Kimberly M. Gay, PVAMU Librarian and Head of Reference and Information Services, recently completed the course of instruction of Mortar Board’s Leadership Excellence and Advisor Development program, known as LEAD. The completion of LEAD entitles Gay to use the credentials of a Certified Organization Advisor (COA). Moreover, advisors who attend LEAD increase their skills in creating and maintaining a strong advisor team, effectively advising student organization officers, cultivating relationships among a diverse group of students, enhancing students’ co-curricular education through opportunities for teaching and interacting outside of the classroom, and helping student organization leaders apply their existing skills to the one-of-a-kind leadership situations they face. LEAD has been offered eleven times since it was first piloted by Mortar Board in 2011. There have been 170 advisors from 20 honor societies and institutions who have earned the COA.
