MGA Foundation Honors Don Avery For Legacy of Leadership, Names Tracey Blalock Outstanding Alumnus

Author: News Bureau
Posted: Tuesday, October 21, 2025 12:00 AM
Categories: Pressroom | Honors/Awards | School of Arts and Letters | School of Computing | School of Aviation | School of Business | School of Education and Behavioral Sciences | School of Health and Natural Sciences

Macon, GA

The Middle Georgia State University (MGA) Foundation awarded the 2025 Legacy of Leadership award to the late Donald Robert “Don” Avery, a much-respected regional healthcare leader who supported the University for years in many enduring ways. The 2025 Outstanding Alumnus award went to Tracey A. Blalock, a high-ranking nursing administrator and longtime healthcare leader who began building the foundation of her success as a student at MGA. 

Dr. Christopher Blake, MGA president, presented the awards at the annual President’s Gala, a fundraising event the Foundation hosts each fall. 

The Legacy of Leadership Award, the highest honor the MGA Foundation bestows, recognizes individuals or groups who have given exemplary service to the University and the Foundation. The Outstanding Alumnus Award celebrates graduates who have distinguished themselves academically, professionally, or through community involvement and achieved positions of influence and regional or national reputation. 

“The MGA Foundation is honored to recognize two individuals whose achievements and service reflect the highest ideals of leadership and community engagement,” said Nancy White, vice president for University Advancement and executive director of the MGA Foundation. “Don Avery’s life exemplified servant leadership, and Tracey Blalock, in all aspects of her life, reflects the heart of Middle Georgia State University’s mission.” 

Avery was president and CEO of Fairview Park Hospital in Dublin when he passed away earlier this year. His daughter, Amelia Cobb, accepted the award on his behalf. 

A native of Peoria, Illinois, Avery’s leadership emerged early. He earned the rank of Eagle Scout, graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1978, and served six years as a pilot, instructor pilot, and operations officer before joining the Florida National Guard. After marrying his wife, Fara Haney, Avery earned graduate degrees in business and health science from the University of Florida, laying the foundation for a distinguished career in healthcare. 

In 2008, Avery became president and CEO of Fairview Park. Over the next 17 years, he transformed the hospital into one of the state’s most respected institutions, recruiting more than 50 physicians and cultivating a “Fairview Family” culture grounded in teamwork, compassion, and excellence. Under his leadership, Fairview Park earned recognition as a Top 100 Rural Hospital, a CMS 5-Star facility, and was recently named the #1 medium-sized hospital in Georgia by Georgia Trend magazine. 

A cancer survivor himself, Avery brought a deeply personal understanding of patient care to his leadership. He served as chair of the Georgia Hospital Association and the Alliant Health Board of Directors, taught as a faculty member at Creighton University, and gave generously of his time to civic organizations, his church, and Middle Georgia State University, where he served as vice chair of the MGA Foundation board. 

In 2022, Avery and his wife established the Don and Fara Avery Endowed Nursing Scholarship to support students from the Dublin area pursuing nursing degrees. 

Tracey Blalock, RN, MSN, MBA, NEA-BC, serves as senior vice president and chief nursing executive for Atrium Health Navicent, part of Advocate Health, and as chief nursing officer for The Medical Center Navicent Health. Her relationship with the organization began in 1988 when she joined as a nurse extern shortly before earning her nursing degree from Macon College, now MGA. 

Over the past 35 years, Blalock has advanced through roles including staff nurse, educator, manager, and director before stepping into nursing administration in 2008. Today, she helps shape care strategies, enhance patient services, and ensure compassionate, high-quality care across the Atrium Health Navicent system. 

Under her leadership, The Medical Center Navicent Health achieved three of its five Magnet designations, an honor earned by fewer than 10 percent of hospitals worldwide and one of the highest recognitions for nursing excellence. The Magnet Recognition Program is a formal awarded by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), which is part of the American Nurses Association. 

Blalock’s influence extends well beyond the hospital. Appointed by Gov. Nathan Deal in 2016, she served a four-year term on the Georgia Board of Nursing. A dedicated community volunteer, she supports Backpack Buddies Ministry and the Middle Georgia Community Food Bank. Known as a mentor and advocate, she encourages professional development and lifelong learning among nurses.