Valerie A. Hepburn, Ph.D

Dr. Valerie Hepburn became the fourth president of the College of Coastal Georgia in February 2009. She had served as the interim president for eight months. Hepburn holds a faculty appointment as professor of public policy. She previously served as a faculty member in Health Policy and Management at the University of Georgia, College of Public Health and the College's academic dean. Hepburn holds adjunct faculty appointments in pediatrics at the Medical College of Georgia and at the Institute of Public Health at Georgia State University, where she served as Associate Director and faculty member for four years. In 2006, Hepburn was awarded with a Packer Policy Fellowship by the Australian Government, and she spent six months in Australia conducting research in a comparative health policy. Prior to her academic service, Hepburn spent more than 20 years in senior leadership positions with state health, financing and regulatory agencies. She continues to work with public officials on health planning, education and resource allocation issues. She holds a Doctor of Philosophy in Public Adminstration and Policy from the University of Georgia, a Master of Public Adminstration from Georgia State University and a Bachelors of Arts in Political Science from Agnes Scott College. Hepburn has been active in and a frequent research presenter with national and international organizations, such as the American Public Health association, The Association for Budget and Financial Management and the International Medical Workforce Collaborative. In July, Hepburn began serving a three-year term on the ACE Commission on Women in Higher Education. She is a member of the Jekyll Island Advisory Fourm and currently serves on the boards of the Coastal Symphony of Georgia and the Boys and Girls Clubs of Southeast Georgia, and the Camden partnership. She and her husband, David Hayes live in Glynn County.