LSU Engineering Faculty Member Selected for Elite National Leadership Program

5/25/2017

Theda Daniels-Race, a M. B. Voorhies Distinguished Professor in the Division of Electrical & Computer Engineering, has been selected to participate in a national leadership program for women. The Executive Leadership in Academic Technology and Engineering (ELATE) is an elite, one of a kind professional development program for women in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) academic fields.

The incoming class for ELATE at Drexel® includes 26 experienced and diverse women faculty from 23 different institutions across the country and Canada. Each was nominated by her dean or provost and will contribute to institutional initiatives as she expands her leadership skills.

“I'm thrilled and proud to represent the LSU and the College of Engineering as the first fellow accepted to this program from our institution,” said Daniels-Race. “I am so thankful for the leadership’s encouragement and support for my participation in this program,” she added.

ELATE at Drexel® is a one year, part time program that focuses on increasing personal and professional leadership effectiveness, leading and managing change initiatives within institutions, using strategic finance and resource management to enhance organizational missions, and creating a network of exceptional women who bring organizational perspectives and deep personal capacity to the institutions and society they serve. Facilitated by leaders in the fields of STEM research and leadership development, the curriculum includes classroom lessons and activities, online instruction and discussion, and on-the-job application at each Fellow’s home institution.

“We are thrilled to welcome a new class of women leaders in biology, computer science, engineering, health science, and physics for 2017-18 Fellowship Year. With each new class, ELATE is not only making a difference in the professional lives of participants, but the program is continually expanding the national network of leaders and supporters of women in academic STEM leadership.” Koren A. Bedeau, Ph.D., Vice Provost for Academic Programs and Strategic Initiatives at Drexel.

The work for this incoming class begins this month with online assignments and community building activities. The program will conclude in March 2018 with a symposium organized around institutional change projects that have been developed in collaboration with the leadership of their organizations, and then graduation ceremonies attended by their deans, provosts, and other university leaders. Fellows begin the first of three week-long, in-residence sessions when they meet for the first time at the ACE Conference Center in Lafayette Hill, PA., on August 5, 2017.

For more information on the ELATE curriculum, faculty and participants, visit www.drexel.edu/ELATE. 

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For more information contact Laura J. Odenwald, assistant manager of digital marketing, LSU College of Engineering, at lauraj@lsu.edu.