President Jo Allen’s Portrait Unveiled

On November 7, 2025, former President Jo Allen’s portrait was revealed in a ceremony in the Mae Grimmer Alumnae House. Faculty, staff, and Board of Trustees members were in attendance, as well as Allen’s family. 

President Aimee Sapp welcomed attendees, and Trustee Elizabeth Triplett Beam, ’72, thanked Allen, reflecting on her time at the College and her accomplishments. Beam revealed the portrait along with Allen.

The portrait is a tradition after a president’s time at Meredith and will be hung in Johnson Hall with the other portraits of past presidents. The artist was Michele Mitchell of Michele Mitchell Fine Art in Asheville, N.C. Mitchell has exhibited in the U.S. Capitol, the Minneapolis Institute of the Arts, and the Grand Central Gallery in New York, to name a few. Several Best of Show awards have come to Mitchell from the International Portrait Seminar to the American Society of Portrait Artists “Portraits Only” International Competition. 

Allen, the College’s first alumna president, graduated in 1980 and returned to Meredith in July 2011. One of her first projects was the development of a “rolling” strategic plan. Approved in October 2012, Meredith Forever became the strategic plan for the future of the College. 

As an alumna herself, it was natural for Allen to inspire new ways for alumnae to engage with the College. Under her leadership, the Office of Alumnae Relations launched several new programs for alumnae and students, coordinating over 1,200 alumnae events during her presidency. 

Fourteen major facility renovations to meet the evolving needs of the campus community were completed and funded by contributions from donors. The Communication, Health, Exercise & Sport Sciences (CHESS) building was built in 2022, the first new academic building on campus since the Science and Mathematics Building (SMB). Academic programs also grew, including public health (2014),  a pre-health post-baccalaureate certificate (2014), hospitality and tourism management (2018), as well as master’s degrees in industrial-organization psychology (2018), criminal justice (2020), and biomedical sciences (2024). Relaunching Wings, Meredith’s adult education program, in 2014, and celebrating Wings’ 50th anniversary in 2022, were highlights, as was the growth of Study Abroad and the relaunch of the study abroad program after the 2020 pandemic. Meredith consistently earned top rankings and accreditations from a variety of organizations as well. 

Major fundraising milestones year after year were met, consistently generating over $10 million per year. The largest fundraising effort in the College’s history, Beyond Strong | The Campaign for Meredith, raised $90,466,720. Funds raised through the Campaign supported scholarships, special programs like study abroad, facilities, faculty and staff development, and more.

Early in Allen’s presidency, the College began developing a brand campaign. In-depth research gathered feedback from stakeholders, and that research was shared with a marketing agency, which then pitched the Meredith College | Going Strong concept to President Allen, the Executive Leadership Team, and other representatives from across campus. The Marketing team took the Going Strong concept and built it out over the next decade. 

The unveiling of Allen’s portrait not only honored her leadership as Meredith’s first alumna president but also celebrated a 13-year tenure marked by growth and innovation that will shape Meredith for generations.