Debbie Acker Appointed Director of Shelton Leadership Center
Debbie Acker, interim director of NC State’s Shelton Leadership Center (SLC), has been named permanent director of the center, effective October 1. Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost Warwick Arden made the announcement today.
Acker replaces Barbara Mulkey, former SLC director, who retired this year. Since March 2019, Acker served as the SLC’s senior associate director for operations and academic programs, where she was responsible for managing SLC operations for all budgets and providing supervision over program areas.
“Debbie has been part of the Shelton Leadership Center since its inception, and we are grateful for her years of selfless service to the center and to NC State as a whole,” said Provost Arden. “I look forward to how she will interact with faculty, staff and students to continue to shape our state’s next generation of leaders.”
As SLC director, Acker will oversee the SLC’s board of advisors, fund development and academic administrative responsibilities, and special projects related to grants and contracts. She will work to fulfill the center’s mission to inspire, educate, and develop values-based leaders committed to personal integrity, professional ethics, and selfless service.
“I am excited to continue my career with the Shelton Leadership Center and to guide new and continuing efforts to shape the NC State community,” said Acker. “Barbara Mulkey set a strong foundation for the center, and I am confident that we will grow in our reach and influence in positively shaping the lives of others.”
Prior to joining the SLC, she worked with the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences on a youth and adult sustainability project and with the College of Education as assistant director of research on the National Initiative for Leadership and Institutional Effectiveness.
Acker earned her Bachelor of Science in psychology from Longwood University, her master’s degree in school counseling from Syracuse University, and her doctorate in higher education administration from NC State.
About the Shelton Leadership Center
The General H. Hugh Shelton Leadership Center (SLC) was founded in 2002 following his retirement as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. General Shelton (’63) believes in the importance of developing the next generation of values-based leaders and established the SLC at his alma mater to achieve this aim. Our core values are honesty, integrity, diversity, social responsibility, and compassion. With these values as the foundation, our mission is to inspire, educate and develop values-based leaders committed to personal integrity, professional ethics and selfless service. In our work, we serve precollege, college, and professional audiences.
