Melissa Tillson

Dr. Melissa Tillson is a Director with the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN). Dr. Tillson holds a baccalaureate degree in nursing science from the University of Mississippi, a master’s of science in nursing education from the University of Mississippi, and a doctorate of philosophy degree in nursing education and administration from William Carey University.

Dr. Tillson has a variety of clinical experience, including emergency medicine, post-anesthesia care, and home health. She also worked as a critical care educator in the hospital setting. She transitioned to nursing education as an associate degree nursing instructor at Hinds Community College in 2002. Dr. Tillson was promoted to the position of Assistant Director of Associate Degree Nursing in 2016, then Director of Associate Degree Nursing in 2019, before finally being appointed as the Dean of Nursing in 2020. As Dean of Nursing, she was responsible for programs on multiple campuses, including associate degree nursing, practical nursing, and Healthcare Assistant programs. During her tenure as Dean, she served as an ACEN peer evaluator, and in spring 2022, Dr. Tillson was the recipient of the Hinds Hero, which is awarded to employees that provide exceptional customer service and consistently promote the mission of the college.

Dr. Tillson is committed to student success, faculty development, outcome improvement, and building successful teams. She has served as a consultant on various projects used in nursing education and provided live licensure exam reviews for various types of nursing programs, in addition to working diligently with the student nurse extern program at the program and state level. She served as the Extern Coordinator for a healthcare facility before coordinating the extern program for Hinds Community College. Dr. Tillson has served at the state level on various committees, including the State Extern Committee, the Student Nurse Extender Committee, and the Accreditation Review and Evaluation Committee.