University Leadership and Governance

Justice Leah Ward Sears has served on the Emory Board of Trustees since 2010 and is an alumna of the Emory School of Law. Sears has been a part of the Emory community for 45 years, starting as an Emory Law student in 1977, then as an adjunct professor at the school, and for the past 15 years, as a valued member of the Board of Trustees. Sears has had a distinguished and groundbreaking career in the Georgia judiciary. Mayor Andrew Young appointed her to the City Court of Atlanta in 1982. Three years later, she became the first African American woman to serve as a superior court judge in Georgia. In 1992, Governor Zell Miller appointed her to the Georgia Supreme Court, where she served for 17 years, including four years as chief justice.

Badia Ahad is the provost and executive vice president for academic affairs and the Charles Howard Candler Professor of English and African American Studies. As the institution’s chief academic officer, she ensures the quality of undergraduate, graduate, and professional education and advances Emory’s progress as an eminent research university. The deans of Emory’s schools and colleges report to the provost on all academic matters. Additionally, Ahad provides leadership, guidance, and support for academic units across the Office of the Provost, working closely with other senior leaders within the division and across the university to continue advancing important efforts to build strong schools, foster faculty eminence, ensure operational excellence, and deliver an exceptional student experience.

Previously, Provost Ahad was the dean of Oxford College, where she was responsible for crafting the overall vision and establishing the strategic priorities of the college. She served as Oxford’s chief academic, administrative, and fiscal officer while maintaining a wide portfolio of responsibilities, including academic affairs, campus life and housing, finance and operations, communications, enrollment services, technology, advancement, and human resources.

A scholar of literary and cultural studies, Ahad joined Emory in 2023 after serving 18 years on the faculty at Loyola University Chicago. At Loyola, she held numerous administrative posts including serving as the director of the university core curriculum and vice provost for faculty affairs. In the classroom, Ahad has been honored with numerous awards for teaching and scholarship excellence.

She has published widely on the intersection of African American literary and cultural studies and positive psychology, with a focus on the social, emotional, and psychological conditions that foster human flourishing. Ahad also served as principal investigator on a $1 million-dollar ADVANCE grant to support STEM faculty retention and equity, funded by the National Science Foundation. She is recognized as a national expert on faculty development and mentoring, having served for nearly a decade as the director of academic training for NCFDD.

Ahad graduated with a bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and received an MA and PhD in English literature from the University of Notre Dame.

Luke Anderson is vice president of communications and marketing.

He came to Emory from the University of Florida Foundation, where he served as associate vice president for strategic communications and chief marketing officer.

At the University of Florida (UF), Anderson has made many key contributions that helped build momentum as the university rose to become a top-five public institution as ranked by US News & World Report.

He played a leadership role in developing the story behind UF’s artificial intelligence initiative; worked alongside the university’s executive leadership team to develop strategy and communications for an emerging regional presence for UF in Palm Beach County; and led campus-wide efforts to promote Go Greater, UF’s record-breaking $3 billion capital campaign, among other accomplishments.

Prior to joining UF, he served as assistant vice president for communications at the University of Virginia, where he helped lead efforts to build UVA’s central communications and marketing team while enhancing the UVA brand.

Anderson currently serves as a co-chair for the American Marketing Association’s Higher Education Symposium.

He has a BA in English language and literature from the University of Virginia and a master’s degree in creative writing from the University of Dublin–Trinity College.

Christopher L. Augostini serves as the executive vice president and enterprise chief operating officer for Emory University and vice chair for Emory Healthcare Board of Directors. He is responsible for ensuring the Emory enterprise, in which Emory University and Emory Healthcare are strategically and financially integrated, is poised to create an environment that fosters excellence in people, facilities, infrastructure, and operating and financial performance. His innovative and collaborative leadership style brings cross-functional and enterprise-wide teams together, enables them to do their best work, and drives excellence operationally and financially. The exceptional results that Augostini and his team have delivered have led to Emory being the university of choice for students, faculty, and staff and the health system of choice for patients, doctors, nurses, and staff.

