Milly Morrow Returns to Warren Wilson
Sophie Aguilar | September 23, 2025
Milly Morrow may be the new executive director of wellness and identity integration at Warren Wilson College (WWC), but she already knows her way around campus. Morrow taught religion courses in 2013 and 2016, before becoming a full-time staff member in 2025.
“I want people to understand that my highest purpose is telling the truth and advocating for people who are in need of protection,” Morrow said. “The greatest path to wellness is through connection and community.”
Milly Morrow poses for a picture. (Milly Morrow)
Morrow has experience working as a social worker and has spent a lot of time doing liturgical work. She left the field of faith-based work, finding it was easier to express her own spirituality outside of the church. Before becoming an Episcopal priest, Morrow worked in community organizing and legal/medical advocacy for crime victims.
After taking a sabbatical from church work to focus on writing, Morrow saw the job listing for a new executive director of wellness at WWC and felt it was the perfect opportunity for her to use her knowledge to help others. She thrives when working with individuals within the age range of 14 to 30 and enjoys helping people find their passions.
“I could stay here forever,” Morrow said. “I love working with folks to figure out what their purpose is and helping people make meaning out of the chaos in the world and [figure] out where they thrive in it.”
The 2025-26 school year will be the first year that WWC has had an executive director of wellness. The new position encompasses spiritual life, the counseling and health center and integrating wellness practices into the campus community.
“I’m here to try and help the institution understand that truth-telling, advocacy, connections and creating a place where people can genuinely belong as they are is the best and quickest way to support everyone’s wellness,” Morrow said.
WWC has a revamped crisis line this year that Morrow helps support. She believes it is important to have an outlet on campus that students can use. While using the crisis line, students can coordinate follow-up care. In a moment of crisis, the first responder is always the most important, so Morrow deems it most helpful when the first responder is a familiar face who has developed bonds and understanding on campus.
“The crisis line matters because when students call, they need support, not only for that moment, but so they will continue with care,” Morrow said. “It is also a moment of trust building. It isn’t just about going into a building and receiving therapy. I really believe that each person is an expert on their own mental health. We need more people that can listen to the wisdom that the students already have and help leverage whatever power we have so that they can access their own truth.”
Morrow plans to develop a peer support program where students are well-trained in crisis intervention, community mental health and safety planning. She also wants to embed mental health support work into every department on campus, including wellness coaches who are trained to detect student mental health needs. Self-regulation and co-regulation practices in classrooms will also be added.
“If we don’t feel safe enough, we are always going to struggle to do much of anything else because our brains are set to survive,” Morrow said. “If we are in survival mode all the time, it is very hard to focus on anything else.”
Morrow emphasized the importance of students knowing their well-being matters to a lot of people on campus. She is constantly learning from students about what is best for them, as individuals and as a whole. Advocating for students is a large part of her job, but she is in pursuit of clarity and communication between students and faculty to improve the wellness of WWC.
“We are here because we care about the students, and I want to learn more from students about what is really needed,” Morrow said.
The WWC mental health crisis line can be reached 24/7 at (828) 777-3915. To schedule an in-person counseling appointment, students can either visit the Health Center in the Murden Building weekdays between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. or visit the online link. To access 24/7 virtual counseling sessions, students can visit timelycare.com/WWC.