Women’s Advisory Council

Welcome to the Life University (LIFE) Women’s Advisory Council. Our mission is to contribute our collective expertise, skills and leadership for the wellness and healing of the LIFE family and the communities we serve. We will achieve this by:

Sharing our expertise with Life University President Dr. Rob Scott and his administration
Conducting virtual workshops around health and wellness for Life University students and the community
Providing information and opportunities about program resources that can benefit Life University

The purpose of the Women’s Advisory Council is to help Life University fulfill its mission of empowering each student with the education, skills and values to implement a world centered on vitalistic thinking and action. Life University’s programs are designed to educate students to identify and correct interference, allowing living systems to improve expression of their innate potential. We will implement this vision and effectively tell the Life University story to varied constituencies in our communities where we live and work.

Our overall goal is to provide guidance, forge collaborations with external partners, and address opportunities and issues of concern to female students, faculty and staff at Life University. This very impressive group of Women Leaders will also mentor and shape programs that will elevate the Life University mission and global vision of excellence in teaching, learning and research, leading to a life of Integrity and Lasting Purpose.

Women’s Advisory Council Liaison
Angela Y. Getter, CFRM
Executive Director of Development
Life University
1269 Barclay Circle,
Marietta, GA 30060
Angela.Getter@LIFE.edu

Members

Dr. Leslie King is a native of Albany, Georgia. She received her B.S. degree in Biology from Albany State College, her M.Ed. in higher education leadership from Argosy University and her D.C. degree from Life College (Life University).

Dr. King has been a chiropractor for 24 years and was CEO of BGL Healthcare Group from 2008-2010 in downtown Atlanta. Dr. King has also worked at Life University for 26 years in several capacities as an Assistant Professor, Division Chair of Clinical Sciences, Dean of Instruction, Dean and Associate Dean of the College of Chiropractic. She is currently the Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs where she has direct oversight of several academic support areas including the Drs. Sid E. and Nell K. Williams Library, the Registrar’s Office, CETL, the Mastery Testing Center, the Center for Academic Quality, and the Center for Academic Advising and Retention.

In addition, Dr. King assists with the execution of LAMP 2.0 and the D.C. curriculum redesign. Her philosophy of education is that all curriculums, no matter the focus or concentration, should be preplanned, data-driven and built on the basic elements of knowledge, skills, and attitude.  Her organizational mission is to provide each student with the basic knowledge and skills necessary to be applied and used to contribute to the forward movement of society. Her professional goal is to decrease the barriers and challenges for women aspiring to leadership positions in higher education institutions.

Vice President, Federal Health Sector, General Dynamics Information Technology Corporation, Inc. (GDIT)

Jacklyn Mitchell Wynn, is a trailblazer at the forefront of enterprise growth, innovation and change with a proven ability to envision mission strategies and build practical roadmaps to achieve long-term goals and near-term objectives.

Jackie is the Vice President in the Federal Health Sector at the GDIT Corporation, where she has the responsibility for identifying and driving multi-year, technology-enabled strategic engagements that support the missions of providing high-quality health care and resources across the federal health agencies. GDIT’s next-generation technology is empowering dramatic leaps in quality analysis, community health, safety , caregiver-centered experience , and life sciences supporting interoperability and user centered design to deliver key outcomes across the federal health IT ecosystem. She works collaboratively across GDIT’s capability portfolios, including cloud, data analytics, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and managed services to bring the full power of GDIT to help federal health agencies simplify their operations and innovate to address the health industry’s most compelling challenges.

Wynn joined GDIT from MITRE where she was the vice president and director in the Center for Enterprise Modernization (CEM) where she led the non-profit’s work in support of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) mission and priorities for delivering the highest rated customer service and healthcare to our veterans and their families. CEM is one of seven federally funded research and development centers that MITRE operates for the US Government delivering MITRE’s brand of system engineering programs. Prior to MITRE, Wynn was the Vice President of Strategy and Market Development, Global Public Sector for RSA, the security division of Dell Technologies. There she was responsible for developing and executing integrated cyber strategies for state and local agencies, including the implementation of strategic products and partnerships and the execution of the NIST cybersecurity framework. She has also held executive leadership positions at Dell EMC as Vice President of the Global Residency Practice and at Hewlett Packard, where she was vice president for Technology support services and Consulting Service’s Global Business Operations.

