Our Team
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Skipper G. StipeMaas
Skipper G. StipeMaas is the Georgia Heirs Property Law Center’s founding Executive Director. Skipper is a Community Economic Development Attorney with over 25 years of professional specialization in heirs property and nonprofit, land-based development projects involving complex real estate acquisitions, conservation easements, affordable housing development, estate planning, and leasehold agreements. As a native of Dixie, GA (Brooks County), located in South Georgia, and long-term resident of Athens, Georgia, Ms. StipeMaas is familiar with the capacity of both rural and urban communities to sustainably revitalize while fostering generational wealth building.
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PO Box 49294 | Athens, GA 30604
CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER
Delene W. Porter
Delene W. Porter is the Georgia Heirs Property Law Center’s Chief Operating Officer. Delene has over 15 years of experience in nonprofit management and community development. She leverages her passion for fundraising, budgeting, strategic planning, and research to increase the Center's impact. Before joining the Center, Delene served as the founding CEO & President of the Athens Area Community Foundation, raising over $6 million in community assets and facilitating over $1.5 million in grants during the Foundation’s start-up period.
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PO Box 49294 | Athens, GA 30604
LEGAL PROGRAMS SPECIALIST
Gentry E. Mander
Gentry Mander is the Georgia Heirs Property Law Center Legal Programs Specialist and is based in the Center’s Atlanta office. Gentry joined the Center in late 2017 after spending two years practicing estate planning law in a small firm in Atlanta. Gentry graduated from Stetson University with a B.A. in International Studies and Spanish. She received her J.D. and a certificate in Environmental and Land Use Planning Law from the University of Florida. Driven by a passion for equity, Gentry simultaneously obtained a Masters in Sustainable Development Practice (M.D.P.), also from the University of Florida.
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54 Ellis Street NE | Atlanta, GA 30303
LEGAL PROGRAMS Deputy DIRECTOR
Terri HendLey
Terri Hendley is the Georgia Heirs Property Law Center’s Legal Programs' Deputy Director and is based in the Center's Atlanta office. Terri comes to the Center with more than 30 years of law firm experience. In her most recent role at an Am Law 50 law firm, she managed 40% of the firm's pro bono practice, built and managed relationships with community partners across the Southeast, and designed and implemented pro bono projects with in-house legal departments of top 20 corporate clients. Her professional experience includes roles in attorney professional development, paralegal management, and as a business litigation paralegal where she was fortunate to work with attorneys committed to increasing access to justice. She graduated from the University of Richmond with a B.A. in Sociology and Political Science, the National Center for Paralegal Training, and is a PACE® Registered Paralegal® through the National Federation of Paralegal Associations. Terri is a member of the inaugural class of recipients of the Atlanta Business Chronicle's Corporate Citizenship Awards.
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54 Ellis Street NE | Atlanta, GA 30303
SENIOR ATTORNEY
Wanda Milton-Strickland
Wanda Milton-Strickland is a Georgia Heirs Property Law Center Senior Attorney based in the Center’s Valdosta, Georgia office. Wanda came to the Center with over 10 years of legal expertise having previously worked for Georgia Legal Services Program, Inc. and having run her own law firm with a focus on wills, probate, real estate and family law matters. Prior to her legal career, Wanda practiced for 12 years as a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. Wanda holds a B.S. from Troy State University, an M.S. from Valdosta State University, and a J.D. from Florida Coastal School of Law.
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PO Box 5817 | Valdosta, GA 31603
STAFF ATTORNEY
Tory Holloway
Tory Holloway is a Georgia Heirs Property Law Center Staff Attorney based in the Atlanta office. Tory comes to the Center with over 15 years of legal experience having run her own firm with a focus on personal injury law. Prior to joining the Center this year, Tory spent 10 years teaching in the Clayton County School District. Tory holds a M.Ed. from Georgia College and State University, a J.D. from Cooley Law School, and a B.A. from Georgia State University.
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54 Ellis Street | Atlanta, GA 30303
STAFF ATTORNEY
June Teasley
June Teasley is a Georgia Heirs Property Law Center Staff Attorney with a background in criminal prosecution and courtroom litigation. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from Georgia College and State University and earned her Juris Doctor at Savannah Law School. June also spent time working for a private firm where she gained experience in Wills and Estate Planning. She strives to use her experience to help families and heirs across Georgia.
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54 Ellis Street | Atlanta, GA 30303
PARALEGAL
JOHN GEHNER
John Gehner is the Georgia Heirs Property Law Center’s Paralegal and Outreach Coordinator. He graduated from Southern Illinois University Carbondale with a B.A. and M.F.A. in creative writing and later from Dominican University’s Master of Library and Information Science (M.L.I.S.) program. His professional experience includes positions in book and magazine publishing, librarianship, and nonprofit communications. To date, John has supported attorneys working in criminal defense, family law, and personal injury litigation and is devoted to helping low-income people and other socially excluded groups.
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PO Box 49294 | Athens, GA 30604
OUTREACH & pARTNERSHIPS cOORDINATOR
JASMINE N. HELMS
Jasmine Helms is the Georgia Heirs Property Law Center’s Outreach and Partnerships Coordinator. She graduated from McPherson College with a B.A. in Communication and in Spanish. She later graduated from the University of Florida – Levin College of Law with a Juris Doctor. Prior to attending law school, Jasmine interned for the United Nations Office of Human Resources Management as a Communications and Outreach Intern. After her internship, Jasmine worked as a Legal Assistant for a boutique firm specializing in estate planning, probate, and corporate formation. During law school, Jasmine interned for the Center from May 2021 to May 2022. After gaining experience in criminal law, family law, and personal injury through other internships, Jasmine returned to the Center and utilizes her communication, marketing, and legal skills to reach underserved individuals and further the Center’s vision to remedy heirs property.
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PO Box 5817 | Valdosta, GA 31603
Intake cOORDINATOR
Sara CrosS
Sara Cross is the Intake Coordinator for Georgia Heirs Property Law Center. A retired elementary school teacher, Sara joined the Center in mid-2022 and is based in the Athens office. She graduated from the University of Georgia with a B.A. in German and an M.Ed. in Foreign Language Education.
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PO Box 49294 | Athens, GA 30604
Our Board.
Pearson Beardsley, Esq.
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Principal,
Beardsley, P.C.
Seletha Butler, Esq.
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VP and Senior Corporate Counsel, Truist Bank
Hon. Robert Chasteen, Jr.
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Superior Court Judge, Cordele Judicial Circuit
Katherine "Kitty" Meyers Cohen, Esq.
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Of Counsel,
Eversheds Sutherland LLP
Nikola Djuric, Esq.
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Shareholder,
Djuric Spratt PA
Russell Henry, Esq.
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Partner, Coleman Talley LLP
Shana Campbell Jones, Esq.
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Unit Program Manager, Planning and Environmental Services, Carl Vinson Institute of Government, University of Georgia
Neil Kinnebrew, Esq.
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Assistant General Counsel,
Synovus Financial Corp.
Reginald O’Shields, Esq.
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Senior Vice President, General Counsel, Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlanta
Leslie Fuller Secrest, Esq.
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Retired Real Estate Attorney
Hon. Pinkie T. Toomer
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Retired Probate Judge, Fulton County
Skipper G. StipeMaas, Esq.
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Executive Director,
Georgia Heirs Property Law Center, Inc.