The opportunities GMC provides all students are truly remarkable! A student can enter GMC in kindergarten, earn a high school diploma from GMC Prep School, and continue to earn a four-year degree in our Global Online Leadership College. Regardless of what pathway our students take, we are confident that they will pass through the gates of GMC and go out into the world with the tools and education they need to make a difference in their communities.
We are proud to highlight two remarkable GMC alumnae whose pathways of success after graduating from GMC have now led them back to serve their alma mater. Their work behind the scenes in the GMC Communications Department is appreciated by thousands of parents, grandparents and our community at large!
Deana Thornton (pictured left), GMC Deputy Director of Communications, started at GMC in the 8th grade and graduated from the Prep School in 2007. She enrolled in the Junior College in the summer of 2007 and graduated in 2009 with her associate’s degree.
Deana then went on to attend GCSU where she received her bachelor’s degree in business administration. She worked for the City of Milledgeville/Downtown Development Authority as the Event Coordinator and Office Manager for ten years before coming to work at GMC in the summer of 2021. She has two wonderful children who attend the Prep School, Layla (10) and Livy (7). Deana has been married to her husband, Nick, for 13 years.
Deana handles external communications for the institution. You will find her out and about on campus every day taking photos, creating videos, and chatting with the media about the many incredible things happening throughout the GMC community. “I love that I get to interact with so many different people and departments as part of my job. I don’t do the same thing every day, and I get to be creative with a group of people that encourages my creativity,” shared Deana.
Deana credits GMC for instilling in her a strong work ethic, the importance of being a contributing member of society and being in service to others – all qualities that have immensely benefited her throughout her professional career.
Kenley Pearce (pictured right), GMC Communications Specialist, attended GMC Prep School from 6th-12th grade, graduating in 2011. “I had an incredible experience as a Prep School student, forming strong relationships that I still cherish to this day! I was a football and competition cheerleader (cheer captain my senior year), member of the women’s golf team, and was on homecoming court my senior year. I was also the JROTC S5, which means I served in a public affairs role for the student body. To now work at GMC as a Communications Specialist is a full circle moment for me,” noted Kenley.
After graduating from the Prep School, Kenley attended Georgia Southern University and graduated in 2015 with a B.S. in Public Relations, she married her high school sweetheart Dalton Pearce (HS 2009) and moved to Charleston, SC. While there, she worked for Akers Ellis Real Estate & Vacation Rentals, focusing on vacation rentals on Kiawah Island, before being promoted to assist with marketing for both vacation rentals and real estate. She also held a real estate license for the state of South Carolina.
When Kenley and her husband moved back to Milledgeville to be closer to family, she jumped at the opportunity to return to GMC’s campus as an employee. Kenley and her husband have two children. Their daughter Hadley will attend Kindergarten at GMC in 2024 and their son Parker will start Kindergarten in 2026.
In her role at GMC, Kenley supports the Prep School, Main Campus, Satellite Campuses, and Corps of Cadets with print media, social media, photography, and videography. She and the communications team create all press material as well as internal and external messaging for the institution. “We constantly stay on the move trying to be sure everyone knows about all the incredible things happening at GMC,” shared Kenley.
GMC would not be the institution it is today without dedicated employees like Deana and Kenley. They put their all into serving their alma mater by sharing stories about our incredible students, faculty, and staff with the GMC Family and community at large. We are so proud that their pathways of opportunity led them back to Georgia Military College!
