- Lolita Gregory – President
- Premalatha Balachandran – Vice President
- Jeremy Roberts – Secretary
- Caitlyn Wakefield – Treasurer
- Kiara Willis – Scholarship Manager
- MacKenzie Ross – Marketing Manager
- Matthew DeLoach – Webmaster
- Jessica Coker-Hughes – Staff Member of the Month Chair
- Deetra A. Sims-Wiley – Immediate Past President
Lolita Gregory, President
Lolita Gregory serves as UM Staff Council President. As president, she serves as the representative of staff members for all campus locations. She is responsible for leading discussions and highlighting staff concerns with Staff Council members and the Chancellor. She organizes all staff council committees, events, and acts as the official spokesman for the council. She also serves on various Chancellor Standing Committees. In addition, she presides over all meetings and attends monthly meetings with the Chancellor.
Lolita Gregory currently works as the Assistant Dean of Undergraduate Recruitment and Retention for the School of Applied Sciences at The University of Mississippi, where she works to recruit prospective students and provide an unmatched educational experience to current students in degree programs within the School of Applied Sciences. Lolita is a member of the Staff Council and the Black Alumni Advisory Council at the University and serves on the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee for the School. Lolita has 20 + years of experience in healthcare management and working with non-profit organizations on a local, state and national level. Lolita earned her bachelor’s and master’s degree from the University of Mississippi. Lolita also serves on the Oxford-Lafayette Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, where she serves as the Chairman of Board and chairs the Junior Leadership Lafayette Program. Lolita is an active member of the Oxford School District’s PTO organization and volunteers her time with numerous service and philanthropy entities within the Oxford, Lafayette and the University community that deals with issues surrounding food insecurity, health disparities and children advocacy. Lolita is a member of Clear Creek Missionary Baptist Church, Inc. where she serves as the Announcement Clerk and participates in the youth and choir ministries. Lolita is married to her college sweetheart, Romalas, and together they have three sons, Roman, Kingston and London. Lolita is a servant leader at heart, and attributes that to the foundation set forth by her parents, Joe and Arlene Tunstall. “Everybody can be great, because everybody can serve.” —- Martin Luther King, Jr.
Premalatha Balachandran, Vice President
Dr. Premalatha Balachandran serves as the vice president of Staff Council & executes the duties of the president in the president’s absence, works with the secretary on maintaining a record of absences, contacts members who violate the absence policy to ask if they want to continue as a staff council member, arranges for replacement of representatives as necessary, coordinates Staff Appreciation Week by serving on the Staff Appreciation Committee, & attends monthly meetings with the Chancellor.
Premalatha joined Ole Miss, 20 years ago in 2002 and serves as a Principal Scientist at the National Center for Natural Products Research (NCNPR), School of Pharmacy. As a Principal Scientist, Premalatha’s research interests include biological screening and the discovery of new active drugs from the plants that contribute to human health benefits. She works on several funded projects and her research team filed a patent on an anticancer formulation. She has authored 40+ publications that include research and review articles in high-impact journals and book chapters. She also serves as a judge/chair for several international and regional science fair competitions and also a reviewer for many journals.
She is very active in the community, serving on several boards and committees including United Way, Chamber of Commerce, Leadership Lafayette, School District PTOs, and Boy Scout committees to name a few.
Premalatha received a B.S in Chemistry from the University of Madras, Chennai, India. She also obtained M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Medical Biochemistry from the same university. In 2022, she received an MBA from the University of Mississippi.
She is married to Karthikeyan Rathinavelu, Owner and President of Thik and Thin Constructions LLC., They have 2 boys, Keerthin and Sagan.
Jeremy Roberts, Secretary
Jeremy Roberts serves as Staff Council Secretary. Secretary duties include preparing, organizing and supervising the distribution of minutes from each Council meeting; maintaining official written records of Council meetings; assisting in the preparation and distribution of correspondence and other Council business to representatives and staff members; maintaining membership records; booking meeting space and coordinating speakers for Council meetings; and attending monthly meetings with the Executive Council and the Chancellor.
