Dr. Lauren C. Johnson, assistant professor and coordinator of diversity and recruitment initiatives in the College of Education at the University of North Georgia (UNG) was selected as a 2017 Governor’s Teaching Fellow. 

As one of 15 faculty members from institutions of higher education across the state, Johnson was selected following a highly competitive selection process.

The Governor’s Teaching Fellows Program is an outreach program of the Institute of Higher Education at the University of Georgia which helps improve the quality of instruction in Georgia's colleges and universities.

Established in 1995 by Zell Miller, former governor of Georgia, the Governor's Teaching Fellows Program provides Georgia's higher education faculty with expanded opportunities for developing important teaching skills.

Participants are selected on the basis of their teaching experience, their interest in continuing instructional and professional development, their ability to make a positive impact on their own campus, and a strong commitment by their home institution for release time and other forms of support for the duration of their participation in the program.

To date, more than 89 subject areas, professions and teaching areas have been represented and Fellows have come from more than 61 public and private institutions statewide.

Johnson received her Bachelors of Arts in latin american studies from Columbia University, her Master of Arts in teaching English to speakers of other language (TESOL) from Columbia University and her Ph.D in applied anthropology from the University of South Florida.

She was also was selected to participate in the Fulbright-Hays Seminar Abroad Program this summer – a national program that provides short-term study and travel seminars abroad for U.S. educators in the social sciences and humanities to improve their understanding and knowledge of the people and cultures of other countries.