Jessa Wilcoxen

Jessa Wilcoxen serves as Professor and Director of the School of Art & Creative Media at Millikin University, a position she has held since 2016 when she launched the Arts Technology major. She also directs the Media Arts Center (since 2017) and served as Interim Dean of the College of Fine Arts during the 2023-2024 academic year, overseeing multiple arts disciplines including Music, Theatre, Dance, and the Community Arts Academy.

Her educational foundation includes an M.F.A. in Graphic Design from the University of Memphis. Professional affiliations span AIGA, ACE, USASBE, and SAEE, with notable board service as Education and Mentorship Chair for AIGA St. Louis where she established the annual Mentor Match program and scholarship.

Wilcoxen's research synthesizes Arts Technology and Entrepreneurship through initiatives like Millikin Creates—a student-run media firm completing client projects—which earned her the 2019 USASBE Teaching and Learning Scholar designation. Her expertise extends to national workshops on Design Thinking and Visual Communication, plus judging for the Association for Communication Excellence's Critique & Awards program.

Key recognitions include:

• USASBE Teaching and Learning Scholar (2019)

As an educator, she has mentored students to win 128 ADDYs^® across digital art, branding, animation, and videography categories. Her leadership extends to co-chairing USASBE's Creative and Arts Entrepreneurship Special Interest Group and assessing programs for Minneapolis College of Art and Design.

Wilcoxen bridges academia and industry through Creative Spark, her design company delivering web/mobile experiences for FedEx, Homewood Suites, and Harvard Medical School. She previously served as program assessor for entrepreneurial studies curricula and continues to integrate professional practice into her academic leadership.