Courtnay Oddman has been appointed director of Open Expression Programs, effective October 1. Reporting to Kristina Bethea Odejimi, EdD, Campus Life’s associate vice president and dean of students, Oddman will also serve as an advisor to the senior vice president and dean of Campus Life, as well as other senior leaders. She will focus on preserving core values outlined in the Open Expression Policy and serve as a primary resource for the Emory community in responding to civic-related incidents on campus.

Oddman’s responsibilities will include overseeing Emory’s Open Expression Observers (OEO) Program, which is coordinated by Campus Life and charged with helping to actualize the university’s Respect for Open Expression Policy. The OEO Program recruits volunteer observers from the ranks of Emory faculty and staff to serve as community resources on the policy and violations of the policy. Oddman will develop training, otherwise support observers, and undertake initiatives to elevate the larger university community’s awareness of the Open Expression Policy, which is administered by the University Senate Committee on Open Expression.

Observers attend protests, debates, and high-profile events to protect the right of members of the university community to express opinions in nondisruptive ways, as described in the Open Expression Policy. Observers also help maintain the rights of community members to pursue their day-to-day activities.

Oddman joined Campus Life in 2014 as Residence Life’s complex director for the Clairmont Residential Center and as the summer housing coordinator. She advanced to assistant director and then to her most recent role as associate director of operations. She served also as Residence Hall Association advisor, training and development lead, Faculty in Residence Program director, university Title IX investigator, and interim Title IX coordinator for faculty and staff.

In 2022, while serving as associate director of operations, Oddman took on the program manager role for the OEO Program. She led recruitment and training of observers, fulfilling all OEO requests. She has been a key contributor to the enhancement of life on campus for Emory students through the many programs, teams and process improvements that she has managed and supported.  

The recipient of numerous awards recognizing her outstanding work, Oddman holds an MBA from Emory, an MEd in higher education student affairs from the University of Maryland, and a bachelor’s in communications from George Washington University.