Prior to her global roles, Wynn spent over 15 years in executive leadership positions at Digital, Compaq, and Hewlett Packard where she is a proven leader with a deep background in customer engagement and business transformation in public sector divisions for publicly traded high-technology companies. Wynn supported the complex and large-scale optimization of these Information Technology companies’ modernization efforts due to mergers and consolidations which gave her a unique perspective across change management, governance, strategy, and implementation outcome areas.

She has earned recognition for her trailblazer leadership as an advocate for programs for youth in health care, community service and education with a strong focus on the science, technology, engineering and math fields. This recognition has afforded her the opportunity to continue to serve and contribute to her community through her participation on several board NASA Administrator Bill Nelson recently appointed Jackie to the NASA Advisory Council (NAC) where she provides leadership counsel and advice on agency programs and priorities. He stated, “NASA remains a global leader in exploration because of having a world-class workforce and the NASA Advisory Council is not different. I am incredibly proud of the accomplishments and progress we’ve made to date and with these new additions to the NAC will bring new ideas and solutions to complex problems we face.”

Wynn is the vice chair of Advancing Minorities' Interest in Engineering, on the executive board as Secretary for the National Center for Children and Families, on the board for Georgetown Preparatory School, (the nation’s oldest Jesuit high school and alumni of two Supreme Court Justices). She has also been a member of the Executive Leadership Council, and the Black Data Processors Association which honored her with the Epsilon Award for Career Achievement and served on Howard University’s Business Advisory Council. She also serves on the Maryland Technology Council (MTC) as a venture mentoring professional for biomedical and technology companies to save lives, secure our nation and improve the quality of life through innovation. She has also been a lecturer at Harvard Medical School for Career Advancement and Leadership Skills for Women in Health Care.

She has received the Federal 100 Achievement Award, two-time winner for Women of Color in technology Distinguished Achiever Award and has been named among the Top 100 Executives by Uptown/NAACP for blacks in corporate America.

She holds bachelor’s degrees in economics and mathematics from the University of Denver and an MBA in accounting and finance from the Simon Graduate School of Business at the University of Rochester. She is a consummate learner and has participated in executive development programs at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, Babson College, and the Anderson School of Business at the University of California Los Angeles.

She is a wife and a mother of two children who both are pursuing their relentless desire to serve others through their academic careers where her son is a graduate of the US Naval Academy, and her daughter is working on an advanced master’s degree in nursing informatics at Johns Hopkins University.

Dr. Debra (Debi) A. Miller, an award-winning leader in strategic communications and public relations management, is the Director of Communications for Cone Health, the preeminent health care system in the Piedmont Triad section of North Carolina. Prior to joining Cone Health, she was the Chief Strategist at Global Communications Strategists in Oak Creek, Wisconsin. Dr. Miller has achieved measurable results for Wisconsin’s largest healthcare system (Advocate Aurora Health Care), Quarles and Brady LLP, an AmLaw 200 law firm with U.S. offices (domestic and international clients), federal and municipal agencies, several public and private universities, as well as employers and clients that represent and market some of the world’s best known brands (Bank of America, Capital One Financial Services, Walmart, Delta Airlines, Levi Strauss Canada, Time Warner Cable, AT&T, Astra Zeneca and Shell Oil.)

In 1997, Dr. Miller became President and CEO of PRSA, making her the first woman of color and the first African American to head the 30,000+ member organization. An author and highly sought national speaker, Dr. Miller received the Public Relations industry’s highest award, “The Gold Anvil,” from the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) in 2006 in recognition of her career achievements and outstanding contributions to the profession.

