Jenny L. Singleton, professor and associate chair in the School of Psychology, has been named the assistant provost for Advocacy and Conflict Resolution, effective Jan. 1, 2018.

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Jenny L. Singleton, professor and associate chair in the School of Psychology, has been named the assistant provost for Advocacy and Conflict Resolution, effective Jan. 1, 2018.

Singleton joined as a faculty member of Georgia Tech’s School of Psychology in 2011. She is currently a Hesburgh Teaching Fellow and part of Emory University’s Academic Leadership Program, and was selected as part of the inaugural cohort of the Emerging Leaders Program at Georgia Tech in 2016. She also recently served as co-chair of the Student Mental Health Action Team, one of four teams appointed by President G.P. “Bud” Peterson. Before coming to Georgia Tech, Singleton served in various faculty leadership roles for 20 years at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

“I am grateful to Provost Bras for providing me with this opportunity to serve Georgia Tech,” said Singleton. “Conflict inevitably crops up from time to time in communities such as ours. I look forward to identifying ways to resolve these conflicts and advocating for policies that help our students and faculty be successful in classroom and research settings.”

Singleton’s area of expertise includes cognitive development in children, with research interests in the brain and behavior influenced by the learning of American Sign Language (ASL), specifically how early childhood social and linguistic experiences can shape developing biological systems in deaf and hearing children.

“Professor Singleton’s academic and research career includes more than 30 years of experience as a teacher, leader, and advisor,” said Rafael L. Bras, provost and executive vice president for Academic Affairs. “Her passion for problem-solving and leadership experience will serve her well in this new role.”

The duties of the assistant provost include oversight of the process to address and resolve student, parent, administrator, and faculty member inquiries, complaints, and grievances; interpretation and enforcement of policies and rules; interpersonal disputes among stated parties; allegations of academic, scholarly, or research misconduct; and other academic concerns in compliance with policies and procedures. The position is a 50 percent appointment in an academic faculty title and reports to the provost, and operationally responds to and works closely with the vice provost for Graduate Education and Faculty Development.

Singleton holds a Ph.D. and Master of Arts in Developmental Psychology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from the University of California at Santa Barbara.