, Augusta Staffing Associates

Tiffany Mallory, Assistant United States Attorney, Civil Division, United States Attorney’s Office, Southern District of Georgia

Mark Reeves, Attorney, Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton, LLP

Steven Sanders, Associate  Attorney, Fulcher Hagler, LLP 

Chad Walters, Lean Consultant, Lean Blitz Consulting, LLC

2013 Top 10 in 10 Young Professionals to Watch 

Chris Cosby, COO, Doctors Hospital

Jennifer Gagnon, District Sales Manager, Automatic Data Processing (ADP)

Dr. Adam Goldberg, Dentist, Goldberg Dental Group 

Carrie Hodge, Vice President, Georgia Bank and Trust Company 

Adam King, Associate Attorney, Nicholson Revell, LLP

Catherine Stewart, Development Coordinator, Children’s Hospital of Georgia

Wesley Turner, Attorney, Fleming & Nelson, LLP

Drew Weigl, Architect, Dickinson Architects

Adam Williams, Accountant, The Cleveland Group CPAs

Wesley Zamzow, Development  Director, Georgia Regents University

2012 Top 10 in 10 Young Professionals to Watch

Summer Finley Bell, Senior Accountant, Serotta, Maddocks, Evans & Company CPAs

Robert F. Bennett, Economic Developer, Augusta Economic Development Authority

Brian S. Coursey, Attorney, Hull Barrett, PC

Elizabeth Finch, Audit Senior Manager, Elliott Davis, LLC

Jason Herrera, Entrepreneur, Herrera Systems, LLC 

Liz Hill, Morning News Anchor, NBC 26 News

Jamia Jennings, Architect / Project Manager, United States Army

Jenna Blackwell Matson, Associate Attorney, Shepherd, Plunkett, Hamilton, and Boudreaux, LLC

Lynthia Ross Owens, District Director for Congressman John Barrow, United States House of Representatives

John Paul Stout, Sustainable Development Manager, City of Augusta, Georgia

2011 Top 10 in 10 Young Professionals to Watch

Christopher A. Cosper, Attorney, Hull Barrett, PC

Matt Driskell, Director of Managed Care & Reimbursement, MCGHealth, Inc.

Brooke Hixon, Human Resources Benefit Specialist, MAU Workforce Solutions

Katrina Hollmann, Director of Marketing Communications, Augusta Convention & Visitors Bureau

Chavone R. Hollimon, Health Awareness / Communications Manager, Augusta Partnership for Children, Inc

Shizuo Z. Kuwahara, Orchestra Conductor, Symphony Orchestra Augusta

Kyle Masters, Assistant Project Manager, R J Griffin & Company

Erin Moseley, Project Architect, Dickinson Architects, PC

Chris Newsome, Owner, Newsome Electrical Construction, LLC 

Lindsay S. Thetford Black, Marketing Community Relations Manager, The Augusta Chronicle

2010 Top 10 in 10 Young Professionals to Watch

Caroline Ashe, Realtor, Blanchard & Calhoun Real Estate

Kristina Baggott, Director of Marketing, Comcast Cable

Rebecca Best, Director of Marketing, SME & Company CPAs

Helen Trotter Caldwell, Deposit Development Office, Georgia Bank & Trust Company

Al Dallas, Client Relations Manager, RBW Logistics

Davis Dunaway, Partner, Hull Barrett, PC

Audra Ford, MD, Staff Family Physician, Dwight D. Eisenhower Army Medical

Melissa Furman, Assistant Dean of Outcomes, ASU Hull College of Business

Lynnsey Gardner, Morning Anchor, WRDW TV 

Rebekah Henry, Executive Director, Gertrude Herbert Institute of Art

2009 Top 10 in 10 Young Professionals to Watch

Christine Ball, English and Reading Instructor, Augusta Technical College

Rhonda Banks, President and Broker in Charge, Keystone Home Realty, LLC

John Collins, Director of Strategic Sourcing and Materials, E-Z-Go

Dino Dakuras, Restaurant Owner and Franchisor, Dino’s Chicago Express / Papa-N-Son’s

Chris Etterlee, Senior Certified Public Accountant, Fuller, Frost and Associates

Carl Henson, Director of Marketing and Business Development , MAU Workforce Solutions

Alana Kyriakakis, Attorney, Hull, Towill,  Norman, Barrett and Salley

Michael Lind, Commander, United States Army

Connie Melear, Chief Financial Officer, R W Allen, LLC

Mark Thompson, Associate Professor of Economics, Augusta State University