Under her leadership, the Public Relations Society of America, Southeastern Wisconsin Chapter received the 2018 and 2019 National Diversity Award. In 2018, Dr. Miller received the prestigious Dorothy M. Black Award from the chapter superior performance in public relations. In 2015, she led the team that won the Legal Marketing Association’s, First Place “Total Website” award. Dr. Miller was inducted into Hampton University's Scripps Howard School of Journalism and Communications (SHSJC) Hall of Fame in 2012, where she was recognized for her outstanding professional accomplishments and servant leadership.

Dr. Miller is a graduate of Hampton University (B.A.), the Ohio State University (M.A.) and Florida International University (Ed.D.). She is a member the Public Relations society of America, International Association of Business Communicators, and the Law Firm Marketing Association. She has served on several civic and hospital boards, including HealthShare Credit Union, and she belongs to Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. and several other national public service organizations.

Underwriters Laboratories is pleased to welcome Dr. Charlotte M. Farmer as senior vice president and chief operating officer (COO). Farmer will guide strategic growth and drive enterprise excellence by leading operations and building out a global infrastructure of partners. Her expertise and experience will help ensure organizational health, further positioning Underwriters Laboratories as a world leader in fundamental and applied safety science research. 

Selected from a national search of top executive talent, Farmer will report to President and CEO Terrence R. Brady. She will provide essential leadership in achieving Underwriters Laboratories’ goal of building a vibrant, adaptive campus of the future where breakthroughs across a broad range of safety science initiatives occur regularly and frequently. “We are delighted that Dr. Farmer has joined the Underwriters Laboratories executive team,” Brady said. “She has the technical skill, extensive network, and a track record of successes that we need to shepherd Underwriters Laboratories through our ambitious growth agenda. As we expand the breadth, depth, and impact of our safety mission, her considerable strategic and transformation leadership expertise will help shape our organization’s trajectory.”

As Farmer builds the support systems necessary for Underwriters Laboratories to investigate a wide array of safety challenges and emerging threats, she will partner with executives across several sectors to forge relationships with universities, nongovernmental organizations, and government agencies. “I am thrilled to be a part of the Underwriters Laboratories family,” Farmer said. “The organization is a storied brand whose mission is vital not only to understanding and exploring global safety challenges, but also at a global scale in the advancement of transformative research, standards development, and partner collaborations. Having led operations at another nationally recognized research and development organization, I’m both humbled and excited by the enormity of Underwriters Laboratories’ mission as a preeminent safety science organization and look forward to extending the reach and impact of our safety science work.” 

Farmer comes to Underwriters Laboratories after a decade at The MITRE Corporation, where she directed operations for 8,000 employees. She also worked directly with major federal government clients to foster technological innovation through laboratories and processes that helped speed ideas to market. During times of significant national stresses such as the pandemic and terrorism, she reached out rapidly to principals in high-tech and related industries, academia, and government, forming agile coalitions that built resources to help counteract the threats. 

Farmer graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from Tennessee Technological University. She holds a Master of Science in chemical engineering from the University of Tennessee, an MBA from the University of North Carolina Kenan-Flagler Business School at Chapel Hill, and a Doctor of Engineering from George Washington University in Washington, D.C. Among many professional honors, Farmer was named a 2021 Paul Harris Fellow by Rotary International and included in Savoy Magazine’s listing of Most Influential Black Executives in Corporate America in 2020.

She currently serves as board chair of Mobility Unlimited Technology Worldwide, a nonprofit startup that performs research and data collection to safely adapt spaces for wheelchair users, blind citizens, and mobility aid users. She also holds board membership or advisory roles with HireVue®, Crittenton Services of Greater Washington, and The National GEM Consortium.

