PSO Academies

PSO is committed to offering professional development opportunities to faculty and staff in several areas. In this workshop, discover, explore, and learn more about the PSO academies and programs: Facilitation Academy, Scholarship Academy, PSO Grant Fundamentals, Vivian H. Fisher Leadership Academy and 4th Friday Evaluation Workshops. Each of these programs enhances PSO’s culture, creates opportunities to advance professional development and university priorities, and builds a professional network. Participants leave with a matrix highlighting the opportunities and next session dates.

Learning Outcomes:

  • Identify each professional development opportunity and at least one expected outcome from each opportunity.
  • Identify a PSO colleague with knowledge or experience with each opportunity.

Presenters:

Paul Brooks, associate vice president, Office of the Vice President for Public Service and Outreach (moderator)
Paul works to connect UGA’s schools and colleges with PSO’s extensive network of expertise in leadership, government, business, service, and nonprofits to enrich UGA’s education and research missions. He promotes UGA’s capacity to address societal and workforce needs locally and globally through technical assistance, service-learning, continuing education, and applied research. He also oversees several PSO programs, such as Faculty Promotion, Faculty Fellowship, and Graduate Student Assistantship.
David Meyers, senior public service associate, J.W. Fanning Institute for Leadership Development
David works in youth leadership development with a focus on supporting young people who have experienced foster care or homelessness and the families and institutions that serve them. He has developed a range of projects, including Embark Georgia, a statewide network to connect Georgia campuses in support of foster and homeless youth; the Embark Precollegiate Summer Program, a summer leadership and college readiness program for youth in foster care; and established the partnership with the Georgia Division of Family and Children’s Services to deliver the Education and Training Voucher program.
Anjali Dougherty, senior director of fiscal affairs, Office of the Vice President for Public Service and Outreach
Anjali joined the Office of the Vice President for Public Service and Outreach in December 2023. Prior to that she led the UGA Institute of Government’s administrative division, which provides financial, human resources, facilities, and information technology support to more than 250 UGA employees. She also worked for 15 years in UGA’s Internal Auditing Division, serving for the last seven years as associate director. Her work in the private sector included six years as an auditor at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP.
Julie Meehan, public service associate, J.W. Fanning Institute for Leadership Development
Julie focuses on working to build leadership capacity in nonprofit and community organizations through strategic planning processes, board and executive development, system mapping and evaluation. She leads the planning team for the Executive Leadership Program for Nonprofit Organizations (ELPNO). In addition, she has co-planned and implemented UGA’s Vivian H. Fisher PSO Leadership Academy, has led strategic planning processes for multiple nonprofits in the Athens area and elsewhere, and helps deliver the institute’s adult community leadership curriculum.
Jennifer Martin Lewis, Center for Community Design and Preservation director, College of Environment + Design
Jennifer is the director of the Center for Community Design and Preservation in the College of Environment and Design. She develops and promotes community engagement, service-learning, and collaborative partnerships for the benefit of students, faculty, staff, UGA public service and outreach units, and Georgians. She also manages the college’s design charrette program, a service-learning opportunity for students that provides a collaborative visioning workshop for Georgia communities.
Brandy Walker, public service associate, J.W. Fanning Institute for Leadership Development
Brandy specializes in instructional design, technology, evaluation and community-engagement. She has designed multimedia instructional materials on leadership development and conflict transformation practices for community, nonprofit and professional groups. She works with students on a variety of leadership development programs, teaches an interdisciplinary graduate course on community engaged research methods and also serves as the academic director for two civic engagement leadership programs in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Dan Lasseter, public service associate, Carl Vinson Institute of Government
Dan oversees executive searches for high-level leadership positions in public sector organizations by screening and vetting potential candidates and providing on-site consultation during the candidate interview process. In addition, he provides 360-degree leadership assessments for high-level management positions in governmental and nonprofit organizations. He is closely involved with employment testing for public safety agencies, which includes job analysis, job knowledge test development, and assessment center design and administration.
Kiel Norris, associate director of continuing education, UGA Center for Continuing Education & Hotel
Kiel’s 16 years of experience at UGA serving in various roles with progressively greater responsibility within continuing education have given him expertise in administration and strategic planning for continuing education programs. Kiel has also served as the chair of the USG Regents Administrative Committee on Public Service and Continuing Education and is a graduate of the UGA Public Service & Outreach Vivian H. Fisher Leadership Academy.
Brian Simmons, public service assistant, Carl Vinson Institute of Government
Brian joined the Institute of Government’s Survey Research and Evaluation Unit in 2013, where he develops and implements appropriate research methodology for evaluation and survey projects. Brian works closely with clients to develop instruments and to identify the appropriate methodology required to answer clients’ questions. He believes in continuous learning, having over 175 hours of training in evaluation methods and certification as a Qualtrics Research Core Expert.
Rosanna Cruz-Bibb, Archway professional in Hart County, Archway Partnership
Rosanna serves as the Archway professional in Hart County though she has served the UGA Archway Partnership in various roles since 2012. She connects higher education and other resources to address community-identified needs and challenges. Her experience in public relations, nonprofit, and local government work has helped her specialize in community-based, relationship-building initiatives in the communities she has served during her tenure with the Archway Partnership.