The Division of Student Engagement and Well-Being has announced that, following an extensive national search, Heather Zesiger has been named the inaugural director for Cultivate Well-Being Action and Transformation.

“I am so excited to join the Georgia Tech family and engage with students, staff, faculty, alumni, and partners to advance our collective well-being,” said Zesiger. “It is an honor to have been selected to work with Luoluo Hong, other senior leaders, and stakeholders throughout the Institute to bring this component of the strategic plan to life.”

Zesiger has worked at the intersection of public health and higher education for more than 20 years, most recently at the American College Health Association, where she managed a CDC cooperative agreement to establish the Higher Education Covid-19 Community of Practice. She previously worked in student affairs at Emory University, where she managed multidisciplinary teams promoting student health and support. 

“I am excited to have Heather join the Georgia Tech community to help shift our culture, our policies, and our practices to facilitate well-being outcomes for all students, faculty, and staff. We cannot achieve meaningful change by relying on traditional clinical interventions. We must embrace a prevention focus, grounded in public health change strategies, and Heather will be the perfect colleague to help move us in this direction,” said Luoluo Hong, vice president for Student Engagement and Well-Being.

Zesiger holds a Ph.D. in public health from Georgia State University, a master's in public health from Emory University, and a B.A. from Amherst College. When not at work, she enjoys travel, hiking, cooking, yoga, and pilates.  

Reporting administratively to the vice president for Student Engagement and Well-Being, this position serves as the lead coordinating administrator to ensure the successful implementation of the goals and action strategies in Georgia Tech’s Cultivate Well-Being Action and Transformation Roadmaps in support of one of the six focus areas of the Institute’s strategic plan. 

Working in close consultation and collaboration with all cabinet areas, colleges, divisions, and departments — as well as shared governance entities and community and governmental partners — Zesiger will foster inter-organizational partnerships and provide change management coordination, facilitation, and support. 

This position is distinctive in that it will not have oversight of departments or units that provide direct services in the areas of health, wellness, or well-being; rather, this individual provides servant-leadership that advances efforts of organizations and teams across the Institute in their respective spheres of impact and expertise in realization of the shared vision outlined in these roadmaps. Zesiger started in this new role on Jan. 1.