Eleven employees selected for sixth cohort of Women’s Staff Leadership Institute

A new cohort of women staff members has been selected to participate in the Women’s Staff Leadership Institute for 2023.

The program, born from the 2015 Women’s Leadership Initiative from the Office of the President and the Office of the Provost, launched in 2017 and runs annually.

The Women’s Staff Leadership Institute is administered through University Human Resources’ Learning and Development. The program is supported by executive sponsor Jennifer L. Frum, vice president for public service and outreach, and is facilitated by Emily Saunders, UGA J.W. Fanning Institute for Leadership Development public service faculty member.

“Advancing leadership opportunities for our women staff benefits the entire university,” Frum said. “The Women’s Staff Leadership Institute cultivates these potential leaders who will go on to enhance the success and impact of the university. I deeply appreciate the continued support of this program by UGA leadership and their ongoing commitment to providing opportunities for staff development.”

“The Women’s Staff Leadership Institute offers an opportunity for the University of Georgia to support women in their career journey,” said Tammy Freeman, interim associate vice president for human resources. “Participants build a network of close colleagues, have opportunities to self-evaluate their leadership skills, and explore the possibilities for their future through a series of powerful experiences.”

The 2023 cohort begins May 3 and runs through November, with participants meeting monthly for workshops and discussions.

The members of the 2023 class are:

Christy Anderson, associate director of startups and Innovation District programming. Anderson began her career at UGA in 2016 working in the Office of Research Human Resources and accounting department. In 2019, Anderson transferred to the Startup Program where she began as an administrative associate before quickly rising to her current role. While leading a close team of nine, Anderson creates successful, dynamic programs that are tailored to the needs of faculty, staff, students and community, while consistently looking for new ways to expand program offerings. Along with the director of startups and Innovation District programming, Anderson visits universities across the country to assess other innovation initiatives to scout for successes and failures in entrepreneurial and innovative ecosystems in order to grow Innovation District programming, makerspace, network and strategic success.

Tracy Anderson, assistant director of the Center for Family Research. Anderson provides direct oversight and works closely with the staff who lead and support active research projects. She also oversees the dissemination of the Strong African American Families Programs (SAAF and SAAF-Teen) by working with her team to promote the programs as well as coordinating training and providing technical assistance to organizations that purchase the programs. Anderson is a “Triple Dawg” with a B.S.E.D. in health promotion and an M.S.W. and Ph.D. in adult education. She has been employed at UGA since 2001.

Sarah Baines, senior director of development and alumni relations in the School of Public and International Affairs. Baines has worked in development for the past 20 years in various roles across the UGA campus, including the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences and the School of Law. She has served as the primary fundraiser for the School of Public and International Affairs from 2006-2013 and again from 2016 to the present. Baines’ primary responsibility in her current role is to advance the mission of SPIA by increasing private support from individuals and organizations. She works with a fantastic team of external relations professionals, volunteers, faculty, students and other UGA staff members to accomplish this goal. Baines holds a B.S.A. in animal science from UGA and an M.S. in ruminant nutrition from Virginia Tech.

Katie Burr, director of assessment. Burr assumed her current role in the Office of Instruction at UGA in 2020 after earning her Ph.D. from the Mary Frances Early College of Education. With a background in higher education and student affairs, Burr leads campus-wide efforts to assess student learning. Her current responsibilities include supporting faculty program coordinators for the university’s 480-plus academic programs, facilitating semesterly assessment of general education and leading a comprehensive approach to evaluating the impact of UGA’s quality enhancement plan on active learning.

Chandra Echols, head of finance and administration for UGA Libraries. Echols joined the UGA Libraries in 2021. In her role, Echols serves as the chief business officer and is responsible for the financial oversight and management of annual budgets and day-to-day financial operations. She represents the Libraries in the Financials Reporting Group and Business Services Advisory Group. Echols began her career at UGA in 2006 in the Contracts & Grants Division before pursuing a financial analyst career in banking. She returned to UGA in 2014 and served in various progressively responsible financial roles for Auxiliary Services, UGA Golf Course, the Department of Human Resources, the Institute for Women’s Studies, Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost and Vice President for Instruction, which led to her current role at the UGA Libraries.

