Leah Ward Sears has been named interim president of Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. Her appointment follows current Emory President Gregory Fenves’ transition to the role of chancellor, a reconstituted position that will focus on strengthening relationships with key university constituents. An Emory alumna, Sears is slated to begin her interim presidency on September 1.
According to the most recent federal data, Emory University enrolls over 7,300 undergraduate students, 57 percent of whom are women. The institution also has a large graduate population of nearly 7,700 students.
A member of the board of trustees since 2010, Sears has had a distinguished career in the Georgia judiciary. In 1982, she was appointed to the City Court of Atlanta. Three years later, she became the first African American woman to serve as a superior court judge in Georgia. In 1992, Governor Zell Miller appointed Sears to the Georgia Supreme Court. She served on Georgia’s highest court for 17 years, including four years as chief justice.
Earlier in her career, Sears was an adjunct professor at the Emory School of Law. She has also served as a visiting professor in family law at the University of Georgia School of Law.
“Having the opportunity to serve Emory as interim president is a full circle moment for me,” said Sears. “In 1977, I was fortunate to receive a scholarship to the Emory School of Law, and it changed my life. I think my life’s work has been a payback for that gift, and I welcome the chance to serve Emory as it continues to change lives the way it did for me and my family.”
Before earning her law degree at Emory, Sears completed her undergraduate degree at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. She later earned a master of laws degree in appellate judicial process from the University of Virginia.