Dr. Cara Winston Simmons worked in the field of family and consumer sciences beginning in 2014 when she became director of the Student Success and Advising Center (SSAC) at the University of Georgia (UGA) in the College of Family and Consumer Sciences (FACS) until her recent appointment to Interim Director of the UGA Division of Academic Enhancement in August 2022. In the SSAC, Dr. Simmons provided leadership to prospective student recruitment, new student orientation, academic advising, internships, fellowships, retention, budgeting, fundraising, career development, instruction, student involvement and leadership, experiential learning, student programming, diversity, and support services initiatives such as Bulldog Basics.
In FACS, she served as an adjunct faculty member, assistant to the dean for leadership development and diversity, and is a graduate faculty member in the UGA Mary Frances Early College of Education. She transformed the teaching and instruction of FACS 2000, Introduction to Family and Consumer Sciences, that introduces the discipline and Body of Knowledge to undergraduate students.
An active member of the Georgia affiliate, Dr. Simmons has served as President, President-Elect, Student Unit Advisor, Counselor, and Chair of the inaugural Committee on Diversity and Inclusion. She is also engaged at the national level serving on the Ad Hoc Strategic Planning Committee, participating in workshops and meetings, and attending and presenting at annual conferences.
Dr. Simmons is a three-time alumna of the University of Georgia.
Dr. Carol L. Anderson currently serves as the AAFCS Director of Accreditation. Her B.S. and M.S. are from the University of Wisconsin - Madison and her Ph.D. is from Iowa State University. She has served faculty appointments as an Extension Home Economist, Human Development Extension Specialist, Associate Director of Cornell Cooperative Extension, Assistant Dean in the Cornell College of Human Ecology, and Associate Professor in Human Development. She is a Cornell professor Emeriti (Human Development). Since retirement, Carol operates a consulting business and manages the day-to-day operation of a family farm. She served a 10-year term on the Iowa County, Wisconsin Board of Supervisors.
An active AAFCS member, she served as the AAFCS President 1999-2000 and it was during this period that the Body of Knowledge was created. Involvement in IFHE-US has included collaborating with Mary Warnock to bring the IFHE World Congress to the USA for just the third time in the over 110-year history of the organization.