Kennesaw State University President Pamela Whitten was named this month to the Atlanta Business Chronicle’s Power 100, a list compiling the most influential and important leaders across metro Atlanta.

Whitten, who began her tenure in July 2018, appeared alongside other notable leaders on this year’s list, including former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, Chick-fil-a chief executive officer Dan Cathy and Georgia Governor Brian Kemp.

As president, she leads Georgia’s largest Carnegie-designated R2 institution with 13 colleges and more than 35,000 students on two metro Atlanta campuses. An internationally recognized expert in the field of telemedicine – the remote delivery of health care services and information – Whitten has conducted research with funding from multiple state and federal agencies such as the National Institutes of Health and the U.S. Department of Commerce. She has published two books and more than 100 peer-reviewed research articles and book chapters. In February, Whitten made Engineering Georgia magazine’s Top 100 Influential Women in Georgia list, recognizing her role in empowering other female professionals in the industry across the state.

Prior to joining Kennesaw State, Whitten served as senior vice president for academic affairs and provost at the University of Georgia (UGA), from February 2014 to June 2018. As the chief academic officer, she was responsible for overseeing instruction, research, public service and outreach, student affairs, and information technology. Prior to serving as provost at UGA, Whitten was director for telemedicine at the University of Kansas Medical Center before she joined Michigan State University, where she worked her way through the faculty ranks and eventually served as dean of the College of Communication Arts and Sciences.

Whitten holds a Ph.D. in Communication Studies from the University of Kansas, a Master of Arts in Communication from the University of Kentucky and a Bachelor of Science in Management from Tulane University.