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Lisa Kay Nolan

Lisa was born in 1953 into a loving family in Rome, GA.  She was blessed with her Dad’s curiosity and Mom’s sense of wonder, which together evolved into a real interest in science.  This interest…passion really…led to her to work nights as a telephone operator to pay for her education at Valdosta State College, where she received a B.S. in Biology.  After spending time collecting invertebrates in the Florida Keys and teaching high school, she continued her education at the University of Georgia (UGA), where she was recruited into the research laboratory of Richard Wooley, a professor of Medical Microbiology and father of one of her former high school students.  Following receipt of her DVM in 1988, she entered graduate school under the mentorship of Dr. Wooley, where she began her lifelong research into Escherichia coli-caused diseases.  Following graduation with a PhD in 1992, she became an Assistant Professor of Veterinary and Microbiological Sciences at North Dakota State University, where she continued her research, taught pathogenic microbiology to thousands of students, mentored hundreds of preveterinary students, led the development of the Great Plains Institute of Food Safety and rose through the ranks to become a full professor.  From there, Lisa relocated to Iowa State University as the Department Chair of Veterinary Microbiology and Preventive Medicine; where later, she became the Associate Dean of Academic and Student Affairs, Associate Dean of Research, and the Dr. Stephen G. Juelsgaard Dean of Veterinary Medicine.  Now, Lisa’s career has taken her home, where she serves as the Georgia Athletics Association Distinguished Professor and Dean of the UGA’s College of Veterinary Medicine.  Reflecting back on her career, Lisa feels deep gratitude to her mentors for their guidance and example, students for their enthusiasm and intellectual challenge, and colleagues for their camaraderie.  It has been a grand adventure!