Kansas Wesleyan University is pleased to announce the appointment of Melanie Overton, Ed.D., as vice president of Advancement. Dr. Overton has spent the past four and a half years as the assistant general secretary for schools, colleges, and universities in the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry’s Division of Higher Education of The United Methodist Church (GBHEM).

Dr. Overton brings a wealth of higher education experience to KWU. She spent two years at Vanderbilt University overseeing assessment, strategic planning, finance, and marketing for the university’s M.S. in Clinical Investigation, and she served as dean of students for five years at Lambuth University in Jackson, TN. At the GBHEM, Dr. Overton worked with 119 schools, colleges and universities related to the United Methodist Church, and led college presidents through the National Association of Schools and Colleges of the United Methodist Church (NASCUMC) in clarifying their mission, identifying a program niche and directing resources in support of the mission.

Dr. Overton has a certificate in Fundraising Management from the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy at Indiana University and has led fundraising initiatives in her positions at Vanderbilt and NASCUMC.

“Dr. Overton’s exceptional leadership, along with her higher education and fundraising experience, will be invaluable to Kansas Wesleyan,” said Matt Thompson, Ph.D., president and CEO. “Her work with The United Methodist Church and other similar institutions will provide additional expertise and insight relating to our mission as a faith-based university.”

“As I’ve worked closely with more than 100 United Methodist-related colleges over the last four years, Kansas Wesleyan University has stood out among this group of fine institutions,” said Dr. Overton. “KWU is moving forward boldly, with genuine respect for its identity and heritage. I’m thrilled to be joining this leadership team!”

Dr. Overton received a B.S. in Business, summa cum laude, from Lambuth University, an M.Ed. in Higher Education Administration, summa cum laude, from Dallas Baptist University and an Ed.D. in Higher Education Leadership and Policy from Vanderbilt University – Peabody College, where she received the Dean’s Scholarship Award.

Dr. Overton will begin her post at KWU on March 1.

Kansas Wesleyan University is pleased to announce the appointment of Melanie Overton, Ed.D., as vice president of Advancement. Dr. Overton has spent the past four and a half years as the assistant general secretary for schools, colleges, and universities in the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry’s Division of Higher Education of The United Methodist Church (GBHEM).

Dr. Overton brings a wealth of higher education experience to KWU. She spent two years at Vanderbilt University overseeing assessment, strategic planning, finance, and marketing for the university’s M.S. in Clinical Investigation, and she served as dean of students for five years at Lambuth University in Jackson, TN. At the GBHEM, Dr. Overton worked with 119 schools, colleges and universities related to the United Methodist Church, and led college presidents through the National Association of Schools and Colleges of the United Methodist Church (NASCUMC) in clarifying their mission, identifying a program niche and directing resources in support of the mission.

Dr. Overton has a certificate in Fundraising Management from the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy at Indiana University and has led fundraising initiatives in her positions at Vanderbilt and NASCUMC.

“Dr. Overton’s exceptional leadership, along with her higher education and fundraising experience, will be invaluable to Kansas Wesleyan,” said Matt Thompson, Ph.D., president and CEO. “Her work with The United Methodist Church and other similar institutions will provide additional expertise and insight relating to our mission as a faith-based university.”

“As I’ve worked closely with more than 100 United Methodist-related colleges over the last four years, Kansas Wesleyan University has stood out among this group of fine institutions,” said Dr. Overton. “KWU is moving forward boldly, with genuine respect for its identity and heritage. I’m thrilled to be joining this leadership team!”

Dr. Overton received a B.S. in Business, summa cum laude, from Lambuth University, an M.Ed. in Higher Education Administration, summa cum laude, from Dallas Baptist University and an Ed.D. in Higher Education Leadership and Policy from Vanderbilt University – Peabody College, where she received the Dean’s Scholarship Award.

Dr. Overton will begin her post at KWU on March 1.