Name: April (Hembree) Crow
Family: Brian (spouse- UGA 97); Garner (son Age 12) and Greer (daughter age 10)
Hometown: Rockmart, Ga.
Current Town: Atlanta, Ga.
What Years at UGA: 1991-1995
School/Degree:  BS in Environmental Health (College of Agriculture/School of Public Health)
Profession: Sustainability Advisor
Accolades: UGA 40 Under 40; Leadership Georgia 2015; Leadership Georgia Program Chair 2017; Executive Committee Captain Planet Foundation; Trustee Georgia 4-H Foundation; UGA Alumni Association Board of Trustees; Co-founder Trash Free Seas Alliance; Coca-Cola Women in Leadership and Don Keough Leadership Academy.

 
 
What life lessons did you learn while at UGA? 
 

“Embrace the diversity of those you meet. There is a great opportunity to learn from every individual you encounter. Doing what you have a passion for brings out your best”

 
 
What professor did you most admire (and why)?
 

“Ellen Williams was one of my English professors at UGA. She provided gentle guidance yet challenged me to think boldly about my abilities and future direction. I still have one of her handwritten notes that I have pulled out for inspiration over the years.”

 
 
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
 

“My children. They have a zest for life and energy that is contagious. Garner is a huge Bulldog fan but I’m not sure where we went wrong with Greer who at a very young age decided she wants to go to Georgia Tech. Given it is fve miles from our home in Atlanta, I might not oppose … From a professional stand point I’ve been able to combine my personal passion areas in environmental sustainability with work that I love. I’ve spent most of my career working on packaging and recycling programs around the world. More recently I’ve become more involved in the growing issue of trash in our oceans including building a solutions oriented coalition and pushing forward key research to help better understand the issue and potential solutions. I hope
my continued work leads to many other achievements.”

 
 
Who are your heroes in real life?
 

“My parents. I was the frst in my family to attend college. They are both very smart individuals and extremely hard workers and always worked to provide every educational opportunity for me. They had high expectations and always encouraged me to give 110% to everything. Those expectations, encouragement and opportunities were instrumental in who I am today and the parent I try to be to my children as well,”

 
 
Quote to live by:
 

“One that has been instrumental in my professional life is from Robert Woodruff who said, ‘There is no limit to what a man can do or where he can go if he doesn’t mind who gets the credit.” I started my environmental career at Coca-Cola right out of UGA and this principle was key as I jumped into my work and projects early in my professional development.’ “

 
 
What is your idea of perfect happiness?
 

“Time with family ideally on water –lake or ocean – both are my happy place.”

 
 
What is your most marked characteristic?
 

“Embracing every opportunity to explore a new place or culture. Growing up in a small town in northwest Georgia I have great memories of long road trips with my parents to visit National Parks and historic sites across the US. These experiences launched my desire to see more places and meet new people. I’ve been fortunate through my career and personal life to see much of the world. My journeys have taken me to all 50 states and to more than 35 countries across six continents (at last count). I love seeing and learning from others about their part of the world.”

 
 
What do you most value in your friends?
 

“Authenticity. Being real at all times with all people – regardless of occasion or status.”

 
 
If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
 

“Currently, these well-earned gray hairs … I’m also trying to practice the power of a “positive no.” I’ve learned when you say yes to one thing, you are simultaneously saying no to something else. As you have more demands on your time, managing it and priorities becomes more difcult. You have to learn to say no to good things in order to say yes to your most important priorities.”

 
 
Who are your favorite writers (and why)?
 

“I always love a good self-help or personal development book. One that I often reference when coaching young colleagues is Be Excellent at Anything by Tony Schwartz that focuses on operating at your best through properly managing your four sources of personal energy – physical, emotional, mental and spiritual. All four are required to fuel high performance and too often we do not allow time to keep them all in balance so we can perform at our best.”

 
 
Fave social media and who to follow (and why)?
 

“I’m old school and still enjoy Facebook. It allows me keep up with friends from my hometown, UGA and people that I have met from my travels in every corner of the world from Morocco to Shanghai.”

 
 
 
FOR CHERI’S RECENT GEORGIA GIRLS POSTS with UGA ALUMNAE – click here 
 
FOR CHERI’S RECENT PROUST Q&As with UGA ALUMNI – click here
 
FOR RECENT POSTS on THE SOUTHERN C BY CHERI  – click here