Submitted by: April Gunn, agunn@uca.edu on 09/24/2025
Dr. Lesley Graybeal has been selected to serve as Executive Director of the Office of Outreach and Community Engagement and will begin her new role October 1, 2025. Academic Affairs is deeply grateful for her willingness to take on this important leadership role, and is excited about the fresh perspective and innovative vision she will bring to Outreach.
Dr. Graybeal transitions to Outreach and Community Engagement from her current role as Director of Living Learning Communities at UCA. Prior to this role, she led UCA’s community-engaged learning and volunteer engagement initiatives. Her work has included advising leaders of service- and civic engagement-related student organizations, providing training and facilitation for faculty and community partners, and championing constructive dialogue initiatives.
She holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in English and a PhD in Social Foundations of Education from the University of Georgia. Before joining UCA, she taught first-year writing and coordinated the service-learning program at Wake Technical Community College in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Please join Academic Affairs in extending warm congratulations to Dr. Graybeal and expressing appreciation for her continued dedication to serving both our university and the broader community. We are fortunate to have such a thoughtful and committed leader guiding these important initiatives.