31 Dec 2025 Five-Oh-Ones to Watch 2026: Jenn Morehead
By KD Reep
When Jenn Morehead stepped into the role of chief executive officer of the Arkansas Single Parent Scholarship Fund (ASPSF) in May 2024, she wasn’t just taking the next step in a long, successful career. Instead, she was coming home to a mission that mirrors her own life story. Raised in Pocahontas in a single-parent household, Morehead knows firsthand the challenges faced by parents trying to build a better future while caring for their children. That personal connection fuels her leadership as she guides a 36-year-old organization into a bold new era.
Morehead’s professional path to ASPSF wound through both higher education and nonprofit service, giving her a uniquely balanced perspective on the role education plays in lifting families out of poverty. After moving to Conway to attend the University of Central Arkansas, she never left. Her professional journey has included a decade in advancement at Hendrix College and earlier roles with United Way and the Girl Scouts.
“My experiences have really been split between nonprofit and higher education,” she said. “This position is the perfect blend of everything I care about.”
The mission, however, is what captured her heart. Growing up, she watched her mother attempt to return to college several times, only to be derailed by obstacles she couldn’t overcome.
“I often think about what her life and ours would have been like if she had access to a program like ASPSF,” Morehead said. “Our students aren’t just stories to me. I lived that life. I understand exactly what this support can mean.”
ASPSF has a long, stable history of supporting single parents pursuing higher education, but under Morehead’s leadership, the organization is pushing forward with renewed energy. She envisions ASPSF becoming the state’s leading voice advocating for single parents living in poverty.
“We say all the time we’re more than just a check,” she explained. “Our students know that. My hope is that the community knows it, too.”
One of ASPSF’s unique strengths is its student-centered approach: Scholarship funds go directly to the recipient, not the institution, allowing parents to use the support where it’s needed most, whether that’s textbooks, technology, childcare, groceries or basic household needs. Alongside financial aid, the organization offers robust workshops focused on financial literacy, career readiness, healthy cooking on a budget, low-cost car care and more. Many sessions are hosted via Zoom, ensuring accessibility for students statewide.
Outside the office, Morehead’s life is joyfully full. She and her husband, Jeremy, have been together for 18 years and have two children: 6-year-old Avery and 2-year-old Archer. The family also fosters therapeutic-care dogs, often giant breeds in hospice situations, a mission they’ve embraced for nearly two decades. Morehead also serves on the UCA Alumni Board and can frequently be found on campus giving back to the community that helped shape her.
Her advice for the next generation of leaders is simple: say yes, try everything and don’t fear reinvention. “Put yourself out there,” she said. “It’s just as important to learn what you don’t want to do as what you do. Be authentic. Be scared — and do it anyway.”
Morehead encourages Arkansans to learn more about ASPSF and consider supporting and volunteering. “Whether you have one hour a month or 10, we can use community support,” she said.
“When we invest in single parents, we invest in Arkansas.”
To learn more, visit ASPSF.org.
