Four distinguished University of Georgia faculty members have been named Fellows of the Southeastern Conference Academic Leadership Development Program.

The program seeks to advance higher education leadership by preparing seasoned faculty leaders for careers in executive service. Ranging in leadership positions and academic interests, the fellows were named through a competitive process.

UGA’s 2024-25 SEC ALDP Fellows are:

• Allisen Penn, associate dean and state program leader for extension and outreach, College of Family and Consumer Sciences

• Mike Pfarrer, C. Herman and Mary Virginia Terry Distinguished Chair of Business Administration and the associate dean for research and executive programs, Terry College of Business

• Pej Rohani, Regents’ Professor and Georgia Athletic Association Professor, Odum School of Ecology and College of Veterinary Medicine; associate dean for academic affairs, Odum School of Ecology; and deputy director, Center for Influenza Disease and Emergence Research

• Anne Shaffer, associate dean, Graduate School, and professor in the department of psychology, Franklin College of Arts and Sciences

“The SEC Academic Leadership Development Program prepares future leaders for roles where their impact on higher education will be felt for years to come,” said S. Jack Hu, the university’s senior vice president for academic affairs and provost. “These four faculty members have already made tremendous contributions to our campus, and their selection as Fellows highlights their commitment to excellence in teaching, research and service.”

UGA’s SEC ALDP Fellows represent a range of disciplines from across campus.

Penn works with state and community partners and leaders from other UGA colleges and units to successfully apply research to meet the state’s priority needs through Extension faculty located in all 159 Georgia counties. As co-chair of the Georgia Clinical Translational Science Alliance, she addresses health and wellness needs, particularly in rural and underserved populations by strengthening and expanding research collaboration with faculty from various disciplines. 

Pfarrer’s research and teaching focus on strategic decision making, organizational reputation, crisis management and celebrity, and media and corporate communications. His research has been published in leading journals such as the Academy of Management Journal, Academy of Management Review, Journal of Management, Journal of Management Studies, Organization Science, Strategic Management Journal and Organizational Research Methods. He currently teaches executive-level, MBA and doctoral courses, and he is a three-time recipient of the MBA Programs’ Outstanding Instructor Award. 

Rohani leads strategic planning, oversight of curricular programs, faculty recruitment and appointment, and budget development and service in the Odom School of Ecology. His research is focused on the population biology of infectious diseases. He uses a combination of computational and data science approaches aimed at understanding the determinants of transmission dynamics, disease persistence and pathogen evolution, especially in light of immunization practices. He has published 166 scientific papers and co-authored a book on infectious disease modeling.

Shaffer oversees areas including graduate admissions and enrolled student services, policy implementation and appeals, student affairs programming in well-being and professional development, and communications. Her office also promotes strategic initiatives to advance graduate education at UGA, including the GradFIRST seminar series to support incoming graduate students. As a professor, she mentors doctoral students and maintains an active program of research in clinical and developmental psychology.

Launched in 2007, SEC ALDP has three components: a university-level development program designed by each institution for its own participants; two SEC-wide three-day workshops held on specified campuses for all program participants; and a competitive fellowship designed to provide administrative growth opportunities for former fellows.

UGA’s Fellows will gather monthly on campus to meet with senior campus leaders and to participate in leadership development activities tailored to the cohort’s interests.

“Alumni of the SEC ALDP have advanced to serve UGA as deans, vice presidents, and other executive roles,” said Elizabeth Weeks, associate provost for faculty affairs, who serves as UGA’s SEC ALDP liaison. “By building on their already impressive leadership skills, this year’s talented cohort has the potential to make a lasting impact on their units, our campus, and beyond.”