Reporting to the president of Emory University, Augostini collaborates with members of the president’s leadership team, senior management leaders of Emory Healthcare, the Emory University Board of Trustees, the Emory Healthcare Board of Directors, and other stakeholders to identify enterprise opportunities and issues and to implement long-term sustainable solutions. As chief financial officer, he is responsible for strategic oversight and leadership of integrated financial, debt management, and cash strategies for the Emory enterprise. Under his direction, Augostini launched teams to develop the first all funds integrated financial plan and debt portfolio restructuring. Augostini leads the overall business operations strategy for Emory University including enterprise-wide master planning and real estate strategies; management of Emory’s approximately $7 billion investment portfolio; information technology and cyber security strategies; enterprise risk management, internal audit, and compliance integration; human capital practices of one of Georgia’s largest employers; and execution of campus services across Emory’s Druid Hill and Oxford campuses.

As the vice chair of Emory Healthcare’s Board of Directors, Augostini provides oversight of Emory Healthcare’s strategic financial position. Working with the executive vice president for health affairs and the Emory Healthcare leadership team, Augostini is responsible for multi-year financial planning to align with and in support of Emory Healthcare’s strategy with emphasis on high-quality, patient-centered care. Emory Healthcare, with more than 24,000 employees, 11 hospital campuses, and 425 locations, is the most comprehensive academic health system in Georgia.

Prior to joining Emory, Augostini served as senior vice president and chief operating officer at Georgetown University. Over his 17-year tenure at Georgetown, he consistently delivered improved operating results, balance sheet metrics, and investment returns. Specifically, he initiated the first multi-year operating, capital, and financial plan that addressed health care system losses and the impact on the enterprise. He also served as chief of staff to the first deputy mayor of the city of New York under Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, as well as deputy budget director and director of intergovernmental affairs overseeing the city’s efforts in Washington, D.C. and in Albany, New York. He served in numerous positions within New York State (NYS), including principal budget analyst for the NYS Ways and Means Committee and program analyst for the NYS Assembly Higher Education Committee. He is currently on the Board of Directors for W. R. Berkley Corporation, an insurance holding company. Augostini has a master's degree in public policy analysis from the State University of New York at Albany.

Allison K. Dykes is vice president and secretary of the university, a role she has held since 2014. She and her team are responsible for facilitating and supporting the Board of Trustees in its work of governing the university by establishing policy and exercising fiduciary responsibility for the long-term well-being of the institution, including real property, endowment, all contracts, financial resources, faculty appointments, and student life.

The Office of the Secretary facilitates the engaged collaboration of the president’s leadership team as well as others throughout the Emory community to promote effective and sound university governance. The office is also responsible for preserving institutional memory by maintaining the official record of the Board of Trustees.

Dykes and her team manage and assist the Honorary Degrees Committee, which reviews all honorary degree nominations submitted by the Emory community and recommends to the president a slate of candidates who represent the highest values and breadth of the university's mission “to create, preserve, teach, and apply knowledge in the service of humanity.”

She joined Emory in 1997 as director of regional programs for the Emory Alumni Association and in 2003 was named vice president for alumni relations. She received the Emory University Award of Distinction, Emory’s highest staff honor, in 2012.

A 1992 graduate of the University of Georgia, Dykes holds a bachelor's degree in French and a certificate in global policy studies.

In August 2018, Newton returned to Emory as senior vice president for advancement and alumni engagement. Previously, he had served for a decade in various leadership positions at the university. In partnership with President Gregory L. Fenves, Newton is responsible for the development and implementation of the university’s next philanthropic campaign, building on Emory’s 10-year strategic plan and its focus on academic eminence. He also will play an important role in furthering Emory’s relationships in the Atlanta community as well as engaging nationally and internationally on behalf of the university.

