“Fundamentally, the goal of my work is to empower all Gettysburg community members to learn how to be more effective and ethical in their leadership pursuits,” shared Dr. Andy Hughes, Executive Director of the Garthwait Leadership Center (GLC). “Not everyone thinks that leadership can be learned or that they have leadership potential. I spend a lot of my time trying to make the case of why leadership training and development is so important, especially while in college.”
Hughes, originally from England, has been a member of the campus community since 2010, when he was hired as the GLC’s founding director, responsible for building the program. “I was looking for a new challenge in my career, and Gettysburg College is one of the first and few places to have a dedicated leadership center,” he reflected. “I really appreciated the vision of the center. There was a strong alignment in the way that I value student learning.”
As Executive Director, Hughes enjoys working directly with the GLC team to serve Gettysburg students, staff, and alumni, helping them to cultivate their leadership skills and to grow as lifelong learners. You can typically find him either hosting a virtual call with over 20 volunteer leadership coaches from around the world, facilitating on the College’s Challenge Course, or coaching a student leader one-on-one.
One of Hughes’ favorite aspects of Gettysburg is the opportunity to partner closely with students. “They are so talented, bright, and full of potential. That’s what keeps me coming back after 14 years,” he shared.
As a leadership educator, researcher, and coach, Hughes underscores the value of student learning. “The root of education is to draw out what is already within—it’s not filling a bucket. We don’t come and sit in a classroom just to be filled with knowledge. You interact with it, you make meaning. What a leadership educator does is help unlock that knowledge and potential. That’s what we believe in here at Gettysburg College and at the GLC.”
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By Brooke Askin ’25
Photos by Abbey Frisco
Posted: 09/26/24