August 24, 2021

New Administrators Named SEC Academic Leadership Development Program Liaisons

Jason Hicks, LSU (left); Ginny Chavis, Ole Miss (center); Jermaine Soto, Vanderbilt (right).

By: SEC Staff
SECU (Twitter: @TheSECU)

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (August 24, 2021) — Three university administrators have been named liaisons for the SEC Academic Leadership Development Program, the SEC announced on Tuesday. Dr. Jason Hicks will serve at Louisiana State University, Ginny Chavis at the University of Mississippi, and Jermaine Soto is the new program administrator at Vanderbilt University.

As an SEC Academic Leadership Development Program (SEC ALDP) liaison, each person will work with his or her respective chief academic officer to identify individuals from the institution to participate as fellows in the SEC ALDP. They will also collaborate with liaisons from other SEC member universities to administer the multi-faceted program. Their tenures as SEC ALDP liaisons are all effective immediately.

“The SEC Academic Leadership Development Program’s success is tied directly to the commitment and support it receives from the individual university liaisons,” said Dr. Torie A. Johnson, SEC Associate Commissioner for Academic Relations. “Jason, Ginny and Jermaine are all seasoned university leaders who will only work to grow the program on their campuses and within the entire SEC.”

The SEC ALDP seeks to identify, prepare and advance academic leaders for roles within SEC institutions and beyond. It has three components, a university-level development program designed by each institution for its own participants (i.e., fellows); two SEC-wide three-day workshops held on specified campuses for all program participants; and a competitive fellowship designed to provide administrative growth opportunities for former fellows.

Jason Hicks is currently a Provost’s Fellow in the LSU Office of Academic Affairs where his responsibilities include administering academic policy relevant to personnel actions; professional development of faculty and administrators; and university promotion and tenure processes. He was formerly an associate dean, department chair and a fellow of the SEC Academic Leadership Development Program in the 2015-2016 academic year.

Ginny Chavis is the Acting Associate Provost at Ole Miss, and her duties include assisting with an array of administrative matters related to the academic budget, classroom space, student retention and human resources. She has also served the university as a department chair and on several committees. Dr. Chavis was a fellow in the SEC Academic Leadership Development Program in 2014-2015.

Jermaine Soto is Director of Faculty Development in Vanderbilt’s Office of Faculty Affairs. He curates the most impactful resources that support the faculty lifecycle and career pathways, and areas within his portfolio include all faculty and academic leadership development initiatives, all internal faculty awards processes and guiding the university in its inclusive faculty search efforts. Soto is currently pursuing a Ph.D.

The SEC ALDP was established in 2008, and in that time more than 500 individuals have participated as fellows and/or liaisons.