Emory Report

August 23, 1999

Volume 52, No. 1

Willis named head of Government and Community Affairs Betty Willis has been named associate vice president for government and community affairs, according to Bill Fox, senior vice president for institutional advancement. She served as the office's acting director in the weeks following the June resignation of predecessor Steve Moye. "Betty has given remarkable leadership to the office in her work as director of community affairs," said Fox in announcing her appointment. "She also has great contacts in Washington, D.C., which will serve her and us well. Betty has all the necessary abilities and experience to provide us with outstanding leadership, and I am delighted she has accepted this responsibility." Willis, who has been at Emory for three years, will continue in the short term with her community affairs responsibilities. She will then decide how she and her staff of three--Danette Joslyn-Gaul, director of state affairs; Jeremy Berry, legislative analyst; and Stacey Paschal, senior secretary--will best represent Emory on local, state and national levels. A native of Bainbridge, Willis holds a bachelor's degree from Radford University in Virginia. She forged relationships in Washington during 15 years there, working with Georgia Congressman Charles Hatcher and running Georgia's federal office during Gov. Joe Frank Harris' final term. She lobbied for behalf of the Society of Neuroscience and the American Psychological Society as well. Since coming to Emory she has worked primarily with the University's neighbors and DeKalb County commissioners. In recent months she has had a prominent role in neighborhood discussions involving the MARTA light rail line and the CVS drug store, among other issues. Willis serves on the boards of the DeKalb Chamber of Commerce, DeKalb Historical Society, Houston Mill House, the Clifton Corridor Transportation Management Association, and the Peavine Watershed Alliance, is an alumna of Leadership DeKalb and is a member of the Omicron Delta Kappa Society. "With this appointment I am privileged to have an expanded role in continuing to further Emory's mission on the local, state and national level," she said. "I see many exciting opportunities for Emory to enhance its reputation as a world-class institution that is fully engaged on all fronts." The Office of Government and Community Affairs was created to keep abreast of issues of interest to Emory and to build relationships with elected officials. Issues such as Medicare cuts or the protection of confidentiality in regard to research have been of recent concern to the office. Return to August 23, 1999, contents page