Welcome New Faculty!

Russell T. Keen, EdD

President, Augusta University

Georgia native Russell T. Keen, EdD, assumed the presidency of Augusta University (AU), effective July 1, 2024. Keen previously served as executive vice president for administration and chief of staff to the president at AU, where he held an executive leadership role since July 2015. In this position, Keen managed and allocated the university’s more than $1 billion budget, managed and coordinated its executive vice presidents and served as head administrator in the president’s absence. He has worked within the university system for more than 22 years. Previously, he also held leadership roles at Georgia Southern University and in fundraising at the University of Georgia. Keen, a first-generation college student, holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration and a master’s degree in higher education administration from Georgia Southern University. He earned an EdD in higher education management from UGA in 2019. His family has been part of the Augusta community for generations.

Jennifer C. Sullivan, PhD

Interim Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost

Dr. Sullivan has been a part of the AU community since 2000 when she joined the Vascular Biology Center in the Medical College of Georgia as a postdoctoral fellow.  She joined the faculty in 2008 and is currently a Regents Professor in the Department of Physiology, the Dean of the Graduate School, and the Interim EVP of Academic Affairs and Provost. Dr. Sullivan is an internationally recognized expert and leader in the field of sex differences in cardiovascular physiology and pathophysiology. Her work has been continuously funded by the NIH and the American Heart Association since becoming a tenure track faculty member in 2008.  Dr. Sullivan consistently publishes her work in the top journals in the field of hypertension, with over 120 peer reviewed articles and has received numerous prestigious awards for her outstanding work. Dr. Sullivan has active leadership roles in national scientific societies, serves on the editorial board as associate editor for leading peer reviewed journals, and currently is chair of an NIH grant study section. Dr. Sullivan is also an exceptional educator and mentor, with a demonstrated commitment to the training of undergraduate, graduate, and medical students, as well as postdoctoral fellows and junior faculty members. She creates a challenging and collaborative training environment for all of her trainees while focusing on the needs of each individual.

Zach Kelehear, EdD

Vice Provost

For more than 40 years, Zach Kelehear, EdD has been engaged in public education. He has served as a college administrator, professor, a personnel director, staff development director, and a teacher in high school and middle school. Currently he is the Vice Provost for Augusta University and is known for his expertise in instructional leadership, organizational change, and personnel. Kelehear has written several articles and books that investigate ideas around artful leadership practice in public schools and business. In addition, Kelehear continues to be engaged in professional organizations and publications. He has served as President of the Council of Professors of Instructional Supervision (COPIS), Chair of both the Arts and Learning SIG and Supervision and Instructional Leadership SIGs at AERA.

Karen Head, PhD

Associate Provost for Faculty Affairs

Karen Head, PhD is the Associate Provost for Faculty Affairs and a Professor of English and World Languages at Augusta University. In addition, she is the Editor of the Atlanta Review, Adjunct Professor at Georgia Tech, and a Visiting Scholar and Artist at Technische-Universität-Dortmund. She has an A.A. from DeKalb College, a B.A. from Oglethorpe University, an M.A. from the University of Tennessee, and a Ph.D. from the University of Nebraska. Her extensive administrative background is grounded by a scholarly output that spans several disciplinary lines, often as interdisciplinary work, to include work in the fine arts, education, social science, and broad-based humanities. Her scholarship about higher education rhetoric, especially in the area of technology-based pedagogical practices, has been internationally recognized. As a widely published poet, she served as the inaugural Poet Laureate of Fulton County, Georgia (2020-2022). Currently, she serves as the Waffle House Poet Laureate, a title that reflects her outreach program to use the arts to encourage students in rural high schools to consider paths toward college, a distinction that has received extensive media coverage.

Chris Melcher, JD

Vice President and General Counsel

Chris joined AU as Vice President and General Counsel in 2014, overseeing the Office of Legal Affairs (OLA) and the legal services provided to the University and its nine colleges. OLA is comprised of 5 attorneys (including the GC) and 3 staff members. The General Counsel reports to the President and is a member of the President’s Executive Cabinet. The OLA is responsible for providing legal advice and legal services to the University leadership, faculty, staff, and all colleges and divisions. Their work includes advice and support on contracts, employment, business transactions, research and intellectual property, faculty and student affairs, affiliate cooperative organizations and foundations, University policies, open records, and coordination on issues of mutual interest with the University System of Georgia and the State Attorney General’s Office.

Tiana Curry-McCoy, PhD

Faculty Senate Chair, MS-CLS Research Program Director, and Associate Professor

As a 12-year faculty member of Augusta University, Dr. Curry-McCoy displays a passion for teaching, excellence in research, and a heart for service. Hailing from Bennett College, the first historically black women's college in the US, she understands the science of a liberal arts college. Dr. Curry-McCoy then proceeded to obtain her PhD from the University of Nebraska Medical Center, where she actually walked uphill in the snow to get to class. Later Dr. Curry-McCoy obtained an MPH from AU and an MPA from Georgia College State University. As a member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Incorporated Dr. Curry-McCoy's motto is "Excuses are tools of incompetence which build bridges to nowhere and monuments of nothingness. Those who use them seldom amount to anything". Understanding, hard work, diligence, and loyalty are a few of the qualities Dr. Curry-McCoy brings to work every day. Affectionately known as Dr. T, she leads by example walking hand and hand with faculty, staff, and students. Dr. T is the Chair of Augusta University Faculty Senate, Professor in the College of Allied Health Sciences, Graduate School Faculty, and an Associate Member of the Vascular Biology Center.