Dr. Tralonda Triplett is celebrating 26 years of service as Co-Owner and Director of Operations for the Institute for Successful Leadership, Inc. Dr. Triplett leads ISL’s drive to foster comprehensive wellness—not just the absence of disease— in diverse populations across the lifespan and around the globe. Triplett completed undergraduate degrees in Business Administration from Clark Atlanta University and Industrial and Systems Engineering from Georgia Tech. She is honored as a University of Michigan Bridges to the Doctorate Fellow, McKnight Doctoral Fellow and Distinguished Alumna of the University of Miami Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine where she earned her Master of Public Health and Doctorate of Epidemiology with Specialty in Public Health Ethics.

“Heal the people, heal the world.” Dr. Triplett’s signature approach to addressing individual- and group-level health risks simultaneously has served as a strong foundation to promote lifelong comprehensive wellness for all populations. Her warm and congenial personality and imaginative approaches have allowed for honest discussions to promote comprehensive wellness as a priority, not a luxury.

Karmyn Norwood is the deputy vice president of the Sensors and Global Sustainment (S&GS) Line of Business and vice president of Rotary Wing & Ground Programs at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control Company in Orlando, Florida. Ms. Norwood is responsible for establishing strategy, direction and execution oversight for the full product lifecycle of domestic and international products for all rotary wing and ground programs, including Apache and Advanced Rotary Wing & Ground Systems. As the deputy vice president of S&GS, she provides programmatic performance, risk and opportunity assessments and recommendations.

A Lockheed Martin employee since 2002, Ms. Norwood has held leadership roles of increasing responsibility. Prior to her current role, Ms. Norwood served as the vice president for the Air Mobility & Maritime Missions International Programs Line of Business for Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company in Marietta, Georgia. In this capacity, she was responsible for the design, development, test, production, sustainment, and modernization of military and civilian aircraft for international customers in more than 60 countries. She also served as the site general manager of the Meridian, Mississippi C-130J production facility where she established the overall strategy and managed plant operations, as well as the production of 50 percent of the primary structures of the C-130J aircraft. She was the director of Engineering, responsible for more than 7,000 engineers accountable for the design, development, integration, production, and sustainment of military aircraft for the United States and countries around the world. Ms. Norwood also led the internal merger of two multi-billion-dollar programs to drive affordability, streamline processes and strengthen the workforce. This merger resulted in the formation of the Integrated Fighter Group. While on the F-22 Program, Ms. Norwood led the sustainment organization, responsible for reliability improvements of the F-22 aircraft to achieve aircraft availability requirements and ensure customer satisfaction.

Prior to joining Lockheed Martin, Ms. Norwood worked as a signal’s analyst for the federal government where she specialized in airborne radar signals. Her diverse background includes experience in engineering, production, sustainment, program management and general management with a proven track record of performance and business growth.

Ms. Norwood holds a bachelor's degree in Mathematics from Jackson State University (Jackson, Mississippi), a master's degree in Electrical Engineering from George Mason University (Fairfax, Virginia) and an Executive MBA from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. Ms. Norwood was recognized as one of the 25 Most Influential Black Women in Business in 2017 by the Network Journal and is a recipient of the 2015 Black Engineer of Year Special Recognition Award. Most recently, she was named the 2019 National Management Association Executive of the Year and 2020 National Society of Black Engineers Lifetime Achievement Awardee.

Ms. Norwood is a member of the Jackson State University Computer Science, Engineering and Technology Advisory Board; the Kennesaw State University Executive MBA Board; and the Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Board at the University of Arkansas where she provides student development as well as guidance on future industry opportunities in support of the school’s strategic vision. She is dedicated to ensuring a pipeline of diverse talent is developed through Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) initiatives to help Lockheed Martin meet its future workforce requirements.

Dr. Judith Hatch was born in Montgomery, Alabama and grew up in Atlanta, Georgia. Her father got her interested in Chiropractic. He was studying in Colorado and suffered from migraine headaches, and after his 3rd adjustment from the chiropractor, he stated he never had another migraine. That was 1958.

Dr. Hatch received her first chiropractic adjustment at age 13 in the chiropractic clinic located in a trailer in downtown Atlanta owned by Life College, now Life University. Her father was on the Board of Trustees at Life College for 16 years.

