Leigh Askew Elkins, faculty at the University of Georgia Carl Vinson Institute of Government, has received the 2026 Walter Barnard Hill Fellow Award for Distinguished Achievement in Public Service and Outreach. The Hill Fellow Award is UGA’s highest accolade in Public Service and Outreach and is comparable to a distinguished professorship.
The Hill Fellow Award recognizes sustained, distinguished, and superb achievements in university public service and outreach and contributions to improving the quality of life in Georgia or elsewhere. It was presented at the 35th Annual Public Service and Outreach Awards Luncheon, held March 30 at the UGA Center for Continuing Education & Hotel.
Elkins, who was recently appointed Planning, Engagement and Policy Unit Manager at the institute, is a nationally recognized leader in community engagement, natural resource planning and asset-based development. Since joining the institute’s Environmental Policy Program in 2012, she has helped Georgia communities integrate sustainability with economic progress using participatory planning, strategic visioning and public facilitation.
“Leigh represents the very best of UGA Public Service and Outreach through her exceptional work, intelligence, creativity and collaborative spirit,” said Rob Gordon, director of the Institute of Government. “Her efforts, day in and day out, are truly a reflection of our mission to serve communities across Georgia.”
Elkins bridges state-level policy with grassroots collaboration. She created Georgia’s WaterFirst Community Program at the Department of Community Affairs and played a key role in the statewide Water Management Plan through the Fanning Institute, a sister public service and outreach unit.
Colleagues praised Elkins for her congeniality and ability to bring stakeholders together.
“She is a gifted facilitator and prides herself in her ability to design processes to support the right type of engagement for whatever the project demands, and because of that, she is often called back repeatedly,” said Mark Williams, executive director of the Jekyll Island Authority and former commissioner of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.
Elkins’ leadership in community-driven projects spans Georgia and beyond. Following the 2022 fire at Tennessee’s Ocoee Whitewater Center, she led UGA’s effort to collect and synthesize over 7,000 public comments across 38 states, crafting a thorough redevelopment blueprint with cultural resonance based on stakeholder input.
In her hometown of Gainesville, Elkins has been instrumental in projects that spurred the city’s revitalization and growth. She led public input efforts for the Downtown Renaissance and Strategic Vision and spearheaded the “A Vision for the Athens Street and 129 South Corridors” plan. The combined efforts resulted in $4.4 million in state funding and leveraged nearly $300 million in private investment to revitalize neighborhoods and bolster connectivity and green space.
Her deep local understanding and collaborative spirit ensured neighborhood voices shaped growth.
“The people who live in a place are the experts on that place and they know what’s best. It’s our job to help figure out how to envision that, and ensure that development reflects local history, identity and values,” Elkins said.
About The Walter Barnard Hill Fellow Award
The Walter Barnard Hill Fellow Award for Distinguished Achievement in Public Service and Outreach (the Hill Fellow Award) is UGA’s highest award in public service and outreach, and is comparable to a distinguished professorship. It recognizes sustained, distinguished, and superb achievements in university public service and outreach, and contributions to improving the quality of life in Georgia or elsewhere. The selection committee considers long-term achievements, special projects having extraordinary impact, and collaborative efforts. The creativity, impact, and superb nature of a Hill Fellow’s achievements are of a magnitude that greatly exceeds the normal accomplishments of a productive faculty member. The award is named in honor of Chancellor Walter Barnard Hill, who led the University of Georgia from 1899 until his death in 1905. His desire for more university involvement in the state of Georgia and his application of these goals and ideas helped pave the way for a modern public service-oriented university.