Emory
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October 3 , 2005
New
VPs hired for HR, marketing
by michael terrazas
Last week Emory filled two important senior administrative
positions, as Peter Barnes and Ellen Dracos Lemming were announced
as the University’s new vice presidents for human resources
and marketing, respectively. Both appointments are pending approval
by the Board of Trustees.
Barnes, who takes over Human Resources following the
departure of longtime HR vice president Alice Miller earlier this
calendar year,
comes to Emory from the
University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill, where he serves as senior vice
president and director of human resources of the UNC Health Care System, and
also as compliance co-officer and director of graduate medical education for
UNC Hospitals. His appointment is effective Dec. 1.
“I am delighted that Peter Barnes has accepted our offer and pleased to
welcome him to Emory,” said Executive Vice President for Finance and Administration
Mike Mandl, under whose operational umbrella Barnes will serve. “[At UNC]
he serves contemporaneously in three executive-level roles, demonstrating his
understanding and commitment to both higher education and health care missions.
He was the clear first choice overall for Emory among an accomplished pool of
candidates.”
“Every single person I interacted with told me what a wonderful place Emory
is—they complimented the leadership, they expressed belief in the mission,
and they were positive about the future. I found myself wanting to be a part
of this,” Barnes said. “On a professional level, I am focused on
matters that have meaning and impact on employees, staff and leaders. Emory will
retain and recruit a wide array of human talent, and be able to work with the
community to fashion a work place of which we will all be proud.”
Barnes is a UNC alumnus, where he studied as a James
M. Johnson Scholar and earned a B.A. in biology and English. He was
recommended for
the Emory HR
post by a
search committee, chaired by Vice President for Finance Edie Murphree, composed
of individuals from across the University and Emory Healthcare.
Marketing VP
Dracos Lemming comes to Emory after seven years at The Home Depot,
the last serving as vice president for brand marketing and president
of Home Depot
Incentives Inc. A 1985 graduate of Duke University in psychology, she has
held a number
of marketing positions in different industries throughout her career, including
a yearlong stint as vice president for marketing at Kaplan Educational Centers
in New York.
Dracos Lemming’s appointment represents a new
strategic direction for the University, which has decided to significantly
ramp up its efforts in external
marketing. Hers is the first of two vice-presidential hires (the other focusing
on communications) promised by Johnnie Ray, senior vice president for Development
and University Relations.
“When we began this search, we said we wanted someone with proven success
in the corporate marketing world, and that’s exactly what we found,” Ray
said. “Ellen Dracos Lemming has demonstrated a remarkable acumen in every
industry in which she’s worked, whether it’s home improvement with
The Home Depot or brain improvement with Kaplan. We know she’ll continue
to excel in marketing the kind of intellectual improvement we specialize in at
Emory.”
“I am thrilled to be joining President [Jim] Wagner’s and Johnnie
Ray’s leadership teams as the University continues its strategic journey.
Emory is an exceptional institution, and I’m looking forward to taking
the Emory brand and reputation to the next level by applying proven marketing
and branding principles,” Dracos Lemming said. “Word of mouth will
be the most effective marketing tactic we can utilize. I consider every person
in the Emory family to be an important brand manager; all of us will need to
work together to make Emory the ‘university of choice’ for key groups:
faculty, students, alumni, administrators, employees and the community.”
Dracos Lemming will begin on Nov. 1, Ray said, though
she will participate in October in a number of projects and meetings.
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