Formed in the summer of 2016, the Engagement Advisory Group leads, aligns, facilitates and supports so that incremental and measurable progress is made toward the university’s vision to be the national model for the engaged university.

In doing our work, we align ourselves with the "I am Madison's Legacy" Framework:

• We learn from and with others - we’re open to input and feedback from a wide variety of people, including and especially each other.
• We foster collaboration - as a team, we need to work well together, as do our sub-teams. Anything we can do to influence people working together toward the pursuit of the vision is a positive.
• We embrace complexity - We have a challenge in front of us and it involves lots of moving parts that are interconnected as well as lots of people who deserve to know and understand what we are doing. We know that’s part of it and we’re OK with that.
• We value pragmatism - We know we won’t be perfect but we don’t want to get frozen in place. Instead, we’ll be decisive and action oriented so at some point in the future we’ll echo Madison and say “it is impossible to consider the degree of concord which ultimately prevailed as less than a miracle.”
• We advance the public good - We care about the vision critical work in pursuit of our mission and we’ll make decisions for the good of the university, its mission and vision.
• We lead.

Leaders: 

• Steve Grande, Community Service Learning
• Carol Fleming, Professional and Continuing Education

Members:

• Cindy Chiarello, Strategic Planning and Engagement
• David Kirkpatrick, Madison Center for Civic Engagement
• Joyce Krech, Shenandoah Valley Small Business Development Center
• Jenna Piersol, Community Partnership Development, Community Service-Learning
• Linda Plitt Donaldson, Institute for Innovation in Health and Human Services and College of Health and Behavioral Studies

Advisory Group:

• Sabrina Burress, Arrow Project
• Kerry Cresawn, STEM Outreach and Education (College of Science and Math & College of Integrated Science and Engineering)
• Michelle Cude, Middle, Secondary & Mathematics Education (College of Education)
• Chris Fasching Maphis, Nursing (College of Health and Behavioral Studies)
• Gerald Gatobu, City of Harrisonburg Department of Public Transportation
• Ashley Gordon-Becker, Telamon
• Brent Holsinger, On the Road Collaborative
• Leons Kabongo, Georges Chicken/Our Community Place
• Tammy May, Lacey Spring Elementary
• Shana Meganck, Communication Studies (College of Arts and Letters)
• Shannon Porter, Mercy House
• Sandra Quigg, Boys & Girls Club of Harrisonburg Rockingham
• Rebecca Simmons, Integrated Science and Technology (College of Integrated Science and Engineering)
• Margaret Sloan, Strategic Leadership Studies (College of Business)
• Karin Tollefson, Art, Design, and Art History (College of Visual and Performing Arts)
• Mary-Hope Vass, JMU Communication and Marketing