Pamela Young has been named executive director of Hobart and William Smith Colleges' Melly Institute for Business, Innovation and Leadership. Young joined the Geneva college this summer and will oversee its work connecting classroom study with leadership development and career preparation, HWS announced Tuesday.
The appointment comes as HWS develops the institute's permanent home in Williams Hall and expands programs intended to give students practical experience beyond their majors. The college previously identified Young as the institute's executive director in its announcement of a Bloomberg Terminal lab; Tuesday's release provides details about her role and background.
Young has more than 25 years of experience in higher education and international nonprofit organizations. Before joining HWS, she directed academic strategic plan implementation in Syracuse University's Division of Academic Affairs, where she worked on a university-wide experiential-learning framework and student-success initiatives.
Earlier, Young was director of community engagement and economic development at the University of Alabama. HWS said she developed service-learning, leadership, study-abroad and community partnership programs that expanded opportunities for hundreds of students.
Her career also includes roles with Plan International, CARE USA and Oxfam, where she worked on education, humanitarian and social-development initiatives across Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Europe and the Middle East, according to the college.
Young has taught undergraduate and graduate courses in leadership, nonprofit management, ethics and the first-year college transition. She holds a doctorate and master's degree in education from the University of Michigan and a bachelor's degree from Colby College, and is pursuing an MBA at Syracuse University's Whitman School of Management.
Brandi Ferrara, HWS associate vice president of outcomes and the institute, said Young's experience in experiential learning, global education and institutional strategy will help the college build programs that connect students' coursework with leadership and career opportunities. The release did not announce a separate start date; Young has already joined HWS.
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