OSL Faculty & Staff

Dr. Paul Matthews is the Associate Director of the University of Georgia Office of Service-Learning (OSL), where he helps support faculty members, students, and community partners in applying academic skills and knowledge to address community needs and enhance student learning. Paul holds two degrees from the University of Georgia—a Ph.D. in language education and an A.B. in Area Studies—as well as an M.A. in Latin American Studies from the University of Texas at Austin. He was also a Fulbright Fellow to the University of Passau (Germany), and was a 2019 Canterbury Visiting Fellow at the University of Canterbury in Christchurch, New Zealand.

A Senior Academic Professional, Paul has been on the faculty at the University of Georgia since 1994, in departments including Romance Languages, Language Education, and as founding Co-Director of the Center for Latino Achievement & Success in Education (CLASE) in the College of Education. He was a Service-Learning Fellow in 2006 and the Office of Service-Learning’s Senior Scholar for Faculty Development from 2007-2010; in July 2010 he became Assistant Director of the OSL, and became Associate Director in 2016. In that role, he coordinates faculty development and awards programs, tracks institutional reporting of service-learning and community engagement, conducts research and evaluation, coordinates service-learning initiatives, directs UGA's AmeriCorps VISTA network, and teaches service-learning coursework. He was a 2011-12 graduate of the Public Service & Outreach Leadership Academy and a 2018 graduate of the PSO Facilitation Academy, and is part of the coordinating committee for the PSO Faculty Scholarship Academy. He is also the founding coordinator of the Public Service & Outreach Student Scholars Program. Paul co-facilitates UGA's Non-Tenure-Track Faculty Learning Community and the FLC on Service-Learning Research, and is part of UGA's Implementation Team with the University System's High-Impact Practices initiative.

Paul regularly presents and publishes service-learning scholarship and convenes UGA's Faculty Learning Community on Service-Learning Research. He serves as the section co-editor for the Advances in Theory and Methodology section of the International Journal of Research on Service-Learning and Community Engagement and for the Dissertation Overviews section of the Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement. He holds the "Community Engagement Fundamentals" and the "Community Engaged Learning and Teaching" credentials through Campus Compact's Community Engagement Professional credentialing program, and was the Gulf-South Summit on Service-Learning and Civic Engagement's Outstanding Practitioner of the Year for 2016. Paul was appointed a Commissioner on the Georgia Commission for Service and Volunteerism by Governor Brian Kemp in 2020. He received the UGA Vice President's Award for Excellence in Public Service & Outreach in 2022 and was a 2022 inductee into UGA's Teaching Academy.

Paul is also past president of the Classic City Rotary Club; International Service and Grants Chair and past Assistant District Governor for Rotary International District 6910; and a long-time Scoutmaster for Boy Scout Troop 149 in Oconee County, GA. Paul and his wife are restoring their hundred-year old historic bungalow, and he also plays Celtic music with other local musicians, with weekly sessions in downtown Athens. Paul has received numerous community and civic recognitions including the Rotary Foundation Citation for Meritorious Service and the Rotary Foundation Distinguished Service Award; Scouting's District Award of Merit and Silver Beaver; Georgia TESOL's Professional Service Award; and was the Northeast Georgia Council's sole inductee for the Boy Scouts of America 100th Anniversary National Hall of Leadership (2010). Paul was presented the Key to the City of Athens from Mayor Nancy Denson in 2018.

Joshua Podvin serves as the Assistant Director for the Office of Service-Learning, focusing on community partnerships and engagement. In this role, he supports the "Engage Georgia" platform, coordinates communication and support of community partners, special projects and days of service, and helps promote reciprocity and partnership with the local community. He previously served as the Experience UGA Coordinator, facilitating educational field trips to the UGA campus for all 13,000+ students in the Clarke County School District. He is a graduate of the Public Service & Outreach Vivian H. Fisher Leadership Academy and the Public Service & Outreach Facilitation Academy. Prior to joining the Office of Service-Learning, Josh worked as the Senior Coordinator for the Center for Student Organizations and National Student Exchange Program at UGA for 9 years. Josh earned his M.Ed in Higher Education Administration from Arizona State University in 2006, and more recently he has been pursuing a Masters in Landscape Architecture part-time while working full-time for UGA. Recognized as 2013 Athens Exceptionals, Josh and his wife Erin are advocates of all things Athens. Currently they are enjoying a new adventure with the recent addition of their sons (Amos and Charlie), who keep them busy and mildly sleep deprived. Originally from the Cincinnati, OH area, Josh is a staunch supporter of the city’s ever-struggling sports teams and unique style of chili. In his free time he enjoys ceramics, playing soccer, and making pies and preserves for friends.

UGA's AmeriCorps Network VISTA members each serve full-time for a year in a campus or community placement. VISTAs are not employees of UGA, but serve through AmeriCorps and are coordinated through the Office of Service-Learning. The current VISTAs and their placements are:

1. (recruiting), Athens Community Council on Aging.
2. Elham Taghizadeh, Clarke Co. Mentor Program.
3. Dy'Amond McGhee, College Factory.
4. Rachel Dingley, UGArden.
5. Daniel Robinson Player, Athens Regional Library.
6. (recruiting), Campus Kitchen-UGA.
7. (recruiting), Experience UGA.
8. (recruiting), Butterfly Dreams Farm
9. Mackenzie Teeter, EcoReach at UGA
10. (vacant), Concrete Jungle
11. Anna Flatley, Athens Area Humane Society

See more about our AmeriCorps VISTA Network at https://servicelearning.uga.edu/community-engagement/americorps-vista-positions

Jamel Adams is Graduate Assistant for the Experience UGA program within the Office of Service-Learning and a graduate student in the College of Student Affairs Administration program at UGA. Originally from Zion Illinois, he graduated from Western Illinois University in Fall of 2020 with a Bachelors in Organizational Communication and a minor in Events Planning & Management. Throughout his undergraduate career, Jamel was highly involved with the University and Student Affairs overall, and worked within housing for two years, orientation, admission, student activities, etc. After graduating, he worked for the Boys & Girls Club as an associate manager, helping run a site, conducting program assessments, and working with administration on resource development. Jamel loves working with kids, being able to enrich their minds and create positive impact on their lives, especially those who are struggling.

Olivia Rothstein is a graduate student in Landscape Architecture with the College of Environment and Design with an anticipated graduation date of May 2024. She is from Gainesville, Florida but got her undergraduate degree from the College of Charleston in South Carolina. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Historic Preservation and Community Planning in May of 2020. This past year she served as an AmeriCorps Service Member with Experience UGA here in Athens and is excited to have the opportunity to keep working with the Office of Service-Learning. Olivia is passionate about community engagement and service. In her free time, you can find her either at home reading, on the phone with her niece and nephews, or on long walks with her fiancé and their new dog, Mose.