Jeremy Roberts is the Assistant Director for Academic Support Programs in the CSSFYE. He oversees the daily operations of the at-risk programs; scheduling of presentations and workshops; marketing the ASP services to the University; and meets with parents and students to discuss EDHE 101, 202, and 303, academic coaching and consulting opportunities, and study skills/techniques. Jeremy has taught for CSSFYE since the Fall of 2012 – teaching EDHE 101, 105, 202, 303, and 305 with multiple sections each semester.
Jeremy is originally from Terry, MS, but has called Oxford home since his freshman year in 2002. Jeremy has degrees in English and Hospitality Management from the University of Mississippi, a masters in Health and Sports Science from the University of Memphis, and an MBA from Delta State University. He completed his Ed.D. in Higher Education in 2023. He is also an event planner with 20 years of experience. He is a Notary Public, Certified Web-Enhanced Instructor, Certified Hospitality Professional, and has been awarded Instructor of the Year Spring 2017 for his work in EDHE 101: Academic Skills for College. Jeremy is passionate about marketing, all things event management, and learning each day from the students he interacts with here on campus.
Caitlyn Wakefield, Treasurer
Caitlyn Wakefield serves as Staff Council treasurer. Her duties include managing the finances and financial records of the Staff Council to ensure compliance with applicable regulations, maintaining and presenting monthly treasurer’s reports to the Staff Council to ensure accurate financial statements are maintained, processing Council invoices for payment, assisting the textbook scholarship administrator in managing finances and attending monthly meetings with the Chancellor.
Caitlyn graduated from the University of Mississippi with a Bachelor of Science in Hospitality Management in 2012. She has spent most of her professional life working in the administrative field at Vanderbilt University Medical Center until moving to Oxford in 2022. She started with the University in spring of 2022 as the Executive Assistant to Vice Chancellor Steven Holley in the Division of Administration and Finance and has recently accepted the role as an IT Project Manager for Project Encompass.
Caitlyn is married to her husband, Colby, and has three children – McClain, Madeline and Rowan. When not at work, she and her family enjoy spending time with family and friends, serving at North Oxford Baptist Church and going to Ole Miss sporting events!
Kiara Willis, Scholarship Manager
Kiara Willis oversees the Staff Council’s Staff Textbook scholarship program. She announces scholarship application deadlines for each semester, processes and evaluates all the applications for eligibility, and sends award mail to the recipients. She also coordinates with the Ole Miss Bookstore to issue vouchers, works with Contractual Service to handle payments to the bookstore, and with the Office of Financial Aid to disperse textbook scholarship tuition.
Kiara is a dedicated professional who has been a valued member of the University of Mississippi since 2015. She currently works as the Executive Assistant to Vice Chancellor Eduardo Prieto in the Division of Enrollment Management.
Kiara received her Bachelor’s degree in general studies (2013) and Master’s degree in Higher Education and Student Personnel (2017) from the University of Mississippi. She completed her Ed.D. in Higher Education from the University of Southern Mississippi in 2023. Kiara is passionate about education and loves interacting with students.
Kiara is originally from Grenada, Mississippi. Kiara is a member of Philadelphia M.B. Church in Oxford. Kiara enjoys spending time with her family, traveling, reading, and being a plant lover.
MacKenzie Ross, Marketing Manager
MacKenzie Ross serves as Staff Council marketing manager. Her responsibilities include managing the social media elements to promote staff awareness and foster interaction, education, engagement, and discussion regarding policies and issues significant to constituents through the use of online communities.
MacKenzie earned her bachelor’s degree in print journalism and digital media studies from the University of Mississippi in 2019. She spent a year working in media relations for a non-profit organization in Atlanta before returning to Oxford to complete her master’s degree in academic journalism in 2022. After graduating, she joined the School of Journalism and New Media as a communications specialist, where she oversees all marketing and communications efforts for the unit. Additionally, she serves as an advisor at the S. Gale Denley Student Media Center, which houses the student newspaper, yearbook, and radio and broadcast stations. She also teaches graphic design and media history courses as an adjunct instructor.
A native of Oxford, MacKenzie grew up attending Ole Miss Baseball games and tailgating in the Grove. In her spare time, she enjoys working on graphic design and marketing projects for local businesses and organizations.
