Joel Hicks to lead Baptist Health College in Little Rock

Baptist Health College Little Rock has named Joel Hicks, EdD, RT(R), as the college’s new president, effective Feb. 5.

Prior to joining Baptist Health College Little Rock, Hicks had served since July 2021 as the dean of the College of Nursing and School of Allied Health at Northwestern State University, based in Natchitoches, Louisiana. There, he oversaw all certificate, undergraduate and graduate programs within the nursing and allied health programs divisions across four campuses.

Hicks additionally served as associate dean in 2020 and as the School of Allied Health director from 2017-2020. He also taught at Northwestern State starting in 2010, and was a tenured associate professor within the School of Allied Health.

“We are thrilled to have Joel Hicks at the helm of our college, which for over a century has trained the next generation of health care professionals in nursing and allied health programs,” said Mike Perkins, president of Baptist Health Medical Center-Little Rock. “His decades of experience, not only in education but in hands-on medical practice as well, make him a great fit for its next chapter.”

Before working in higher education, Hicks served for almost two decades in health care, primarily in diagnostic and cardiac imaging. The majority of this clinical time was spent in a heart catheterization lab.

“Working with multiple health care disciplines, in a high-stress situation, has greatly influenced my ability to build strong working relationships in higher education,” said Hicks. “I look forward to furthering the mission of Baptist Health College Little Rock and building upon the high-quality education offered to students.”

Hicks earned a certificate in radiologic technology in 1994 from LSU Health Sciences Center. He continued his education over a decade later, earning a Bachelor of Science in Radiologic Sciences in 2006 from Northwestern State and a Master of Science in Radiologic Technology in 2009 from Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls, Texas. Then, in 2016, he completed a Doctor of Education in Developmental Education at Grambling State University in Grambling, Louisiana.

Baptist Health College Little Rock, part of Baptist Health Medical Center-Little Rock, has nine programs of study, including two nursing programs and seven allied health programs.