Chancellor Stanley F. Battle has announced the appointment of Dr. Deborah J. Callaway as special assistant to the chancellor at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, effective Aug. 1, 2008.

“Dr. Deborah Callaway is an exemplary administrator who will provide strong support to the Office of the Chancellor and North Carolina A&T,” said Dr. Stanley F. Battle, chancellor. “Her experience, leadership abilities and overall knowledge of the university will be invaluable assets in her role as special assistant.”

The special assistant to the chancellor functions as a senior officer to the chancellor and serves on the chancellor’s executive cabinet to meet increased demands of academic and administrative leadership of the university. The special assistant supports the chancellor in the design, development and implementation of all academic programs. Hence, this position provides an academic presence in the Office of the Chancellor as it relates to campus initiatives.

The position assists with enrollment management, the UNC Tomorrow initiative and contract negotiations tied to academic programs, as well as the coordination of major university events in an effort to build strong community relationships in attracting and developing corporate sponsorships. Additionally, the special assistant provides senior level administrative oversight to mission critical projects, monitors trends and provides recommendations to the chancellor to assure comprehensive educational programs in collaboration with the provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs.

Callaway has over 26 years of experience in higher education and athletics. Since 1985, she has worked at A&T in a variety of administrative roles including chair of the department of human performance and leisure studies in the School of Education, interim athletics director and senior woman administrator for female athletics. She was named Outstanding Administrator of the Year in 2002, and during academic year 2007-08, she served as interim dean of the School of Education.

During her career, Callaway has served on numerous campus, state and national accreditation, planning, expansion, search and promotion committees. Notable appointments were chair of the University Commencement Committee; Guilford County Fitness Council; state accreditation teams; North Carolina College Conference Executive Board; North Carolina Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (NCAHPERD) and National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) committees; and consultant, Commission on Secondary Schools-Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.

Callaway served as project director for the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s National Youth Sports Program (NCAA/NYSP). During this appointment, she led A&T’s NYSP program to five national awards. She was the first NYSP national evaluator from North Carolina. She also has presented at state and national education conferences.

Prior to working at A&T, Callaway was chair of the physical education department at Barber-Scotia College in Concord, N.C. Before that she taught physical education, served as a guidance counselor and coached basketball.

The Petersburg, Va., native received her B.S. degree from Virginia State University, M.S. from Virginia Commonwealth University and Ed.D. from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. She is a veteran of the United States Army.