Gwinnett Business Radio

Garland Williams with Aflac and Elease Dillard with The Student Navigator

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Garland Williams/Aflac

Aflac, a Georgia based company and 126th on the Fortune 500 list, is the nation’s number one provider of voluntary supplementary insurance. When health changes for you or a loved one, it can change everything and potentially put you into a financial hole that you can’t dig out of. Aflac provides a way to provide financial peace of mind should you encounter those unforeseen health challenges.

Colonel (ret) Garland H. Williams, Ph.D, a native of Atlanta, GA, graduated from Auburn University as a Pre-Law/Journalism major and was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. As a company grade officer, Garland served in a variety of command and staff assignments both at Fort Stewart, GA and in Germany. He attended the Duke University Graduate School, attaining his Master of Arts and Doctorate of Philosophy degrees in Political Science.

As a field grade officer, his assignments included duty as an Assistant Professor in the Social Sciences Department at the United States Military Academy and staff officer positions in the 24th Infantry Division in the United States, and Allied Forces Southern Europe in Naples, Italy. He served as the Battalion Commander for the 16th Armored Engineer Battalion in Giessen, Germany and then served as the Military Advisor for the Assistant Secretary of the Army (Civil Works) in the Pentagon. His Colonel-level commands included Garrison Commander of US Army Garrison – Japan, followed by his appointment as Commandant of the Army Management Staff College until his retirement in 2009. His operational deployments included Kuwait, Egypt, Bosnia, Kosovo, and Albania.

From 2010 to 2017, Garland worked at the University of Phoenix, first as the Associate Regional Vice President for the Military Division, and then as the Dean of Operations for the Colleges of Humanities and Social Sciences. His last position at the university was the Dean of Academics for the College of Criminal Justice & Security simultaneously serving as the Vice President for Military Relations. He recently moved back home to the Atlanta area and now works as a Small Business Consultant with AFLAC.

Elease Dillard/The Student Navigator

The Student Navigator is a company whose mission is to “make debt-free graduation the status-quo one student at a time.” Founded by Elease Dillard—a debt-free college graduate—it proudly services students and parents nationwide.

Their team consists of hand-selected mentors and experts who have graduated college debt-free, a current debt-free college student, a parent of a debt-free graduate, worked in education, and experienced at winning scholarships and landing internships. They operate 100% online, providing you the ability and convenience to schedule and meet with them from anywhere.

Whether you are a current student, a recent grad pursuing an advanced degree, or a working professional returning back to school, they can help! Schedule your complimentary consultation today.

Months before her high school graduation, Elease made the tough decision to deny the opportunity to pursue playing college basketball and solely pursue academics instead. Considering the last-minute decision to not play college basketball, plus having a younger sibling graduating high school in two years, Elease concluded that she would pay for college herself. However, there was one problem. She had no idea how or where to start.

With that goal in mind, Elease developed a plan of action and was able to graduate college debt-free. She graduated college Cum Laude from Georgia Gwinnett College and currently holds a B.S. in Cell Biology with a concentration in Biotechnology.

Experienced at winning scholarships and landing internships, Elease founded The Student Navigator because she wanted to help ease the stress and frustration that is commonly associated with paying for a degree and pursuing a career. In addition, she wants to encourage students to maximize their educational experience. Elease hopes that her story will inspire others to take action towards living in freedom, passion, and purpose.