Texas A&M Faculty Selected For SEC Academic Fellowships

SEC Faculty Achievement (l-r) Dr. Adam Barry, professor and head, Department of Health Behavior, School of Public Health; Dr. Ann McNamara, professor and associate dean for research and creative works, School of Performance, Visualization and Fine Arts; Srividhya Ragavan, professor and director of the International Legal Program School, Texas A&M Law School; Dr. Lori Taylor, professor and head, Department of Public Service and Administration, Bush School of Government and Public Service — (l-r) Dr. Adam Barry, professor and head, Department of Health Behavior, School of Public Health; Dr. Ann McNamara, professor and associate dean for research and creative works, School of Performance, Visualization and Fine Arts; Srividhya Ragavan, professor and director of the International Legal Program School, Texas A&M Law School; Dr. Lori Taylor, professor and head, Department of Public Service and Administration, Bush School of Government and Public Service

The Southeastern Conference (SEC) Academic Leadership Development Program (ALDP) aims to prepare and advance academic leaders in its member schools for roles within SEC institutions and beyond. Texas A&M selected four professors to take part in the university-led development program that each institution designed for its own fellows, two workshops for all SEC participants and a competitive fellowship to provide administrative growth opportunities to program alumni. Texas A&M will host the fall workshop Oct. 15-18 and the University of Missouri will host the spring workshop Feb. 21-23, 2024.

Faculty completing the program have progressed to university leadership positions as deans, associate vice presidents and other executive roles.

Texas A&M’s 2023-24 ALDP Fellows

Dr. Adam Barry, professor and head, Department of Health Behavior, School of Public Health
Barry joined Texas A&M in 2014 in the Department of Health and Kinesiology. His research focuses on alcohol use, alcohol-induced impairment and intoxication. As a faculty member, he served in various leadership positions including chair of Graduate Education Programs, division chair for Health Education, associate department head and interim department head. He was named an Administrative Fellow with the Office of the Dean of Faculties and a Presidential Impact Fellow.

Dr. Ann McNamara, professor and associate dean for research and creative works, School of Performance, Visualization and Fine Arts
McNamara joined Texas A&M in 2008 in the Department of Visualization which became a cornerstone of the School of Performance, Visualization and Fine Arts. In addition to teaching undergraduate and graduate courses, her research studies novel approaches for optimizing an individual’s experience when creating, viewing and interacting with virtual and augmented spaces. She is a founding co-chair of the Symposium on Applied Perception (formerly named the Symposium on Applied Perception in Graphics and Visualization) and has held numerous university leadership roles including graduate programs coordinator and associate department head. She was named a Presidential Impact Fellow and received a Distinguished Achievement Award (Teaching) from The Association of Former Students.

Srividhya Ragavan, professor and director of the International Legal Program School, Texas A&M Law School
Ragavan joined Texas A&M in 2016 as a professor of law. Her scholarship emphasizes issues intersecting international trade law with intellectual property rights. An expert in intellectual property, copyrights, patents, science and law and more, she was named an ADVANCE Administrative Fellow and ADVANCE Champion at Texas A&M and an Affiliate Faculty Fellow of India Center for Law and Justice, University Seattle School of Law. She serves on several editorial boards including Grassroots Journal, Canada (2019-present), Indian Journal of International and Comparative Law, Thomson Reuters, South Asia (2020-present), Indian Law Review, Oxford University, London, UK (2018-present) to name a few.

Dr. Lori Taylor, professor and head, Department of Public Service and Administration, Bush School of Government and Public Service
Taylor joined Texas A&M in 2003 as an assistant professor in the Department of Public Service and Administration. Her research has consistently been in the forefront of education policy research and implementation, both at the state and national levels. She was awarded the Silver Star Award for Excellence in Teaching from the Bush School of Government and Public Service (2006, 2010 and 2012), The Association of Former Student’s Distinguished Achievement Award (College Level Teaching) twice and the Distinguished Research and Practice Award from the National Education Finance Academy.

Texas A&M fellows are nominated by deans and other administrators and include tenured faculty who demonstrate the abilities and desire to develop their roles as institutional and academic leaders.

“Through the SEC Academic Leadership Program, faculty are empowered to become leaders on their campuses and in their disciplines through transformational learning, collaboration and access to resources,” said Dr. Heather Lench, a SEC ALDP liaison and Texas A&M senior associate vice president for Faculty Affairs. “We congratulate this year’s fellows and look forward to seeing what they accomplish in the years to come.”