Priti Bhatia, director of facilities and capital planning in the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts, and Jillann Hertel, creative director and CoLab director in the School of Literature, Media, and Communication, are among 26 women who have been named to the Leading Women@Tech leadership development program.

Institute Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion sponsors the annual program, which enables participants to explore curriculum designed to strengthen their leadership abilities, enhance personal and professional growth, and support their overall career development, in addition to facilitating connections among women as an inclusive community across campus.

“This year marks our big comeback,” explained Pearl Alexander, executive director of diversity, inclusion, and engagement for IDEI, at the opening ceremony. “We haven’t been able to gather like this as a group since before the pandemic, and for a community built on creating connections and opportunities, it’s exciting to be together in the same room with you all.”

The program launched in 2016 because of feedback from the 2012 Climate Assessment Survey. The results showed an expressed desire for more mentoring and networking opportunities for women at Georgia Tech. Since its launch, more than 100 women have participated in the program, making it one of the most sought-after leadership development programs at the Institute.

Approximately one-third of the program’s graduates have leveraged the insights they’ve gained through the program to be promoted to higher positions. Others leverage their learning to take empowered approaches to achievement and career fulfillment, according to Alexander.

“Each year, we are inspired by the number of outstanding nominees to the program,” Alexander said. “As part of the Institute’s new DEI Plan, programs such as this allow us to continue to invest in communities of practice focused on leadership and develop intentionally inclusive leaders who are good stewards of the work Georgia Tech is doing to become a more inclusive community.”

In addition to Bhatia and Hertel, this year's participants are:

Joi Alexander, Director, Wellness Empowerment Center, Student Engagement and Well-Being

Ashley Coogan, Director of Development, College of Sciences

Amy W. Corn, Professor of the Practice & Academic Program Director, FinTech Professional Education Program

Ece Erdogmus, Ph.D., Professor & Chair of the School of Building Construction

Juli Golemi, Director of Innovation Ecosystems, Enterprise Innovation Institute (EI2)

Laura Haynes, Ph.D., Faculty member and Director, Office of Outreach, Electrical and Computer Engineering

Sharon Jackson, Director of Lab Business Operations, Georgia Tech Research Institute

Aisha Johnson, Ph.D., Associate Dean for Academic Affairs & Outreach, Georgia Tech Library

Jeonghyun (Jonna) Lee, Ph.D., Director of Research for Education Innovation, Center for 21st Century Universities (C21U)

Samantha Lie-Tjauw, Senior Research Scientist, Georgia Tech Research Institute

Candice McLemore, Director of Operations, Master of Science in Analytics Program

Georgia Parmelee, Director of Research Communications, Institute Communications

Ana Rusch, Ph.D. Associate Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Student Life, Online Master of Science in Computer Program

Beatriz Rodriguez, Assistant Director for Undergraduate Programs, Scheller College of Business

Kelly Rowland Prather, Director of Catering, Tech Dining

Elizabeth Ryan, Associate Director of Athletic Communications and Public Relations

Carrie Shepler, Ph.D., Principal Academic Professional and Assistant Dean for Teaching Effectiveness, School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, College of Sciences

Romy Smith, Chief Counsel, Georgia Tech Research Institute

Mattie Smyth, Assistant Director of Fraternity & Sorority Life

Shannon Thomas, Ph.D., Director of Information Technology, Scheller College of Business

Nazanin Tork, Associate Director of Graduate Education, Office of Graduate Education

Lindsay Vaughn, Vice President of Strategic Communications, Georgia Tech Alumni Association

May Dongmei Wang, Ph.D., Wallace H. Coulter Distinguished Faculty Fellow and Professor, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Tech and Emory University

Kimberly Wynn White, Senior Director of Enterprise Customer Relationship Management, Office of Information Technology