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Nominations open to serve as counselors of the Emory University Board of Trustees

Nominations are open for faculty members to serve as counselors to two committees of the Emory University Board of Trustees: 

  • Investment Committee 
  • Real Estate, Buildings and Grounds Committee  

Nominations must be submitted by Thursday, March 21.

The Investment Committee has general oversight of the investments of the university and has the authority, from time to time and when in its opinion the best interests of the university justify such action, to authorize the sale of any securities owned by the university, to authorize the purchase of any securities in which the funds of the university should in its judgment be invested and to approve other investment strategies. 

The Real Estate, Buildings and Grounds Committee considers and recommends to the Board of Trustees or its Executive Committee appropriate action on all matters dealing with the erection, alteration, destruction and naming of any buildings or grounds owned by the university either on or off its campuses. The committee makes appropriate recommendations to the Board of Trustees or its Executive Committee concerning acquisition or disposition of real estate, its management, rental or policies relating thereto.

Faculty counselors participate in committee meetings (typically three to four meetings per year, each lasting two to three hours, but some committees meet more often). The board seeks faculty who, when called upon, will actively participate in committee discussions and represent the interests and perspectives of the faculty. Priority will be given to candidates with experience and interest in the areas of investment and real estate.

Faculty counselors serve a non-voting, three-year appointment on one of seven standing committees of the board: Audit and Compliance; Campus Life; Development; Finance; Investment; Real Estate, Buildings and Grounds; and Woodruff Health Sciences.

The president and president-elect of the University Senate, who are also the chair and chair-elect of the Faculty Council, serve an ex officio, two-year appointment as faculty counselors on the Academic Affairs Committee. 

Faculty counselors’ participation on board committees has fostered mutual respect and a deeper understanding of the respective roles played by trustees and faculty in advancing the university’s mission. Faculty counselors are one of three counselor types to the board, which also appoints alumni and student counselors to certain committees.


Nomination criteria

The nominating faculty member should submit a one-page nomination letter of the qualified candidate. Self-nominations are permitted. The nomination letter should detail why the candidate is being nominated and should include the names and contact information of three additional faculty members from whom the Faculty Council Executive Committee may solicit additional information about the nominee. Previous service as a faculty counselor should be noted.

Letters of nomination should be emailed no later than Thursday, March 21, to Lisa Parker, program coordinator for the University Senate, at lisa.parker@emory.edu.


Selection process

Nominations will be presented to the Faculty Council Executive Committee, which (in collaboration with the Office of the Provost and the Office of the Secretary) is charged with overseeing the nomination and selection process for faculty counselors.

The president and provost make the final recommendations, and the prospective counselors are reviewed by the appropriate member(s) of the President’s Leadership Team; the chair of the Emory University Board of Trustees; the chair of the board’s Governance, Trusteeship and Nominations Committee; and the chairs of the board committee(s) to which the new faculty counselor(s) will be assigned.

Prospective counselors are selected based on their scholarly expertise, professional experience, service to the university, governance roles and/or other noteworthy achievements that would enable them to contribute important faculty perspectives to the board’s deliberations, as well as their ability to broadly represent faculty from the various units of the university. The appropriate board committee will approve final faculty counselor appointments.


Current faculty counselors

The current slate of faculty counselors includes:  

  • Hashem Dezhbakhsh, Emory College of Arts and Sciences: Economics (Investment)
  • Nitika Gupta (ex officio), School of Medicine: Pediatrics; President of the University Senate (Academic Affairs)
  • Anne Marie McKenzie-Brown, School of Medicine: Anesthesiology (Woodruff Health Sciences Center)
  • Edjah K. Nduom, School of Medicine: Neurosurgery (Development)
  • Usha Rackliffe, Goizueta Business School: Accounting (Finance)
  • Lars Ruthotto, Emory College of Arts and Sciences: Mathematics (Campus Life)
  • Karen Sedatole, Goizueta Business School: Accounting (Audit and Compliance)
  • George B. Shepherd (ex officio), School of Law; President-Elect of the University Senate (Academic Affairs)
  • Salmon Shomade, Oxford College: Political Science (Real Estate, Buildings and Grounds)

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