Campus News Georgia Impact

Reconstituted PSO Leadership Academy convenes first meeting

Public Service and outreach leadership academy-H.Group2011
The 21 faculty and staff members taking part in the Public Service and Outreach Leadership Academy will be given opportunities during the eight-session program to improve personal performance and develop relationships and networks with their public service and outreach colleagues.

UGA faculty and staff members took part in the Public Service and Outreach Leadership Academy on Oct. 19 for the first of eight sessions taking place through June 2012. The Office of the Vice President for Public Service and Outreach reinstated the annual PSO Leadership Academy as part of its 2010-2015 Strategic Plan.

The academy is intended for both existing and emerging leaders. Its goals are to develop a cadre of people within PSO who understand “the big picture” involving PSO, UGA, the land-grant mission, the larger political environment and the state; and to promote a culture of professional growth, development and self-empowerment within PSO.

Leadership Academy participants will increase their individual leadership capacity in all facets of life, both personally and professionally. They will be given opportunities to improve personal performance and develop relationships and networks with their PSO colleagues.

A total of 21 faculty and staff members will take part in the 2011-2012 PSO Leadership Academy. They are Matt Bishop, Archway Partnership; Ted Baggett, Glenda Owens, Mike Perkins and Fei Zhang, Carl Vinson Institute of Government; Danny Bivins, Leigh Askew-Elkins and Delene Porter, Fanning Institute; Corey Doster, Jann Moore and Karen Shetterley, Georgia Center for Continuing Education Conference Center and Hotel; Thomas Bliss, Marine Extension Service; Paul Matthews, Office of Service-Learning; Roswell Lawrence Jr., John Maynard and Teresa Williams, Small Business Development Center; Melanie Biersmith, Jule-Lynne Macie and Robert Smith, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences-Cooperative Extension; Janet S. Valente, College of Family and Consumer Sciences; and Marsha Davis, College of Public Health.

“The Public Service and Outreach Leadership Academy is a vital component in our succession planning within PSO. It will ensure that a superior pool of individuals with highly developed leadership skills will be available to serve all of UGA,” said Jennifer Frum, interim vice president for public service and outreach. “I welcome this new cadre of future leaders, and I look forward to seeing their personal and professional development through this program.”

The Leadership Academy is supported by the Office of the Vice President for Public Service and Outreach, which encompasses eight outreach units: the Archway Partnership, the Carl Vinson Institute of Government, the Fanning Institute, the Georgia Center, the Marine Extension Service, the Office of Service-Learning, the Small Business Development Center and the State Botanical Garden.