Jordan McCullough ’18 named as new chief of staff to president of Maryville College
Oct. 4, 2023
Starting Oct. 12, visitors to the office of the president of Maryville College will find a face both different and familiar: Jordan McCullough ’18 has been appointed to the newly created position of chief of staff to President Bryan F. Coker.
The appointment comes on the heels of the impending departure of Suzette Donovan, the assistant to the president and liaison to the MC Board of Directors who joined the executive team in 2017 under then-President Tom Bogart.
“I could not be more grateful for Suzette’s support, counsel and friendship over the past three years since I was first named president,” Coker said in a recent memo to the campus community. “The Board of Directors and President’s Cabinet will certainly miss Suzette’s kind, generous and supportive approach to all her work. As always, I see such vacancies as an opportunity to evaluate staffing structures and determine the best model for moving forward. A high-functioning president’s office is key to our institutional success, as we continue the work of advancing the College in such dynamic times.”
The new chief of staff position, Coker added, follows a model found in many leadership offices at other small, private colleges, and will function as a senior aide who provides high-level support and coordination between multiple administrative bodies, including the Board and Cabinet, as well as representing MC leadership to external and internal partners.
McCullough, who will continue to serve as assistant director of the Office of Admissions while transitioning to the chief of staff role full-time on Jan. 1, was a football player and standout musician during his time as a Scot and was named the College’s Outstanding Senior in 2018.
“Obviously it’s a big job, and it’s a brand-new job, so there will be a big learning curve,” McCullough said. “Suzette’s been a phenomenal help and shadowing her helps give me an idea of what the office needs and wants this job to be. I love Maryville College, and I want to see it succeed. I’ve always strived to have as big of an impact on this place as I could, and I’ve always looked for ways to be useful to it and serve the students in as big of a way as I can.”
McCullough joined the Admissions staff the same year he graduated from MC and obtained his master’s of education in 2021. With an undergraduate background in student development and academic mentorship, as well as the institutional knowledge accumulated as both a student and employee, he’ll be called upon to implement presidential initiatives and special projects, assist with internal and external communications and attend events and meetings both with Coker and as his liaison.
“The President’s Office must set the standard for the overall institution when it comes to productivity, resourcefulness and responsiveness,” Coker said. “The chief of staff role will be a vital addition as we endeavor to continue defying the odds for small colleges in these dynamic times. Jordan has the relationships and the interpersonal and organizational skills, as well as the institutional knowledge, to be effective in this important position, and I am incredibly excited about working with him.”
“It was my sophomore year, when I was working as an Admissions ambassador and a resident assistant and playing football, when I fell in love with the College as an institution and with higher education and how it works,” McCullough added. “Helping people came alive for me then at Maryville College, and I’m grateful I get to continue doing that in this new position.”