Energized by new ideas, Warmath eager to start Fellows program

Dee Warmath thought she’d “see the world” for a few years before finishing her doctoral degree.

What she thought would be a brief venture turned into a successful 20-year career building customer insights and data science functions for several major retailers and brands.

“A couple of years turned into two decades,” she said, “and those years were wonderful.”

Warmath, an associate professor in the College of Family and Consumer Sciences, eventually received her Ph.D. in consumer science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison while working full time as a senior vice president for The NPD Group.

Warmath’s industry experience and interests made her a natural fit for the University of Georgia Faculty Innovation Fellows program, a new university-wide initiative.

Faculty Innovation Fellows serve as liaisons between their college’s faculty, staff, students and alumni and the UGA Innovation District, which was launched in 2018 to spur entrepreneurship by providing UGA stakeholders with resources to turn discoveries and ideas into successful operations.

“I love the energy associated with new ideas and it makes me excited to see that energy in others,” Warmath said. “The UGA Faculty Innovation Fellows program allows me to help faculty members apply that energy to bring their ideas to life.”

Warmath said the Innovation District offers a valuable hub of resources to support ideas that can lead to what she calls “viable economic entities,” or sustainable efforts or operations that address identified needs and positively impact communities.

Fellows receive training in Innovation District resources that equips them to help people in their college take the first step toward finding the appropriate resources.

“We’ll be prepared to see connections between ideas and resources so we can build bridges between the needs of people connected to our college and the programs at the Innovation District,” she said. “One of the things that really drew me to the Innovation Fellows program was the opportunity to help the Innovation District serve the FACS community better.”

As a Fellow, Warmath will help the Innovation District understand how its programs and resources might need to evolve in response to the work and aspirations in her college.

Within FACS, there could be opportunities related to the food industry, textiles, fashion, financial planning and more, she said.

“I think the potential economic impact on Georgia is huge,” Warmath said. “From a FACS perspective, economic impact includes financial impact but also quality of life and well-being for people and communities. The Innovation District is this huge resource that UGA has and the more we can expand the number of people involved with it, the greater the impact we can have.”

Warmath said she’s already energized by the thought of helping her FACS colleagues produce innovations that enhance well-being, a core mission of the college.

“What I’m most excited about is learning what our faculty aspire to do so I can be a better recommender,” she said. “I want to help people discover how FACS can leverage the resources available so we can advance the ideas being generated and work being done in our college.”