Anita Cannedy has been named director of the University of Tennessee at Martin Jackson Center.
Prior to attaining this position, she served as the director of Jackson Christian School secondary campus since 2017. Cannedy has been in Jackson since 2013, having moved to West Tennessee from central Texas.
Cannedy also served as a higher education teacher and trainer for Goodwill Career Solutions in Jackson from 2014 to 2015.
Cannedy said she was attracted to the position at the UTM Jackson Center because of her previous experience in college administration.
“I had worked at a college previously, about seven years at St. Edward’s University in Austin, Texas,” she said. “I really just loved interacting with students. I love serving people; that’s where I have my fulfillment.”
Erica Bell, the director for the UTM Office of Regional Centers and Online Programs, said Cannedy is a welcome addition to the Jackson Center.
“Anita’s experience and passion for community engagement and student success are unquestionable,” she said. “We are eager for her leadership, and I am confident our students, JSCC colleagues and the Madison County and surrounding communities will benefit significantly from her contributions and addition to the UTM community.”
Cannedy said that while universities have different departments, her job at the Jackson Center would have her wear many different hats, including marketing and academic advisory responsibilities.
“I’ll be able to go out and meet the Jackson community even more and be able to participate in it and see how I can serve that community,” she said. “What can we do to partner together? A lot of it is really finding ways that we can do that.”
The UTM Jackson Center is one of five regional centers for UT Martin. It was opened in 1992 and is located in the Ned R. McWherter Center on the campus of Jackson State Community College. The center offers 14 areas of study, including business management, criminal justice, psychology, social work, and hybrid MBA.
###
