President and CEO of NewTown Macon and Mercer graduate Josh Rogers ‘05 died on Sunday from cardiac arrest. The 42-year-old was an adjunct professor at Mercer last spring, teaching Urban Ecology. He could often be found in the stands at Mercer sporting events, in addition to boardroom meetings around the city.
In his time at Mercer, Rogers was president of the Student Government Association in his senior year, and a member of the SGA in the years leading up to his graduation. According to a 2013 Cluster article, he was given the Thomas Sewell Plunkett Young Alumnus Award in 2012.
Rogers was an integral part of downtown Macon’s revitalization over the last two decades, co-founding the College Hill Corridor project in part with Executive Director of Macon’s Urban Development Authority, Alex Morrison ‘07. The project was intended to connect Mercer’s campus with downtown Macon, and it was supported by former university President Kirby Godsey and city leadership, according to the project’s 2014 report.
Following his graduation and work with the College Hill Corridor, Rogers was named the CEO and president of NewTown Macon in 2014, an organization responsible for millions of dollars in loans and other aid for local businesses that have opened in downtown Macon.
"Josh Rogers’ outstanding leadership of NewTown Macon has been a major factor in the amazing revitalization of downtown Macon over the past decade,” President Bill Underwood told 13 WMAZ. “I am so proud of what he has accomplished. His untimely death is a shock to all of us who knew and worked with him through the years. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his wife, Meaghan, his children, Jack and Ellie, and the rest of his family.”
At the beginning of Monday's SGA meeting, Dean of Students Doug Pearson reflected on knowing Rogers the first year that Pearson came to Mercer. "He was my first SGA president when I came to Mercer [in 2004]," Pearson said.
Gabriel Kopp '26 is majoring in Journalism and Law and Public Policy at Mercer University. He has written for The Cluster since he started at Mercer, and currently works as co-Editor-in-Chief. When he isn't studying, he enjoys going for runs and reading The New York Times or the AJC while sipping coffee.
