Joelle Davis Carter, Ph.D.
Director, Undergraduate Programs, The George Washington University School of Business
Joelle Davis Carter, Ph.D., is the Director for Undergraduate Programs in The George Washington University School of Business. Joelle is responsible for designing and implementing cocurricular programs that align with the school's rigorous academic curricula. Her responsibilities include developing a strategy to involve more than 1,500 students in undergraduate programs, research experiernces, leadership experiences, and academic development seminars.
Joelle was first introduced to the strengths philosophy as a Fellow of the Thurgood Marshall College Pathways Program. This initiative, developed in partnership with Gallup, works to increase student engagement, retention, and performance at historically black colleges and universities. Since completing the program, Joelle has been responsible for integrating strengths-based approaches in first-year seminar classes and developing strategies to encourage students to connect their academic and career goals. Joelle also has been invited to present about strengths-based education at the Student Leadership Retreat at the University of Alabama-Birmingham and the 2009 Leadership Mason Conference at George Mason University.
Joelle believes that strengths education is a viable and effective means to increase student engagement among undergraduates. Her primary research interest focuses on how students' learning and satisfaction with their college experiences can be enhanced through increased faculty/staff interactions, interactions with diverse peers, and active and collaborative learning. Using creative and intentional strengths-based education is one way to enable students to best realize these experiences.
Joelle received her doctorate degree from the University of Maryland College Park. She received her master's degree in higher education and student affairs from The Ohio State University and her bachelor's degree in middle-grades education from Winston-Salem State University. Joelle and her husband, Randall L. Carter, reside in Accokeek, Maryland. Her top five talent themes, as identified by the Clifton StrengthsFinder, are Communication, Woo, Positivity, Includer, and Ideation.
