The Georgia State University Alumni Association has named the honorees in its first class of distinguished alumni under the age of 40.

The 40 Under 40 program recognizes and honors the most influential and innovative graduates who embody the values of Georgia State.

“As an enterprising public research university educating one of the most diverse student bodies in the nation, Georgia State University produces talented and creative alumni every year who go on to do amazing work in a wide range of fields,” said Christina Million, Georgia State associate vice president of alumni relations. “We created the 40 Under 40 program as a way to celebrate those Panthers who are making a difference in their respective organizations and communities.”

The first class of 40 Under 40 consists of representatives from a variety of pursuits, from Fortune 500 companies to non-profits, global non-governmental organizations and local governments, and includes top professionals in the business, academic, legal, scientific, military and financial services fields, among others.

This year’s class of outstanding young alumni will be honored at the 40 Under 40 Awards ceremony and reception on March 22 at 5Church at 1197 Peachtree St. NE, #528. The event is open to the public. Tickets may be purchased for $40 at pantheralumni.com/40under40. Sponsorships are also available.

The Georgia State Alumni Association 40 Under 40 Class of 2018:

• Adebola Akinola-Aguda (B.S. ’15), robotics and process automation consultant, Ernst & Young

• Lisamarie Bristol (J.D. ’09), assistant solicitor-general, DeKalb County, Ga. Office of the Solicitor-General

• Kirk Brown (B.A. ’08), senior director of development, The Ron Clark Academy

• Tosif Chouhan (B.B.A. ’05), partner, The Chouhan Law Firm

• Darren Clay, (B.S.E. ’10, M.Ed. ’11), assistant principal, Bear Creek Middle School, Fulton County Schools

• Odie Donald, II (B.A. ’03, MBA ’12), director/labor commissioner, Department of Employment, District of Columbia Government

• Desron Dorset (M.S. ’11), vice president, Business Development, Philadelphia 76ers

• Darren English (M.A. ’14), chief executive officer and co-founder, Feedback; award-winning jazz trumpeter

• Christopher Escobar (B.A. ’08, M.A. ’13), executive director, Atlanta Film Society

• Brittany Garner (B.S. ’14, M.S.W. ’16), deputy director, Programs, Lost-N-Found Youth

• Ben Gibson, Jr. (MBA ’03), senior vice president, BBVA Compass

• Cheryl Johnson (B.A. ’08, M.A. ’11, Certificate of Public Health ’12), technical officer, HIV Testing, World Health Organization

• Heval Kelli (B.S.’06), cardiology Fellow, Emory University School of Medicine

• Grace Lee (B.S. ’12), chief administrator, Korean Kids and Orphanage Outreach Mission

• Wendy Lewis (MBA ’07), director of marketing, Elf on the Shelf

• Jennifer Lind (M.P.H. ’12), pharmacist/epidemiologist, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

• Natalia Long (B.B.A. ’11), senior consultant, Deloitte Consulting

• Bettina Love (Ph.D. ’08), associate professor, University of Georgia

• Eric Lucan (MBA ’05), chief marketing officer, Mike’s Bikes; City Council member, City of Novato, Calif.

• Ana Maria Martinez (J.D. ’09), senior staff attorney, DeKalb State Court

• Petrina McDaniel (B.A.’01, J.D. ’04), partner, Squire Patton Boggs

• Alexander Membrillo (B.B.A. ’08), founder & chief executive officer, Cardinal Digital Marketing

• Manoj Mishra (J.D. ’02), Strategic Customer Engagements, Americas, Amazon Web Services

• Ashley Moore (B.A. ’11), area sales and service representative, Medtronic

• Carrie O’Brien (B.B.A. ’07, J.D. ’14), chief operating & compliance officer, Arcan Capital

• Justin Palmer (B.B.A. ’05), director, Genesis Capital

• Sucheta Rawal (B.B.A. ’02, M.S. ’04), executive director, Go Eat Give

• Terrance Rogers (B.B.A. ’10), associate, Corporate Advisory (Mergers and Acquisitions), Evercore Partners

• Barbara Rogers (MBA ’08, M.H.A. ’09, J.D. ’15), attorney, Arnall Golden Gregory LLP

• Firat Sarsar (Ph.D. ’14), assistant professor and vice dean, Ege University (Izmir, Turkey)

• Kyle Stapleton (B.B.A. ’09, MBA ’12), manager of culture & experience, Turner

• Dylan Stone-Miller (B.A. ’13), director of programs, honorCode, Inc.

• Henry Swofford (B.S. ’08), chief, Latent Print Branch, Unites States Army Criminal Investigation Laboratory

• Brandon Talley (M.P.H. ’14), vice president, Programs, CDC Foundation

• Eric Teusink (J.D. ’08), managing partner, Williams Teusink, LLC

• Hanan Waite (B.S.N. ’08), founder and director, Earth’s Angels Non-Profit Organization

• Kevin White (M.S. ’09), deputy director of athletics, Internal Affairs & chief financial officer, Northwestern University

• Benjamin Williams (B.A. ’13), associate program director, Georgia Institute of Technology

• Jason Winston (B.B.A. ’04, M.S. ’12), founder and marketing director, Winston Media Group

• Ben Yin (MBA ’09), owner & principal, Generational Financial Partners