Simmons Named Director of DAE

The Office of Instruction has named Dr. Cara Winston Simmons director of the Division of Academic Enhancement, effective March 13. Dr. Simmons previously served as interim director.

Simmons will oversee a division that supports and sustains students as they transition into higher education and progress through the university’s academic environment. She will oversee services including Academic Coaching; the PLaTO (Peer Learning and Teaching Others) program that includes Peer Learning Assistants, and Peer Tutors; the Presentation Collaboratory; and Student Success Workshops.

The division also includes initiatives to support first-generation, rural and underserved students, as well as the early start summer program, Thrive | Georgia. This division collaborates with several units in overseeing the Georgia Commitment Scholarship and the ALL Georgia program, and it is home to several TRIO programs, including Talent Search, McNair Scholars, Student Support Services/STEM-H and Upward Bound/Math + Science. The division also offers courses to help students become engaged learners inside and outside of the classroom.

In her 19 years with the University of Georgia, Simmons has worked in the Office of the President, the Division of Student Affairs, the College of Veterinary Medicine, and the College of Family and Consumer Sciences (FACS). During the 2021-2022 academic year, she served as Assistant to the Dean for Leadership Development and Diversity in FACS. Simmons is currently the staff director of Bulldog Basics, which provides toiletry items for free to UGA students through an eStore. She has taught several courses in FACS and the Mary Frances Early College of Education, and serves on doctoral committees in the Mary Frances Early College of Education.

Simmons is a three-time graduate of UGA. She received an A.B. in History, an M.Ed. in College Student Affairs Administration, and a Ph.D. in Counseling and Student Personnel Services.

She is an active community member and serves on the Athens Area Diaper Bank Board of Directors. She is the immediate past president of the Georgia Association of Family and Consumer Sciences.