Overton Named Assistant General Secretary for Schools, Colleges, and Universities

Melanie B. Overton, a program manager at Vanderbilt University, has been appointed as the assistant general secretary for Schools, Colleges, and Universities in the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry’s Division of Higher Education. Overton joined GBHEM on July 18, 2011.

Prior to her work at Vanderbilt overseeing assessment, strategic planning, finance, and marketing for the university’s M.S. in Clinical Investigation, Overton was dean of students at Lambuth University in Jackson, Tenn.

As assistant general secretary, Overton will relate to and support UM-related educational institutions and their presidents. She will be responsible for addressing issues raised by college and church leaders in a timely way that furthers the church’s mission in higher education, strengthening higher education partnerships with the church and the academy, and addressing emerging and ongoing issues relating to educational, denominational, and public policy. She will report to Gerald D. Lord, the Division of Higher Education’s associate general secretary.

Overton will also work on development of a comprehensive institutional database for United Methodist-related schools, colleges, and universities. She will promote and advocate for UM higher education institutions within The United Methodist Church and to the public.

Overton earned a Doctor of Education in Higher Education Leadership and Policy from Vanderbilt University, a Master of Education in Higher Education Administration from Dallas Baptist University, and a Bachelor of Science from Lambuth University. She is an active member of The United Methodist Church and is married to the Rev. Charlie Overton, a deacon at Hillcrest United Methodist Church in Nashville.

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