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WIU Alumna Melissa Frank-Alston Builds National Career in Higher Education Leadership

May 28, 2026

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MACOMB/MOLINE, IL — A Western Illinois University alumna is advancing into a prominent new leadership role in higher education.

Melissa Frank-Alston, who earned her Master of Science in College Student Personnel (CSP) from Western Illinois University in 1994, has been named the incoming president of Northeastern Technical College in Cheraw, SC, effective July 1. Her appointment marks the next step in a more than 30-year career focused on student success, workforce development and institutional advancement.

"My time in Western Illinois University's College Student Personnel program laid the groundwork for my leadership journey in higher education. It helped me see the importance of supporting the whole student and showed me how we, as administrators, can truly empower students to reach their full potential. That perspective continues to shape how I lead, especially in creating environments where students feel supported and can succeed," Frank-Alston said.

Frank-Alston currently serves as Provost and Institutional Accreditation Liaison to the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) at Augusta Technical College, where she has worked since 2005. Throughout her tenure, she has held multiple vice presidential leadership roles and contributed to advancing institutional priorities across academics, accreditation and student success initiatives.

From April through December 2025, she also served as Interim President of Augusta Technical College, leading the institution through a period of transition while maintaining operational continuity and supporting its mission.

A significant focus of her leadership since 2010 has been securing external funding to expand student success initiatives. She has worked with faculty, staff, administrators and community partners to secure more than $10 million in federal and private grants supporting programs at Augusta Technical College.

Frank-Alston's leadership development includes participation in several nationally recognized programs, including Leadership Augusta (‘07), the Technical College System of Georgia Executive Leadership Academy (‘14) and the Aspen Rising Presidents Fellowship for Community College Excellence (‘18). In 2023, she completed the American Association of Community Colleges Future Presidents Institute.

Earlier in her career at Pennsylvania State University, she was recognized by Town & Gown magazine as one of its "Fifteen for the Future," highlighting emerging leaders in the Penn State and State College community. Nearly two decades later, she returned to Penn State to receive the 2018 College of Education Alumni Society Award for Leadership and Service.

Her professional service spans multiple boards and organizations. She serves on the Foundation Board of Directors for the South Carolina Governor's School for Agriculture at John de la Howe and is an Emeritus Trustee of the Augusta Technical College Foundation. She also serves on the Board of Directors for the Columbia County Chamber of Commerce, the Savannah River Site Community Reuse Organization (SRSCRO) and the Southeastern Association of Community College Research (SACCR). In 2024, she was appointed to the American Association of Community Colleges Commission on Student Success, where she will serve a three-year term through 2027. American Association of Community Colleges.

In 2022, she was named a WJBF Channel 6 "Women to Watch" honoree, recognizing women leaders in the Augusta region for their professional accomplishments and community impact.

Frank-Alston holds a Ph.D. in Workforce Education and Development with an emphasis in Training and Human Resources from Pennsylvania State University, along with her master's degree from WIU and a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology from Northwestern State University of Louisiana.

For more information on WIU's CSP program, visit wiu.edu/csp.

Posted By: Lexi Dittmar (aj-dittmar@wiu.edu)
Office of University Communications & Marketing