Nine University of Georgia faculty members have been named to the 2018-2019 class of the university’s Women’s Leadership Fellows Program.
Faculty members in the 2018-2019 cohort include representatives from eight schools and colleges as well as the Office of Service-Learning. Throughout the yearlong program, the faculty members 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.
“Faculty members serve in both formal and informal roles of leadership across campus, and this program gives participants an outstanding opportunity to network and learn more about leadership roles and responsibilities,” said Interim Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost Libby V. Morris.
The 2018-2019 Women’s Leadership Fellows are:
• Kris Braman, department head and professor of entomology in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. Braman previously served as president of both the Georgia Entomological Society and the Southeastern Branch of the Entomological Society of America. Her research examines insect-plant interactions, integrated pest management and environmental conservation issues.
• Y. Joon Choi, associate professor and director of the Ph.D. program in the School of Social Work. Her research examines community intervention/prevention strategies for domestic violence and substance abuse among immigrant and minority women. Choi was recently appointed by Gov. Nathan Deal to the Georgia Commission on Family Violence.
• Jessica Kissinger, Distinguished Research Professor in the department of genetics in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences and director of the Institute of Bioinformatics. Kissinger has served on several campus committees as well as advisory boards of the National Institutes of Health. Her research explores parasite genomics and data integration challenges.
• Michelle Momany, associate dean for life sciences in Franklin College and professor of fungal biology in the department of plant biology. Momany, who previously served as department head, studies the cell biology and genetics of fungi, including pathogens of humans. She has chaired and served on many international scientific and campus committees.
• Nicole Northrup, associate professor in the department of small animal medicine and surgery in the College of Veterinary Medicine. Northrup is a board-certified veterinary oncologist and the assistant hospital director for the UGA Veterinary Teaching Hospital. In addition to caring for veterinary cancer patients, she participates in studies of diagnostic and therapeutic options.
• Anneliese Singh, associate dean for diversity, equity and inclusion in the College of Education and professor in the department of counseling and human development services. Singh’s research focuses on the complex intersections of social justice, mental health, resilience and education among transgender people, trauma survivors and minority groups.
• Elizabeth Weeks, associate dean for faculty development and a J. Alton Hosch Professor in the School of Law. Her research investigates health care financing and regulation, and public health law. Weeks was a 2017-2018 Public Service and Outreach Fellow, and her university-level service includes positions in University Council and on the university’s Institutional Review Board.
• Shannon Wilder, founding director of the Office of Service-Learning. Wilder is an adjunct faculty member in the department of art education in the Lamar Dodd School of Art and has served on the President’s Task Force on Student Learning and Success as well as the ALL Georgia program committee. In addition, she chairs the SPLOST 2020 Citizens Advisory Committee for Athens-Clarke County.
• Sheri Worthy, department head and the Samuel A. and Sharon Y. Nickols Professor in the department of financial planning, housing and consumer economics in the College of Family and Consumer Sciences. Her research examines consumer health and well-being, with an emphasis on behavioral economics and the intersection of health care and financial decision making.
“We are pleased to welcome another impressive cohort to the Women’s Leadership Fellows Program,” said President Jere W. Morehead. “I appreciate their many contributions to the University of Georgia already, and I am excited about their potential for further career growth and development as academic leaders.”
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, in the Office of the Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost.