Matthew DeLoach, Webmaster
Matthew DeLoach serves as Webmaster for the Staff Council website. Webmaster is an executive member of Staff Council. His duties include serving as the conduit between the Council and UM Staff by reporting events and updates on the Staff Council website (posting of minutes and updating event information on Council’s website, promoting staff awareness, Staff Member of the Month promotions, etc.), attending monthly meetings with the Executive Council and regular monthly meetings with the Chancellor.
Matthew received both his Bachelor’s degree in Political Science (BA, 2011) and Master’s degree in Higher Education and Student Personnel (MA, 2013) from the University of Mississippi. In Fall 2013, Matthew started working full-time for the Division of Outreach and Continuing Education, first with the Teach Mississippi Institute as a Recent Graduate Intern after two years as a Graduate Assistant and then was hired as a Project Coordinator with the Office of Pre-College Programs, managing K-12 academic competitions and events. He also managed the JumpStart Program for Incoming Ole Miss Freshmen. Over the last ten years, Matthew has been promoted to Coordinator for Outreach Programs II and now Program Manager for the Office of Pre-College Programs, serving as the office registrar and managing office operations.
Matthew has been a member of Staff Council since 2023. He currently serves as a member of different committees at the University of Mississippi, including the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee for the Division of Outreach, Policy Review Committee, Luckyday Scholarship Review Committee, and Web and Marketing Committee for Staff Council. He also serves on external committees and groups in the community and professional organizations, including Webmaster and Past President for the Mississippi Science and Engineering Fair and Steering Committee member for Leadership Lafayette.
Matthew is originally from Carrollton, Mississippi, and enjoys photography and graphic design work in his spare time.
Jessica Coker-Hughes, Staff Member of the Month Chair
Jessica Coker-Hughes serves as Staff Member of the Month Chair. The Staff Member of the Month Chair is an executive member of Staff Council.
Jessica received her Bachelor’s degree from the University of Mississippi in 2007 and double-majored in Journalism and English. Shortly after, she began working at the University of MS – Grenada regional campus as Regional Admissions Counselor in 2009. After several years of being responsible for the admissions and enrollment for the campus to include recruiting and advising, she was promoted to Associate Director of Admissions for the UM-Grenada center in 2014. The next year, she earned a Master of Arts degree in Higher Education and Student Personnel at UM and graduated in 2015. She was recently appointed (2023) to dual-serve as the Associate Director of Admissions for the UM-Rankin campus. She is currently working on her educational doctorate degree (Ed.D.) in Higher Education and is expected to graduate August 2025.
Jessica has been a member of staff council since 2010. She has served as the Chair of Staff Member of the Month Committee since 2018, which is now an executive board member position. She is a member of the Chancellor’s Standing Committee, Student Affairs for the 2023-2024 year and she is also a member of the Regional Scholarship Application Committee.
A Retired Veteran, Jessica served in the United States Army Reserve for 23 honorable years of service. She is also a member of the Oxford Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated. She attends the Burning Bush M. B. Church in Grenada where she serves as one of the Youth Leaders. Her favorite scripture is: Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me.”
Jessica is married to Joshua Hughes and they have 4 children: Jayla Crawford (22), Ja’Corey Hughes (17), Jai Caleb Hughes (8), and Joshlyn Hughes (7). She loves traveling, eating, and spending time with her family. Her favorite quote is: “Cherish yesterday, celebrate today, dream tomorrow, and have faith in HIM always.”
Deetra A. Sims -Wiley, Immediate Past President
Deetra Sims-Wiley serves as UM Staff Council Past President. As immediate past president, she serves on the Executive Council, attends meetings when needed, assists with the transition of new officers, attends monthly meetings with the Chancellor, and serves on Chancellors standing committees, if requested.
Wiley has served the University of Mississippi since May 1999. She serves as Project Manager for the Office of Information Technology. She is currently working with Undergraduate & Graduate/Outreach TargetX Admissions projects.
Deetra received her Bachelor of Arts in English (1992), Master of Arts in English (1997), Master of Arts in Higher Education (2012) and is a University of MS doctoral candidate (ABD) in Higher Education. She also holds an Associate of Arts in English/Communication from Coahoma Community College (1991). Her Motto is “Believe, Begin, Become!” Some of her hobbies include acting, motivational speaking, socializing.
She is married to Rev. Derell A. Wiley, Pastor of Sykes Chapel Church in Lambert, MS. They have 3 children: Nya, Tyler, and Amber.