Dr. Jamelle J. Conner Becomes First Female President of Amarillo College

The Board of Regents on Tuesday selected Dr. Jamelle J. Conner as the first female president of Amarillo College.

Conner, the vice president of student affairs at St. Petersburg College in Florida, was one of two finalists for the AC presidency. Her selection as the15th president of AC marks the culmination of a 17-month national search to replace Russell Lowery-Hart, who resigned from AC in September of 2023 to become chancellor at Austin Community College.

"I am so deeply honored to be selected as the next president of Amarillo College. The passion and dedication of the faculty and staff, coupled with the warmth of the Amarillo community, have given me a true heart for this College and the community," Conner said. "I am excited to work alongside the Board of Regents, faculty, staff, students, and the entire community to build on our strengths, create our shared vision, and transform the lives of those we serve."

The Board authorized appropriate AC staff to negotiate a contract with Conner, an agreement set to be approved in January. Denese Skinner will continue to serve as interim president until the new president takes office.

"She expressed to us her plans to be part of the future and what we're doing here at AC, and that's exciting," said Jay Barrett, chairman of the AC Board of Regents. "I can hardly wait to see her in place and see her expand the College's reach throughout our community." 

Conner began her work at St. Petersburg College, which serves 40,000 students, in 2008 as associate vice president of strategic execution and administrative systems support. Prior to her higher education experience, Conner worked as a director of financial planning and analysis, responsible for a $200 million annual budget.