Newton previously served as president and CEO of the University of Connecticut Foundation. In that capacity, he presided over the five most successful fundraising years in the foundation’s history, raising a total of nearly $400 million in fiscal years 2014 through 2018, representing a 46 percent increase. During his tenure, he focused on increasing scholarship support for students and worked to strengthen engagement of University of Connecticut alumni and other constituents with the university.

A graduate of Belmont Abbey College, Newton’s fundraising experience also includes Converse College (Spartanburg, South Carolina) and Presbyterian Hospital (Charlotte, North Carolina). He has served in multiple leadership roles with the Association of Fundraising Professionals International Board and is a member of the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education and the Educational Advisory Board.

Brad Slutsky is the general counsel of Emory University and Emory Healthcare. He brings more than 30 years of legal experience to Emory, including 18 years at King & Spalding—one of the top 25 law firms in the world, eight years at Qualcomm—a Fortune 100 mobile hardware and software provider, and eight years as general counsel at an S&P 500 / Fortune 1000 payment products and services company (Corpay) and at a private equity-backed digital marketing company (Red Ventures).

Slutsky has worked with universities and health care systems throughout his career, and he and his teams have been selected by the Association of Corporate Counsel and various legal publications as the 2023 Outstanding Legal Department—Large Company, 2018 Outstanding General Counsel—Large Legal Department, and multiple years as a “Top Lawyer” / “Super Lawyer” in Georgia and California and a leading technology attorney worldwide.

Slutsky is an arbitrator for the World Intellectual Property Organization and has served as an arbitrator for the Fulton County, Georgia court system and as a special master in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia. Slutsky received a JD from the University of Virginia School of Law and a BA in Business Economics, magna cum laude, from Brown University.

When he is not practicing law, Slutsky enjoys running marathons, snowboarding, building and programming computers and home automation systems, and studying organizational behavior.

As vice president, Cameron Taylor leads Emory’s Office of Government and Community Affairs (OGCA).

The office is the university’s official government liaison—advocating for Emory on a range of topics and monitoring legislative and regulatory priorities. Under Taylor’s direction, staff work closely with the U.S. Congress; the Georgia Legislature; local governments; and local, state, and national civic organizations as well as professional associations to advance policy positions important to the university.

Taylor recently oversaw the creation of Emory’s first enterprise-wide community engagement strategy. Identifying three priorities—health and well-being; social and economic mobility; and arts, science, and cultural enrichment—the strategy uses Emory’s deep well of research, scholarship, economic influence, and human capital to focus on the greatest need areas, in conversation with community partners.

Prior to joining Emory in 2003, she spent a decade on Capitol Hill in a variety of roles. Taylor worked for the now-defunct Office of Technology Assessment, serving as principal author for a congressionally requested status report on aquaculture.

She also worked as legislative director for a member of the House Committee on Agriculture and served as lead Senate staffer for the Northeast-Midwest Senate Coalition under co-chairs Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan (D-NY) and Senator Jim Jeffords (R-VT). When Senator Jeffords became chair of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, Taylor joined as professional staff and worked to advance brownfields redevelopment efforts, including passage of the Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfields Revitalization Act.

In more than 18 years of service to Emory, Taylor has defined excellence in some of the roles she now oversees.

She began her tenure as Emory’s Washington representative, advancing both specific project goals of the university as well as its larger policy objectives. Understanding the central role of productive working relationships in Washington, Taylor skillfully earned the trust of members of Congress, key members of their staffs, and representatives of the executive branch and federal agencies. To advance Emory policy goals, she coordinated with internal advisory groups and national medical, educational, and research associations.

Beginning in 2012, Taylor served three years as the university’s director of federal affairs, during which time she formed strong and collaborative relationships with congressional members, including Senator Johnny Isakson (R-GA) and John Lewis (D-GA). Since 2015, when she was promoted to vice president and began overseeing the OGCA, Taylor has worked to ensure Emory’s strategic engagement of government stakeholders and community partners.

