2025 Annual Conference: Deep Roots, New Heights: Cultivating Growth in Higher Education
Join us on the campus of Western Carolina University Asheville at Biltmore Park from May 27 - 30, 2025 for the 28th Annual NABCA Conference as we explore this year's theme: Deep Roots, New Heights: Cultivating Growth in Higher Education
Please note: Registrations cannot be refunded. However, registration may be reassigned should a participant be unable to attend.
Call the hotel directly at 1-828-209-2700 OR call Hilton reservations toll free at 1 828-209-2700. Use code NABCA to access the special room block rate.
Lunch and Learn Webinar: Building Successful Early College Programs
Join Dr. Shanna Jackson, President of Nashville State Community College, who will share her experience in building four successful Early College programs - one at NSCC's White Bridge Campus and three others at Metro Nashville Public Schools Whites Creek, Glencliff and Cane Ridge high schools. She will share how she and her team developed the relationships and programs, and will share her thoughts and insights on how regional campuses can capitalize on the concept. She can also share her perspectives on the challenges and opportunities that institutions may face.
ABOUT OUR SPEAKER:
Dr. Shanna L. Jackson has been serving Nashville State Community College as president since June 2018. Nashville State is a seven-campus comprehensive community college that serves students in a seven-county region.
Several years after starting her career in the food manufacturing industry, Jackson had the opportunity to teach a business course part-time at a local college. This life-changing experience started her on the path to a career in higher education, which now spans more than 20 years and includes leadership roles at Columbia State Community College, Volunteer State Community College and South College.
Her extensive experience in administration, teaching, workforce, and community development is guiding the college's mission to increase access, completion, and post-completion success for all students who come to Nashville State. In 2023, Dr. Jackson was named one of the Most Admired CEOs in Nashville by the Nashville Business Journal. She is a two-time Aspen Institute College Excellence Presidential Fellow, completing the inaugural New Presidents Fellowship in 2021 and the Aspiring Presidents Fellowship in 2019, and an alumna of Leadership Nashville class of 2020. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and an MBA from Florida A&M University and an Ed.D. in Administration and Supervision from Tennessee State University.
A strong believer in community engagement, Jackson serves on the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce, Ascension St. Thomas, Urban League of Middle Tennessee, The Memorial Foundation, the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee, the United Way of Middle Tennessee and the Nashville Branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta. In 2025, Jackson was named to the Board of Directors of Achieving the Dream, a national organization dedicated to closing achievement gaps and accelerating student success in community colleges. Nationally, she has served on the boards of the American Association for Women in Community Colleges and COMBASE. She is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., International Women’s Forum, Nashville’s Agenda and Women in Higher Education in Tennessee (WHET).