FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 16, 2023
CONTACT: Loren Hinton, Community Relations Coordinator
Madelyn Jones has been selected to serve as the UA Cossatot Foundation and Advancement Director. Jones will be responsible for overseeing all aspects of UA Cossatot’s Foundation and Advancement programming, including securing, accepting and entering gift transactions, processing them through to the centralized donor database and tracking pledges, pledge payment, and gift fulfillment. She will also create and maintain the alumni/donor database to support all alumni and donor engagement activities, outbound solicitations including annual giving, sponsorship programming and major gift activities. The Foundation and Advancement Director will also assist the Athletic department to develop successful gift campaigns in support of men’s and women’s athletics.
Jones said, “As a Sevier County native, I am thrilled and grateful to be returning to my home community to serve as Director of Foundation and Advancement. I am looking forward to working alongside Chancellor Steve Cole, the College Relations team, and community members to strengthen resources that will serve students and the UA Cossatot campuses.”
Jones joins UA Cossatot after six years working at the University of Arkansas. She was named the first director of employer relations for the College of Education and Health Professions in 2021, serving as the contact for employers, industry, and external partners hoping to recruit and hire U of A students from the college, the university's third-largest, with more than 6,000 students. Jones coordinated employer recruiting on campus and scheduled employer speakers. She also facilitated career events, industry tours, and provided training for employers, faculty, and students to increase awareness of employment opportunities. She also created an employer sponsorship program for the Eleanor Mann School of Nursing to support program ceremonies, operational costs, and student expenses. Jones was previously the college's career counselor, assisting students with career exploration, career development and transition to their professional careers. Jones has also been very active with the Arkansas Association of Colleges and Employers (AACE), serving as secretary and leading the conference committee.
UA Cossatot Chancellor Dr. Steve Cole praised Jones, and is looking forward to adding her to the UAC staff. “To get someone with Madelyn’s pedigree to head up the UA Cossatot Foundation is pure gold. She has all the tools for the job, but more importantly, she is from Southwest Arkansas and is ready to develop an incredible Foundation and Advancement office that will interact every week in Sevier, Howard, Little River, and Pike counties. There is no doubt she will be a friendraiser and fundraiser that will help our students, athletics, and college grow for the future.”
Jones will officially begin her duties at UA Cossatot on April 10