Five Georgia Tech leaders have been selected for the 2026 ACC Academic Leaders Network (ACC-ALN) Fellows program. ACC-ALN is designed to foster cross-institutional networking and collaboration among ACC institutions while increasing leadership capacity among the academic leaders at each institution.  

The new cohort includes: 

• Tansu Celikel, Professor and Chair, School of Psychology 

• J. Brandon Dixon, Woodruff Professor and Associate Chair, George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering 

• Julie Ju-Youn Kim, William H. Harrison Jr. Professor and Chair, School of Architecture 

• John B. Lyon, Professor and Charles A. Smithgall Jr. Institute Chair, School of Modern Languages 

• Franz H. Reneau, Interim Associate Provost for Academic Effectiveness and Senior Academic Professional, Office of Academic Effectiveness 

In 2026, fellows will participate in three in-person conferences at Southern Methodist University, the University of Notre Dame, and the University of Pittsburgh. Fellows form project teams coalesced around topics of interest to multiple universities, develop a paper or other deliverable, and present their findings at the final conference in November.

Learn more about the ACC-ALN program and past fellows here.