These Duke Faculty Members Will Spend a Year as ACC Leadership Fellows
Duke faculty members Monica Lemmon, Veronica Root Martinez, Alma Tinoco Ruiz, Christopher Wildeman and Junjie Yao will serve as fellows in the 2026 Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Academic Leaders Network program.
This leadership development opportunity is part of Duke Faculty Advancement’s portfolio of programs to support faculty and academic leaders. Deans were invited to nominate faculty members who hold administrative leadership positions.
All ACC fellows will participate in a year of joint institutional activities, beginning with a virtual kickoff in February and followed by on-site sessions at Southern Methodist University in March, Notre Dame in June and the University of Pittsburgh in October.
“One of the great strengths of this program is the chance for faculty leaders to learn alongside peers from across the ACC,” said Duke Provost Alec D. Gallimore. “By sharing perspectives and challenges with colleagues at other institutions, our fellows gain insights that will help them develop as leaders and thus benefit Duke for years to come.”
In Durham, Duke’s cohort will meet with key leaders and administrators who oversee such areas as academic affairs, student life, budgeting and financial planning, research, admissions, development and human resources, among others. These activities will help orient them more fully to the administrative workings of their own institution.
2026 Duke ACC Academic Leadership Network Fellows
Monica Lemmon
Associate Professor of Pediatrics
Monica Lemmon is an associate professor of pediatrics and population health sciences within the Duke University School of Medicine, where she serves as the associate dean for scientific integrity. Her clinical practice focuses on neonatal neurocritical care, and she serves as the chief of pediatric neurology and developmental medicine. Her NIH-funded research program centers on prognostic communication, shared decision-making and the caregiver experience of infant illness.
Veronica Root Martinez
Simpson Thacher and Bartlett Distinguished Professor of Law
Veronica Root Martinez is a nationally recognized expert in professional and organizational ethics, with a focus on corporate misconduct, compliance and the use of monitors. She teaches a range of courses on compliance, business law and ethics. At Duke, she chairs the Law School’s Academic Careers Committee and serves on key university bodies, including the Board of Trustees’ Finance Committee, the University Priorities Committee and the Institutional Compliance Advisory Committee.
Alma Tinoco Ruiz
Royce and Jane Reynolds Assistant Professor of the Practice of Homiletics and Evangelism
Alma Tinoco Ruiz is a practical theologian whose work focuses on the intersection of homiletics, pastoral care and evangelism. Her research centers on trauma-informed preaching and ministry. She directs the Hispanic House of Studies at Duke Divinity School and leads the Hispanic-Latino/a Pastoral Initiative, both funded by The Duke Endowment, and the Transformative Preaching Lab, funded by the Lilly Endowment. She is an ordained elder in the United Methodist Church. Tinoco Ruiz has been awarded the Foundation for Evangelism Fellowship, among other honors.
Christopher Wildeman
Professor of Sociology
Christopher Wildeman is professor and chair of sociology in the Trinity College of Arts & Sciences and professor of public policy in the Sanford School of Public Policy at Duke, where he is also director of the National Data Archive on Child Abuse and Neglect. His work focuses on the prevalence, causes and consequences of contact with the criminal legal system and the child welfare system for families.
Junjie Yao
Jeffrey N. Vinik Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering
Junjie Yao’s research involves the conversion and control of light and sound for high-speed functional brain imaging, deep-tissue molecular imaging, early-stage cancer detection, super-resolution passive cavitation mapping, and through-tissue ultrasound printing. His contributions have been recognized with the IEEE Photonic Society Young Investigator Award, National Jewish Fund Faculty Fellow, NSF CAREER Award, Nature Rising Stars of Light Award, IC-UEBA Young Investigator Award, Highly Citied Researcher List by Clarivate, and Stansell Family Distinguished Research Award.
Previous Duke Cohorts
- 2025: Meagan Dunphy-Daly, Christina Gibson-Davis, Tatiana Segura, Eleanor Stevenson and Lee Zou
- 2024: Candis Watts Smith, Denise Comer, Norbert Wilson, Saskia Cornes and Shai Ginsburg
- 2023: Sharon Gerecht, Timothy Johnson, Hai “Helen” Li and Patrick Smith
- 2022: Steffen Bass, Lori Bennear, Iyun Harrison, Cory Krupp and Benjamin Smallheer
Main image: Monica Lemmon, Veronica Root Martinez, Alma Tinoco Ruiz, Christopher Wildeman and Junjie Yao