Amy Overman named state chair of ACE Women’s Network

Amy Overman, professor of psychology and assistant dean of Elon College, the College of Arts & Sciences, was recently named state chair of the North Carolina ACE Network of Women Leaders. She had previously served as state chair-elect and was a core member of the team of women from higher education institutions across the state who restarted and rebranded the network in North Carolina after a period of dormancy.

Overman’s service on the Executive Board of the statewide ACE Women’s Network is a continuation of her long-standing commitment to the advancement of women. In 2016, she co-founded the Elon Women’s Forum, the first group at Elon to bring together female-identified faculty and staff with the goals of fostering a supportive environment for women at Elon University; promoting discussions and awareness around topics related to women’s lives; and identifying and supporting pathways for career advancement and professional development opportunities for women.

Overman has also served as an invited panelist at the annual meeting of the international organization Women in Cognitive Science (WiCS). She is also a committed mentor of women in academia, including undergraduate and graduate students, post-doctoral researchers and junior faculty.

All higher education institutions in the state of North Carolina are eligible to join. For the 2021-2022 academic year, there are twenty-six institutional members representing HBCUs, community colleges, private and public institutions. The network offers programming throughout the year, as well as sessions for liaisons (Institutional Representatives) from each college or university, and an annual women’s leadership conference that this year will take place on June 3.

Elon has been a significant supporter of the network. Elon has been the host for Executive Board planning retreats and President Connie Ledoux Book serves as a Presidential Sponsor for the network, along with Pamela Senegal, president of Piedmont Community College, Karrie Dixon, chancellor of Elizabeth City State University and Kelli Brown, chancellor of Western Carolina University.

The Institutional Representatives who serve as liaisons from Elon to the NC ACE Women’s Network are Gabie Smith, dean of Elon College, the College of Arts & Sciences and Janet Williams, vice president for Finance and Administration.

The North Carolina ACE Network of Women Leaders is a non-profit, volunteer organization that is a part of, and shares the purpose of the American Council on Education’s (ACE) leadership programs. The NC ACE Network seeks to develop programs that identify, develop, encourage, advance, link and support women in higher education careers in North Carolina. NC ACE Women’s Network vision is to move the needle for women in North Carolina higher education by helping to achieve parity for women in senior leadership roles at colleges and universities throughout the state.