She is highly involved in the national higher education and health care trade associations. Taylor has served on the Board of Directors of the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, the Government Relations Representatives (GRR) Steering Committee of the Association of American Medical Colleges, and the GRR Steering Committee of the Association of American Universities. She also is a member of the Outreach and Engagement Committee of the Council on Competitiveness.

Taylor earned an MS in resource policy and administration from the University of Michigan and a BA in sociology and ecology from Emory. She also is a 2014 graduate of Emory’s Woodruff Leadership Academy.

Kimberly Jacob Arriola serves as dean of Laney Graduate School, vice provost for graduate affairs, and Charles Howard Candler Professor of Behavioral, Social, and Health Education Sciences in Rollins School of Public Health. 

As dean of Laney Graduate School, Arriola seeks to strengthen the graduate student experience and Emory’s ability to attract the best graduate students. This entails ensuring a student-centered educational experience that leverages curricular innovation to prepare students across all disciplines for careers that carry the greatest societal impact. As a result of significant investments and strategic decisions in the past decade, Laney has become a major player in the national and international graduate education landscape for the ways that it supports students and faculty. By focusing the school on interdisciplinary study, professional development, career planning and diversity, and inclusive excellence, Arriola solidifies Laney’s role as an important driver of Emory’s overall institutional trajectory.

Arriola serves as the chief academic, administrative, and fiscal officer of Laney Graduate School. Working collaboratively with critical constituencies, she supports the university’s academic mission through the creation of new programs, facilitates the establishment of processes and procedures to assist all graduate programs, and identifies and develops synergies between graduate education and research across the enterprise.

As vice provost, Arriola is responsible for developing and implementing an aligned and integrated vision for graduate and professional education across the university in collaboration with key constituents. This entails enhancing the student experience across all graduate and professional schools; fostering the recruitment, retention, and successful matriculation of students from historically underrepresented groups; and expanding interdisciplinary graduate and professional education across all relevant schools at Emory.

Arriola holds a PhD and MA from Northeastern University, an MPH from Emory, and a BA from Spelman College.

Sean Clarke is dean of the Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing. An internationally respected nursing leader, researcher, and educator, Clarke has helped shape the national conversation on nursing workforce issues, patient safety, and health policy. He has taught nursing leadership and professional issues, research, and clinical science courses in universities in the United States, Canada, and beyond, and he is editor-in-chief of Nursing Outlook, the American Academy of Nursing’s official journal covering nursing practice and education, research trends, and health policy.

Clarke is co-principal investigator of Towards Magnet 3.0, a multimethod evaluation study of the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Magnet Recognition program. He also serves as principal investigator for a multimillion-dollar initiative that supports and evaluates nursing workforce strategies across 13 hospitals caring for vulnerable populations in New York State.

Clarke came to Emory from the New York University Rory Meyers College of Nursing, where he was the Ursula Springer Professor in Nursing Leadership following service as executive vice dean. He also served as associate dean for undergraduate programs at Boston College’s Connell School of Nursing, as well as senior academic and research appointments at the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Toronto, and McGill University.

With more than 250 scientific publications that have been cited more than 22,000 times, Fallin’s globally recognized research focuses on applying genetic epidemiology methods to studies of neuropsychiatric disorders including autism, Alzheimer's disease, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder and to developing applications and methods for genetic and epigenetic epidemiology, as applied to mental health and development.   

Fallin has led multiple CDC- and NIH-funded projects regarding how environments, behaviors, genetic variation, and epigenetic variation contribute to risk for psychiatric disease, particularly autism. She currently leads the B’more Healthy Brain and Child Development (HBCD) study, one of 25 sites of the NIH’s newly initiated HBCD study, where she also serves as an associate director of the administrative core to guide epidemiologic design.

Prior to joining Rollins, Fallin worked at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health for 22 years, where she served as chair of the Department of Mental Health, Sylvia and Harold Halpert Professor, Bloomberg Centennial Professor, and held joint appointments in the Bloomberg School’s Departments of Epidemiology and Biostatistics and the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine’s Departments of Medicine and Psychiatry. While at the Bloomberg School, Fallin directed the Wendy Klag Center for Autism and Developmental Disabilities and previously served as director of the genetic epidemiology area within epidemiology prior to becoming chair of the Department of Mental Health in 2013.  

