With dedication and faith, Wilson reflects on her Jaguar journey

Judi Wilson, EdD, grew up in a religious family and has relied on her faith to persevere through daily challenges.

She had been a pre-kindergarten through eighth grade teacher, school and district administrator in three different school systems before coming to Augusta when her husband, Greg, was hired as head coach of women’s basketball in 1999. She felt called to stay at home to raise and homeschool her twin boys, Tanner and Carter.

During that time, she finished her doctorate to be prepared professionally and helped direct the women’s ministry at Warren Baptist Church. It was her way of stretching those leadership muscles while being a stay-at-home mom for three and a half years.

“And then we ran out of money,” said Wilson, who will retire as dean of the College of Education and Human Development at the end of July. “I stayed up one night praying fervently on our back porch. It was freezing and I remember having a blanket around me on the back porch just saying, ‘God, if it’s your will for me to go back to work, you’re going to have to make that clear,’ because I felt like my calling was to be at home. The boys were in kindergarten and I didn’t want to give that up.”

At 10 the next morning, her phone rang and her journey at Augusta University began.

Becoming a Jaguar

The dean of the college had called to say they had an unexpected resignation in the middle of the year and they had talked to then-president, William A. Bloodworth, Jr., who mentioned Wilson’s name.

Wilson started as a temporary instructor in January 2003, supervising student teachers while still being able to homeschool her boys.

“I still was at home a lot, but I was also able to make the money that we needed to make,” she said. “Then the professorial vacancy was posted and someone asked, ‘Why aren’t you applying for the job?’ And I said, ‘I don’t think I’m qualified,’ and they said, ‘Oh yes you are.’ Everything started with prayer and surrender. I told God, ‘you know my heart, which is to be a mother and a wife.’ And then it literally was like manna falling from heaven.”

Graeme Connolly, PhD, is the associate dean of Faculty and Staff Success and an associate professor of Kinesiology. He started working at AU in 1998, first as a graduate assistant soccer coach for AU and then as a faculty member in the Department of Kinesiology since 2001.

He first met Wilson around 2003. He said her genuine passion for teaching, teachers, teacher preparation and education in general resonated with him back then and still does all these years later.

“Dean Wilson has been an educator for almost three decades and has taken on many leadership roles at the department and college levels, since starting as a faculty member in 2003,” Connolly said. “During the majority of that time, I have experienced her leadership most directly as dean and have felt supported and empowered to be a successful faculty member. I have benefited greatly from her counsel and advice around transitioning to my new associate dean role and navigating the challenges of higher education administration and leadership. She has been integral to my rapid growth in this area.”

Finding her path

Wilson has dedicated more than two decades of service to AU. Originally hired as a temporary instructor, she has served in several academic and leadership roles within COEHD, culminating in her appointment as interim dean in 2018 and dean in 2019.

But if it wasn’t for the urging of her husband, her path in education wouldn’t have materialized.

Wilson’s mother and grandmother were both educators, so she was naturally drawn to the field. So much so that at 4 or 5 years old, at Christmastime, she would ask for things like a blackboard and chalk.

“My mom would bring home desks from the school that were surpluses. I literally had a classroom set up in my basement, and my poor sister, who was three years younger than me, had to be the student along with all my Barbies and stuffed animals,” Wilson said. “So, I practiced teaching from a very young age.”

Her plans shifted once she got to Furman University. She was discouraged from pursuing a teaching degree thinking she could make more money elsewhere. She majored in history and political science with thoughts of becoming an international lawyer.

She succeeded academically but didn’t enjoy it. She met Greg Wilson, and he asked her why she was pursuing the history and political science majors and not what she wanted. After some coaxing, Judi Wilson sat down with her parents and explained her frustrations. In the end, Judi Wilson said she switched majors because “I always knew I wanted to be a teacher.”

