Hodge-Penn Named UM Assistant Vice Chancellor for Research

Melissa Hodge-Penn

Melissa Hodge-Penn is the new assistant vice chancellor for the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs at the University of Mississippi. She brings more than 15 years of experience in program development, grant management and research administration at the university level.

Hodge-Penn joined UM earlier this month after a national search. She most recently served as director of the Office of Research and Sponsored Projects in the College of Education and Human Development at Georgia State University in Atlanta.

“I’m excited about being at Ole Miss,” she said. “I felt as though (this position) was an opportunity for me to leverage my experiences to help the university expand its research portfolio.

“I also thought that it was an opportunity for me to grow my own scope of work and what I’ve been able to accomplish over the years.”

As assistant vice chancellor for research and sponsored programs, Hodge-Penn’s roles will include oversight and management of the office’s sponsored programs administration (the pre-award team), while also serving on the office’s leadership team and managing office budgets. She also will work closely with faculty, research staff and other administrators to improve the office’s processes and service as it expands the level of external support for the university’s research mission.

“We are excited for Melissa Hodge-Penn to join our team in the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs at the University of Mississippi,” said Josh Gladden, interim vice chancellor for the office. “Ms. Hodge-Penn brings with her extensive experience in research administration accrued at Georgia State University and Emory University.”

Hodge-Penn entered the realm of higher education as director of the Senior Corps Program in the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies at Georgia State University in 2002. She later worked in the Technical College System of Georgia in the Office of Adult Education, leading first the Workplace Education/Health Literacy program and later becoming director of the Workforce Education – Transition Services program.

While there, she provided oversight to subgrantees at 25 technical colleges and managed the statewide professional development process for senior administrators and instructional staff with more than 90,000 students.

In 2014 and 2015, she was grants manager in the Department of Pediatrics at Emory University School of Medicine, where she managed a $45 million sponsored research grants and contracts portfolio.

She returned to Georgia State University in 2015 as associate director of the Office of Grants and Sponsored Programs at GSU’s Perimeter College before being promoted to her former role.

While at Georgia State University, Hodge-Penn led the restructuring of the College of Education and Human Development’s Office of Research and Sponsored Projects, making it more efficient in proposal development and award management, aligning it with university policies and practices, and building capacity for projected funding growth.

A native of Atlanta, Hodge-Penn received her bachelor’s degree from Grambling State University and her master’s from Liberty University. She graduated from Georgia State University’s Executive Leadership Academy for Women in 2017.

She is a member of the American Society for Public Administration, National Council of University Research Administrators, Society of Research Administrators International and other professional, social and civic organizations.

Beyond her professional achievements, Hodge-Penn also has experience in community service, leadership and engagement roles. She was a member of the Georgia Parent Teacher Association, served on the Dekalb Community Service Board and was a member of the superintendent search committee for the Atlanta Public Schools in 2013 and 2014.

Hodge-Penn and her husband, Derex, have one child, 14-year-old Dilyn.

By Shea Stewart