Kevin Shaeffer

The 2026 State Conference, hosted by the Athens Area Chapter, will be held November 5 - 8, 2026 at the UGA Center for Continuing Education and Hotel in Athens. Located on the UGA campus, the Center offers hotel accommodations, meeting rooms, dining, and convenient parking. Plus, we’ll only be a short distance from downtown Athens restaurants, shops, and night spots (if you’re so inclined). 

Registration is now open. Follow the links at the bottom of this page to Register To Attend, make Hotel Reservations, and view the Schedule Of Events. Athens Area Chapter President David Dupree gives an update on the Conference HERE.

Dr. John F. Dowd, Emeritus Professor of Geology at the University of Georgia is our speaker at the luncheon. Before his academic career, Dr. Dowd served on active duty in the U.S. Army from 1968 to 1972.  He is currently a member of the Human Remains Recovery Working Group at the University of Georgia, a multidisciplinary team that brings together experts in geology, geography, anthropology, archaeology, biology, engineering, and artificial intelligence. This group collaborates with other organizations to locate and recover the remains of missing U.S. and Vietnamese personnel. Details of Dr. Dowd's career are in the PDF above left.

We’re pleased to announce that our banquet speaker will be Kevin Shaeffer, a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, survivor of the 9/11 attack on the Pentagon, staff member on the 9/11 Commission, and a member CIA’s “High Value Target 1” (HVT1) team that found Usama Bin Laden. Additional details of Kevin's career are in the PDF attached above right. Here’s a video of Kevin being interviewed on ABC News. Kevin was interviewed recently on PBS NewsHour. The interview can be seen HERE.

Athens Area Chapter member Fred Boyles has a video update on the Back to School Bus Tour HERE:  Please note you have to be on a device logged in to Facebook to access the video.

Several members of the Athens Area Chapter Conference Committee met recently with a Georgia Center rep to tour the facility and continue working on details. This looks to be a great conference. Photos of the tour can be seen on the Conference Facebook page HERE.

Ray Fairman, Chaplin for the Athens Area MOAA Chapter, gives an update on the Silent Auction and Memorial Service in this facebook VIDEO.