“As a coach, we’re trained to find people that have passion or at least find areas of life that they have a passion for and for Judi, she was completely enamored with education,” said Greg Wilson, who as the women’s basketball coach was 140-117 from 1999 to 2008. “I asked, ‘Why are you even doing this?’ We had a long talk about it, and she said, ‘You’re right. I am passionate about education.’ Her mom was an educator. Her mom’s mom was an educator, so it just kind of came naturally to her, but she just needed help discovering that.”

The Wilsons have been married for 36 years. She says he is her best friend and rock. In the early days, he encouraged her to be true to herself. She admits she didn’t have the confidence to lead at times, and he has been her steadfast encourager throughout their relationship.

“We’re as opposite as we can be … I’m type A and he’s type B, but God put us together to complement each other,” Wilson said. “When I come home stressed, he settles everything down and gives me the confidence to be myself. He supports me no matter what, and that soft place to land when I come home has made a huge difference, I think, in my success as a dean.”

Heeding her calling

Wilson started her professional career as a kindergarten and third-grade teacher before becoming an assistant principal. The transition into higher education felt like a divine appointment.

People came to her to fill open positions, but she had a peace knowing God was opening doors she had prayed over. Becoming dean was never on her mind as she’s always been content doing whatever she was doing at the time.

“Each of those were invitations to lead. I was hesitant, scared and uncomfortable, but I trusted God, and he’s been faithful every single time,” Wilson said.

She remembered a time back at Furman when her professor, Doris Blazer, PhD, told her during the student-teaching exit interview that she was going to take her job one day. Wilson said that was Blazer’s way of telling her she could succeed in higher education and in leadership.

Wilson was surprised Blazer had such encouraging words and cherishes the book gifted to her, Chalkdust, which contains prayer meditations for teachers. She keeps it on her desk and adores the inscription.

“She knew that I struggled with perfectionism. She saw something in me that I had not yet seen in myself,” Wilson said.

Wilson has always been 100% committed to the job, a trait she inherited from her father. She goes above and beyond because that’s what she saw him do, even when people weren’t watching.

“If I’m going to do a job, I’m going to do it with excellence … that’s part of my DNA,” she said.

Kim Barker, PhD, serves as associate dean of Academics and Educator Preparation in COEHD as well as being an associate professor who has been at AU since 2016. She first met Wilson at the American Educational Research Association Annual Conference in 2013 where they presented in the same research symposium focused on school-university partnerships. Barker was earning her doctorate at the time and exploring opportunities outside of the Atlanta area.

“We look very different, like even when alums come back … they can’t believe how different it is. I hope we’ve left a mark. That would be the goal: to change things in a positive way.”

Judi Wilson, EdD, dean of the College of Education and Human Development

A colleague had mentioned Augusta and suggested she reach out to Wilson.

“I saw the school-university partnership work happening at AU, and I knew that Judi Wilson had a strong reputation with people that I respected in the metro area who had worked with her on statewide projects,” Barker said. “It was very clear that she was dedicated to the development of high-quality teachers and that she was also passionate about teaching and research around teacher education.”

Barker said that as a new professor she was “blissfully unaware” of the work that happens within the ranks of upper administration and didn’t really have a full understanding of the impact of the dean. As she grew in her role as an academic, she learned more about the work and saw how thorough and serious Wilson took her responsibilities.

“I had been part of accreditation at Georgia State and then I came here and had the opportunity to experience the entire process from the perspective of an assistant professor and program coordinator. Dean Wilson made sure the college was prepared for the process and the results were outstanding,” Barker said. “I saw that she worked tirelessly to make sure the accreditation report and visit went perfectly and that she expected no less from her team. Her example inspired those around her.”

Barker also noted that Wilson is a visionary who follows through to make her vision a reality. She supported shifting several graduate COEHD programs online early on which helped with enrollment numbers. Then, when COVID happened and everything went online, Barker said the college was immediately prepared to for the shift online.

“When she became dean, she looked around and said, ‘On which university priority are we able to make an immediate impact?’ Her first thought was our enrollment. She positioned us for growth and has a great group of faculty and staff who she has empowered and inspired to do that work.”

