CAN’T PUT A NUMBER ON WONDER

Mouths drop in awe as the huge body of a whale shark fills the Observation Wall of the Ocean Voyager Gallery at Georgia Aquarium. Its shadow passes over the heads of visitors crowding the glass, putting mere feet between them and the largest fish in the world.

Tammie Williams (’98, ’15) beams as the shark disappears from view, swimming to another part of the 6.3 million gallon tank. The shark is her favorite animal at the aquarium, mostly because of the wonder it sparks whenever it comes into view.

“Where Wonder Lives,” the aquarium’s slogan, was an immediate draw for the Georgia Southern University alumna when she became chief financial officer of the organization earlier this year. Initially, she planned to take the year off to enjoy a slower schedule after retiring from her role as senior vice president and head of global content finance for Warner Brothers Discovery, but the culture at the aquarium was too enthralling to pass up.

“You see a lot of people beyond children coming in for the peace of it, in awe of the natural world,” she said. “It lets you know that there’s more to life than Atlanta traffic and what we experience on a day-to-day basis. These animals exist alongside us, and the biodiversity in these tanks reflects the biodiversity we experience in our lives; every single species brings something to the aquarium, to the ocean, just like we as individuals bring something to our world.

“It changes people when they think about it that way. Seeing all the harmony in here,” she said, gesturing at the wall of blue, “inspires that message.”

Valuing people is a principle that has defined Williams’ career since her days at Georgia Southern. Between semesters of earning dual degrees in accounting and computer information systems, Williams worked summer internships in accounting and auditing across the state of Georgia, where she learned how her work could empower businesses to make a difference.

“It was eye-opening for me that every business, small and large, needs accountants,” she recalled. “A lot of people are trying to do the right thing in business but fail often due to financial reporting and compliance guidelines. They need someone who will tell them the truth and take the time to help.”

Williams can still hear Professor Leslie Fletcher, Ph.D., lecturing about the importance of financial storytelling: the ability to explain finances in a way anyone can understand. Her lessons were a launch point for Williams’ early work in auditing, and were emphasized by the then-Director of Accountancy Lowell Mooney, Ph.D. He demonstrated the impact of an unconditional act of kindness when he invited members of Beta Alpha Psi, an honor organization for accounting students, to his family home for dinner. Williams remembers watching Mooney’s daughters run around the dining table while the professor asked each member how they were doing.

“Georgia Southern taught me how to be an accountant as a whole person, not just a business professional,” Williams says. “The connections I’ve made since then are from doing the right thing by people without wanting anything from them, just treating them right over the years.”

Of all the jobs she’s worked since earning her undergraduate and graduate degrees from Georgia Southern, Williams said she had the most fun at TNT Sports, where she led the team managing all finances for the NBA on TNT. The fun came after an intense start: days after her role was announced, the pandemic shut everything down, including that year’s NCAA Men’s March Madness tournament. Williams worked late nights from her virtual workspace managing the financial impact of cancelled sports – but overcoming challenges with the support of her team make the work rewarding.

“Your relationships matter,” she shares. “Life will surprise you with how important it is to do the right thing, and how that will come back to bless you.”

One of those blessings came near the end of 2024 via a phone call from a former coworker, who knew of her sabbatical. She’d heard about the opening at Georgia Aquarium and thought Williams could do great things for the organization.

“Always take the call,” Williams chuckled. “Once I went there and toured the operations and met the leadership team and heard about the vision and strategy for the next several years, I was all in.”