Office of Student Success Staff

Dr. Heidi Leming currently serves as the Vice Chancellor for Student Success and Strategic Partnerships at the Tennessee Board of Regents (TBR). In her role at TBR, she works closely with the student affairs operations and vice presidents for student affairs at the TBR colleges and serves as the System level advocate to other state agencies on student-related issues. During her tenure at TBR, she has been instrumental in advancing student affairs and student success initiatives related to accessibility, high-impact practices, international education, academic mindset, and support for low-income, English language learners, and first generation students. In 2022, TBR's Office of Student Success was recongized by NASPA for it's work to assess the impact of high impact practices statewide and received additional recognition in 2025 for the office's research efforts to better understand veteran student support services in the TBR System. In addition to her work at TBR, Dr. Leming serves on the Volunteer Tennessee Board and is an instructor in East Tennessee State's Community College Leadership graduate program. 

Prior to assuming her role at TBR, Dr. Leming served as Vice President for Student Affairs in the University System of Georgia and served as a doctoral intern with the University System of Georgia Board of Regents in Atlanta. She has more than 20 years of student affairs experience at institutions in Tennessee, Virginia, New York, and Georgia. Within Tennessee, she has previously worked at the University of Memphis and Austin Peay State University. She is an active member of the National Association for Student Personnel (NASPA) and was the 2019 recipient of the NASPA Region III Outstanding Senior Student Affairs Officer Award and in 2025 was the inagural recipient of the Public Policy Division Professional Award. She has published chapters and articles on high impact practices and student enagement, and regularly speaks at state and national convenings on TBR's student retention and success efforts.

Dr. Leming received her PhD from the Institute of Higher Education at the University of Georgia, her MA Ed. in Higher Education and Student Affairs from Virginia Tech, and her B.S. in Mass Communications from Moorhead State University in Minnesota.