SIU’s Director of Student Health Services has been selected for the prestigious HERS Leadership Institute

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October 13, 2022

SIU’s Director of Student Health Services has been selected for the prestigious HERS Leadership Institute

By Christi Mathis

Carbondale, Ill. – Jamie Clarke, Director Student Health Services At Southern Illinois University Carbondale, she was selected to participate in the Higher Education Services (HERS) Leadership Institute, an inclusive, transformational leadership development program for women and non-binary people.

The inaugural immersion weekend took place in Boston, and three additional sessions will be held in the 2022-23 academic year to encourage participants to emerge as more dynamic leaders for themselves and their institutions. During the Institute session, participants engage in a rigorous curriculum, share their leadership vision, and create a capstone project that can be implemented at their respective institutions. While highly selective and challenging, the institutes create a non-competitive environment where participants can build community and support the growth of other participants during and after the program.

Clark’s HERS leadership project is proactively addressing care issues and health care disparities and addressing the needs of SIU’s diverse student body to bring about an integrated and comprehensive approach. HERS is committed to creating and sustaining a diverse community of women leaders, and Clark intends to use the institute to enhance her knowledge and skills to contribute to improved equity, inclusion, and excellence at SIU.

Long association with SIU

Clark has a long-standing relationship with SIU, coming to the university in 2005 as a Volunteer in Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) from the University of Denver, where he met the criteria for advanced practice students. The following year, she served as a doctoral intern at the center, then continued at CAPS, becoming outreach coordinator and operational coordinator in 2007.

Clark began her administrative career in 2009 as the CAPS Assistant Director and Director of Training. Clark became CAPS director in 2015 and was promoted to her current position as director of student health services in 2020.

Clark’s commitment to SIU, her support of her students, and her innovative approach to making things happen made her the winner of the 2020 Women of Distinction Award. The award is given to a faculty, administrative/professional or civil service employee in recognition of “sustained commitment to women’s and/or diversity issues through proven leadership, vision or action.”