THE PRESIDENT

DR. JESSE SMITH

PRESIDENT u 16TH YEAR

Rarely is a person aff orded the opportunity to serve as the president of his alma mater . However, in 2006, Dr . Jesse R . Smith was presented with this type of unique challenge as he became the fifth president of Jones College . Located in South Mississippi, the Ellisville campus is just a few miles from Smith’s childhood home . His diverse interests served him well at Jones as Smith attended on both athletic and music scholarships . While at Jones, he was a member of the football team and the concert choir . It was also at Jones that Smith met his future wife, Jennifer Scrimpshire, who was a Bobcat cheerleader . After graduating from Jones, Smith furthered his education at the University of Mississippi where he earned both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in business administration . He received his Ph .D . from the University of Southern Mississippi . Following a brief stint in the public business sector, Smith returned home to Jones College . In his 27 years at the college, Smith has held positions as a business instructor, academic dean, dean of instructional aff airs, and dean of the college . He’s served as president of the institution the last 15 years . Smith accepted the presidency less than a year after Hurricane Katrina devastated large portions of South Mississippi and left Jones College with a nearly 25 percent enrollment decrease in her wake . Under Smith’s guidance, Jones has maintained a successful enrollment year in and year out, and Jones College currently employs over 400 staff and faculty . During his tenure as president, Smith has overseen several construction projects including state-of-the-art academic and athletic facilities . Jones Hall, home to the humanities and social science divisions, opened in 2011 with energy-effi cient heating and cooling systems . Additionally, Smith has overseen the renovation of McClellan Hall, home of the marketing and information technology departments, along with the addition of the Bobcat baseball and softball teams’ home fi eld, Community Bank Park . Dr . Smith spearheaded the institution’s name change to Jones College in 2018 . Throughout his career, Smith has received numerous honors, including the Shirley B . Gordon Award of Distinction and Mississippi’s Top 40 under 40 Award . He has been named a fellow in the Educational Profession Fellowship Program and in the Mid-South Community College Fellowship Program . Additionally, Smith has served as the president of the Academic Deans Association of the Mississippi Junior/Community College System and as the chair of the Mississippi Association of Community and Junior College Presidents Association . On a personal note, Smith and his wife, Jennifer, live on campus and are the proud parents of Conner, a sophomore at Jones and a member of JC Voices, and Mary Kate, a recent graduate of the University of Mississippi, currently pursuing a master’s degree at Mississippi State University . The Smiths are active members of First Baptist Church of Ellisville .

JOEL CAIN

VP OF ADVANCEMENT & ATHLETICS u 4TH YEAR

Joel Cain was named Jones College’s athletic director in July 2018 after serving three years as an assistant under Katie Herrington . His current role at the College has expanded to Vice President of Advancement & Athletics and Dean of Students . Cain enters his fourth year as athletic director, leading one of the top junior college athletic departments in the nation . Jones has a cumulative 484-136 record, a .780 win percentage, in his fi rst three years with eight MACCC Championships, seven NJCAA Region 23 Championships and a Mississippi Bowl victory . Off the fi eld, the Bobcats have been equally impressive . Football, women’s soccer and men’s tennis were each named 2019-20 MACCC Academic Teams of the Year in their respective sports . It was the secondstraight year for football, who was also recognized as the 2018 NJCAA Academic Team of the Year with a 3 .14 GPA . Over the past three seasons, 159 student-athletes received academic recognition from the NJCAA and 251 were named MACCC academic award winners . Cain, who is in now his 18th year at his alma mater, had also served as director of sports medicine for nine years and is a member of the National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA) . Cain played football for the Bobcats and fi nished his collegiate career at UAB where he received his bachelors of art in education at Alabama-Birmingham and his masters of science at the University of Mississippi . He is married to the former Wendy Walker of Mize .

Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA) . Cain played football for the Bobcats and fi nished his collegiate career at UAB where he received his bachelors of art in education at Alabama-Birmingham and his masters of science at the University of Mississippi . He is married to the former Wendy Walker

CHRIS ROBINSON

ASSISTANT ATHLETIC DIRECTOR u 4TH YEAR

Future Hall of Famer Chris Robinson enters his 13th season as head softball coach at Jones where he’s guided the program to seven national tournament appearances in the past nine seasons . Robinson also doubles as the Bobcats’ assistant athletic director . The three-time MACCC and four-time NJCAA Region 23 Coach of the Year has led Jones to an impressive 496-116 ( .810) record, seven conference championships, four region championships and the 2018 NJCAA Division II National Championship . Also a four-time national runner-up, Robinson is the third-winningest coach in MACCC softball history . Dating back to the Bobcats’ fi rst-ever conference and south division championship in 2012, Robinson has guided Jones to nine 40-win seasons – unmatched in the MACCC . JC has also won 50 games three times, including a school-record 55 wins in 2017 . After a CoVID-19 shortened season in 2020 and 15-3 record, Jones had a fantastic 2021 season going 47-9 and fi nishing as national runner-up . Robinson has coached 18 NJCAA All-American selections, 18 NFCA AllAmericans and dozens of all-conference players . Robinson has helped send 32 players to four-year programs, including NJCAA Division II Players of the Year Kelsha Loftin (Ole Miss) and Kelly Byrd (Delta State) and Pitcher of the Year Karli Perque (Memphis) to name a few . Robinson was named the 2018 NJCAA Region 23 Coach of the Year, while the staff of Robinson, associate head coach Bob Herrington and assistant coach Katie Durham were named NFCA National and South Region Coaching Staff of the Year . Robinson was an assistant for the Bobcats for six seasons prior to being named head coach . He also served as an assistant football coach for 10 years, coaching running backs and serving as an administrative assistant . Robinson is a graduate of Pearl River Community College . He received his bachelor’s degree in coaching from the University of Southern Mississippi in 2002 and a master’s of science degree from Southern Miss in physical education in 2005 . Robinson is married to the former Carley Blackwell . He has a daughter, Marlee, and sons, Reid and Braden .