MAGIC OF MEMPHIS

Dr. Vernell Bennett's career spans 30 years in higher education. She began in the college classroom, rising to tenured associate professor of music, and then worked her way up the ranks in administration, culminating in three vice presidencies and one presidency.

Dr. Bennett most recently served as LeMoyne-Owen College's (LOC) 13th president. In two-and-a-half years leading the fifth oldest Historically Black College or University (HBCU) in the nation, Dr. Bennett and her team orchestrated a renaissance that increased everything from new student enrollment and retention to scholarships and fundraising to media coverage and alumni participation. Within the first six months of her presidency, she led efforts to resolve a Third Monitoring Report, preventing the formal reprimand of probation while simultaneously preparing for LOC's 10-year reaccreditation. The college was reaffirmed through 2033 with no findings or recommendations.

Dr. Bennett built her presidency on 4 Rs: recruitment, retention, revenue, and relationships. During her tenure, she successfully guided the college through a pandemic, and its 10-year reaccreditation was reaffirmed through 2033 with no findings or recommendations. She also improved town and gown relations and instituted an annual fundraiser that brought the campus, board, community, and alumni together to raise funds for LOC. Each year of its existence, the 807 Day Telethon was the single highest day of fundraising for the college. Dr. Bennett additionally helped expand the campus footprint through the acquisition of land and buildings, and the campus underwent a seven-figure campus-wide technology upgrade during her watch.

LeMoyne-Owen transformed the academy during Dr. Bennett's administration. The college began the accreditation process for social work, music, and computer science programs; added five Fulbright faculty members; created an Office of Digital Teaching Excellence; selected its first Program of Distinction (cybersecurity); and entered into several memoranda of understanding, including one with the New York Institute of Technology for graduate study in cybersecurity. As a result of these efforts and more, LeMoyne-Owen was named a Fulbright HBCU Institutional Leader.

Dr. Bennett's accomplishments touched every corner of LeMoyne-Owen. Lowe's CEO Marvin Ellison stated he was impressed with her vision and made a million-dollar gift to support it. New student enrollment increased 49% between her first and second year as president, and retention rates increased 9% in year two, according to the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System. She also developed corporate partnerships that offset the operational budget, grew the scholarship budget, strengthened the academy, and helped to inform career readiness and curriculum requirements.

Among her many honors, Dr. Bennett has been recognized by the Memphis Business Journal as a "Super Woman in Business" and in its "Power 100 of Memphis" for both years of her presidency. She also has been a keynote speaker at a White House Initiative panel, "Optimizing the Synergy Between Governance and Executive Leadership at HBCUs."

Dr. Bennett is a graduate of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities' Millennium Leadership Initiative and New Presidents Academy. She is also a member of the inaugural cohort of the Higher Education Leadership Foundation and United Negro College Fund's Presidential Leadership Initiative. Dr. Bennett is an alum of the Executive Leadership Summit, the Hawkins-Scott Leadership Institute, Leadership Kentucky, and Leadership Mississippi. Dr. Bennett is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated and the Memphis Chapter of the Links, Incorporated.

Dr. Bennett received a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance from Fisk University, a Master of Arts in Vocal Performance from Eastern Michigan University, and a Doctorate of Education in Administration and Instruction from the University of Kentucky.

Dr. Bennett joined President Albert Mosley's administration at Bethune-Cookman University as his Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs in July 2025. She is also the owner and lead consultant of Navigate Higher Ed LLC.