Fallin completed a bachelor of science from the University of Florida–Gainesville and earned a PhD in genetic epidemiology from Case Western Reserve University.

Richard D. Freer, Charles Howard Candler Professor of Law, became the dean of Emory University School of Law on July 1, 2024. Through his 41 years on the faculty, in various leadership roles—including the university associate vice provost for academic affairs, Emory Law associate dean of faculty, chair of the university’s Tenure and Promotion Advisory Committee and chair of more than a dozen law school committees—Freer has championed a collaborative approach to decision-making, encouraging robust discussion and forging consensus.

His priorities flow from the core law school mission of preparing principled, sophisticated lawyers who can serve the needs of clients in any milieu. Those priorities include student flourishing initiatives to provide a more integrated and innovative network of support for students, building upon the remarkable scholarly eminence of the faculty, and enhancing ties with alumni, the legal and business communities, and across the university.

Freer is a noted scholar of civil procedure, federal jurisdiction, and complex litigation. He has authored or co-authored 17 books and more than 40 journal articles and essays. His work has been cited by state and federal courts, including the Supreme Court of the United States. He has been elected a life member of the American Law Institute and serves as an academic fellow of the National Civil Justice Institute.

Eleven law school graduating classes have named Freer Most Outstanding Professor. He is a recipient of Emory University’s Scholar/Teacher Award and Emory Williams University Teaching Award. He delivered the 2024 John F. Morgan Sr. Distinguished Faculty Lecture. As a bar review lecturer for more than 30 years, he has lectured to more than 500,000 bar exam candidates nationwide.

Terrence L. (Kojo) Johnson is the Mary Lee Hardin Willard Dean of Candler School of Theology. An internationally recognized scholar, academic leader, and ordained itinerant elder in the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church, he previously served as the director of religion and public life and Charles G. Adams Professor of African American Religious Studies at Harvard Divinity School. Prior to this, he held faculty and administrative leadership positions at Haverford College and Georgetown University.

A distinguished scholar of African American religion, ethics, and politics, Johnson examines the moral foundations of public life and the responsibilities of religious and educational institutions in a pluralistic society. His interdisciplinary work brings African American religious thought into conversation with political theory and American history, with particular attention to justice, freedom, and law.

His recognized work in cross-cultural leadership development prepares scholars and institutional leaders to lead across differences with intellectual agility, cultural fluency, and a shared sense of purpose.

Johnson is the author of four books and numerous scholarly and popular articles, as well as the founding editor and co-editor of two book series: Race, Politics, and Religion (Georgetown University Press) and Religious Cultures of African and African Diaspora People (Duke University Press). In 2024–2025, he was among five scholars chosen as inaugural Steven M. Polan Fellows in Constitutional Law and History at the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University, a nonpartisan law and policy institute. He is deeply committed to the liberal arts and sciences, graduate education, and preparing principled scholars and leaders.

Molly McGehee is dean of Oxford College, where she continues to advance the college’s tradition of academic excellence, innovation, and community engagement. A dedicated scholar and leader, McGehee is also professor of English and American studies and has long been a driving force behind Oxford’s academic mission. She was honored with the Emory Exemplary Teaching Award in 2024, recognizing her outstanding contributions to teaching, mentorship, and scholarship.

Prior to her current role, McGehee served as senior associate dean for academic affairs, senior associate dean for teaching, scholarship, and strategic initiatives, and associate dean for faculty development. Across these leadership positions, she has shaped faculty development initiatives, championed scholarly excellence, and fostered inclusive and dynamic learning environments.

Beyond Oxford, McGehee has held influential positions within the broader academic community, including serving as president of the Southern American Studies Association, as an elected member of the boards of both the Society for the Study of Southern Literature and the Southern American Studies Association, and as an elected member of the Regional Chapters Committee of the American Studies Association.

