On August 22, Ed Lee III, senior director of the Alben W. Barkley Forum, will become senior director of inclusivity for the Emory College of Arts and Sciences (ECAS). In his new position, Ed will focus on developing bottom-up approaches to cultivate more diverse, equitable, and inclusive academic communities.

Ed will also continue to support Campus Life and the Barkley Forum by continuing to lead the forum's alumni engagement and development efforts while exploring synergies between his work in the college and Campus Life's commitment to creating more-engaging and just communities.

Mikaela Malsin, director of debate, will assume leadership of the Barkley Forum's student engagement efforts, nationally renowned competitive debate team, and highly innovative dialogue programs. Mikaela is an Emory and Barkley Forum alumna who has earned numerous awards for her coaching excellence.

The Barkley Forum will report to the newly created position of associate vice president and dean of students (working title), which was announced in April as associate vice president for belonging, engagement, and community. During the search to fill this position, the forum will report to Kyle Williams, special advisor to the senior vice president and dean of Campus Life.

Ed’s work in ECAS reflects his engagement with Emory communities beyond Campus Life in recent years and the evolution of the Barkley Forum over many decades. In his 16 years with the forum, Ed has supported the Goizueta Business School, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory Law, Master’s in Development Practice program, and others as they sought to improve their communications about and across differences within each organization.

Since January of 2021, Ed has partnered with Carla S. Freeman, executive associate dean of Emory College of Arts and Sciences, recently appointed interim dean of the college, and the Goodrich C. White Professor of Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. They have addressed the college’s unique organizational communications needs, challenges, and opportunities. Over the past 18 months, Ed has worked directly with several academic unit chairs to develop and facilitate departmental programming and discussion on diversity and inclusion-related issues across ECAS. This work continues to be driven by a commitment to develop workplace and campus encounters that are more participatory, productive, and engaging.

Since it was established in 1837, the year after Emory was founded, the university's debate program has continually evolved, always placing the competitive exploration of ideas at the center of the student experience. This commitment to the deliberative exchange of ideas remains at the heart of the Barkley Forum with, in more recent years, creation of the Atlanta

Urban Debate League and the Emory Conversation Project. Ed sees his transition to the Emory College of Arts and Sciences as part of the forum’s ongoing commitment to innovate and promote inclusive communication throughout the campus and beyond.

"I am deeply appreciative to Dean Galaye and Dean Freeman and their shared commitment to One Emory that led to this opportunity,” said Ed, who has been associated with the Barkley Forum since he was a high school student and a participant in the Urban Debate League.

“I have long thought that an equitable and responsive community only remains that way if it is committed to resolving disagreements through debate and dialogue,” Ed added. “I am excited that the next phase of my life at Emory allows me to continue working and playing at the intersection of debate and diversity, interpersonal communication, and inclusive communities.”

Ed holds a doctorate in higher education management from the University of Georgia’s Institute for Higher Education (IHE). Mikaela’s doctorate is in communications, also from UGA.