Eight Women Appointed to Administrative Roles in Higher Education

Jordan Jones has been appointed director and curator of the Jacob Lawrence Gallery in the School of Art, Art History, and Design at the University of Washington. She most recently served as the exhibitions coordinator for Independent Curators International, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting curators’ efforts to create stronger art communities.

Jones received her bachelor’s degree in studio art and comparative literature from Williams College in Massachusetts.

Jasmine Buxton has been promoted to vice president for student affairs at West Chester University in Pennsylvania. She currently serves the university as associate vice chancellor of student affairs. She previously served as senior associate vice president for student affairs and dean of students at Delaware State University.

Dr. Buxton is a graduate of Miami University in Ohio where she majored in Black studies with a concentration in African American literature and history. She holds a master’s degree in student affairs and higher education from Indiana State University and a doctorate in higher education administration from the University of Alabama.

Amy Wenger has been named vice president of finance and administration at the Alice L. Walton School of Medicine in Bentonville, Arkansas. She previously served as vice chancellor of the Northwest Regional Campus of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.

Wenger holds a bachelor’s degree in education in community health from the University of Arkansas and a master’s degree in health services administration from the University of Arkansas Little Rock.

Constance Meadors has been promoted to director of the Arkansas Space Grant Consortium and the NASA Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research at the University of Arkansas Little Rock. Her appointment makes her the first Black woman to serve as director of a space grant program in the United States. She has been with the University of Arkansas Little Rock since 2023, serving as associate director of the Arkansas Space Grant Consortium.

Dr. Meadors is a graduate of Grambling State University in Louisiana where she majored in physics. She holds a master’s degree in applied science with a focus in instrumentation and a Ph.D. in applied science engineering and systems from the University of Arkansas Little Rock.

Melissa Neal has been appointed registrar at Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia. She currently serves as an instructor and the interim registrar at Radford University in Virginia, where she has worked for the past decade.

Neal is a graduate of DeVry University where she majored in technical management with a specialization in hospitality management. She holds a master’s degree in theological studies and a master of divinity degree in discipleship ministries from Liberty University.

Laura Heilenday has been named the inaugural associate vice president and chief engagement officer at Duke University in North Carolina. She currently serves as vice president for paid media and digital marketing for Choice Hotels International. She has previously held senior marketing leadership roles with Procter and Gamble, Mars Inc., and Marriott International.

Heilenday received a bachelor’s degree in women’s studies and an MBA from Duke University.

Kelly Collins has been promoted to associate vice president for financial operations for Clemson University in South Carolina. She has been with the university for two decades, most recently serving as chief of staff and operations for the College of Engineering, Computing, and Applied Sciences.

Collins is a graduate of Clemson University where she majored in financial management.

Crystal Churchwell Evans has been named vice president of development and alumni affairs at Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee. She most recently served as the strategic marketing advisor to Launch Tennessee, an organization supporting entrepreneurship and innovation in Tennessee. Previously, she served as director of development for the Frist Art Museum in Nashville for six years.

Evans holds a bachelor’s degree from Wellesley College in Massachusetts and a master’s degree from Vanderbilt University in Nashville.