It is my pleasure to announce the hiring of Jamie McGowan as Executive Director of International Partnerships and Programs at the University of Vermont. Jamie comes to UVM from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, where she has served as Director of the Global Research Office since August 2019.

As Executive Director of International Partnerships and Programs, Jamie will be responsible for defining the University’s strategic priorities in global engagement in collaboration with university leadership. She will take the lead in developing and maintaining institutional relationships with core strategic partners around the world, in collaboration with the Provost’s Office and the Office of the Vice President for Research (OVPR), and she will serve as UVM’s Senior International Officer (SIO) and oversee the Office of International Education. Jamie will report directly to me and serve as a member of senior leadership.

Jamie’s record of excellence in global work includes grant and partnership development and engagement, supporting faculty and student exchange, and promoting joint research and publishing. She oversaw multiple international scholarship programs annually at UT and launched its Global Partnership Platform as a step toward promoting worldwide collaborations. Prior to Tennessee, she held various roles managing international programs at Penn State, the University of Illinois, and the Big Ten Academic Alliance.

Outside of work, Jamie is a West African dance and drum enthusiast. She was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Ghana and studied abroad in Kenya. She obtained her PhD and M.A. degrees in Geography from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a B.A. in Geography from Macalester College.

I extend my gratitude to the search committee, including Mads Almassalkhi, Simeon Ananou, Jonathan D’Amore, Jennifer Dickinson, Kirk Dombrowski, Cynthia Forehand, Jay Jacobs, Jill Irvine, Abigail McGowan, and Jane Okech, who reviewed a very strong set of candidates for this important role. Thanks are also due to Janis Audet-Krans for her support of the search.

Jamie’s first day at UVM will be August 1. Please join me in welcoming her to campus.