Shawnboda Mead

Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs

• Staff
• Instructor

• Email:

  sdmead@olemiss.edu

• Office Location:

  304 Lyceum

• Phone:

  662-915-2933

Dr. Shawnboda Mead serves as the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs at the University of Mississippi. In this role, she provides leadership for a broad portfolio of programs and services dedicated to advancing student success, wellness and well-being, access and opportunity, and community engagement.

Biography

She is responsible for shaping a holistic student experience that fosters learning, growth, and leadership development while ensuring students have the resources and support needed to thrive at Ole Miss and beyond.

Dr. Mead brings more than 20 years of higher education experience to the role. Since joining UM in 2014 as the inaugural director of the Center for Inclusion and Cross Cultural Engagement, she has served in multiple leadership positions, including Assistant Vice Chancellor from 2018–2021 and Vice Chancellor from 2021–2025, overseeing units and initiatives dedicated to inclusion, access, and community engagement. 

She holds a bachelor’s degree in educational psychology from Mississippi State University, a master’s degree in student affairs/higher education administration from Western Kentucky University, and a doctorate in higher education administration from UM. Dr. Mead is actively engaged in regional and national associations, having served as president of the Southern Association for College Student Affairs (SACSA) in 2021–22, and she is a past recipient of SACSA’s Bobby E. Leach, New Professional, and Mid-Level Professional Awards. Locally, she was recognized in 2022 by the Oxford Eagle and the Oxford-Lafayette County Chamber of Commerce as one of the area’s Top 20 Under 40 for her leadership, service, and volunteerism.

A native of Prentiss, MS, Dr. Mead and her husband, Neal—Senior Associate Athletic Director for Facilities, Events, and Capital Projects in Ole Miss Athletics—are the proud parents of two young sons.