Leadership Arkansas has officially announced its Class XIX for the 2024-2025 program year. This dynamic program will spend the next nine months empowering 53 leaders to enhance Arkansas's economies and communities. We're thrilled to recognize Dr. Josh Wilson, Ozarka College's Vice President of Advancement, as one of the chosen leaders.

Wilson serves as vice president of advancement for Ozarka College in Melbourne, Arkansas. In this role Dr. Wilson leads the College Foundation and all fundraising activities, marketing and public relations, community outreach, and government and legislative affairs.

"Dr. Wilson is an incredibly talented senior leader at Ozarka College and an outstanding addition to this year's Leadership class, " said Dr. Richard Dawe, Ozarka College president. "Josh contributes in a powerful way to anything with which he is involved. "

Wilson has been the driving force behind the College's highly successful "Campaign 2020: A Vision for Excellence in Education, " a capital fundraising initiative that he launched in late 2019 after assuming this, high-visibility and vital, role at Ozarka. To-date the campaign has secured more than $4M in constituent, corporate, and grant support for Ozarka's students, programs, and technical training centers, an achievement well beyond the original goal of $1M. Prior to this role, Wilson previously led the student services division at Ozarka College where he spearheaded enrollment growth, the addition of student housing, and fostered a student-centric service culture. Wilson has also been entrusted to lead the strategic planning efforts of the College for the past 10 years.

Wilson holds a Doctor of Education degree from UA - Little Rock as well as a Master's in Public Administration and a Bachelor of Science in Finance from the University of Arkansas - Fayetteville.

Wilson's passion is fueled by initiatives that uplift the rural communities in which we live, specifically, by improving education outcomes and cultivating strategic partnerships for a better future. In addition, he holds multiple leadership positions within the community, including local industrial development corporation; Childcare Aware of Northcentral Arkansas Advisory Council (CCANA), a community child care resource and referral program; and is an Elder in his home Church. His greatest joy comes from his family; wife, Alexandra and their three children: Carter (13), Walker (10), and Vada (2).