Brent Marable, assistant director of the University of Georgia Innovation Gateway office, has been elected as president of the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CAES) Alumni Association Board of Directors for the 2019-2020 term.

Marable graduated from CAES with a bachelor’s degree in horticulture in 1996 and a master’s degree in agricultural leadership in 2013. An active member of the CAES Alumni Association for the past nine years, he says he is looking forward to helping the association support the mission of the college.

He began his new role on July 1, 2019. ­­

“It is an honor to be part of such a long-standing and wide-reaching organization as the UGA CAES Alumni Association,” Marable said. “We have more than 18,000 living CAES alumni scattered all over the globe, working in industries that help feed, clothe, shelter and beautify our world. It is a privilege to represent them as we continue to connect, engage and celebrate with one another.”

After graduating from CAES with his undergraduate degree, Marable maintained his ties with the college through his work with the green industry and with the plant commercialization system at UGA.

He started his career with Select Trees, an ornamental and shade tree nursery just outside of Athens, Georgia. He joined the team at the UGA Office of Research’s Innovation Gateway (formerly the Technology Commercialization Office) in 2010 as a manager for intellectual property and licensing of new plant varieties and agricultural technologies.

In addition to his role at UGA, Marable serves as chair of the Plant Special Interest Group for the Association of University Technology Managers.

“As I look back, CAES has been a part of my life through my family, education, network and career, and I look forward to what we will accomplish together for the future,” Marable said.

Marable lives in Oconee County with his wife, Mandy, and their two sons, Jack Durham and John David. They are active members of Antioch Christian Church and the couple’s sons are the seventh consecutive generation of their family to attend Antioch. Marable serves as chairman of the Board of Elders and Deacons and as a Sunday school teacher for the senior adult class.

In addition to Marable’s volunteer work at his church, he coaches his sons’ youth sports teams and serves on the Oconee County 4-H Program Development Team.

“Brent has been a hard-working volunteer for many years and I’m excited to work with him in this new role,” said Suzanne Griffeth, director of alumni engagement for CAES. “He will continue the association’s history of strong leadership of the board. We are looking forward to a great year of growing our community of Ag Dawgs and working to support the mission of our college and the university.”