Preparing for retirement

The Wilsons came to AU as a package deal. She came as the coach’s wife raising two-and-a-half-year-old twin boys. Greg Wilson credits Bloodworth and his trust in her for kickstarting her career at AU.

“I think he saw what he had in Judi just by going to the games and having conversations with her. They discovered what I already knew,” Greg Wilson said.

The Wilsons are looking forward to being available and flexible with each other now both retired. She has simple tasks like learning to bake bread or making homemade vanilla extract since both like to cook. They like to host and want to do more of that.

Both of their parents are aging, and they want to help out more. They also have three grandchildren and another on the way, and they are looking forward to spending more time with their growing family.

“Before I’d have so many meetings and couldn’t go to the zoo in the middle of the day,” Judi Wilson said. “I have a notebook now that is called my retirement dreams. I’ve got spiritual growth, intentional relationships, healthy habits, things to learn and do, travel and family traditions that we want to create. I do have wins in here because I want to remember what we’ve done together as a group.”

Wilson has a persuasive way of motivating those around her to take on challenges, noted Barker, who was hesitant to take on a new role as an associate dean, feeling that the role was beyond her comfort zone. But Wilson persisted until she said yes because she saw Barker’s potential and knew the job would get done.

“I started with a steep learning curve. I went from feeling like I knew how to do my job to starting over and not feeling like I was good at anything,” Barker said. “I had to learn many things from scratch and that was humbling … but her persuasiveness and ability to see potential in me and then her patience as I learned and grew into the role gave me the confidence needed to do this work that I thoroughly enjoy.”

COEHD looks completely different now than when Wilson started more than 20 years ago. She would argue they’ve undergone a transformational change over the past eight years while keeping up with the changes at AU. She’s proud they’ve doubled their faculty and staff while also witnessing “unbelievable” growth in enrollment.

Under her leadership, the college expanded its study abroad and online educational opportunities, and the university has received more than $7 million in grants and endowments to fund educational activities related counseling, literacy and scholarships. 

Wilson said they’ve provided the research structure while also emphasizing the institutional values and how important that is to new employees. Creating clarity in terms of roles and responsibilities has increased accountability, she said.

“We started off with a strong foundation, but we have definitely, in my opinion, elevated just about everything we’ve done,” Wilson said. “Our events have become better; we’re offering a Future Georgia Educators Day … we are now doing Kinesiology Research Day that started eight years ago. We look very different, like even when alums come back for the ISL (Impacting Student Learning) Conference, they can’t believe how different it is. I hope we’ve left a mark. That would be the goal: to change things in a positive way.”

Connolly noticed early on how much Wilson cares deeply about the COEHD, always advocating strongly for what is best for the college and its faculty, staff and students.

“She has never forgotten her educator roots, and she has been very successful in building partnerships and collaborations with numerous local, state and national organizations to further our mission and increase our outreach as well as enrollment,” he said.

He said she has devoted most of her professional career to AU and COEHD, noting that she has always gone above and beyond and worked tirelessly to promote and grow the college.

“I simply want to wish her a healthy, happy and restful retirement and hope she gets to spend lots of quality time with family and friends,” Connolly said.  “No doubt, she has earned it.”

For Wilson, retiring as a Jaguar is special because it closes the circle from when her husband was first hired. She remembers visiting for the interviews and praying over what their next life steps as a family would be. Her boys eventually graduated with nursing degrees, as well as one of their daughters-in-law.

From professor to assistant chair to associate dean and eventually dean, she believes her family has been incredibly blessed by trusting God would lead them and create a special place for their family.

“I will leave with a strong sense of closure and peace,” Wilson said. “I prayed long and hard before I made this decision. Everything has lined up professionally and personally; as I started praying through it, I realized I have achieved exceedingly and abundantly more than I could have ever asked for professionally, and now it’s time to invest a little more personally. I don’t see this as retiring from something, I see this as retiring to something.”