Dr. Amy Fleischer Graduates as a Fellow from National Leadership Program
Dr. Gary Gabriele, Dean, and Professor Amy Fleischer
On March 28, 2013, seven months after the program began, Villanova’s Dr. Amy Fleischer, Professor of Mechanical Engineering, graduated as a Fellow of the Executive Leadership in Academic Technology and Engineering program (ELATE) at Drexel University. Dr. Fleischer was a member of the inaugural class of leaders in academic engineering and the sciences.
“For these fellows, the ELATE experience began with a spark they recognized in themselves, something unique that made them aspire to leadership,” says Drexel University President John A. Fry. “The impact of this ELATE fellowship will grow for each of them, as they apply what they learned to their current roles, and to new leadership opportunities. The impact will ripple out through academic engineering and the other fields in which they specialize, fields that will be immeasurably enriched by a new generation of woman leaders.”
Dr. Fleischer made College of Engineering history in June 2012, when she was promoted to Full Professor of Mechanical Engineering—the first time a female faculty member has ascended to this rank in any engineering discipline at Villanova. Internationally recognized for her expertise in thermal fluid systems design, Dr. Fleischer is director of NovaTherm—the Villanova Thermal Management Laboratory, and serves as a member of the National Science Foundation Industry/University Cooperative Research Center on Energy-Efficient Electronic Systems. Her research interests include sustainable energy systems design and thermal management of electronic systems. Recent investigations have included energy storage in phase-change materials, development of nano-enhanced materials, jet impingement, porous heat sinks and boiling heat transfer. She has authored more than 60 papers for scholarly journals and conferences, and has been repeatedly recognized for her accomplishments in the field of heat transfer.
Graduates of the inaugural ELATE class with Dr. Fleischer on the top right.
When asked about her experience with ELATE, Dr. Fleischer simply described it as “incredibly valuable.” “It was a tremendous opportunity to meet amazing women in science and engineering from across the country,” she says. The ten other women in the program included professors in a variety of engineering disciplines, as well as computer science. Among the universities represented were Carnegie Mellon, Rochester Institute of Technology, Duke, University of Iowa and Purdue.
A press release from Drexel University further describes the ELATE program:
Executive Leadership in Academic Technology and Engineering at Drexel®, a program of the International Center for Executive Leadership in Academics at Drexel’s College of Medicine, is a one-year, part-time program that addresses the need to increase the diversity and leadership capacity of engineering, computer science and related fields within academia. Lessons are applied through institutional action projects that address translational research, academic affairs and strategic organizational initiatives. Interviews with campus leaders reveal financial and institutional relationships in the business of higher education. Class and academic community discussions lay the foundation for a network of exceptional leaders in their fields. Fellows graduate with increased personal and professional leadership effectiveness.
For more information on the ELATE curriculum, faculty and participants, visit www.drexel.edu/engineering/ELATE.