Strategic appointments will advance University's innovation and whole person formation initiatives
Belmont University has promoted two accomplished leaders to vice president roles, effective this month. Dr. Josh Yates has been promoted to Vice President for Strategy and Innovation, while Dr. Nathan Webb has been promoted to Vice President of Whole Person Formation and Leadership Development.
"Josh and Nathan exemplify the kind of forward thinking, student-centered leadership that defines Belmont's approach to higher education," said Belmont’s president, Dr. Greg Jones. "Their expertise in strategy, innovation and whole person formation, combined with their proven track records at Belmont, make them the ideal candidates to advance our mission of developing leaders of character who will impact the world in meaningful ways."
Yates, formerly Executive Director of the Belmont Innovation Labs, will lead the University's institutional innovation efforts in his new role, continuing his work overseeing Belmont Innovation Labs while adding new responsibilities supporting the University's goals of reimagining higher education. His new duties include stewarding institutional planning, aligning strategies with daily operations and capabilities, and building an innovation ecosystem to empower students, faculty and staff to have entrepreneurial mindsets.
Yates is a cultural sociologist, social entrepreneur and strategist with more than two decades of experience bridging academic research, social entrepreneurship and innovation. Guided by a central question — How do we build organizations and communities that enable people and places to thrive? — his work focuses on unlocking the power of universities and their students as catalysts for human flourishing. He mobilizes knowledge, networks and creative capacity to equip emerging leaders and launch ventures that address the defining challenges of our time.
Webb, previously Executive Director of Formation and Leadership Development, will
expand his leadership of Belmont's whole person formation efforts in his new role. He will provide strategic leadership of the Belmont Formation Collaborative and oversee a team of 24 people across multiple offices including general education, faculty development, service-learning, employee leadership development, health and wellness and spiritual formation initiatives. The Formation Collaborative is supported by ~$5 million in grant funding from The Kern Family Foundation and the Lilly Endowment’s Educating Character Initiative.
A tenured professor of communication studies, Webb has served in numerous academic leadership positions at Belmont over his 12+ year tenure, including interim dean of the College of Theology and Christian Ministry and associate dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences. His research focuses on teaching and learning, and he has been published in venues such as Business and Professional Communication Quarterly and the Journal of Scholarship of Teaching and Learning.
Both Webb and Yates will play a crucial part in advancing the University's Strategic Path to 2030 and strengthening Belmont's position as a leader in transformational education as they formally begin their new roles this month.