Coles College Leadership Scholar History

The Coles College Leadership Scholars Program emerged as an idea from a committee called the Blue Sky Task Force in 2011.  The Blue Sky Task Force was asked to imagine what the Coles College of Business should be doing with the curriculum in five years (from that point) and beyond.  A faculty committee including Hope Baker, Leila Borders, Jane Campbell, Stacy Campbell, Justin Cochran, Tim Mathews, Tyra Mitchell, and Program History  and led by Tim Blumentritt began working on innovative curricular ideas.

Faculty on the Blue Sky Task Force recognized that we had great students in our classrooms that were eager for additional challenges and development, and outlined a general idea for a specialized program to develop these high-achieving and highly motivated students.  Dean Kathy Schwaig liked the idea and supported the launch of the Coles College Scholars Program (later renamed to the Coles College Leadership Scholars Program in 2024).  An ad hoc Coles College Scholars Committee was formed in September 2012 and began meeting regularly to plan exactly what the program would be when it was launched.  This committee was comprised of Hope Baker, Tim Blumentritt, Stacy Campbell (chair), Justin Cochran, Ellen Cross, Linda Malgeri, Michael Maloni, Tim Mathews, Gary Selden and Sarah Boone (industry partner and Coles College Advisory Board member).

This committee developed the mission, outlined the values, designed the integrated curriculum and structure, and saw the program through the curriculum approval process.  Stacy Campbell was chosen as the original director for the Coles College Scholars Program and led the program from 2013 until 2024. In Fall 2013, recruitment for the first cohort of Coles College Scholars began to select members that would begin the program in Fall 2014.  We also received initial financial support from our long term partner, Henssler Financial, that allowed us to kick off each cohort with a retreat for students to get to know their cohort peers.

In Fall 2014, Cohort One of the Coles College Scholars Program began with 17 members across the various college of business majors.  Over the years, students have had great opportunities to work with a variety of companies and organizations in the Atlanta metro area.  They have also traveled to Guatemala, Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, and Italy and have conducted grass roots consulting projects with various local organizations in those countries.  As of 2024, the program was renamed as the Coles College Leadership Scholars Program to better reflect its goals as a program based in leadership development. Justin Cochran and Stephanie Miller were appointed as the Executive Director and Assistant Director of the program, respectively.

Following Spring semester 2025, the program has graduated 165 members that are having great impacts in their careers and in their communities around the US and beyond.