Laura Meadows Named Director of the Carl Vinson Institute of Government

 

University of Georgia (UGA)Vice President for Public Service and Outreach Jennifer Frum announced the appointment of Laura Meadows as director of the Carl Vinson Institute of Government on Wednesday, February 15. The appointment takes effect immediately.

 

Meadows assumes the key leadership role at the Vinson Institute on a permanent basis after having served as interim director since July 2011.  She joined the Vinson Institute in 2009 as associate director of its training division, which provides professional and leadership development opportunities to thousands of local and state government officials and staff each year.

 

“Laura has already shown exceptional leadership during her time as interim director at the Vinson Institute. She brings with her a tremendous amount of experience working with both state and local officials from all parts of Georgia,” commented Dr. Frum. “Additionally, she has demonstrated throughout her career an impressive track record of leading programs that help governments achieve greater efficiency and responsiveness.”

 

Meadows arrived at UGA in 2007 as associate vice president for economic development at UGA. She has also served as commissioner of the Georgia Department of Community Affairs, executive director of the OneGeorgia Authority, assistant secretary of state for the State of Georgia, and state director of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development.

 

“I am honored to be named director of the Vinson Institute, the nation’s flagship organization serving public officials. Times like these present those serving the public with a number of challenges. I look forward toworking with university and external partners to assist the state’s dedicated government officials who are working to improve the way their governments meet constituent needs,” comments Meadows. “It is a pleasure to work alongside the great Institute faculty and staff who strive everyday to make government work better for residents in our great state.”

 

The Carl Vinson Institute of Government is a public service unit within the University of Georgia that works closely with state and local governments and provides them with customized assistance, objective research, and training and development programs.