I t’d be hard to find someone more connected to Georgia College & State University than Jane Kidd, the university’s current Alex Gregory Distinguished Fellow and Leader in Residence.

She points to numerous places where she and her family have, in some way or another, left their mark on campus—starting with her great-grandfather, Richard B. Russell, Sr., who as a state legislator introduced the 1889 legislation establishing the Georgia Normal and Industrial College for women.

That’s right: Russell. As in ‘Russell Auditorium,’ named after the statesman, and ‘Ina Dillard Russell Library,’ named after his wife, Kidd’s great-grandmother.

But the connections—to Georgia College and high state political affairs—don’t stop there.

Her great-grandfather was also on the university’s board of directors many years. The only son of six children, he became a lawyer and, later, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court in Georgia. His family lived in Winder. Kidd’s grandfather lived next door. She has fond memories of visiting most of her great-aunts and -uncles there.

Russell had six daughters, Kidd’s great-aunts. Five were educated at Georgia State College for Women in the late 1920s and several lived in Terrell Hall, when it was a dormitory.

Russell had 13 children. One of his sons—Kidd’s great-uncle, Senator Richard B. Russell, Jr.—was a U.S. Senator for more than 40 years. Prior to that, he was a state legislator and governor of Georgia for four years. Kidd’s grandfather, another one of Russell’s sons, was a federal judge. And her father, S. Ernest Vandiver, Jr., was adjutant general and lieutenant governor, before becoming the state’s 73rd governor.

It doesn’t end there.

Hugh Peterson, on Georgia College’s Board of Trustees many years, was first cousin to Kidd’s mother. His mother was Pat Peterson, as in the library’s ‘Pat Peterson Museum Education Room.’

“I was really fortunate to be exposed to a lot of family and many, many connections,” Kidd said.

Kidd has an impressive background too, which includes being a member of the university’s Foundation Board since 2009. It was Cousin Peterson who told Kidd she needed to be on it, because “it’s really important we keep some Russells on the board.”

Her career spans more than 30 years in public service and higher education.

This fall, Kidd accepted the Alex Gregory Distinguished Fellowship and will continue in that role in the spring. Part of Georgia College’s Leadership Program, fellows are expected to share their leadership expertise with students and faculty.

“Jane is so gracious and thoughtful in her leadership and an exceptional role model for our students at Georgia College,” said Harold Mock, director of Leadership Programs and assistant professor of history.

“She brings to her role the experiences and expertise she has cultivated over decades of leadership and public service,” he said. “She has a unique ability to bring people together in service of big ideas. We are so fortunate to have her as our Alex Gregory Distinguished Fellow and Leader-in-Residence.”

Kidd studied at Queens College, now Queens University, in Charlotte, North Carolina. She transferred to the University of Georgia (UGA) to become a journalist, graduating with honors in 1975. She also has a master’s in instructional technology from Piedmont University in Athens.

While in college, Kidd assisted her father’s campaign run for the U.S. Senate in 1972. She worked in the UGA public information office, started her own education consulting firm and managed the congressional campaign of Congressman Don Johnson.

 

Kidd was alumni director of UGA’s Grady School of Journalism in the early 2000s and elected to represent the 115th district in the Georgia House of Representatives in 2004. She chaired the Georgia State Democratic Party from 2007 to 2011.

Kidd also served three terms on Lavonia’s City Council and in executive leadership roles at Clemson and Piedmont universities. She was vice president for the public relations firm, Gehrung Associates in Keene, New Hampshire, and director of development for the State Botanical Garden of Georgia at UGA.

Kidd now lives in Crawford, Georgia, with her husband, David and their three dogs. They have a daughter, Elizabeth, and son, Alex, and they love getting visits from their two grandchildren.

In October, Kidd spoke at Georgia College’s Usery Forum on Leadership. This semester, she guest taught two sessions of the course, “Principals of Leadership: How to Change the World.” In these classes, Kidd explained the principles for effective leadership to students and how to bridge the divide between theory and practice.

She’ll teach this course in the spring, as well.

Kidd also participates in the Georgia Education Mentorship (GEM) Program, a partnership between Georgia College’s Leadership Programs and the Georgia Chamber of Commerce. She went on a recent field trip to Tifton, Georgia, with students from the GEM Program. The group explored the Chamber’s connection with the Georgia Center for Rural Prosperity.

In the spring, Kidd will help present another Usery Forum on Leadership. She’ll be part of the Research and Public Service Summit in February and the Georgia College Leadership Ideas Festival in April.

In May and June, Kidd will represent Georgia College at the Intercultural Leadership Program at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France.

Until then, Kidd will continue to mentor and inspire leadership qualities in students.

She laughs, recalling the name given to her as a child, “Miss Precocious.” People would come to visit the governor’s mansion where they lived from 1959 – 1963 in Atlanta. Kidd would greet guests at the door and charge 50 cents per tour.

Kidd still displays that same tenacity today and tells students “to be brave and make bold moves in the direction of their dreams.”

“Forced solutions don't work. I believe in letting ‘time take time.’” Kidd said. “Things mostly work out for the best when you choose not to push too hard. Leadership is having a vision and communicating it in a compelling way so that people want to engage and participate in the endeavor.”

“Empathy with individuals is the key to discovering the strengths and weaknesses of your team,” she added. “With empathy and understanding, you can encourage all team members toward their personal best.”