TIFTON—Four members of Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College’s staff have been recently added or will be playing expanded roles on the Office of Student Affairs team, according to Assistant Vice President of Student Affairs & Dean of Students Dr. Alan Kramer.
In the Residence Life & Housing office, Trent Hester has been named the Director, while Sarai Mapp has been promoted to Associate Director. Also, Jason Pace will take on duties as Coordinator of Intramurals, Open Gym, and Club Sports, while Lydia Tyson will assume additional duties as Coordinator of Thrash Wellness Center.
“We have a dedicated and talented team at ABAC,” said President Tracy Brundage. “These four individuals have excelled in their previous roles, and we are excited about their new opportunities.”
Trent Hester will assume the Director of Student Life & Housing reigns held previously by Dr. Corey Langston. Hester is an ABAC graduate who began his career as a Community Assistant in the Office of Residence Life. Hester has served as the Residence Life Coordinator, Assistant Director of Residence Life, and, most recently, as the Leadership and Engagement Coordinator. In that role, Hester led the planning, development, and implementation of the college’s orientation program, Welcome Week, and Convocation while also overseeing Study Abroad and the STEPS (Student Engagement Programs) Symposium that highlights mentored research opportunities for students. Along with Student Life & Housing duties, Hester will continue to work closely with the AVP of Academic Affairs, Dr. Mark Johnson, in coordinating Orientation and Welcome Week.
Sarai Mapp has been promoted to Associate Director of Student Life & Housing. Mapp joined ABAC in 2022 as the Assistant Director of Residence Life after previous stints at Mercer University, the Middle Georgia Center for Academic Excellence, and Barton College in North Carolina. She has experience supervising a team of Residence Life Coordinators and Resident Assistants, as well as playing a vital role in several committees on campus.
Jason Pace has been a part of the ABAC family since 2017 and is currently a Residence Life Coordinator. Pace will take on additional duties as Coordinator of Intramurals, Open Gym, and Club Sports. Previously, Pace served as ABAC’s Director of Campus Recreation from 2017 to 2021 and the Coordinator of Facilities and Operations at Radford University from 2013 to 2017.
Lydia Tyson came to ABAC in September of 2022 as the Head Athletic Trainer, where she also serves as the college’s Coordinator of Aquatic and Fitness Center programming. Tyson will take on additional duties as ABAC’s Coordinator of Thrash Wellness Center. Tyson recently graduated from the University of Florida with her M.S. in Sport Management.
“I can’t imagine a better team that is more student-focused than ours,” Kramer said. “They all have unique strengths and talents, but one of the things they share is they love working with our students and are always thinking of innovative ways to improve their quality of life. We’ve seen the difference all four of them have made on campus in their time here, and I’m confident we’ll see that in an even bigger way going forward.”
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