Advisory COMMITTEE
BATH GARDENS FOUNDATION, INC.
KATIE GARNER
Background: Professional Artist and Local Businesswoman (Waynesboro, Georgia)
Memberships and Significant Activities:
- National Golf Club’s official Artist from 1981-1995
- Past President, Burkeland Garden Club and Former Burke County “Citizen of the Year”
- Coordinator for Edmund Burke Academy’s field trips to Washington, DC, and New York City
Summary: Katie is a committed environmentalist, educator, and professional artist. She has served on numerous local boards and committees including the Burke County Racial Relations Board and the new Burke County Courthouse Development Committee. Katie’s passion for Bath Gardens and its potential as a future site for Plein Air artistic events and local talent art shows is palpable.
RITA HAMILTON
Background: Augusta Woman’s Club, Past President
Memberships and Significant Activities:
- President, Augusta Council of Garden Clubs
- Secretary, Iris Garden Club
- Republican Woman’s Club
Summary: Rita is an incredibly active community leader who currently serves as Chair for the Augusta Woman’s Club Community and Civic Engagement Committee. Additionally she is a Girl Scouts of America volunteer, an Augusta Ironman Committee volunteer, and served on the Augusta-CSRA Vietnam War Veterans Memorial Committee. Rita’s passion for gardening and community service has led her to design and maintain several private and public gardens throughout the CSRA, and she is also an active board member with the Pendleton King Park Foundation.
DR. JOYCE HASKELL
Background: Augusta Woman’s Club, Immediate Past President
Memberships and Significant Activities:
- Augusta Council of Garden Clubs and Vice-President, Iris Garden Club
- Town and Country Garden Club, 20-Year Member
- President, American Legion Auxiliary Unit 71, North Augusta, SC
Summary: Joyce has a Ph.D. in Endocrinology, with an emphasis in diabetes research, and is currently an Adjunct Professor with the Culver Vision Discovery Institute of Augusta University. She served as Committee Chair for the Gold Star Family Memorial Marker and Garden Park at Fifth and Reynold Street, Augusta, GA (dedicated in 2022) and the Augusta-CSRA Vietnam War Veterans Memorial Committee (2017-2019). Joyce is a 50-year member of the Girl Scouts of America. Her passion for gardening, history, and architecture recently led her to restore an 1830 farmhouse, located in North Augusta, SC, and its surrounding gardens.
TAYLOR HIXSON
Background: Executive Director, Room in the Inn, Chattanooga, TN
Memberships and Significant Activities:
- Freelance Writer
- Chattanooga Audubon Society
- Tennessee Aquarium Volunteer – Penguin Care
Summary: Taylor is a seasoned fundraising professional with 9 years of experience in marketing, public relations, social media, grant writing, and capitol campaigns. She is committed to empowering girls to reach their full potential and at one time she and her husband considered leaving her home in Tennessee to move to Augusta to work full-time for the Bath Gardens Foundation. Taylor is an invaluable resource for not-for-profit management and fundraising.
KRISTIE JOSHNSON
Background: Community Engagement Manager, Volunteer Services and Community Engagement Office, Augusta University and AU Health System
Memberships and Significant Activities:
- Former Humanities Chair, Georgia Military College, Augusta, GA
- Published Author, Poet, and Essayist
- MFA in Creative Writing from Georgia College
Summary: Kristie is working with our Executive Director, Jim Brady, to create partnerships with Augusta University (AU), its students, and the AU Health System with the goal of increasing Bath Gardens’ visibility and volunteer base. Additionally, we hope to position Bath Gardens as an off-campus facility for educational seminars, recreational activities, and the study of wildlife and natural habitats. Kristie is a welcome addition and represents the largest post-secondary institution in the CSRA.
ERICK D. MONTGOMERY
Background: Executive Director, Historic Augusta, Inc.
Memberships and Significant Activities:
- Sons of the American Revolution, COL William Few Chapter, Augusta
- Rotary Club, Augusta
- Augusta Genealogical Society
Summary: Erick studied historic preservation at Middle Tennessee State University and has grown Historic Augusta, Inc. into one of the largest and most stable non-profit historic preservation organizations in Georgia and the Southeast. He worked to acquire, restore, and furnish the Boyhood Home of President Woodrow Wilson as a house museum. He has provided extensive research for and written numerous nominations for National Register locations and National Landmarks in Augusta. He is a published author and is the recipient of the Georgia Governor’s Award in the Humanities. Erick’s knowledge of history, the community, and nonprofit management are some of his most valuable assets to Bath Gardens.
