Three Ivan Allen Faculty Selected for Emerging Leaders Cohort

Posted May 21, 2019

Three faculty from Ivan Allen College have been selected for the fourth cohort of Georgia Tech’s Emerging Leaders Program for 2019-2020. They are associate professors Karen Head, Olga Shemyakina, and Jennifer Singh.

“We are proud of the interest the program has generated among our faculty and are thankful for the support of the Colleges. I offer my heartfelt congratulations to the next cohort of Emerging Leaders at Georgia Tech,” said Rafael L. Bras, provost and executive vice president for Academic Affairs who leads the initiative. “The program continues to identify talented individuals who are passionate about their leadership journey and in promoting a culture of leadership at Georgia Tech.”

Starting in fall 2019 and continuing through spring 2020, the three, together with 13 other participants from across campus will take part in leadership development workshops, a fall weekend activity, small-group work, self-assessments, and 360-degree assessments.

Associate Professor Karen Head is also associate chair of the School of Literature, Media, and Communication and directs LMC’s Naugle Communication Center serving Georgia Tech faculty, students, and staff. Her research areas focus on writing and communication theory and pedagogical practice. She is an award winning teacher, has published five books, and serves as the editor of Southern Discourse in the Center: A Journal of Multiliteracy and Innovation and the international poetry journal, Atlanta Review.

Olga Shemyakina is associate professor in the School of Economics. Her research interests include applied microeconomics, development economics, labor economics, armed conflict, health, education, and gender. She has been a Senior Affiliate with the Households in Conflict Network (HiCN) since 2007 and was appointed as an IZA Research Fellow in 2014. She has worked on three research consulting projects for the World Bank studying links between armed conflict, education and gender.

Jennifer Singh is associate professor in the School of History and Sociology. She is a sociologist specializing in medical sociology and science and technology studies. Her research investigates the intersections of genetics, health and society, which draws on her experiences of working in the biotechnology industry in molecular biology and as a public health researcher at the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.