Dr. Shannon O. Wilder has served as the founding director of the Office of Service-Learning (OSL) at the University of Georgia since 2005 where she provides leadership for the expansion of academic service-learning opportunities both locally and in study abroad. In this role, she coordinates the OSL’s Service-Learning Fellows program, and oversees programs and initiatives related to faculty and graduate student development, grants and funding for service-learning, faculty awards and recognition programs, and university initiatives promoting community engagement. Prior to leading the OSL, she worked in UGA’s Office of Instructional Support & Development (now the Center for Teaching and Learning) from 2000-2005, and in Cooperative Extension from 1995-2000. Wilder received her BFA from Baylor University in Waco, Texas. She holds a M.Ed. in instructional technology (2001) and a Ph.D. in art education (2006), both from the University of Georgia.

In addition to her administrative duties, Wilder serves as an adjunct faculty member in the Department of Art Education in the Lamar Dodd School of Art where she has developed and teaches the graduate course Art Education in the Community as well as a First Year Odyssey service-learning course, ‘Citizen Artists’ and the Role of the Arts in Public Life. In addition, she co-teaches GRSC 78070S: Service-Learning Course Design. Wilder currently serves as a reviewer for The Journal of Community Engagement in Higher Education and the Journal of Service-Learning in Higher Education. Her current research interests include the impact of service-learning on students’ civic participation after graduation, arts-based research methods, and service-learning and arts-based reflection. Her research has been published in journals such as the International Journal of Education and the Arts.

Wilder was selected as a 2008-2009 Education Policy Fellow by the Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education. She also served as the 2009-2010 chair of the executive committee of the Gulf-South Summit on Service-Learning and Civic Engagement Through Higher Education and was the recipient of this organization’s 2011 Outstanding Service-Learning Practitioner Award. She currently serves on many university-wide committees such as the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) Steering Committee, Costa Rica Advisory Board, and Office of International Education Risk Management Board. She previously served on the Quality Enhancement Plan Committee for UGA’s 2010 Southern Association of Colleges and Schools accreditation process, and co-chaired the working group for UGA’s application for the 2010 Carnegie Community Engagement Classification.

An active community member, Wilder serves on the board of the Athens Community Council on Aging, the LEAD Athens Steering Committee, and as president-elect of the Classic City Rotary Club. In 2011, she was selected as one of the Athens Banner-Herald’s 40 Under 40 community leaders. She previously served on the board of the Clarke County Mentor Program, the 2008-09 School Council for Classic City High School, and is a 2012 graduate of LEAD Athens.

Ph: 706-542-0535
swilder@uga.edu

Dr. Paul Matthews is the Assistant Director of the University of Georgia Office of Service-Learning (OSL), where he helps support faculty members, students, and community partners in applying academic skills and knowledge to address community needs and enhance student learning. Paul holds two degrees from the University of Georgia—a Ph.D. in language education and an A.B. in Area Studies—as well as an M.A. in Latin American Studies from the University of Texas at Austin. He was also a Fulbright Fellow to the University of Passau (Germany).

Paul has been on the faculty at the University of Georgia since 1994, in departments including Romance Languages, Language Education, and as Co-Director of the Center for Latino Achievement & Success in Education (CLASE) in the College of Education. He was a Service-Learning Fellow in 2006 and the Office of Service-Learning’s Senior Scholar for Faculty Development from 2007-2010; in July 2010 he became Assistant Director of the OSL. In that role, he helps coordinate faculty development, tracks institutional reporting of service-learning and community engagement, conducts research and evaluation, coordinates service-learning initiatives with the Latino community and with K-12 teachers, and teaches service-learning coursework. He was a 2011-12 participant in the Public Service & Outreach Leadership Academy.

Paul is also past president of the Classic City Rotary Club, a past Rotary Assistant District Governor, and a long-time Scoutmaster for Boy Scout Troop 149 in Oconee County, GA, and has received recognitions including the Rotary Foundation Citation for Meritorious Service, the Silver Beaver, Georgia TESOL's Professional Service Award, and the Boy Scouts of America 100th Anniversary National Hall of Leadership. He also plays Celtic music with other local musicians, with weekly sessions in downtown Athens.

Ph: 706-542-0892
pmatthew@uga.edu

Susan Parish is the Administrative Manager for the office. She handles the administrative functions of the office, including processing payroll, data entry, meeting and transportation logistics, facilities management, and supervision of student workers.
Ph: 706-542-8924
sparish@uga.edu

Sarah Jackson works with the Office of Service-Learning coordinating the Campus Kitchen food recovery and redistribution effort. She was a Public Service & Outreach Student Scholar in Spring 2011.
Ph: 706-542-0891
sarjack@uga.edu

Jonathan Turk is the graduate assistant for the Office of Service-Learning and a doctoral student at the Institute of Higher Education.

Ph: 706-542-1278

jturk@uga.edu