Missy Jackson, director of nursing for the University Health Center. Jackson is a graduate of The Medical College of Georgia School of Nursing and Georgia State University College of Nursing. As a board-certified women’s health nurse practitioner with 25 years of nursing experience, including 19 years as a nurse practitioner, Jackson has a diverse professional history of providing nursing care and leadership in college health, ambulatory care, academic and acute care settings. She began her UGA career in 2016 as a clinician in the Gynecology Clinic at the University Health Center and was named director of nursing in January 2020. As director, she oversees the nursing and clinical support staff at UHC. Jackson is actively engaged in research focused on health equity and the social health needs of historically underserved populations. She is an active member of the American College Health Association and serves as the secretary of the Nurse Administrators Section.

Leigh Knapp, director of finance and operations in the Office of Global Engagement. Knapp joined the university in 2009, serving as the business manager and later as campus director of finance and operations for the Augusta University/UGA Medical Partnership. Knapp has served in her current role with OGE since 2016. Her responsibilities include serving as the chief business officer for study abroad finance, including overseeing the study abroad budget approval process, providing oversight of OGE budgets and daily operations, and providing fiscal oversight of UGA’s two international residential centers in Oxford, U.K., and in Cortona, Italy.

Emily Newdow, assistant director for facilities management at the Georgia Center for Continuing Education & Hotel. Newdow graduated from the Lamar Dodd School of Art with a B.F.A. in interior design in 2008. She began working for the Georgia Center in 2012. As assistant director for facilities management, Newdow is responsible for maintaining the 300,000-square-foot facility and the surrounding grounds. She manages a team of 10 maintenance and grounds personnel and interior design interns from the Lamar Dodd School of Art. Together, they strive to improve the guest and employee experience throughout the hotel, conference center, auditorium spaces, food outlets and office environments. Beyond the daily maintenance of the facility and grounds, Newdow manages an average annual renovation budget of $1.5-$5 million. Most recently, this included a $13.8 million renovation of the Classic Hotel Wing, café and coffee shop. Current projects include multiple public area restroom remodels, a $4.8 million renovation of the Select Hotel Wing and several substantial infrastructure replacement projects.

Leslie Rogers, director of Learning & Development. Rogers joined UGA in 2022 and oversees the professional learning program for the university community, which is focused on both organizational development and individual professional growth. Rogers is also responsible for implementing and managing the Engage & Learn initiative, including the Engage & Learn Grant Program, Staff Mentor Program, Staff Competency Model and the future Performance Management process. Prior to joining UGA, Rogers worked in the Oconee County School District in instructional technology and staff professional learning.

Krista Richmond, editor of Columns. Richmond joined the Division of Marketing and Communications in 2016 as a communications coordinator and was named editor of UGA’s faculty and staff newspaper in 2020. In her position, she writes and edits content for the weekly publication, sharing everything from important news and updates to the latest research and innovations to interesting profiles of UGA employees. In addition to publishing the weekly digital version of Columns, she also produces a handful of special printed editions each academic year. Prior to joining UGA, Richmond worked at several newspapers and in digital marketing for a nonprofit. She has a B.S. in journalism for Tennessee Tech University and an M.S. in journalism from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

Kelley Saussy, senior director of operations and special projects in the College of Engineering. In her role, Saussy provides project management and other comprehensive support to the dean and other members of the leadership team in the college. Representing the dean and the Dean’s Office both internally and externally, she often serves as the primary interface between the dean and external and internal constituents, including faculty, staff and administrators. Saussy also manages administrative tasks in the Dean’s Office, including supervising the college’s communications, events and facilities staff. Saussy came to UGA as an academic advisor in the Mary Frances Early College of Education in 2011. She moved to the UGA Career Center in 2012 where she worked as a career consultant, serving students in several colleges and schools across campus, including the College of Engineering. In 2014, Saussy joined the College of Engineering as its director of experiential programs, a position in which she coordinated the college’s internship, co-op and study abroad programs. She also served as the College of Engineering’s director of corporate engagement. Saussy earned both her master’s degree in student affairs administration and her bachelor’s degree in psychology and sociology from Appalachian State University. She is currently pursuing a doctorate in learning, leadership, and organization development through the Mary Francis Early College of Education.