Lauren Ward Wilson, after 11 exciting years in the tech sector most recently at Meta, has joined Culverhouse’s UA Business LEAD team to focus full time on undergraduate professional coaching and mentoring
Giving back is in Lauren Wilson’s DNA. A two-time alumnus of the College, Lauren has spent a significant amount of time back at Culverhouse and the Manderson Graduate School of Business coaching and mentoring students.
After 11 years in the tech sector, Lauren decided to pursue her passion for student impact full time and on July 16 joined the UA Business LEAD team to do just that.
According to Wilson, “When I graduated from Culverhouse and Manderson I never imagined I would have the opportunity to come back to UA to work on a program so instrumental to the professional success of our students.”
“I am incredibly honored to have this opportunity to coach and mentor students to prepare them for their careers. The LEAD program has been and will continue to be such an important part of the preparation Culverhouse students need to be successful after they leave UA.”
Wilson is the second LEAD Clinical Faculty and Professional Coach hired by the College to serve the professional development needs of Culverhouse undergrads. The role, which is new to the College, was made possible by a generous gift from Ginger Kelly in honor of her late husband Jim, a highly successful business executive with an incredible passion for coaching and mentoring. This gift is transformational. It allows LEAD to provide students with access to executive style leadership training, coaching, and mentoring—something critically needed but often lacking in undergraduate business education.
Wilson will focus heavily on delivering executive-style coaching and mentoring to our undergraduate business students as well as teaching the UA Business LEAD professional development sequence. The aim is to set our students apart by developing key soft skills that industry demands.
Dr. David Mothersbaugh, Culverhouse’s Associate Dean for Undergraduate and International Programs who has, over the past five years, worked to create and grow the LEAD program, said, “Lauren is an incredible addition to our team. She brings a wealth of industry experience along with an incredible energy for engaging and developing our students professionally. Indeed, she was so excited to get started that she decided to start a month early to get a jump on things and is already working on instituting a peer-to-peer student coaching model which will provide even more transformational opportunities for our Culverhouse student leaders.”
“Lauren joins Keith Norton who was the first LEAD Coach to be hired and we are thrilled to have her join our team!”
Dr. Keely Latopolski, Senior Director of Undergraduate Programs including LEAD, added, “Lauren’s passion for students and her support of students’ professional development is evident in the vision she has for this important role. Lauren has brought a new industry perspective and innovative ideas to our team. We’re excited for the many opportunities our students will have to develop professionally as a result of her teaching, coaching, and mentorship!”
Contact Lauren Wilson at lwwilson@cba.ua.edu.