Meet Reverend Antwon Nixon & Codi Norred, Executive Director, MDiv.

Antwon Nixon has served as the lead pastor of Mt Carmel Missionary Baptist Church since 2017. He is a community activist, and youth empowerment leader. He serves on several boards, including the Okefenokee Protection Alliance, Friends of Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, and St. Marys River Keeper. His passion for God, community, and service led to founding Sowing Seeds Outside the Walls, a 501c3 non-profit organization that serves to inspire, encourage, and enrich the lives of the community through educational and social development by way of mentorship and financial investment. Rev. Antwon’s work outside the walls of the church through Sowing Seeds includes rebuilding a community park, hosting community events, advocating for the Okefenokee Swamp, and being featured in several short films including a PBS documentary.

Codi Norred has worked on issues of environmental justice, climate change, and sustainability, for nearly a decade. Since joining Georgia Interfaith Power and Light (GIPL) in 2017, Codi has worked at every level of the organization. Codi currently serves on the Board of Directors for National Interfaith Power and Light, and as the Southeast Representative on National Interfaith Power and Light’s Network Steering Committee. He is a founding member of the Southeast Faith Leader’s Network, serves on the Executive Committee of the Just Energy Circle, the Legislative Committee and the Coal Ash Committee of the Georgia Water Coalition, and is an active member of several committees within the Georgia Clean Energy Coalition, the Southeast Climate and Energy Network, and the US Climate Action Network. Codi holds a Master of Divinity (M.Div.) from Candler School of Theology at Emory University with concentrations in Justice, Peacebuilding, and Conflict Transformation (JPCT), Theology and Ethics, and a Graduate Certificate in Human Rights.

Meet ‘Sistah’ Patt Gunn, CEO, Underground Tours. 

Patt Gunn is a Master Gullah Geechee Storyteller/Truth-Teller and a fourth generation Gullah Geechee descendant. She returned to Savannah in the late 1990s, after a 30+ year career working with the American Civil Liberties Union in Atlanta, The Law Project, The Georgia Clearinghouse on Prisons & Jails, and lobbying the Georgia General Assembly as a Paralegal with Georgia Legal Services. Sistah Patt is the founder and CEO of Underground Tours of Savannah, the Savannah Gallery on Slavery and Healing, and the Center for Jubilee, Reconciliation, and Healing, a nonprofit grassroots public policy agency. She educates students, churches, organizations, and tourists from around the world and tells stories of the African American journey from slavery to freedom to create 21st century victories in social justice issues. In 2020, the Center launched a citywide campaign to rename Calhoun Square to a new square in honor of Susie King Taylor. John C. Calhoun’s name was removed from Savannah’s public square in November 2023.

Meet Captain Scott Owens, Southeastern Angling

Captain Scott Owens is one of the most experienced and well-respected guides in coastal Georgia and has been a key figure in pioneering shallow water sight fishing for redfish and tarpon. He offers a lifetime of experience in the fishing industry and over two decades professionally guiding clients full time. He has been featured on ESPN, The World Fishing Network (WFN), Fox Sports, Versus, The Outdoor Channel, Destination America, and Sun Sports.