The University of Georgia established the Women’s Leadership Fellows Program in 2015 to provide a selected group of current faculty and administrators with dedicated time to develop and hone leadership skills and gain a deeper understanding of the challenges and opportunities confronting research universities.

The program runs from September to May. Fellows will attend monthly meetings where they will learn from senior administrators as well as visiting speakers from academia, business and other fields.

Selection Process

Participants will be UGA faculty holding an administrative position at the level of department head, academic program coordinator or director, assistant vice president or above. A selection committee will review the submissions and make recommendations to the Provost.

Nominations by deans and other senior administrators are welcome, as are self-nominations. The application packets should include:

  1. A transmittal cover letter from the dean or senior administrator indicating support for the nomination (self-nominations do not require this transmittal letter);
  2. A letter of interest from the applicant presenting evidence of interest in academic leadership, experience in academic governance or administration to date, and what the nominee hopes to accomplish with the support of the program (1-3 pages, addressed to Provost S. Jack Hu, Administration Building, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602);
  3. A current C.V. or résumé.

Nomination packets should be submitted to Ms. Sherri Bennett, [email protected], as a single PDF file including all three documents. Nomination packets are due Friday, April 4, 2025.

The Women’s Leadership Fellows Program is administered by the Office of Faculty Affairs, a part of the Office of the Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost.

Questions about the program may also be directed to Dr. Mary Carney, Senior Director of Faculty and Leadership Development, Office of Faculty Affairs, at [email protected].

Women’s Leadership Fellows

The following faculty members have participated in the University of Georgia Women’s Leadership Fellows Program, which is designed to help participants develop and hone leadership skills and gain a deeper understanding of the challenges and opportunities confronting research universities.

2024-2025 Women's Leadership Fellows

Trisha Branan
Clinical Professor and Assistant Head of the Department of Clinical and Administrative Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy

Leah Carmichael
Director of Active Learning and Senior Lecturer in the Department of International Affairs, School of Public and International Affairs

Margaret H. Christ
J.M. Tull Chair in Accounting, Professor and Director of the J.M. Tull School of Accounting, Terry College of Business

Kelly Dyer
Professor in the Department of Genetics, Director of the Integrated Life Sciences Program and Co-Director of the NIH T32 Genetics Training Grant Program, Franklin College of Arts and Sciences

Cheryl Fields-Smith
Professor and Associate Head of the Department of Educational Theory and Practice, Mary Frances Early College of Education

Mable Fok
Professor and Assistant Dean for Academic and Faculty Affairs, College of Engineering

Sara E. Gonzalez
Clinical Associate Professor and General and Behavioral Medicine Section Head in the Department of Small Animal Medicine and Surgery, College of Veterinary Medicine

Jodi Johnson-Maynard
Head of the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences

Tricia Miller
Deputy Director of Collections and Exhibitions and Head Registrar, Georgia Museum of Art

Cary Perry
Senior Director of Medical Services, University Health Center

News Announcement of 2024-2025 Fellows

2023-2024 Women's Leadership Fellows

Jennifer Chapman
Carla Hadden
Shannon Hostetter
Sara Kajder
Catherine Logue
Julie Ray
Connie Rogers
Sarah Shannon
Jennifer H. Waldeck
Lindsey Welch

News Announcement of 2023-2024 Fellows

2022-2023 Women's Leadership Fellows

Susan Brown
Brandy Burgess
Yana Cornish
Deborah Elder
Jori Hall
Paula Lemons
Allison Nealy
Allisen Penn
Anne Shaffer

News Announcement of 2022-2023 Fellows

2021-2022 Women's Leadership Fellows

Susan B. Haire
Sonia M. Hernandez
Eileen J. Kennedy
Jamie Kreiner
Hilda Kurtz
Carolyn Jones Medine
Maria Navarro
Susan Sanchez
Ashley Steffens
Meredith Welch-Devine

News Announcement of 2021-2022 Fellows

2019-2020 Women's Leadership Fellows

Lisa Bayer
Jamie Cooper
Laura Crawley
Vivia Hill-Silcott
Crystal Leach
Juan Meng
Jessica Orbock
Catherine Pringle
Amy Reschly

News Announcement of 2019-2020 Fellows

2018-2019 Women's Leadership Fellows

Kris Braman
Joon Choi
Jessica Kissinger
Michelle Momany
Nicole Northrup
Anneliese Singh
Elizabeth Weeks
Shannon Wilder
Sheri Worthy

News Announcement of 2018-2019 Fellows

2017-2018 Women's Leadership Fellows

Sonia Altizer
Marie-Claude (Maric) Boudreau
Jody Clay-Warner
Mary Hondalus
Maria E. Len-Rios
Nancy Manley
Amanda Murdie
Emilie Smith
Shavannor Smith

News Announcement of 2017-2018 Fellows

2016-2017 Women's Leadership Fellows

Phaedra Corso
Lisa Donovan
Shelley B. Hooks
Charlotte Mason
Shari Miller
Julie Moore
Erin Richman
Lori Ringhand
Sheneka Williams

News Announcement of 2016-2017 Fellows

2015-2016 Women's Leadership Fellows

Valerie Babb
Marsha Davis
Ellen Evans
Susan C. Fagan
Jean Martin-Williams
Laura Meadows
Peggy Ozias-Akins
Marisa Pagnattaro
Usha Rodrigues

News Announcement of 2015-2016 Fellows

Commit to academic excellence

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