Burgess named 2021 Nashville Business Journal Woman of Influence
Lipscomb's leaders are making a difference in the lives of students and are being recognized for excellence in the community.
Kim Chaudoin |
Norma Bond Burgess, associate provost of diversity, inclusion and special initiatives in Lipscomb University’s Office of the Provost and professor of sociology and family science, has been named a 2021 Woman of Influence by the Nashville Business Journal.
As one of 33 Women of Influence 2021 honorees, Burgess will be recognized at a virtual celebration in April hosted by the Nashville Business Journal and will be profiled in a special edition of the publication.
The Nashville Business Journal recognized Burgess in the Trailblazer category which “honors women who have led the way for others to follow in their footsteps.”
“The Women of Influence Awards honors the region's most influential business women who not only work hard, but love what they do,” said an NBJ release. “They are women from every industry and profession — women who have made a difference in their communities, blazed a trail for the rest of us and are leaving a mark on Nashville.”
Norma Bond Burgess
“I am honored by the recognition. I am inspired to continue encouraging others to take next steps and do their best to use the talents that we have been given,” said Burgess.
Burgess has been part of the Lipscomb faculty and administration for 12 years. In August 2009, she was named founding dean of the university’s College of Arts & Sciences, which was an outgrowth of a reorganized college structure that combined the Colleges of Arts & Humanities and a majority of the College of Natural & Applied Sciences that existed at that time. As founding dean, Burgess built that into a thriving entity from which a College of Liberal Arts & Sciences and the George Shinn College of Entertainment & the Arts grew. In 2018, Burgess was appointed associate provost of diversity, inclusion and special initiatives.
“Dr. Burgess is a well respected leader on the Lipscomb campus who is also an avid and tireless advocate for our students and of this institution,” said W. Craig Bledsoe, Lipscomb provost. “Her Woman of Influence Award is a great recognition and well deserved. She is well respected in our community and has a positive impact on everyone around her. We congratulate Dr. Burgess and celebrate with her this tremendous honor.”
A member of the National Council on Family Relations’ (NCFR) for more than 35 years, Burgess serves as president elect. In November 2021, she begins her service as president of its board of directors. Along with 4% of its membership, she was elected as an NCFR Fellow in 2013.
Prior to her tenure at Lipscomb, Burgess was founding dean of the College of Graduate Studies at Chatham University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In that role, she was responsible for every aspect of graduate education, including new program development, faculty evaluation, budgetary management, academic management, and faculty and support services.
From 1993-2007 at Syracuse University, Burgess earned the rank of full professor and chair of the Department of Child and Family Studies and was academic co-chair of the Bachelor of Professional Studies program. She has also served as a visiting professor for the University of the Aegean in Rhodes, Greece, and as a member of the summer faculty at Cornell University. Burgess is a widely published scholar with a focus on work and family and leadership development.
Burgess has served as chair of the women’s caucus of the American Association of Higher Education. She is co-author of African American Women: An Ecological Perspective and numerous articles and other writings on work and family life, leadership, faculty development and workplace diversity.
A native of Stanton, Tennessee, Burgess holds a doctorate in sociology and a master’s degree in public affairs from North Carolina State University as well as a bachelor of arts degree in political science from the University of Tennessee.
In addition to Johnson, past Women of Influence honorees from Lipscomb include:
- Charla Long, former management faculty and dean of the College of Professional Studies, 2007;
- Susan Galbreath, senior vice president for strategy and professor of accounting and former interim dean of the College of Business, 2008;
- Linda Schacht, founding director of the Andrews Institute for Civic Leadership, 2012;
- Lisa Shacklett, former assistant dean of marketing and enrollment in the College of Business, 2014;
- Susan Morley, former assistant professor in the College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences, 2016;
- Aerial Ellis, an instructor of communication in the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, 2017;
- Allison Duke, senior associate dean and professor of management in the College of Business, 2018; and
- Natasha Johnson, instructor in the College of Business, 2020.
— Photos by Kristi Jones