Catherine "Cassie" Thomas, Ph.D.

Associate Director of Undergraduate Transition Seminars / Interim Director of Academic Transition & Learning Communities

Catherine Thomas is Associate Director of Undergraduate Transition Seminars and Senior Academic Professional at the Georgia Institute of Technology. She oversees the first-year and transfer seminar program and supports other high-impact learning initiatives within the Office of Undergraduate Education. Prior to joining Tech, she served for seven years as Associate Dean for Student Success Programs at Georgia Gwinnett College. Thomas is a member of the 2024 cohort of the Georgia Tech Inclusive Leaders Academy, served as a 2023 Georgia Association for Women in Higher Education (GAWHE) Leadership Program Fellow, and participated in the 2023 American Council on Education (ACE) Women's Leadership Mentoring Program.

She is passionate about providing access for all students to succeed in higher education, as well as supporting faculty and staff development toward that goal. Her co-edited volume with Dr. Roze Hentschell, Transforming Leadership Pathways for Humanities Professionals in Higher Education, was published by Purdue University Press in 2023. Thomas has additional research interests in Shakespeare and the comic arts and has published articles, book chapters, and a coedited essay collec­tion on early modern gender and violence. She earned her Ph.D. and M.A. in English from the Pennsylvania State University and B.A. in English from the University of Maryland, College Park. 

Brian Garsh, M.Ed.

Transfer Student Success Manager, Undergraduate Transition Seminars

Brian Garsh serves as the inaugural Transfer Student Success Manager part of the Office of Experiential Learning and Engagement and Academic Success and Advising teams within the Office of Undergraduate Education. In this role, Brian will guide transfer seminar (GT 2000) curriculum development, transfer student onboarding and success initiatives, and ongoing transfer student support. He also will support and enhance transfer student academic success programs such as GT 2000 Transfer Student Seminar and Transfer2Tech peer mentoring.

Brian most recently served as Director of Student Engagement and Belonging at Kennesaw State University. There he provided oversight and assessment for the FLIGHT class-year identity program, oversaw the FLIGHT Ambassador peer mentoring program, developed National Transfer Student Week events, and led academic involvement fairs in collaboration with the academic colleges. Brian received the 2024 KSU Student Success Impact Award, which recognizes one staff member who has made significant contributions to the development of KSU's student population. Prior to his directorship, he served for six years in student involvement leadership roles at both KSU and NC State. 

Brian earned his B.S. in Chemistry Secondary Education from The College of New Jersey and his M.Ed. in College Student Affairs Administration from UGA. He currently is completing his Ph.D. in Higher Education at UGA.