Our Founders
Jack Woodward and J. Herman Hines came from different backgrounds but shared a single conviction: more Mississippians should have the chance to pursue college. Their vision laid the foundation for WHEF.
“Our founder Jack Woodward often said, ‘We’ll find a way.’ That promise continues to define WHEF’s commitment to learners and families across Mississippi.”
– Jim McHale, President and CEO, WHEF
The Woodward Hines Education Foundation was born from a simple conviction shared by two leaders from very different walks of life: education changes everything. Jack Woodward, a college administrator and minister, and J. Herman Hines, a banker and business leader, joined forces to create new pathways for Mississippians to pursue education beyond high school. Their partnership was unlikely, but their impact endures.
Jack Woodward
Jack Woodward spent more than three decades at Millsaps College, where he began in religious life but found his true calling in student financial aid. Generations of students remembered him for the same reassuring words: “We’ll find a way.” And he did. Woodward pieced together scholarships, federal aid, work-study, and sometimes his own resources to ensure students could enroll and graduate. His passion extended beyond campus. During the civil rights movement, he joined the Committee of Concern, a biracial, ecumenical group that worked to rebuild churches bombed in acts of racial violence—another reflection of his belief that access and equity mattered everywhere.
J. Herman Hines
To turn vision into reality, Woodward partnered with J. Herman Hines, then CEO of Deposit Guaranty Bank. Where Woodward brought empathy and vision, Hines brought discipline and execution. Known for his sharp focus and refusal to back down from a challenge, he once remarked, “You don’t quit when it gets hard. That’s when the work matters most.” His financial expertise and business leadership were essential to building the foundation of what would become WHEF.
Launching the Mississippi Higher Education Assistance Corporation
In the mid-1970s, a new federal law allowed nonprofits to issue tax-exempt bonds to create secondary markets for federally guaranteed student loans. Woodward recognized the opportunity, and with Hines as his partner, the Mississippi Higher Education Assistance Corporation (MHEAC) was born. This bold step opened doors for thousands of students who otherwise might not have had a pathway to college.
Their collaboration later led to the creation of the Education Services Foundation, which would ultimately become the Woodward Hines Education Foundation. Both men remained active in the work until their deaths—Hines in 2010 and Woodward in 2018.
In helping so many others realize their dreams, Woodward and Hines fulfilled their own—leaving a legacy of access, equity, and opportunity that continues to guide WHEF today.