Dr. Hatch graduated from Bennett College for Women in Greensboro, North Carolina with a degree in Interdisciplinary Studies with a concentration in Biology and Spanish. After graduation, she taught middle grades biology and earth science until she was ready to take the plunge into Chiropractic in 1985. There were only 12 women in her class, which at the time was the highest number of women enrolled in the history of the College. A natural leader, Dr. was elected as the first Black person (and 2nd woman) to be President of the Student Government Association. She further served in every capacity of the Student Government except Vice President.

During her matriculation, she was chosen as a delegate to the World Congress of Chiropractic Students that convened in Melbourne, Australia. While there, she travelled to Sydney for the World Celebration of the 100th Anniversary of the Founding of Chiropractic. Dr. Hatch graduated Life Chiropractic College in 1989. After several years of successful practice in the Atlanta area, she moved to Southwest Georgia to educate the community to the needs of spinal alignment, spinal maintenance, and spinal hygiene. As a ‘person of color’, she noted there were no ‘persons of color’ educating the public about Chiropractic. Her mission was born. In 2002, she moved to Albany, Georgia as the first Black chiropractor in the 200-mile region.

Dr Hatch’s clinic, Holistic Healthcare in Albany, LLC, is a concept and professional practice of Chiropractic with focus on spinal hygiene, correct posture, backpack safety, nutrition, weight loss, exercise and aesthetics. In her capacity as a holistic healthcare provider, Dr. Hatch is an advocate for Maternal Mental Health and a partner with the March of Dimes in that capacity.

Dr. Hatch’s professional Associations include:

American Black Chiropractic Association Life Member and former Board Member
Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Golden Life Member

Dr. Hatch is a community organizer and passionate advocate of reducing her carbon footprint through recycling. She inherited the “travel bug” from her parents who are world travelers. I have traveled to 47 of the 50 states, as well as Europe, Africa, South America, and the Caribbean.

My mantra, “If you wear out your body, where are you going to live?”

State Representative Dr. Karen Mathiak is an accomplished small businesswoman and licensed chiropractor in Griffin, Georgia, where she has practiced for more than 30 years. During this time, she has built a successful practice while growing a reputation as a pillar of the community.

On a personal level, Dr. Mathiak prides herself on being a wife, mother and Georgian who knows that success takes hard work and dedication. As a leader in the community, she has chaired the Spalding County Zoning Board and served as chairman of the Spalding County GOP. Additionally, she has served on the Spalding County Adoption Association and Georgia Board of Chiropractic examiners and is a past member of the Department of Family and Child Services Executive Board.

Karen and her husband, Marty, are members of the Open Range Church in Griffin.

Angela Y. Getter is the Executive Director of Development at Life University and is an accomplished development professional with experience in fund development, strategic communications, and organizational development. Her career includes a diverse mix of capital campaign, major gift and development work in higher education and non-profit organizations. This includes executive leadership at several historically black colleges and universities, including Spelman College, Clark Atlanta University, Albany State University, Mississippi Valley State University, Jackson State University, and others. She has been instrumental in raising more than $250 million during her career. Ms. Getter served as Managing Director of the historic Kresge Foundation HBCU Initiative, an $18 million project that built sustainability for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) development infrastructures. A native of Brooklyn, New York, Ms. Getter holds a B.A. in Organizational Leadership from Morris Brown College. She is a member of the African American Development Officers (AADO), Women of Color in Philanthropy (WCP), Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) and the Association for Fundraising Professionals (AFP). She received certification (CFRM) from The Lilly School of Philanthropy at Indiana University and completed the Post-Graduate Certification Program in Fundraising at Dartmouth College. Ms. Getter currently serves as a Board Member for the National Council of Negro Women, Young Gifted and Empowered, Mission Mississippi, Hosea Helps and the Future Foundation in Atlanta, Georgia. She is also a member of the Cobb Chamber Diversity Equity and Inclusion Council as well as the Cobb Chamber Women’s Council and the Georgia Chiropractor Association PAC.