TEXARKANA – Nashville native Jennifer Wright Cunningham has been selected as the new dean of the Texarkana campus at the University of Arkansas Hope-Texarkana (UAHT).
Cunningham, who has more than a decade of experience in college admissions and enrollment, will oversee the campus’s day-to-day operations beginning July 1.
For the past six years, she has served as the director of student relations in the Enrollment Management Office at UAHT.
Before UAHT, Cunningham held multiple roles at Henderson State University in Arkadelphia as the associate director of admissions and recruitment, transfer counselor, and social media specialist.
She earned her Master’s in Sports Administration and Bachelor’s in Mass Media from Henderson State and is a current doctoral student pursuing Education Leadership at Texas A&M University-Texarkana.
Cunningham is a member of the Arkansas Association of College Registrars and Admissions
Offices and the Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership-Arkansas Planning Team.
In 2022, she was awarded the Southern Association of College Registrars & Admissions Offices President’s Award for “Outstanding Professional Presentation” and was invited to present at the national ACRAO conference in 2023.
In 2021, Cunningham received the International Communicator Award of Excellence for Best Host in a virtual/online event for her work on UAHT’s “Registration Night Live.”
As a 2021 Leadership Texarkana graduate, Cunningham is passionate about community engagement and connection. She is involved in various organizations in the Texarkana community, such as the TexRep Community Theater, and currently serves on the Leadership Texarkana Board.
Cunningham is the daughter of Shirley Wright of Nashville and the late Barry Wright. She is a 2005 graduate of Nashville High School and is married to Texarkana, Ark., native Bryant Cunningham, the assistant training officer and MEDEVAC commander in the Arkansas National Guard 77th Theater Aviation Brigade.
“It’s an honor to have such a rewarding job that assists in providing quality education and technical training at an affordable price for any student looking for a competitive advantage in their career or future,” Cunningham said. “I’m looking forward to working closely with the Texarkana community to enhance local learning on the UAHT Texarkana campus.”
