Dr. Melinda Arnold is a seasoned higher education leader with more than 20 years of experience in academic administration, student success, and public service. She most recently served as Special Assistant to the President at Texas A&M University–Texarkana, where she previously served as Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs; her work focused on expanding access, launching high-demand academic programs, and driving enrollment growth. Under her leadership, the university achieved record enrollment, expanded student support services, and secured millions of dollars in external funding.
Prior to joining TAMUT, Dr. Arnold served as Provost at Montana State University Billings, where she championed student success initiatives and achieved significant enrollment growth.
Dr. Arnold previously held a leadership role at the University of North Texas at Dallas, where she launched academic transfer pathway programs with community colleges across the Dallas Metroplex. She began her career in higher education administration as an Associate Dean at East Texas A&M University. Dr. Arnold’s background also includes executive roles in criminal justice organizations and extensive grant and policy development experience.
Dr. Arnold holds a Ph.D. and M.A. in Criminal Justice from Rutgers University, an M.A. in Liberal Studies from Northwestern University, and a B.A. in Philosophy from the University of Texas at Austin. She has authored numerous peer-reviewed publications on criminal justice and offender reentry and is a graduate of the Harvard Graduate School of Education’s Institute for Educational Management. She and her husband Jeff have three children, three grandchildren (and one on the way), and a dog, Kacey.
