CCAD names D. Jean Hester new VP for Enrollment Management

D. Jean Hester, an accomplished admissions leader on the West Coast, will be the new Vice President for Enrollment Management at Columbus College of Art & Design, effective July 18, 2016.

Hester comes to CCAD from Pacific Northwest College of Art in Portland, Oregon, where she has worked as Director of Admissions since 2012. Prior to that, Hester worked in southern California, teaching and, for several years, working as lead web developer for NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

“I am thrilled that Jean has agreed to join the CCAD senior leadership team,” CCAD President Dr. Melanie Corn said. “Her admissions experience at a peer art and design college, outstanding management skills, focus on data and new technologies to improve recruitment and retention, and long history as a design faculty member combine to make her what will undoubtedly be a great asset to the college.”

At CCAD, Hester will lead the admissions and financial aid teams and oversee recruitment and retention efforts.

“I really like the focus of the curriculum at CCAD,” Hester said. “I think it’s really appropriate for our time, that there’s a really primary focus on creativity but also being able to make a living with that creativity.”

Raised in Illinois and Georgia, Hester holds a BFA in Cinema from the University of Southern California and an MFA from California Institute of the Arts. She is also a talented artist.