Hall of Fame Member Biographies

Jo Lynn Autry Digranes

Dr. Jo Lynn Autry Digranes’ 21-year career at Connors State College included a variety of roles.  Beginning in 1991, she served as the Assistant to the Director of the Muskogee Campus; in 1994 she became Vice President for Continuing Education and Director of the Muskogee Campus.  By 1997 she served as the Vice President for Academic Services and Technology.  In 2001 she became Executive Vice President, additionally serving as acting Vice President for Academic Services until retirement in 2012.  In August 2013, Digranes re-entered higher education from retirement and currently serves as Coordinator for Assessment at Oklahoma City University. 

During her career, brief retirement, and re-entry into higher education, Digranes worked in K-12 public education as a school counselor and teacher, community colleges, universities (both public and private), and Native American education agencies.   She served as board member and chair for the Muskogee Public Schools Foundation, board member and officer for the Oklahoma Global Education Consortium, member and chair for the Oklahoma State Regents Council for Instruction, and examiner for the Oklahoma Quality Foundation.  She was active in the Muskogee Chamber of Commerce and the Muskogee Educational Consortium; both organizations honored her as an outstanding educator.  Digranes received an Oklahoma Governor’s Commendation and was inducted into the Oklahoma Association of Community Colleges 2013 Hall of Fame.  Since 1997, she has served as a peer reviewer, team chair, and member of numerous review panels and special committees for the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, one of the six regional accreditors.  As a member of the Muscogee Creek Nation and with extensive experience in American Indian education, she has had the opportunity to conduct comprehensive evaluation reviews for a majority of the Tribal Colleges located in the North Central Region.  Her commitment to education can also be seen in the numerous grants authored/co-authored, publications authored and co-authored with her husband, and the presentations she has made around the globe, all designed to enhance student learning.  Digranes has presented, taught, or conducted professional evaluations in Germany, Mexico, Scotland, Sicily, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland, as well as state, regional, and national conferences such as the National Indian Education Association and Oklahoma Women in Higher Education.  A native of Wetumka, Oklahoma, Digranes is married to Dr. Swen H. Digranes, Professor Emeritus at Northeastern State University.  They have a son, Shawn, and two grandchildren Kylee and Nate.  For her devotion to Oklahoma students and her unflagging zeal to improve the educational experience, the OHEHS is proud to induct Jo Lynn Autry Digranes into the 2014 Higher Education Hall of Fame.