Athens, Ga. – The University of Georgia has renamed one of its leadership programs to honor a late, longtime administrator.
The Leadership Academy, a yearlong training program in the Office of the Vice President for Public Service and Outreach, has been renamed the Vivian H. Fisher PSO Leadership Academy in recognition of the late associate vice president emeritus who was influential in developing leaders and founding the academy.
“Vivian was extraordinarily dedicated to the University of Georgia and to public service and outreach, and she served as a mentor to many, many faculty and staff,” said Jennifer Frum, vice president for public service and outreach. “She was instrumental in implementing the first Leadership Academy class in 2007. Naming the PSO Leadership Academy for Vivian H. Fisher will preserve the work and memory of Vivian as an inspiration for us for years to come.”
Fisher started at UGA in 1979 in the Cooperative Extension and later became a public service faculty member in the Carl Vinson Institute of Government. In 1999, she was promoted to assistant vice president for public service and outreach, and in March 2001, she was promoted to associate vice president, a position she held until her retirement in January 2008. Named associate vice president emeritus upon her retirement from a 30-year career at UGA, Fisher died Aug. 30, 2008.
The academy prepares PSO-affiliated faculty and staff for leadership roles at UGA while helping these participants develop a deeper understanding of the impact of public service and outreach. This year, 21 faculty and staff from various PSO units and the Cooperative Extension completed the program. Participants were paired with a mentor and attended eight leadership sessions.
The Office of the Vice President for Public Service and Outreach recently honored graduates at a luncheon held at the UGA Hotel and Conference Center at the Georgia Center.
“It is my hope this program has been a time of self-renewal and professional revitalization for all of you,” said Jere Morehead, UGA senior vice president for academic affairs and provost. “It also is my hope that by bringing a cross-section of PSO individuals together, new alliances will be formed and new opportunities for collaboration will occur that will drive your units forward in a collective and positive manner.”
Along with Morehead, Mike Beatty, commissioner of the Georgia Department of Community Affairs, delivered the keynote address on leadership principles for successful public sector careers.
2011-12 graduates of the Vivian H. Fisher PSO Leadership Academy are:
Ted Baggett – Carl Vinson Institute of Government, local government program manager
Melanie Biersmith – Cooperative Extension, extension 4-H specialist, statewide environmental education coordinator, public service assistant
Matt Bishop – Archway Partnership, coordinator of operations, public service associate
Danny Bivins – Fanning Institute, public service associate
Tom Bliss – Marine Extension, public service assistant
Marsha Davis – College of Public Health, assistant dean, associate professor of health promotion and behavior
Corey Doster – Georgia Center for Continuing Education, information technology director
Leigh Askew Elkins – Fanning Institute, public service associate
Roswell Lawrence Jr. – Small Business Development Center, business manager III (now at Health Sciences Campus, health sciences campus coordinator)
Jule-Lynne Macie – Cooperative Extension, county extension coordinator
Paul Matthews – Office of Service-Learning, assistant director
John Maynard – Small Business Development Center, director of program development
Jann Moore – Georgia Center for Continuing Education, human resources manager
Glenda Owens – Carl Vinson Institute of Government, administrative manager II
Mike Perkins – Carl Vinson Institute of Government, director of information technology
Delene Porter – Fanning Institute, public service assistant; CEO, Athens Area Community Foundation
Karen Shetterley – Georgia Center for Continuing Education, senior public service associate
Bobby Smith – Cooperative Extension, county extension coordinator (Morgan County)
Janet Valente – Family and Consumer Sciences, public service associate
Teresa Williams – Small Business Development Center, public service assistant
Fei Zhang – Carl Vinson Institute of Government, program coordinator II
For more information on the Vivian H. Fisher PSO Leadership Academy, see http://outreach.uga.edu/index.php/programs/faculty_programs/pso_leadership_academy/.
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Note to editors: An image of Vivian Fisher is available for download at http://multimedia.uga.edu/media/images/Fisher_Vivian.jpg
An image of the PSO Leadership Academy graduates is available for download at http://multimedia.uga.edu/media/images/PSO_Leadership_Academy.jpg
Cutline of PSO Leadership Academy graduates:
Front row (l-r): Marsha Davis, Janet Valente, Jule-Lynne Macie, Paul Matthews, Corey Doster and Tom Bliss.
Second row (l-r): Jann Moore, Glenda Owens, Karen Shetterley, Leigh Askew Elkins, Teresa Williams, John Maynard and Jennifer Frum.
Third row (l-r): Steve Dempsey, Melanie Biersmith, Bobby Smith, Delene Porter, Roswell Lawrence Jr., Danny Bivins, Mike Perkins and Ted Baggett.
(Not pictured: Matt Bishop and Fei Zhang)