McGehee’s current book project, Atlanta Fictions: Women Writers’ Urban Imaginaries, explores the representations of Atlanta in modern and contemporary fiction. Her scholarly work has appeared in the edited volumes Queering the South on Screen (ed. Tison Pugh, UGA Press) and Remediating Region (eds. Gina Caison, Stephanie Rountree, and Lisa Hinrichsen, LSU Press), as well as in Southern Cultures, Southern Quarterly, Cinema Journal, Studies in American Culture, Southern Spaces, North Carolina Literary Review, and Gale’s American Writers series.

Her teaching and service have been recognized numerous times: in spring 2015, the Black Student Alliance at Oxford presented her with the Reta Cobb Award; in 2016–2017, she received both the Fleming Faculty Service Award and the Phi Eta Sigma Teaching Award. She has twice been awarded the Gregory-Rackley Career Development Grant, and in 2017 received a University Research Committee (URC) grant from Emory.

Saby Mitra is the John H. Harland Dean of Goizueta Business School. An accomplished academic leader, researcher, and educator, he brings more than three decades of experience advancing business education, research, and innovation.

Prior to joining Emory, Mitra served as dean of the University of Florida’s Warrington College of Business for six years, where he led strategic growth, expanded AI and analytics education, launched new graduate programs, strengthened career and professional development, and enhanced the college's national reputation. Previously, he spent 27 years at the Georgia Institute of Technology's Scheller College of Business, serving as the Thomas R. Williams–Wells Fargo Professor of Information Technology Management and in senior leadership roles overseeing faculty, research, and academic programs.

James Nagy is dean of Emory College of Arts and Sciences for the 2026–2027 academic year. A nationally recognized scholar, educator, and academic leader, he brings more than 25 years of experience as a faculty member at Emory University. He is the Samuel Candler Dobbs Professor of Mathematics and previously served for eight years as chair of the Department of Mathematics.

An internationally respected researcher in computational and applied mathematics, Nagy has built a distinguished career advancing scholarship, teaching, and mentorship. His research has contributed significantly to the development of mathematical methods and computational techniques, and he has taught courses across the undergraduate and graduate curriculum. Throughout his career, he has mentored undergraduate honors students, doctoral candidates, and postdoctoral scholars.

Nagy’s commitment to excellence in teaching has been recognized with several of Emory’s highest honors, including the Emory Williams Distinguished Teaching Award, the Crystal Apple Award for Excellence in Graduate Teaching, and an Emory College Professorship for Distinguished Teaching in the Social and Natural Sciences.

A dedicated champion of shared governance and academic service, Nagy has held numerous leadership roles across the university. He has served as director of graduate studies and as a member of the Emory College Tenure and Promotion Committee; the Curriculum, Assessment, and Educational Policy Committee; and the University Research Committee. As department chair, he worked closely with faculty, staff, and students to strengthen academic programs and foster a collaborative community.

As dean, Nagy is focused on supporting academic excellence, strengthening community, and advancing Emory College’s mission as one of the nation's leading liberal arts research institutions. He is committed to building on the college’s longstanding strengths while helping position it for continued success and impact.

Sandra L. Wong, an accomplished surgical oncologist and researcher, joined Emory University School of Medicine as dean in March 2024. She also serves as chief academic officer for Emory Healthcare.

Wong is a surgical oncologist specializing in the management of soft tissue sarcomas, melanoma, and non-melanoma skin cancers. She is among the most widely recognized health services researchers in academic surgery, with an extensive record of research funding and more than 250 peer-reviewed studies to her credit. She has held leadership positions in several prominent professional organizations including the Society of Surgical Oncology, the Society of University Surgeons, and the Society of Surgical Chairs. Wong has been honored with numerous medical student and resident teaching awards.

She completed her bachelor’s degree at the University of California Berkeley. After receiving an MD from Northwestern University Medical School, she completed a surgical residency at the University of Louisville School of Medicine and a surgical oncology fellowship at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.

