Justin Boone, Iteeah Pounds, and Ruthie Yow were appointed to the council by the Provost based on nominations and self-nominations submitted to the Co-Chairs. Council members serve two-year terms, renewable for a third year with the approval of the Member, the Supervisor of the Member, the Vice Provost (or equivalent leadership role) for the Member’s area, and the Council Chair(s).

Purpose and Charge

• Lead and collaborate with the GT community on issues of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in order to create a climate of belonging for every person affiliated with the Provost’s Office.
• Identify and work on GT DEI Blueprint strategies in units of the Provost’s Office, address DEI issues with annual goals to achieve specific DEI outcomes, and raise awareness of these issues and strategies throughout units.
• Act in an advisory capacity to the Provost, Dr. Steve McLaughlin. Outcomes will be documented and reported annually to Dr. McLaughlin, his leadership team, and across the Provost’s Office.

Sent on August 8 on behalf of Dr. Chris Reaves (Executive Director of Academic Success and Engagement)

We would like to share that Recha Reid has recently accepted the position of Associate Director at the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Institute at Georgia State University. Recha has had two stints at OUE. In 2014 she was hired as Administrative Professional III and during her time was promoted to Administrative Professional, Sr before leaving to take a job as Administrative Manager II at Center for Advanced Communication Policy at Tech. In 2018, she returned to OUE as the inaugural Student Innovation Program and Operations Manager and was promoted to Assistant Director of Student Innovation and Undergraduate Research in 2021. 

Under her direction Recha has coordinated some of the largest and most visible student-facing events including the Georgia Tech InVenture Prize, ACC InVenture Prize, and the Spring Undergraduate Research Symposium. Recha was instrumental in converting these major programs into virtual formats during the Covid pandemic and was able to secure record numbers of student participants. Our portfolio of workshops increased substantially under Recha’s leadership with 168 students attending in 18-19 to 1,688 attending in 21-22. Recha’s contribution to Georgia Tech has been recognized with several awards – the 2020 Georgia Tech Spirit Award and the 2021 Southeastern Emmy Award. Recha’s greatest legacy is best exemplified in the strength of the relationships she has developed with hundreds of staff and faculty across Tech and the thousands of students she has supported. 

Please join us in thanking Recha for all that she has contributed to our students while a part of OUE (we've set up a Kudo Board if you'd like to leave her a note). We have also planned a pop-in event on Wednesday (8/10) at 2:30pm in Clough 205Q (Clough Lounge) for those who would like to say their goodbyes and wish Recha good luck on her next venture. We know she will make a great impact at Georgia State, where she will continue to lead student innovation and entrepreneurship initiatives. We will miss her immensely!

Sent on August 4 on behalf of Iteeah Pounds (Internship & Co-op Program & Ops Manager, Career Center)

I’m excited to announce that Ariel Gladney will be joining the Georgia Tech Career Center as an Experiential Learning Coordinator. Ariel will work with the Co-op and Experiential Education Team, and our campus stakeholders, to help evolve and expand experiential education for Georgia Tech students. Ariel will coordinate and provide professional and administrative support for the Career Center's co-op and internship programs.

Previously, Ariel served as an Administrative Professional on the Operations Team in the Career Center. Ariel has a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Applied Sociology from Valdosta State University. Ariel's first day in her new role will be August 15th.

 Please join me in formally welcoming Ariel to the Career Center team and the Georgia Tech community.

A special thank you to the Search Committee for their hard work and finding a great addition to our team. The Search Committee included:

• Recha Reid, Assistant Director, Student Innovation and Undergraduate Research (Chair)
• Kristina Chatfield, Program and Operations Manager, SLS Summer Internship Program & Innovating for Social Impact Program
• James Stringfellow, Career Educator, Career Center and College of Sciences
• Jamie Whitehead, Administrative Professional, Career Center (Ex Officio)