M.F.A. in Graphic Design - University of Memphis
Professional Affiliations: AIGA - the professional association for design, ACE - Association for Communication Excellence. USASBE - United States Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship, SAEE - Society for Arts Entrepreneurship Education
Jessa Wilcoxen came to Millikin in 2016 to launch the Arts Technology major after successfully building the Graphic Design track at Greenville University, where she was an Associate Professor of Digital Media. Today she serves as the Director of the School of Art and Creative. Prior to teaching digital media at Greenville University, Wilcoxen taught in graphic design and interactive media at Arkansas State University as a Visiting Professor of Graphic Design and at the University of Memphis as a Graduate Instructor. She has been the director of the Media Arts Center at Millikin University since 2017.
Wilcoxen served the university as the Interim Dean for the College of Fine Arts in 2023-2024 and oversaw the Kirkland Fine Arts Center, Millikin Community Arts Academy, School of Music, School of Theatre and Dance, and School of Art and Creative Media.
Wilcoxen earned the designation of USASBE Teaching and Learning Scholar in 2019 for her creation of Millikin Creates, a student run media firm (AT 321) that completes arts technology works for clients. She recently served as a Co-Chair for the USASBE Creative and Arts Entrepreneurship SIG (Special Interest Group). Wilcoxen also served on the board of AIGA. St. Louis for 5 years as Education Chair and later Mentorship Chair where she launched initiatives such as the new annual AIGA St. Louis Mentor Match program and the AIGA St. Louis scholarship. She has been invited to lead workshops at national and international conferences on a range of topics within Arts Technology, Arts Entrepreneurship, Design Thinking, and Visual Communication. Wilcoxen also has served as a program assessor for Minneapolis College of Art and Design’s Entrepreneurial Studies major, and has been hired for several years to judge professional communication design entries in the national organization, Association for Communication Excellence's Critique & Awards program.
Throughout Jessa's academic career she has mentored students through many American Advertising Awards (ADDYs®) competitions with students earning 99 ADDYs® for their work in digital art, branding, editorial design, animation, photography, and videography.
In additional to her career as an educator, Jessa’s professional career has led her to create web, mobile, and brand experiences for clients through her company, Creative Spark. She has been employed as a designer, animator, and front end website developer for multiple advertising agencies and entrepreneurial start ups. A few of the client accounts she has worked on include: FedEx, Homewood Suites, Harvard Medical School’s Division of Clinical Informatics, Morgan Keegan, Beatty Hill Architecture, and Landau Uniforms.
Professional Portfolio: www.creativspark.com