New faces will grace the classrooms of Williams Baptist University this fall, with new faculty members assuming positions in agricultural business, teacher education and sports management. Dr. Melissa Davis, Keena Crenshaw and Caleb Garner are joining the Williams faculty.

Dr. Melissa Davis is leading the new agriculture business program at Williams. She is serving as associate professor of agribusiness, and she has 12 years of teaching experience in the field at Tusculum University, Crowley’s Ridge College, Three Rivers College and Central Methodist University. She holds a Ph.D. in plant pathology from Virginia Tech University and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Memphis.

Keena Crenshaw will be coordinator of graduate programs and assistant professor of education. She comes to WBU after 28 years with Jonesboro Public Schools, where she was a classroom teacher in elementary grades and then a K-12 instructional facilitator. Crenshaw holds education specialist and master of science degrees from the University of Arkansas, as well as a bachelor’s in early childhood education from Arkansas State University.  

Caleb Garner is now serving at WBU as chair of the Department of Health and Physical Education and assistant professor of sports management. His background in sports management includes 11 years in athletic communications at Mississippi State University and Arkansas State University. He holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in kinesiology from Mississippi State, and he is currently working toward a Ph.D. in sports management at Troy University.

“These new faculty members continue the proud tradition of academic excellence at Williams Baptist University,” said WBU President Dr. Stan Norman. “All three of these individuals are imminently qualified for the classroom and ideally suited for the Christ-centered university experience that Williams provides. We welcome them to our campus family.”

Williams is a private, Christian university in Walnut Ridge.