ATHENS--------- Former Assistant Athletic Director for Academic Counseling Robert Goodwin will be rejoining the University of Georgia Athletic Association as a Senior Assistant Athletic Director for Academic Counseling as part of an internal reorganization which will go into effect Feb. 1.

Susan Lahey, who has served as an academic counselor since 1992, has been promoted to Assistant Athletic Director and Associate Director of the Academic Counseling Unit.

Goodwin joined the Oglethorpe County School System in July, 2000, after serving eight years in the UGA academic counseling unit from 1992-2000, the final two years as assistant athletic director. In his new role he will serve as overall director of the UGA academic counseling unit.

In other areas of the Association reorganization, Kelley Barks, who has served as director of the Sanford Stadium SkySuites and promotions coordinator for women's gymnastics, has been named Associate Director of Development. She will continue to manage the SkySuites as part of her new duties.

The Athletic Association also plans to add two new positions to the Development office staff--a director of major gifts and an additional assistant director of development.

In addition, organizational reporting will also experience some changes. The Development office will now report to Damon Evans, Senior Associate Athletic Director for Internal Affairs. It had previously been structured under Claude Felton, Senior Associate Athletic Director for External Affairs. The Association Event Management office, which has been under the supervision of Evans will now report to Felton.

"I think these changes will serve several purposes which will all result in a better functioning Association," said UGA Athletic Director Vince Dooley. "Certainly we are thrilled to get Robert Goodwin back on our staff to head our counseling unit and the promotion of Susan will together give us formidable leadership in our overall counseling program. And the addition of Kelley Barks with two more positions to come in our development office will greatly enhance some of the things we want to do in that area."

Goodwin, a former football letterman at UGA, originally came to Georgia in 1988 as an academic counselor after serving five years at Cedar Shoals High School in Athens. He was promoted to an academic counseling coordinator in 1992 and to assistant athletic director in 1998. Goodwin was Georgia's second leading tackler as a defensive end in 1978 and received both his bachelor's and master's degrees from UGA.

Lahey served 11 years in academic advisement capacities with the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences before joining the Athletic Association. She was named an academic consultant in 1991 and academic counselor in 1992. Barks served as an assistant women's basketball coach and assistant promotions director at UGA prior to assuming her current position.