Wong spent a decade at the University of Michigan where she was an instrumental leader as a vice chair of academic affairs and an associate chief of staff. After she joined the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, she was able to leverage her collaborative skills to develop cross-disciplinary mentorship and research programs. As chair of the Department of Surgery at the Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center and the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, she was responsible for overseeing all aspects of research, education, and clinical operations. During her tenure at Dartmouth, she developed an interest in studying and eliminating rural health disparities. Her efforts helped spur the creation of the federally funded Center for Rural Health Care Delivery Science, which provides infrastructure to train junior investigators who focus on understanding and solving challenges associated with the provision of equitable health care.

Lynell Cadray advises the president on policies and systemic issues of concern as well as identifies behavioral trends and patterns that require attention. Cadray serves faculty and staff—and, when appropriate, students—with resolving their concerns and issues. She is a member of the International Ombudsman Association and the International Association for Conflict Management. 

Since arriving at Emory in 1994, Cadray has served in numerous roles, including vice provost of equity and inclusion; associate dean of enrollment and student services and chief diversity officer at Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing; and dean of admission and financial aid and chief diversity officer at Emory University School of Law. 

She has been recognized with numerous awards, among them, at Emory, the Award of Distinction (2014), the Distinguished Leadership Award for Women of Excellence (2016), and the Career Excellence Award in Equity and Inclusion from the Office of the Provost (2019). In 2017, Cadray was nominated to advance her work on peace as an “Emory Peacemaker” during the 21 Days of Peace celebrations on campus. External accolades include the Most Powerful and Influential Woman Award (2017) from the National Diversity Council.

Cadray received her BA from Tulane University, MA from Georgia State University, and a certificate in conflict resolution from Cornell University. She is a trained conflict coach and mediator as well as a national facilitator on implicit bias who worked with the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy to present this training during the Obama administration.

When she is not working within the Emory community, she serves as board chair for the Georgia Zoological Society, a partner to the Georgia Safari Conservation Park.

In addition to serving as senior adviser to the president, Robert M. Franklin holds the inaugural appointment to the James T. and Berta R. Laney Chair in Moral Leadership. His broad portfolio of academic leadership and faculty experience includes tenure as the tenth president of Morehouse College as well as service on the faculties of Emory, Harvard, and the University of Chicago. An ordained minister, he is nationally known as a scholar, teacher, and author of books and public commentary on spirituality and faith in African American communities and families. Franklin has served as president of the Interdenominational Theological Center in Atlanta and as theologian in residence at the historic Chautauqua Institution.

Franklin earned his BA degree from Morehouse College, his MDiv degree from Harvard Divinity School, and his PhD degree from the University of Chicago. First appointed to the Candler School of Theology in 1989, he built a national reputation at Emory as director of Black Church Studies and later as Presidential Distinguished Professor of Social Ethics and senior fellow at the Center for the Study of Law and Religion. His work as special adviser dovetails with his teaching role at Candler, where he leads students through explorations of moral leadership in the twenty-first century in different cultures and contexts in the United States and around the world.

Khalia J. Williams is interim university chaplain and dean of religious life. She also works as associate dean of worship and spiritual formation and professor in the practice of worship at Candler School of Theology.

Williams earned an MA in theological studies from Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, Georgia, and a PhD in liturgical studies, with a focus on theology and worship, from the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California. She is an ordained minister with affiliation in both the Baptist tradition and the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).

A native of Los Angeles, Williams is a scholar, educator, and practitioner whose work explores the intersections of worship, spiritual formation, embodiment, and the sacred arts. She is the author and editor of several works in liturgical theology and worship and lectures widely on practices that cultivate meaningful spiritual life within congregations and communities. She also directs the Sacred Arts Collective, a Lilly Endowment–funded initiative exploring the role of the arts in nurturing the spiritual lives of children and their communities. Williams serves on the board of Disciples Home Missions of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and as an associate minister at Providence Missionary Baptist Church in Atlanta.