Carolyn Spellings
Faculty Member
Global Honors Program
PhD
Location: Jack C Massey 367
Biography
Dr. Carolyn Spellings is a faculty member in Belmont University’s Global Honors Program, where she teaches and mentors students with a focus on global leadership, social change, and interdisciplinary learning. Her work is grounded in a belief that meaningful leadership begins with understanding ourselves, engaging thoughtfully with others, and recognizing opportunities to create positive change.
Before joining Belmont, Spellings spent more than a decade at the University of Tennessee’s Center for Sport, Peace and Society, where she worked with researchers, governments, athletes, nonprofit organizations, and international partners across more than 100 countries in partnership with the U.S. Department of State's Global Sports Mentoring Program. Her work included leadership development, program evaluation, sport diplomacy, and initiatives using sport as a platform for social change. In 2024, she was selected as a Fulbright Specialist and traveled to Taiwan, where she worked with a local sport for development organization to strengthen its monitoring and evaluation strategy.
Spellings holds a Ph.D. from the University of Tennessee and teaches in Belmont’s University You program, which provides high school students with an opportunity to experience college-level learning. She is also a producer on Steadfast and True: The Searcy Story, a documentary collaboration through the Fisk-Belmont Social Justice Collaborative. Her work reflects a commitment to connecting education, global engagement, and community impact.