Dr. Denise Jones Gregory
- Gregory, a JSU alumni, has been serving as the interim president since May 2025 and has extensive leadership training.
After months of searching and interviewing dozens of candidates, the Board of Trustees for the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning has named a new president for Jackson State University.
Thursday evening, the Board announced that Dr. Denise Jones Gregory, who has been serving as interim president of JSU since May of last year, is officially the institution’s 14th president.
“Dr. Gregory is an excellent choice by the IHL, she is a Jacksonian,” JSU alumni State Rep. Chris Bell (D) told Magnolia Tribune.
Bell said her background in academia and knowledge of what Jackson State University needs will be a perfect fit for the institution.
“Her record speaks for itself and I am looking forward to seeing great things come from her tenure as president,” Bell added.
As part of the hiring process, a search committee, led by AGB Search consultants, was formed to interview potential candidates. In all, nearly 80 candidates were considered for the position. The IHL stated Gregory made it through three rounds of interviews, background checks and review of her references.
“The Board of Trustees put a tremendous amount of time and energy into this search process, and we are confident in Dr. Gregory’s ability to help write the next chapter in Jackson State University’s long history,” said Dr. Steven Cunningham, vice president of the Board of Trustees and chair of the Board Search Committee. “I also want to recognize and thank the members of the Search Advisory Constituency, who spent hours reviewing applications and interviewing candidates. Their commitment to this process was critical and deeply appreciated.”
Before serving as interim president of JSU, Dr. Gregory was JSU’s provost and vice president of academic affairs. Not only is she a JSU alum, graduating magna cum laude from the university in 1994 with a Bachelor of Science in chemistry, she holds a doctorate in chemistry from Georgia Institute of Technology.
Additionally, her credentials include graduating from several leadership programs offered at Clark Atlanta University, including the New Presidents Academy offered through the American Association of State Colleges and Universities, the Willa B. Player Executive Leaders Program and the HBCU Executive Leadership Institute Program. Dr. Gregory also completed training at the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Under her leadership Rep. Bell sees great things for JSU.
“We look forward to the university growing in a higher direction with respect to student population as well as opportunities with academic programs that can be implemented in Jackson State University,” Bell said. “I think it’s just an overall great selection, and I am thoroughly excited and proud that she was selected as president of the University.”
