Baker, Gerde named to All-SoCon Faculty and Staff Team

Elaine Baker, the associate athletics director for the Furman Sports Medicine Center, and Virginia W. Gerde, chair of and professor in Furman’s Department of Business and Accounting, have been named to the All-Southern Conference (SoCon) Faculty and Staff Team.

Elaine Baker, associate athletics director for the Sports Medicine Center.

Baker and Gerde join representatives selected from each of the 10-member schools in the league.

Selections for the all-conference team were chosen from each university for their demonstrated service to the institution and their contributions to campus life and the local community. Baker and Gerde will be honored at an upcoming Furman home basketball game.

Baker has served Furman student-athletes since 1985 in a variety of capacities, including assistant athletic trainer, associate director of sports medicine and, since 1994, as director of Furman’s sports medicine and rehabilitation. She was also the athletic department’s senior woman administrator from 1997 until the spring of 2019.

Virginia Gerde, department chair and professor, business and accounting.

In 2002, she was promoted to associate athletics director. Most recently, she was instrumental in facilitating the partnership between the Sports Medicine Center and the St. Francis Health System, which formed the St. Francis Therapy Center at Furman Sports Medicine.

Gerde joined Furman’s Department of Business and Accounting in 2015 where she serves as chair and teaches strategic management and business ethics. Gerde’s research has been published in the Journal of Business Ethics, Business & Society, Journal of Management History, Journal of High Technology Management Research, Business Strategy and Environment, and Journal of Entrepreneurship Education.

She has held various leadership positions for the International Association of Business and Society and was appointed division chair for the Social Issues in Management Division of the Academy of Management.