Jo Allen (academic administrator)

Allen was born c. 1958 to Lorraine and Bob Allen and is from La Grange, North Carolina.^[1] Her father was formerly a prisoner in a German prisoner-of-war camps in World War II.^[1] He later owned dental supply houses in North Carolina.^[1] Her parents met while they were students at Wake Forest University.^[1] Allen earned a bachelor's degree in English from Meredith College.^[1] She completed a master's degree in English literature at East Carolina University.^[1] She received a Ph.D. in English literature at Oklahoma State University.^[1]

Allen was a tenured associate professor of English at East Carolina University and North Carolina State University.^[2] She later worked as a professor of English, provost, and executive vice president at Widener University.^[2] On July 1, 2011, she became the eighth president of Meredith College.^[2] Allen announced her retirement in 2024 and was succeeded by Aimee Sapp.^[1][3]