Alumni Spotlight
Teri Perry '79
Teri Perry, a 1979 graduate of Augusta College, lives in Evans, Ga., and grew up in Richmond County.
For Teri, her career path began at Augusta College (as Teri Anderson), where she graduated with an Associates Degree in Nursing, and in 1985, she received her Bachelor's in Nursing from Medical University of South Carolina. In 1987, she earned her Master of Science, with emphasis in Nursing Administration from MUSC.
“I felt very secure in the education I was getting [at Augusta College],” Teri said. “The professors were very strict.”
Teri says that one of the most influential professors she had while attending Augusta College was Connie Skalak.
“She was an excellent role model and mentor...just as calm as can be,” Teri said.
Teri now works at Georgia Health Sciences University as Vice President for Adult Patient Care Services, and she's also the Interim Chief Nursing Officer. She started working there (formerly Medical College of Georgia) in 1994 as nurse manager for the Cardiac Care Unit, and has worked her way up through various positions to her roles now at GHSU.
Teri is married to Dennis Perry, and they have two sons—John, 23, and Clayton, 20. John works at a restaurant in Charlotte, N.C., and Clayton is a sophomore at Georgia Tech.
Teri's family carries on the tradition of receiving education from “Harvard on the Hill.” Her father was a graduate from the Junior College of Augusta, and one of her cousins is currently a senior at Augusta State University. She has a niece who has recently been accepted to ASU and a second one who will likely transfer there in August to complete her senior year.
Recently, Teri has discovered the fun of fishing, and she suspects it comes from a field trip she took in the late 1970s to Savannah with her Invertebrate Zoology class from Augusta College. The class went on a shrimp boat for the day. Lately, she has taken up fishing at a spot in Jefferson County, Ga., where her friends have some land with several ponds that was once part of a kaolin mine. She has also fished with her oldest son, John, at Lake Norman in North Carolina.
Teri has been a member of the ASU Alumni Association for many years, but has recently started becoming more involved, now that her sons are older. She especially enjoys the annual Holiday Drop-In at the Maxwell Alumni House and the bi-monthly Monday Mixers, a chance for ASU alums to chat with each other at local restaurants.
Teri attended the Alumni Association's Annual Awards Dinner for the first time this February.
“I really enjoyed that a lot,” she said.
Teri also serves on the advisory board for the School of Nursing at Augusta State University.
When she's not at a Monday Mixer, Teri names two local restaurants as her favorites—The Snug Tavern in Augusta and The Garlic Clove in Evans.
When it's time to get away from Augusta, Teri says she and her family like to travel to different places, but she really likes the North Carolina Outer Banks and Virginia Beach, Va. She also enjoys visiting her sister in Asheville, N.C.
In her spare time, she enjoys watching “The Closer” on TNT, “Dancing With the Stars,” and “The Voice”. She also enjoys working in the yard, spending time with family and reading.
“I would love to have more time to read. I like to read everything,” she said.
She hopes to continue to grow in the nursing profession. She enjoys public speaking and desires to brush up on her professional speaking skills.
“I'll never stop learning,” Teri said.