Athens, Ga. - University of Georgia Vice President for Public Service and Outreach Jennifer Frum has announced the appointment of Laura Meadows as director of the Carl Vinson Institute of Government. The appointment is effective immediately.
Meadows assumes the key leadership role at the Vinson Institute on a permanent basis after serving as interim director since July. She joined the Vinson Institute in 2009 as associate director of its training division, which provides professional and leadership development opportunities to thousands of local and state government officials and staff each year.
“Laura has already shown exceptional leadership during her time as interim director at the Vinson Institute,” said Frum. “She brings a tremendous amount of experience working with both state and local officials from all parts of Georgia. Additionally, she has demonstrated throughout her career an impressive track record of leading programs that help governments achieve greater efficiency and responsiveness.”
Meadows came to UGA in 2007 as associate vice president for economic development. Prior to her arrival at UGA, she served as commissioner of the Georgia Department of Community Affairs, executive director of the OneGeorgia Authority, assistant secretary of state for the State of Georgia and state director of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development.
“I am honored to be named director of the Vinson Institute, the nation’s flagship organization serving public officials,” said Meadows. “Times like these present those serving the public with a number of challenges. I look forward to working with university and external partners to assist the state’s dedicated government officials who are working to improve the way their governments meet constituent needs.
“It is a pleasure to work alongside the great institute faculty and staff who strive everyday to make government work better for residents in our great state,” she added.
The Carl Vinson Institute of Government is a unit within the Office of the Vice President for Public Service and Outreach at UGA and works closely with state and local governments providing customized assistance, objective research, and training and development programs. For more information, see http://www.cviog.uga.edu/.
