On November 1, Laura Crawley joined the University of Georgia as the new assistant vice president for academic affairs and director for the UGA Gwinnett Campus. Her responsibilities include handling day-to-day coordination of academic programs, working with UGA schools and colleges on the Athens campus to maintain and develop new graduate degree programs for the university. UGA-Gwinnett also houses the Georgia Center for Continuing Education and the Small Business Development Center, which offer noncredit courses for professional development.Before joining UGA, Crawley served as director of the Executive MBA Program at Georgia State University. Under her leadership, the EMBA program doubled in size and moved up 15 places in the Financial Times international ranking of EMBA programs. While at GSU, Crawley created new opportunities for students and alumni, and she has managed international business residencies to China, Thailand, Vietnam, and Turkey.Before coming to Georgia State University, Crawley was a business developer for Crane MetaMarketing Inc., where she developed branding and marketing programs for non-profit organizations around the country. In this role she consulted with clients in organizational development, strategic planning, fundraising and recruitment. Crawley also held the position of assistant to the vice president of student affairs at Georgia Perimeter College, helping to oversee admissions, financial aid, disability services and other student support services. She has taught at Emory University and Georgia Perimeter College, and co-founded an international academic journal, The Journal of The Historical Society, based out of Boston University. Crawley holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas at Austin, and master’s and doctoral degrees from Emory University.Crawley has lived in the Atlanta area since 1991 and held leadership positions in several community organizations, including the DeKalb Preparatory Academy, a public charter school in DeKalb County; St. John’s Lutheran Church; Thrivent Financial; and the Six Star Refugee Partnership Board. She now lives in Decatur with her husband and two children.