Saluting the Dean's Council
The Community Advisory Board in 1991. Members included (front L-R) Alicia Philipp, Betty Fuller, Leslie Graitcer, (middle) Ingrid Saunders Jones, Alexis Scott Reeves, Cathy Selig, Carlos Martel, (top) Cecil Phillips, Ray Greenberg, John Holder, and Bud Seretean.
Atlanta-area leaders mark 20 years of school advocacy
Several years ago, a conversation in Burma put Anne Kaiser on the path to becoming chair of the RSPH Dean’s Council.
Three current members have chaired the Deans’ Council. Shown with James Curran are (L-R) Cecil Phillips, Anne Kaiser, and Lawrence Klamon. “We are indebted to our Dean’s Council members for their advocacy, counsel, and support,” says Curran. “Many have served on the council for a number of years, and their collective knowledge and wisdom have helped guide Rollins’ growth.” |
“I have had an interest in global nutrition and water quality for quite some time through travels with my husband around the world,” says Kaiser. “During one of those trips to Burma, I talked with Jane Shivers about both topics. She shared stories about the Dean’s Council and asked if I would be interested. The rest is personal history.”
At the time, Shivers did what members of the Dean’s Council are wont to do—raise awareness about Rollins.
“The Dean’s Council supports the school by being the eyes, ears, voice, and ambassadors for the school,” says Kaiser. “We also provide what I call ‘bookend support’—our group believes in who we are and what we do. Our members excel in providing that support to the school.”
For the past 20 years, Dean’s Council members have met regularly to learn about the RSPH from faculty, students, and alumni. In turn, council members share what they learn with other business, community, and philanthropic leaders. Now more than 50 members strong, the Dean’s Council began in 1991 as the Founding Advisory Board and evolved into the Community Advisory Board. Renamed in 1995 as the Dean’s Council, the group includes RSPH Dean James Curran and Kathryn Graves, associate dean for development and external relations.
The RSPH Campaign Committee: Among its members are (L-R) Virginia Bales Harris, Lawrence Klamon, Ann Estes Klamon, James Curran, Walter Wildstein, Stanley Jones, and Richard Hubert. |
While council members come from diverse backgrounds, they share Rollins’ commitment to preventing disease and improving health. They also support the Dean’s Council Scholarship, awarded annually to help cover tuition for an MPH or msph student.
Three current members have chaired the Dean’s Council, including Cecil Phillips (1996 to 2001), Lawrence Klamon (2001 to 2010), and Kaiser. More than a dozen members serve on the RSPH Campaign Committee, chaired by Lawrence and Ann Estes Klamon. To date, the committee has helped raise more than $148 million through Campaign Emory.
“We are indebted to our Dean’s Council members for their advocacy, counsel, and support,” says Curran. “Many have served on the council for a number of years, and their collective knowledge and wisdom have helped guide Rollins’ growth. The school continues to benefit from their leadership and connections with potential collaborators and supporters throughout the world.”
For Kaiser, serving on the Dean’s Council stimulates her intellectual curiosity by exposing her to leading thinkers and practitioners in public health. “The school is deeply important to me, “she adds, “because through my commitment, I can make a difference.”—Pam Auchmutey
