CREW

Ellen Bowers Davenport (Family Custodian/Treasurer) is a native of Canon, Georgia, family founded in the 1800’s. She attended Georgia College and State University. After a 20 year stay in Panama City Beach where she managed ‘Snake-A-Torium’ (working with snakes, alligators and exotic animals), she moved back to her family roots with husband, Link, where they are on-site managers of Bowers Memorial Park and The Bowers House. Ellen is an active member and co-founder of the Bowers House Writers’ Guild and published her first book in 2021, ‘100 Years of the Bowers Reunion.’ Ellen is the primary Bowers family historian, 404-358-3678 

Charlie Read (Family Custodian) 954-888-8948 is a co-founder of The Bowers House Writer’s Retreat along with Laura Bowers Foreman, former owner of the home until late 2021. An Atlanta native and designer and illustrator, he graduated from University of Georgia in Journalism and later graduated from Atlanta’s Portfolio Center. He and his business partner, Karen Gelhar are Co-Creative directors of Firewater Creative, a small design and branding agency. He is former Communications Director for Ma-Yi Theater Company in Manhattan, an off broadway Asian American theater Company, and returned South to take the helm of The Bowers House operation with his life partner, Dorjan Williams.

Dorjan Javas Williams (Program Director), a New Jersey native, is an award-winning fine art film director and producer with VoxPop Atlanta, a news agency focusing on South Atlanta residents. A former reporter with 11 Alive and a film instructor at Miami Media school, he holds a degree at Art Institute of Miami and a certificate from Palm Beach Film School and Moviola Digital Arts Institue. Currrently an editor and producer at The Weather Channel, Dorjan is in charge of facilitating retreats and performances, and is executive producer of ‘Bowers Hour’ capturing programming of creative progress and activity at The Bowers House to expand our reach and support our mission. 404-271-7807 

Jonny Hibbert (Audio Producer/Music Ambassador) a well know Atlanta music performer, entertainment attorney and songwriter, meticulously records and perfects the audio for ‘Bowers Hour’ while he assists resident music groups and songwriting retreats at the facility. Jonny produced the first REM single ‘Radio Free Europe’ on the Hibtone label, and played with Darryl Rhoads, Cruisomatic and many others, including his recent work with fellow Music Ambassadors, Marvin Jackson and Jeffrey Diamond. Jonny currently lives in Carrolton, Georgia and plays sax/guitar gigs regularly.

Charles Prier– Writers Groups Ambassador, Director of The Bowers House Writers Guild

Karen Gelhaar, Jean Cleveland and E. Deborah Hill- Creative Communications Ambassadors

Jonathan ‘Jonny’ Hibbert (with help of Henry Read, Marvin Jackson and Jeffrey Diamond)- Music Ambassadors

Heather and William McCluskey, children Brett and Kit, and grandson, Stephen, McCluskey Music Studio, Lavonia, Ga-  Broadway Music Ambassadors

Roumina Georgieva- Classical Music Ambassador

Kim Shockley Karelson (with Linda Mitchell, Vickie Martin Conison and Daphne Covington)- Fine Art Ambassadors

Mary Anne Mitchell-Photography Ambassador

Paige Prier– Art Gallery Ambassador

Max Woo- Dance Ambassador

Ryan Lannom (Bleace) and Karol Molina– Digital Art and New Media Ambassadors

Denise Moore/Alex Spassoff- Yoga and Health Ambassadors

Linda Wetstone Lloyd and Neil Croak– Social Ambassadors

Jorge Ortoll and Vanna Pilgrim– Theater and Acting Ambassadors

Joe Hynes– Cuisine Arts Ambassador

Evan Hynes and Kira Hynes- New Arts Ambassadors

Chip Vandiver- Legal Ambassador

David Gordon- Accounting Ambassador

Fi Kaplan Heyburn and Barry Lamon (FeeBee’s Lounge) – Lounge Event Ambassadors

Molly Woo and Chris Parsons- Humanitarian Arts Ambassadors

Flippo Monetti- Mechanic Arts Ambassador

Scott Westervelt– Clothing Design and Costume Arts Ambassador

Mary Wilson Beasley- Unitarian-Universalists Church Ambassador

Gerald Maa, Writer’s Ambassador, Editor, The Georgia Review

Jean Cleveland and Jane Kidd- UGA Ambassadors

Coby Koehl- New York Ambassador 

Brandon Nance- South Carolina Ambassador 

Sunny Ingram- North Carolina Ambassador 

Jessie and Catie Read- Colorado Ambassadors 

Leigh Vandiver- California Ambassador 

Aidan Pilgrim and Ryland Cook- European Ambassadors 

Lourdes Obillo and Roger Chua- Philippines Ambassadors 

Mike Boruki- South American Ambassador 

Laura Gates- Scandinavian Ambassador 

Jane Carrington and Luke Rosen- Florida Ambassadors 

Ricky Carter and Darrell Detter- Building Ambassadors 

Steve Bond, Mildred Bowers Felton, Laura White Wiley and Brenda Ziegler- Bowers Family History Ambassadors 

ADVISORS

Laura Foreman, former owner of The Bowers House and founder of the Writers’ Retreat and Literary Center. A writer, she has published in various newspapers (The Christian Science Monitor, The Seattle Post-Intelligencer),journals (Earthlight Magazine, Wildlife Conservation Magazine) and anthologies (The Sweet Breathing of Plants, Coming Home). She also serves on the “Friends of The Georgia Review Board.”

Stephen Corey, former editor of The Georgia Review. Founded at the University of Georgia in 1947, The Georgia Review has become one of America’s most highly regarded journals of arts and letters. The Georgia Review has twice taken a top prize in the annual National Magazine Awards competition and has been a finalist 18 times in various categories—including General Excellence.

Laura Mickel, Certified Grants Consultant – USC, UGA –focusing on grants in rural NE Georgia. Her grant writing has secured $100,000 grants for Royston, GA in both 2010 & 2011.Laura maintains her office at The Bowers House.

Linda DePascale, Director of Development for Academic Affairs and Constituency-Based Fund Raising for the University of Georgia’s Office of Development and International Education.A long-term fund raiser for The Georgia Review, she also serves on the “Friends of The Georgia Review Board.”

Sandra Scott, R.N., a writer’s group and journaling facilitator at the Loran Smith Cancer Care Center at the Athens Regional Medical Center (ARMC), Athens, GA. A registered nurse at ARMC, she has conducted writing and journaling groups for cancer patients and caregivers with a focus on creative health. She co-edited and contributed to the anthology, A Communion of Sorts. She has also served as a board member on The Georgia Review