Westminster College (MO)

Dr. Jessica Brown, also known as Dr. JB, is a lifelong learner and leader. She hails from Grand Rapids, Michigan, where she graduated from East Kentwood High School, a school renowned for its diversity and excellence. Dr. JB earned a full scholarship to play volleyball for Western Michigan University (WMU), where she was a four-year starter for the Broncos. During her time as a Bronco, Dr. JB earned the MAC Freshman of the Year Award along with several first team All-MAC awards. She also competed in the NCAA Division I (D1) national volleyball tournament, in 2011. Dr. JB graduated from WMU with a Bachelor of Science degree in recreation, health and human development. Dr. JB went on to receive a Master of Education degree from Concordia-Portland University, where she focused on educational leadership. In 2022, she earned her Ph.D. in higher education administration from Illinois State University. Her research focused on anti-Blackness experienced by Black female student-athletes at D1 mid-major athletic departments.

In 2014, Dr. JB accepted the positions of Head Women’s Volleyball Coach and Senior Women’s Administrator (SWA) at Eureka College, in Eureka, Illinois. In her time at Eureka College, Dr. JB expanded the volleyball roster in alignment with the college's overall retention and persistence goals, developed educational programming opportunities for further leadership & self-development for student-athletes, and executed fundraising strategies to offset the operating budget. She also worked extensively around Title IX matters in her capacity as SWA. This work led to her promotion to Deputy Title IX Coordinator at Eureka. During this appointment, Dr. JB established new processes and procedures for efficient training, reporting, and investigations. Due to her excellent work, the college promoted Dr. JB to Title IX Coordinator in 2017, giving her a direct reporting line to the college’s President. She held this position until October 2019, when she was again promoted, this time to Interim Dean of Student Services, Engagement, and Leadership at Eureka College. The promotion to this role was a culmination of the efforts she had been making since 2016, to display leadership in both athletic and student life spaces.

In addition to her athletics-focused leadership at Eureka College, Dr. JB also served as Assistant Director for Residence Life and Coordinator of Campus Involvement. In these positions, she focused on mitigating liability and risk, supporting students through hardships, fostering community through programming, and student skill development. Within three years, Dr. JB was able to increase overall student participation and develop policies and procedures that fostered equitable care for students, while continuing to mitigate liability. In October 2019, Dr. JB was promoted to Interim Dean of Student Services, Engagement, and Leadership at Eureka College. She served in this capacity until June 2020, when she was named Dean of Student Services, Engagement, and Leadership. In this role, Dr. JB was the college’s Chief Student Affairs Officer (CSAO) and a member of the President’s cabinet.

During her tenure as Dean, Dr. JB established the strategic vision for the college’s co-curricular and extra-curricular experiences, provided oversight for a budget that exceeded $250k, established equitable policies and procedures, fostered innovation, and mitigated risk and liability. She also established key performance indicators for staff, to ensure growth, and for students, to support retention and matriculation. Dr. JB navigated unprecedented circumstances as a leader when the COVID-19 pandemic struck, becoming one of five members of the President's cabinet tasked with the college’s COVID-19 response. Dr. JB remained in the role of Dean until July 2021, when she was appointed to the role of Vice President of Student Affairs and Athletics at North Central College in Naperville, Illinois.

In her role, she led and set the strategic vision for all efforts related to student life. This included partnering with others across campus to build and strengthen an inclusive and engaged community and ensuring that students received the support they need to thrive at North Central College and beyond. Dr. JB oversaw an athletics department that features 26 varsity-level sports. It is one of the winningest athletics programs in NCAA Division III history, with 46 team national championships. Dr. JB provided leadership to four of those national championship teams. In addition to setting the strategic vision for students at North Central College, Dr. JB was responsible for leading and empowering a team of 80-plus individuals, managing a budget that exceeded $2 million, establishing relationships with key external stakeholders to generate diverse streams of revenue, and serving as a member of the President’s cabinet.

During her time at North Central College (NCC), she was able to enhance the holistic student experience through intentional collaboration with facilities and campus safety to address campus parking, dining services, and ongoing championship support of athletic programs—specifically addressing small but impactful facility needs while laying the groundwork for a new athletic facility. In less than three and a half years, Dr. JB supported the development of a multimillion-dollar parking pavilion, which provided 427 additional spaces for the community and opened in the fall of 2023. Additionally, she secured a new campus dining partner, Parkhurst Dining, while laying the programming foundation for a new capital campaign for a new dining student activities center. Moreover, with limited resources, Dr. JB managed to establish a fundraising structure that not only allows for greater financial support for the athletic department but has also netted the opportunity for a few programs to embrace the idea of endowed athletic programs. 

Dr. JB enjoys exploring entrepreneurship. In late fall of 2024, Dr. JB decided to explore expanding her service to education through a consulting. In the winter of 2025, Dr. JB partnered with the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy (IMSA) in Aurora, Illinois, leading their athletic department through a Title IX training that directly focused on the importance of coaching youth in a polarizing climate. The training provides coaches with the opportunity to review case studies, understand boundary setting, and understand how Title IX has evolved over the years.

Beginning in the spring of 2025, Dr. JB served St. Louis University as the Interim Director of Residential Life. During her time at St. Louis University, Dr. JB provided professional development coaching to the leadership team, assisted with the day-to-day operations, served as a member of the on-call crisis response team, led the search for the permanent Director of Residential Life, and reviewed and developed efficient strategies for sustainability.

With over fifteen years of experience, Dr. JB has demonstrated an ability to lead and evolve in any setting. She enhances teams through her coaching leadership style, while leveraging a servant management style for positive outcomes. When Dr. JB is not in the workplace, she gives back to the community by mentoring Black girls and women. She also enjoys spending time outdoors, playing chess, watching NFL and WNBA games, and spending time with her family.