Rebecca Carroll, MEd

Vice President for Human Resources

Rebecca Carroll is the Vice President of Human Resources (HR) at Augusta University and began her tenure in February 2022. She served as the Associate Vice President of HR and Chief HR Officer at Georgia Southern University from 2016 to 2022. Prior to her appointment at GSU, she served as Armstrong State University’s Chief HR Officer. Carroll received her undergraduate degree from Augusta University and master’s degree in Adult Education from Armstrong State University. She is certified as a Senior Professional in HR and SHRM Senior Certified Professional.

Sharri Peck, SHRM

Director, Classification, Compensation & Information Systems

Sharri Peck has 23 years of experience in Human Resources at Augusta University.  She began her career with AU as an Employment Specialist and has moved up the ranks serving as the Assistant Employment Manager, Sr. HRIM Analyst, Manager HR Information Systems & Reporting, and is currently the Director of Classification, Compensation & Information Systems. Sharri received her undergraduate degree from Augusta University and is a SHRM Senior Certified Professional.

Kristina M. Baggott, MBA

Associate Vice President, Volunteer Services & Community Engagement

Kristina Baggott is the Associate Vice President for Volunteer Services and Community Engagement with Augusta University. In her role, Kristina is responsible for the development and implementation of an integrated community and volunteer engagement strategy for the university. She and her team serve as liaisons between AU and the community, developing community connections and programs that maximize relationships and support the university’s education, research, and service mission. She also chairs the university’s Community Engagement Leadership Council, AU’s campus-wide community-engagement leadership group while working extensively in the community to support the university in ensuring strategic priorities are being met while maximizing responsiveness to the needs of the community. During her 12 years with AU, in addition to her current focus, she has led teams in annual giving, special events, philanthropy communications as well as alumni engagement. Prior to her time with the University, Kristina worked in the corporate sector in marketing leadership roles where she was responsible for marketing strategy, communications, special event marketing, community relations, and market forecasting. Kristina holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (Marketing) degree from the University of South Carolina as well as a Master of Business Administration degree from Augusta University.  She is currently a candidate for the Doctor of Public Administration degree from Valdosta State University. In addition to serving on a variety of university leadership committees, she is also actively involved with a number of professional and community organizations including her current service on the board of SafeHomes of Augusta, the advisory board for the Junior Achievement Discovery Center of the CSRA and the University System of Georgia Regents Advisory Committee for Community Engagement and Service.

Lara Stepleman, PhD  (Clinical Faculty Session Facilitator)

Medical College of Georgia Associate Dean for Faculty Success & Inclusive Excellence

Professor and Chief of Psychology, Department of Psychiatry and Health Behavior

Dr. Lara Stepleman, PhD serves as the inaugural MCG Associate Dean for Faculty Success and Director of the MCG Office for Faculty Success with a charge to foster a culture of success through mentoring, career development, and retention efforts. She is also the chief of Psychology and a Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Health Behavior, supervising psychology training, research, and clinical care with a focus on individuals living with HIV and sexual orientation and gender minorities. Dr. Stepleman has dedicated much of her career to mentoring across the learner continuum, including undergraduates, medical students, graduate students, postdoctoral fellows and faculty. She developed nationally respected doctoral and postdoctoral psychology training opportunities in HIV and LGBTQ+ health disparities. In her more than two decades at MCG, she has demonstrated an aptitude for blending of clinical, educational, scholarly, and administrative efforts for which she has received accolades at the institutional level, including the Augusta University's Service Award and the Diversity and Inclusion Award for Inclusive Excellence, and at the college level, including the MCG Group on Women and Medicine in Science’s Leadership Award and the Spirit of MCG Award. Dr. Stepleman, however, is most fulfilled when she is facilitating the professional development and success of others.

Scott Thorp, MA (Research Faculty Session Facilitator)

Associate Vice President for Interdisciplinary Research

Professor and Chair of the Department of Art and Design

Scott Thorp is an artist, writer, and educator specializing in creativity. He currently serves as Chair of the Department of Art and Design and Associate Vice President for Interdisciplinary Research. Scott holds an MFA in multi-disciplinary art from the Maryland Institute College of Art. In addition to his studio work, he publishes regularly through ARTPULSE Magazine on contemporary artists. From his years of teaching creativity and design thinking he believes that collaboration and the development of creative skills are essential to problem-solving. With his innovative approach, Thorp continues to inspire and empower individuals to tap into their creative potential.

Doug Blackburn (Teaching Faculty Session Facilitator)

Assistant Vice President of Instruction Services

Doug Blackburn is the Assistant Vice President for Instruction Services at Augusta University, where he oversees the Center for Instructional Innovation. Doug joined Augusta University in 2015 as the Manager of the Medical College of Georgia’s Technology Services team. In 2017, he became the Director of University IT Services, responsible for end-user IT support teams, Classroom and Event Services, and instructional systems and support teams. He later served as the Assistant Vice President for IT Customer Experience before assuming his current role in Academic Affairs.

Doug earned a Bachelor of Science in Information Technology from Georgia Southern University and a Master of Science in Information Security Management from the Augusta University School of Computer and Cyber Sciences. He is currently pursuing a Doctor of Education in Higher Education Administration from West Georgia University. Before joining Augusta University, Doug spent 15 years as the Director of Business Development for an internet commerce software provider.