Today we’d like to introduce you to Dr. Stuart Gulley.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Dr. Gulley. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I grew up in a home dedicated to education and the church. Though it was not my intent to combine the two, my journey took me in that direction. Following graduation from seminary (Emory’s Candler School of Theology), I became ordained in the United Methodist Church and began working in higher education–for 10 years at Emory in several administrative capacities, and for 13 years as president of LaGrange College in LaGrange, Georgia. Eight years ago, I had the opportunity to come to Woodward Academy as president, which presented a professional challenge, given its size (at 2,700 students, we are the largest independent school in the continental U.S., and, therefore, larger than most small, private liberal arts colleges), and a family opportunity for my two sons to attend here. As CEO of an educational institution, the work requires vision and strategy, but it also is pastoral in nature. Working with a large constituency of alumni, parents, students, and employees demands an ability to listen and practice empathy.
I have had many mentors, and everywhere I have worked, whatever we have accomplished, has been due to the efforts of others throughout the organization. My parents were essential in instilling in me the commitment to education and the church. Important mentors have been Dr. James Laney of Emory; Dr. James Waits of Candler School of Theology; Board members and Board chairs at LaGrange College and Woodward Academy, including Malone Dodson, Charles Hudson, Buddy Darden, Bill Hodges, Scott Hawkins, Ben Johnson and Bobby Bowers. Each of these individuals and others taught me about listening, analyzing a situation, and responding with care and compassion. They also have demonstrated what it means to live a life of integrity.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Compared to most people, I’ve been blessed that the road for me has been mostly smooth. I have never really applied for a job–the positions I have been fortunate to hold have for the most part sought me. That’s not to say that I haven’t encountered resistance and skepticism in my leadership. People are naturally prone to resist change, but to lead means initiating change. The challenges, then, have been to determine how best to implement change and win people over to it. Some leaders take a “my way or the highway approach,” which may accomplish the change, but not usually without damage to the morale and psyches of the people in the organization. Experience has taught me that an evolutionary approach to change is preferred to a revolutionary approach. Under an evolutionary approach, change is slower and more incremental. For some people, that can be too long, and the leader can appear ineffective. Managing people’s expectations is always the greatest challenge for the leader.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
Woodward Academy is Atlanta’s oldest and largest independent day school, with grades pre-K through 12. Founded in 1900 as Georgia Military Academy, we maintained a military curriculum until the mid-1960s when we took the name of our founder, Colonel John Woodward, and focused our curriculum on college preparation. We have grown to a student body of 2,700, ranking us the third largest independent school in the U.S. and the largest in the Continental U.S. (The two largest schools are in Hawaii.) Each year, 100% of graduates go to more than 100 colleges and universities around the world. In addition to preparing students for college, we prepare them for life. Our values are expressed in our motto: Excellence, Character, and Opportunity. With a highly diverse student body of race, religion, learning styles, and Atlanta zip codes (drawing from 23 counties), our students represent the globe. Students at Woodward learn alongside the kind of difference they will experience in the real world of work, creating, we hope, young people of empathy and a commitment to serve.
What were you like growing up?
Growing up, people probably viewed me as being average, maybe even boring. My interests were in volunteering and participating in activities through my church. I enjoyed recreational sports, though I was not a starter for anything. Spending time with friends was always a welcomed opportunity. Looking back, I think I was blessed to have, by today’s standards at least, a quiet, normal upbringing where I could just be a child.
Contact Info:
- Address: 1662 Rugby Avenue,
College Park, GA 30337 - Website: www.woodward.edu
- Phone: 404.765.4001
- Email: eagleinfo@woodward.edu
Image Credit:
Billy Howard Photography
Michie Turpin Photography
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