The Board of Trustees at Williams Baptist University elected new officers for the upcoming year at its regularly scheduled board meeting Tuesday, Sept. 23. Trustees also welcomed news of an increase in freshman enrollment for the fall semester.
John Hill (center in photo) of Jonesboro will serve as the board chair over the next year. Hill, a longtime WBU trustee, has served the past two years as vice-chair. Dave Russell (right) of Jonesboro was elected as vice-chair, while Andy Miller (left) of Melbourne was voted in as the board secretary.
“We greatly appreciate all three of these board members for their service to Williams, and we are looking forward to working with them as board officers this year,” said Williams President Dr. Stan Norman. “Mr. Hill and Mr. Russell have given years of service to this board and are trusted advisors to me personally, and we are excited to add Mr. Miller, a graduate and steadfast supporter of WBU, to the board officers.”
Outgoing board chair J.R. Cox of Walnut Ridge was thanked for his service in leading the trustees over the past two years.
Committee chairs were also elected for the coming year. Dr. Susan Allison of Benton will lead the Academic & Vocational Affairs Committee. Don Blackmore of Jonesboro will chair the Advancement & Investment Committee. Brenda Doty of Salem was voted chair of the Business & Facilities Committee. And Ben Rainwater of Little Rock will lead the Enrollment & Student Life Committee.
Board members welcomed news of a substantial increase in new students on the Williams campus this fall. WBU enrolled 232 freshmen and transfer students for the fall semester, according to official numbers from the school. That reflects a 10.5 percent jump in new students from the fall of 2024.
“Success like this is always a team effort, and our entire campus community is to be congratulated on these great enrollment numbers,” Norman said. “In particular, our enrollment management team and our coaches worked tirelessly to recruit these students for the academically outstanding, Christ-centered education they will now receive.”
Trustees are appointed to the WBU board by the Arkansas Baptist State Convention. The board meeting was held on the WBU campus.
Williams is a private, Christian university in Walnut Ridge.
