Nine University of Georgia faculty and administrators have been named to the 2019-2020 class of the university’s Women’s Leadership Fellows Program.
The new cohort includes representatives from six schools and colleges as well as the Office of Research, Office of Instruction and UGA Libraries. Throughout the yearlong program, the participants will attend monthly meetings to learn from senior administrators on campus as well as visiting speakers from academia, business and other fields. The program, which was created in 2015 as part of the university’s Women’s Leadership Initiative, also features a concluding weekend retreat for more in-depth learning.
“By investing in the professional growth of faculty and administrators, the Women’s Leadership Fellows Program enhances the capacity of the University of Georgia to fulfill its vital teaching, research and service missions,” said S. Jack Hu, the university’s senior vice president for academic affairs and provost.
The 2019-2020 Women’s Leadership Fellows are:
• Lisa Bayer, director of the UGA Press. Bayer leads the state’s largest and oldest university press in publishing 60 new scholarly books annually. She is the principal investigator for the Georgia Open History Library funded by the NEH Humanities Open Book program and serves on the executive committee for the New Georgia Encyclopedia. Bayer is current co-chair of the UGA Libraries Committee on Diversity and Inclusion, an affiliate faculty member with the Institute for Women’s Studies and a past member of the board of directors of the Association of University Presses.
• Jamie Cooper, associate professor, director of the UGA Obesity Initiative and director of the sports nutrition area of emphasis graduate program in the department of foods and nutrition in the College of Family and Consumer Sciences. Cooper’s research focuses on how nutrients, diets, supplements and/or exercise impact human health and chronic disease. She is a Fellow of The Obesity Society and a recipient of the university’s 2018 First-Year Odyssey Seminar Program Teaching Award and the FACS Undergraduate Research Mentor Award.
• Laura Crawley, assistant vice president for academic affairs and director of the UGA Gwinnett campus. Crawley manages all campus operations for UGA’s graduate professional campus. While in her current role, she also served as interim director of the Center for Teaching and Learning. Crawley holds courtesy appointments in the psychology department and the School of Social Work. Along with serving on numerous university committees, she serves as one of UGA’s deputy Title IX coordinators.
• Vivia Hill-Silcott, director of diversity programs and academic support for the College of Pharmacy. In this role, she has spearheaded the development of a comprehensive student success program for professional Pharm.D. students. Hill-Silcott is a Center for Social Justice, Human and Civil Rights Fellow in the School of Social Work. Her main research interests are in mentoring, social justice and advocacy for ethnic and sexual minority college students and students living with disabilities.
• Crystal Leach, founding director of industry collaborations in the Office of Research and professor of practice in the College of Engineering. Leach works with faculty and administrators to build industry partnerships that align with UGA’s research capabilities and strategic priorities. She is an Association for the Innovation of Medical and Biological Engineering Fellow, and she holds four U.S. and European patents. Leach is a champion for diversity and mentoring through associations such as the Society for Women Engineers and Women in Engineering.
• Juan Meng, associate professor of public relations and founding director of ADPR Choose China study abroad program in the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication. Meng also founded the UGA and Shanghai Normal University 3+1+1 consecutive degree program. Meng serves on the national board of advisors for The Plank Center for Leadership in Public Relations and has led signature national and international public relations leadership research projects funded by the center. She was a 2015-2016 UGA Service-Learning Fellow and a 2013-2014 Teaching Academy Fellow.
• Jessica Orbock, senior legal advisor to the Office of Research and general counsel to the UGA Research Foundation. Orbock has managed
important projects in sponsored projects administration and across the research enterprise. Her legal responsibilities include providing counsel on the UGA Research Foundation’s diverse intellectual property portfolio and licensing programs, as well as research contracting and compliance. She works directly with faculty of all disciplines to facilitate research collaborations with U.S. and international partners in industry and academia.
• Catherine Pringle, Distinguished Research Professor and chair of the conservation ecology and sustainable development program in the Odum School of Ecology. Pringle is an internationally recognized leader in stream ecology and conservation. Her current research focuses on the effects of climate change and human activities on stream ecosystems. An overarching theme of her lab is the application of ecological research to resource management. She is a Fellow and council member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Pringle has chaired and served on numerous international scientific committees.
• Amy Reschly, professor in the department of educational psychology and coordinator of the School Psychology Program in the College of Education. Reschly’s research focuses on student engagement, school completion and school-family partnerships. She received 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2018 recognitions from the UGA Career Center for having a significant impact as a mentor of graduate students. Reschly is a journal editor and a National Certified School Psychologist. Her service has included Faculty Senate and Faculty Senate Steering Committee positions in the College of Education.
“The Women’s Leadership Fellows Program is an important conduit for participants to gain additional skills and experiences that will benefit their careers and our institution,” said President Jere W. Morehead. “I congratulate the members of the cohort, and I look forward to their additional contributions to our campus.”
The Women’s Leadership Fellows were chosen from nominations from deans and other senior administrators as well as from self-nominations. The program is administered by Meg Amstutz, associate provost for academic programs and chief of staff in the Office of the Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost.