Our Mission

The mission of WHEMN is to identify, develop, advance, and support women in higher education.

Our History

In 2003, Chancellor Robert C. Khayat of the University of Mississippi was appointed by the American Council on Education (ACE) as the presidential sponsor for the state of Mississippi and was tasked with establishing a network for women in higher education in the state of Mississippi. A steering committee was formed July 2003, which included eleven women who were leaders at higher education institutions throughout the state.

On September 24, 2003, the name of Women in Higher Education-Mississippi Network (WHEMN) was adopted for the organization. Institutional representatives were appointed by the president of each higher education institution located throughout the state of Mississippi.

The mission of WHEMN is to identify, develop, advance, and support women in higher education.

Our History

The goals of the organization are to: (1) Promote and support women’s leadership in higher education, particularly in Mississippi. (2) Facilitate networking of women leaders in higher education with each other and with organizations and networks that have shared goals. (3) Develop collaborative partnerships with other institutions, organizations, associations, foundations, and businesses to help achieve the mission of WHEMN. (4) Enhance the visibility of women administrators on Mississippi campuses. (5) Assist in career development of professional women and women students in higher education, with particular emphasis on minority women. (6) Identify potential women leaders and provide mentoring. (7) Recognize achievement of women administrators through appropriate awards.

The inaugural spring leadership conference was held March, 2004, at Millsaps College with 57 participants. Today, WHEMN has over three hundred members who participate in the professional development opportunities that are offered by the organization.

Institutional Representatives

The membership of WHEMN consists of institutional representatives from each of the two-year and four-year colleges/universities, both private and public, led by an executive committee elected from the membership.

The institutional representative is appointed by the president of her institution. In this capacity, the institutional representative serves as the liaison between Women in Higher Education-Mississippi Network (WHEMN) and her colleagues. When a vacancy occurs through resignation or retirement, the WHEMN coordinator contacts the president of the institution to request a replacement.

The institutional representative is expected to support WHEMN by attending meetings and conferences, by mentoring colleagues and students, and serving as liaison to their constituencies and administrators on their respective campuses.

It is important for the institutional representative to communicate the business of WHEMN on a regular basis with colleagues and invite opportunities for exchange of ideas and information between their campus constituencies and WHEMN.

ALCORN STATE UNIVERSITY
Dr. Joyce Buckner-Brown
Associate Provost for Undergraduate Education & Student Success
jbucknerbrown@alcorn.edu
601-877-6140

BELHAVEN UNIVERSITY
Suzanne Sullivan
Assistant Vice President for Adult, Graduate, and Online Enrollment
ssullivan@belhaven.edu
601-968-8881
601-968-8946

BLUE MOUNTAIN COLLEGE
Kayce C. Bragg
Director of Alumni Affairs
kbragg@bmc.edu\
662-685-4771 ext. 119

COAHOMA COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Dr. Rolonda Brown
Dean of Academic Affairs
rbrown@coahomacc.edu
662-621-4082
662-624-4250

COPIAH-LINCOLN COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Jackie Martin
Associate Vice President of Instructional Services
Jackie.martin@colin.edu
601-643-8310

DELTA STATE UNIVERSITY
Dr. Christy Riddle
Executive Director of the Student Success Center
criddle@deltastate.edu
662-846-4336
662-846-4580

EAST CENTRAL COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Dr. Teresa L. Mackey
Vice President for Instruction
tmackey@eccc.edu
601-635-6202
601-635-4011

EAST MISSISSIPPI COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Laura Damm
Student Success Coordinator
ldamm@eastms.edu
662-243-1984

HINDS COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Colleen Hartfield
Executive Assistant to the President for Special Projects
colleen.hartfield@hindscc.edu
601-857-3751

HOLMES COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Dr. Lindy McCain
Vice President for Institutional Effectiveness and Student Affairs
imccain@holmescc.edu
662-472-9067
662-472-9152

ITAWAMBA COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Mande Miller
Director of Tupelo Campus & Advising
mwmiller@iccms.edu
Tupelo: 662-620-5015
Fulton: 662-862-8066

JACKSON STATE UNIVERSITY
Dr. Debra Mays-Jackson
Vice President and Chief of Staff
debra.mays-jackson@jsums.edu
601-979-1590

JONES COUNTY JUNIOR COLLEGE
Dr. Finee Ruffin
Executive Vice President-Chief Enrollment Management, Information Technology, and Marketing Officer
finee.ruffin@jcjc.edu
601-477-4079

MERIDIAN COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Soraya Welden
Vice President of Operations
swelden@meridiancc.edu
601-484-8628

MILLSAPS COLLEGE
VACANT

MISSISSIPPI COLLEGE
Dr. Debbie C. Norris
Vice President for Planning & Assessment/Graduation Dean
dnorris@mc.edu
601-925-3260
601-925-3889

MISSISSIPPI DELTA COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Staci Miller
Dean of Business Services
smiller@msdelta.edu
662-246-6356

MISSISSIPPI GULF COAST COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Natasha Baucum
Executive Assistant, Office of the President
natasha.baucum@mgcc.edu
601-928-6281
601-528-1425

MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY
Dr. Susan Seal
Executive Director
Center for Distance Education
Center for Distance Ed-Director
Susan.seal@msstate.edu
662-325-0007
662-325-3189

MISSISSIPPI UNIVERSITY FOR WOMEN
Melinda Lowe
Director of Outreach and Innovation
mslowe@muw.edu
662-241-6088

MISSISSIPPI VALLEY STATE UNIVERSITY
Auguster Keys Wallace
Executive Assistant to President
Mississippi Valley State University
akeys@mvsu.edu
662-254-3088

NORTHEAST MISSISSIPPI COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Misty DeVaughn
Administrative Assistant to the President
mwdevaughn@nemcc.edu
662-720-7200

NORTHWEST MISSISSIPPI COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Patti Gordon
Director of Development/Foundation
pgordon@northwestms.edu
662-560-1103
662-560-1102

PEARL RIVER COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Dr. Jennifer Seal
Vice President for Planning and Institutional Research
jseal@prcc.edu
601-403-1146
601-403-1050

RUST COLLEGE
Sharron Goodman-Hill
Instructor, Mass Communications
sgoodman-hill@rustcollege.edu
662-252-8000 ext. 4552
662-252-8869

SOUTHWEST MISSISSIPPI COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Ashley Weathers
Instructor, Sociology, Political Science & Criminal Justice
aweathers@smcc.edu
601-276-3829

TOUGALOO COLLEGE
Leah Robinson
Director of Communication and External Relations
lrrobinson@tougaloo.edu
601-977-6179

UNIVERSITY OF MISSISSIPPI
Dr. Charlotte Fant Pegues
Assistant Provost, Registrar and Assistant Professor of Leadership & Counselor Education
cfant@olemiss.edu
662-915-7792
662-915-5280

UNIVERSITY OF MISSISSIPPI MEDICAL CENTER
Dr. Natalie Gaughf
Associate Dean of Student Affairs
nwgaughf1@umc.edu
601-815-5064

UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI
Dr. Deanna (DeeDee) Anderson
Vice President for Student Affairs
deedeeanderson@usm.edu
601-266-5020

WILLIAM CAREY COLLEGE
Dr. Lorie Watkins Massey
Assistant Professor of Language and Literature
lwatkins@wmcarey.edu
601-318-6430
601-318-6135