TROPICS, COMING UP IN JUST A LITTLE WHILE. CHRISTIN DAVE, THANK YOU. WORKFORCE HAS A WOMAN AT ETH HELM AS ITS PRESIDENT, DR. SUSAN WENT TO. TALITH TONIGHT, THE SCIENTIST, WITH A RENOWNED BACKGROUND IN INNOVATION, SAT DOWN WITH US FOR HER FIRST TELEVISION INTERVIEW IN THE REGION TO SHARE HER TAKE ON THIS GROUNDBREAKING NEW SIPOTION ONE MONTH INTO HER ROLE AS PRESIDENT OF WAKE FOREST UNIVERTYSI SHE IS WALKING INTO A POSITION NEVER HELD BEFORE BY A WOMAN, WITH HIGH HOPES FOR THE STUDENTS AND FACUY.LT >> THIS IS A TIME TO REALLY NOT ON DLYISCOVER KNOWDGE,LE BUT DISCOVER ABOUT YOURSELF AND DISCOVER ABOUT THOSE AROUND YOU. REPORTER: DISCOVERY IS AN AREA WHERE THE NEWLY APPOINTED 14TH PRESIDENT OF WAKE FOREST UNIVERSITY THRIVES. FOR NEAR TWOLY DECADES, DR. SUSAN WENT WAS THE FORCE BEHIND ANOTHER UNIVERSITY AOL DON IN BLACK AND GOLD. >> TO LEAVE THAT UNIVERSITY IN ANY POSITION, I HAVE EXPERIENCED FIRSTHAND HOW IMPORTANT THATNCED REPRESENTATION IANS D HOW IMPORTANT IT IS TO CREATE OPPORTUNITIES FOR OTHERS. REPORT: HER CAREER PATH STEMS FROM HER PAREN TEACHING AND NURSING IN IOWA, WHICH OPENED THE DOOR TO NOTABLE MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS AND A LEGACY OF GROUND BREAKING RESEARCH IN BIOCHEMISTRY. 2202 BRINGS A NEW ACADEMICEA Y AT A NEW INSTITUTION AMID A PANDEMIC, AND ON THE HEELS OF A GLALOB AUDIT ON RACE AND EQUALITY. ENT SAYS SHE IS READY FOR THE CHALLENGE. >> THE OTHER PART OF IT, IN TERMOF LEADING THROUGH TIMES OF CHALLENGE, THAT IS SOMETHING THAT IEE FL WE NEED TO STEP UP TO. THAT WE NEED TO EMBRACE. YOU KNOW, NOT BE AFRAID OF. AND MY VIEWS ON HOW YOU DO ATTH IS REALLY THROUGH THESE FOUNDATIONAL POSSIBLES THAT GUIDED MY WORK WHEN I WA AT VANDERBILT, AND WILL GUIDE MY WORK HERE AT WAKE FOREST. I CALL THEM THE THREE T’S, TRUST, TRANSPARENCY, AND TEAMWORK. SUCCESS AND CHALLENGING SITUATIONS IS BUTIL UPON HAVING ALREADY BUILT TRUST IN YOUR COMMUNITY. AND YOU BUILD TRUST IN YOUR COMMITTEE BY BEING ACCOUNTABLE AND TRANSPARENT. REPOER: YOU TALK A LOT ABOUT THOSE T’S. HOW IMPORTANT IS THE TEAM TO BE REFLECTIVE OF THE COMMITTEE WE SERVE? >> IT’S ABSOLUTELY CRITIL.CA BEST SOLIOUT TO WHATEVER PROBLEMS WE MIGHT FACE OR HOW WE DECIDE WHAT ETH OPPORTUNITIES -- WHAT NEW OPPORTUNITIES TO SEIZE UPON OR HOW WE REALLY MAKE CREATIVITY PART OF EVERYTHINWEG DO COMES FROM BRINGING TO THE TABLE INDIVIDUALS WITH DIVERSE PERSCTPEESIV AND DIVERSE EXPERIENCES, DIVERSE OPINIONS AND OUTLOOKS. IF WE ALL THINK T SAMHEE THINGS AND COME FROM THE SAME PATHS, WE ARE NOT GOING TO HAVE THAT OPPORTUNITY TO REALLY HAVE AS MUCH CREATIVITY AS POSSIBLE. REPORTER: I BROUGHT SOME PROPS. AU[LGHTER] FOR SOME RAPIDFIRE QUESTIO.NS NOW THAT YOU ARE IN NORTH CAROLINA, LEXINGTON STYLE BARBECUE- - IS IT THE BEST? [LAUGHTER] REPORTER: OK. DO YOU LIKE ART. ALL RIGHT.E ART. WILL YOU BE PARTICIPATING IN ROLLING THE QUAD WHEN WAKE FOREST BRINGS IN CHAMPIONSHIPS? I REALLY VIEW THAT AS A STUDENT EXPERIENCE. [LAUGHTER] >> OK. PERFECT. LOVE IT. WILL THE DEMON DEACON EVER HAVE HIS OWN OFFICE, UNDER YOUR LEADERSHIP? >> HMM. >> OH, OKAY! ALL RIGHT. [LAUGHTER] REPORTER: FROM WIT AND HUMOR TO AN ACADEMI ACND MEDICAL SCHOLAR, THIS PAST-BREAKING FORMER ASSOCIATE BY PRESINTDE SAYS SHE WANTS WORKFORCE TO BE A KNOWLEDGE CREATOR -- WAKE FOREST TOOWLEDGE CREATOR -- WAKE FOREST BE A KNOWLEEDG CREATOR TO SOLVE PROBLEMS. SO WHAT DOES THIS INNOVATOR SEE UNDER THE MICROSCOPE FOR WAKE FOREST UNIVERSITY? WHAT IS THE GEL THAT IS GOING TO MAKE UP THE WATER, THE PROTEINS, THE CEL,LS TO MAKE SURE THAT WAKE FORTES GROWS AND IS TRANSFORMATIVE AND HAS THAT FORWARD MOMENTUM? WHAT I’VE STUDIED AS A SCIENTIST IS HOW COMING OCCASION HAPPENS WITHIN THE CELL. AND HOW YOU MOVE FMRO ONE DEPARTMENT TO ETH NEXT, TO ALLOW THAT SELL TO REALLY BE AS HEALTHY AS IT CAN BE- CELL TO BE AS HEALTHY AS IT CAN BE. AS A UNIVERSITY COMMUNITY, HOW ARE WE CREATING AN ENVIRONMENT WHERE THE FACULTY AND STUTSEN AND STAFF CAN COMMUNICATE WITH EON ANOTHER, THEY CAN MOVE FROM ONE DREAM OR ONE AMBITION TO ANOTHER DREAM OR AMBITION, THEY N CA POSITIONED TO REALLY THRIVE AND TO BE