Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College (SMWC) is pleased to announce that Ph.D. in Global Leadership student Detra Mills, JD, MBA, has been honored as a 2024 Fulbright Specialist Program award recipient. Each year, the Fulbright Specialist program selects over 400 United States citizens with exceptional academic and professional accomplishments. This competitive program allows recipients to foster connections with other professionals. “It is quite an accomplishment for Detra to be chosen as a Fulbright Specialist, and we are very proud of her. This experience will complement her coursework at The Woods and propel her forward in her dissertation work as well as her career,” said Janet Clark, Ph.D., provost and executive vice president for academic affairs.
Mills is the first SMWC student to be selected for the Fulbright Specialist program. Kimberly LaComba, Ph.D., director of the Ph.D. in Global Leadership program and associate professor of global leadership, shared how proud she and the other faculty are, “We are incredibly proud of Detra for being selected as a Fulbright Specialist. This honor is a testament to her perseverance and dedication to the field of global leadership!” The award will allow Mills to conduct a project that impacts her areas of passion in women’s leadership and service, specifically in the nonprofit industry. She also looks forward to using her legal knowledge throughout her project. Upon receiving the news that she had been selected, Mills was both excited and humbled. “There is something special about bringing honor to your university. It is an honor to have been selected,” Mills said.
Most recently, Mills served as the chief operations officer and general counsel for an advertising agency in Indianapolis, Indiana. During her time there, she’s most proud of being an asset to the growth in infrastructure for the company where they received numerous awards for innovation. In applying for the Fulbright Specialist program, Mills shared she’s thankful to her mentor, Shelly Meyer, Ph.D., adjunct professor for the Ph.D. in Global Leadership program and former Fulbright Scholar, for encouraging her to apply. “I owe a lot of credit to her for providing the support I needed,” Mills said.
Mills is fortunate to have been able to take the last year to focus on finishing her doctorate and to now focus on the opportunities that the Fulbright Specialist program will present. “I’m calling it my professional gap year so I could do these academic and scholarly opportunities that I’m very excited about. It’s a tremendous leap of faith, and I feel that it’s providential that I’m able to do this,” Mills said.
As a Fulbright specialist, Mills is excited to see what the program has to offer and hopes to impact future Fulbright Scholars and Specialists. “I feel that it’s incumbent upon me to provide support, coaching and mentorship for those who apply in the future. I would be honored to be of service to help other people achieve their goal of becoming a Fulbrighter,” she said.
About Fulbright Specialist program
The Fulbright Specialist Program, part of the larger Fulbright Program, was established in 2001 by the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA). The program pairs highly qualified U.S. academics and professionals with host institutions abroad to share their expertise, strengthen institutional linkages, hone their skills, gain international experience, and learn about other cultures while building capacity at their overseas host institutions.
Specialists, who represent a wide range of professional and academic disciplines, are competitively selected to join the Fulbright Specialist Roster based on their knowledge, skill sets, and ability to make a significant contribution to projects overseas. Those individuals that have been approved to join the Fulbright Specialist Roster are then eligible to be matched with approved projects designed by foreign host institutions from over 150 countries and other areas. Once abroad, Specialists partner with their host institution to conduct project activities in support of the host institution’s priorities and goals.
The Fulbright Specialist Program aims to provide a short-term, on-demand resource to international host institutions, giving them greater flexibility in how they participate with Fulbright. Specialists are strongly encouraged to continue to work with host institutions in the years following their initial exchange, creating opportunities for ongoing cooperation and consultancies.