Taylor Winkleman-Cagle Selected for UGA’s 40 Under 40
The University of Georgia Alumni Association unveiled the 40 Under 40 Class of 2023. This program celebrates the personal, professional and philanthropic achievements of successful UGA graduates under the age of 40. Named in this outstanding class is Taylor Winkleman-Cagle.
PROFILE
Taylor Winkleman-Cagle
MPH ’15, DVM ’16
School/College
College of Public Health, College of Veterinary Medicine
City
New Windsor, NY
Occupation
World Health Organization Consultant
Little Known Fact
She is an amateur circus artist and aerialist.
About the Honoree
Professional Experience
- She started her first career as an Arabic linguist in the Army, serving from 2001-2007 and deploying in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom II.
- She double-majored in English and biology with an honors thesis in organic chemistry at Augusta State University, attending UGA for both her doctorate in veterinary medicine and master’s in public health. She was the first DVM-MPH student in UGA history to focus on policy and management.
- She was awarded the AAAS Congressional Science and Technology Policy Fellowship and served her time as a fellow in Senator Edward J. Markey’s office, and subsequently worked in the federal contracting space before starting her WHO career as a Council on Foreign Relations Fellow. At the same time, she accepted an adjunct appointment at Georgetown University, creating classes on foreign and domestic science policy. Two years into her appointment, she was offered an appointment at the UGA College of Public Health.
Community Involvement
- She co-founded the Next Generation Global Health Security Network in 2014, a group of students and early-career professionals dedicated to working in Global Health Security and fighting infectious disease. She was the deputy coordinator for two years, then the coordinator for three, and now is on the advisory board as it continues to grow and help young people develop their careers around the world.
- Through the NextGen group, she has served as a mentor in the mentorship program, which she helped to create, and she has helped to shape and judge the Nuclear Threat Initiative’s BIO Competition every year.
- She volunteers with and donates to the Newburgh Safe Harbors Kids’ Circus, a program that gives kids the opportunity to learn circus skills and perform them over the summer in Newburgh, New York.
Awards and Accolades
- She was selected as one of the alumni of the year for Augusta State University in 2019.
- While not an official accolade, at the end of her time in Senator Markey’s office, she received the epithet “Largest Portfolio Managed by a Single Staffer in Markey History,” meaning that she managed more issues for the Senator than anyone else had ever done in 43 years of his serving in Congress.
- She earned numerous awards during her time in the military, but she is proudest of being awarded the Division Soldier of the Year Award in 2006. She had to compete against other soldiers in speaking, physical fitness events and soldier tasks.