MAURINE RESCH
Background: Session Member, Bath Presbyterian Church
Memberships and Significant Activities:
- Friends of the Blythe Library, Inc., President, and CEO
- Bath Presbyterian Community Food Pantry
- Community Leader and Volunteer
Summary: Maurine is a wealth of knowledge for everything Blythe and is a well-regarded and esteemed member of the historic Bath Presbyterian Church. She not only serves on the Bath Gardens Advisory Board but is an original and regularly participating member of the Bath Gardens Volunteer Team who serve as hosts and greeters for the Gardens’ guests on Sunday afternoons from 1-4 pm. Maurine is always willing to assist whenever and however she can and generously gives her time, talent, and wise counsel to any organization that is fortunate enough to have her support.
PHYLLIS “GIGI” SHANNON
Background: Home Care Health Specialist, Spouse: Sam “Reggie” Shannon
Memberships and Significant Activities:
- Tender Care Training Center, Augusta, GA (Graduate)
- Scouts BSA, Troop 15 and Georgia-Carolina Council Supporter
- Co-Director, Building Worship Center Music Ministries, Augusta, GA
Summary: Gigi and Reggie serve as one of our two Foundation’s “husband and wife” leadership teams. Gigi’s special interests are health, nutrition, and outdoor nature therapy which coincide with this team’s mutual interests in outdoor Scouting activities, camping, and nature preservation. Both are great supporters and proponents of the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) and Scouts BSA “Leave No Trace” philosophy.
NANDI SHETTY
Background: Co-Founder, Aero Science International, Inc.
Memberships and Significant Activities:
- Pilot and Pilot Trainer
- Market Development Manager, Allover Digital Inc.
- Internet and Website Development Experience
Summary: Nandi has been a tremendous resource in developing the Foundation’s internet presence; has consistently provided sound advice for growth, marketability, and sustainability; and provides a wide vision for developing Bath Gardens into a popular destination for international visitors.
JOSEPH SHORES
Background: Vietnam War Veteran, U.S. Army; Commander, American Legion Post 150, Blythe, GA
Memberships and Significant Activities:
- Finance Officer, 11th District American Legion
- Chef de’ Train, 719 Voiture, Society of 40 Men and 8 Horses
- American Legion Riders
Summary: Joseph and Rebecca serve as the Foundation’s second “husband and wife” leadership team. As a Vietnam War Veteran and Commander of the American Legion’s Post 150, located less than a quarter mile from Bath Gardens, Joseph and Rebecca share nearly identical interests: sharing their faith in God, our Country, and promoting a respect for nature, self-reliance, and the great outdoors.
BRYAN TUSCHEN
Background: Financial Consultant
Memberships and Significant Activities:
- Association of the United States Army (AUSA) Fort Gordon Chapter
- Columbia County Rotary Club, West
- Field Agent, Knights of Columbus
Summary: Bryan’s years of experience as a Financial Consultant and extensive familiarity with Fort Gordon – Bath Garden’s largest neighbor – as well as the installation’s operations and hierarchy, make him an incredible asset to the Foundation. Bryan’s wife, Amy Tuschen, serves as Executive Director for the Fort Gordon Signal Corps Museum.
CAMPBELL VAUGHN
Background: UGA Agricultural and Natural Resource Agent for Richmond County
Memberships and Significant Activities:
- Columnist for the Augusta Chronicle
- Exchange Club of Augusta
- Augusta University, Masters in Public Administration (MPA)
- University of Georgia, BLA in Landscape Architecture and BS, Agricultural Business and Management.
Summary: Campbell brings a wealth of knowledge, experience, and love for agriculture, horticulture, and wildlife to the Bath Gardens Foundation. Not only does Campbell provide resources for landscape management, he also offers design ideas and community resource connections that increase the gardens partners as we grow into a community, state, and regional asset.
INA VINCENT
Background: Library Media Specialist and Session Member, Bath Presbyterian Church
Memberships and Significant Activities:
- Friends of Blythe Library
- Former Library Media Specialist, Richmond County Board of Education (30 Years)
- Former Red Cross Volunteer for many years at Eisenhower Medical Center, Fort Gordon, GA
Summary: Ina is a seasoned world-traveler who has been to all seven continents and considers herself to be an “adventure traveler!” Her most memorable travels include safaris in South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe; extensive travels throughout the Far East and Egypt; and a 9-day trip to Antarctica in 2006. She is known to her colleagues and friends as a passionate educator, historian, environmentalist, and naturalist. Ina is the type of volunteer who says, “I can’t do much,” and then she does so very much.
