YOUR FELLOW ALUMNI LIPSCOMB ALUMNUS ADDS TO HIS KNOWLEDGE BY 10 DEGREES

This past May, Dr. Daniel Pigg (’81), University of Tennessee at Martin professor of English, walked across the stage in that university’s arena, but it wasn’t his second or third trip across a stage to receive a degree. It was his 10th.

His newly earned UT-Martin master’s degree in higher education leadership is his seventh master’s degree, and 10th degree overall in a streak of educational accomplishment that began with a bachelor’s degree in English from Lipscomb.

After graduating from Lipscomb, he went on to earn a master’s and then a doctorate in English at the University of TennesseeKnoxville as well as a master’s degree in medieval studies at the University of York in England on a Fulbright Scholarship.

In 1989 he began his career teaching in UT Martin’s Department of English, but he knew he wanted to teach in multiple disciplines. To that end, he earned a Master of Education from Middle Tennessee State University and a doctorate in curriculum studies at the University of Memphis.

After the death of his father in 2005, he delved into the study of religion, earning a Master of Arts in Religion at Memphis Theological Seminary, a Master of Sacred Theology in Biblical Studies from the University of the South in Sewanee and a Master of Theological Studies from Phillips Theological Seminary.

This story was compiled from a report by Antonia Steele at the UT Martin Office of University Relations.

Read more about Pigg at lipscomb.edu/10degrees

Alé Dalton (BA), associate at Bradley in Nashville, received the 2022 Emerging Leader Award in the legal services category from the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce and YP Nashville.

2013 Natilan Crutcher (BA) of Arkadelphia, Ark., is a visiting professor of music at Ouachita Baptist University. She released Awakening, an album of original instrumental compositions, in November.

Watechia Lawless Mitchell (EdD) of Nashville has been named the MidTown Community superintendent for Hamilton County Schools.

Daniel Peck (MEd) of Rockvale, Tenn., is head baseball coach at Brentwood High School.

2014 Virginia Ezell Briley (BA, MEd ’18) of Brentwood, Tenn., is a legislative government relations coordinator at Jigsaw. She recently was recognized as one of Nashville’s “Top 30 Under 30” by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

Kelsey Cartwright (BS, ’15 MEd) of Gallatin, Tenn., has been named head softball coach for Liberty Creek and began her new role in August.

Damaris Luna (EdS) of Clarksville, Tenn., is executive director with the Schools of Innovation for Metro Nashville Public Schools.

James Sullivan (EdD) of Christiana, Tenn., is director of schools for Rutherford County.

2015 Matt Brown (BBA, MAcc ’15), audit manager at Deloitte LLP in Nashville, received a 2022 Emerging Leader Award in the financial services category from the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce and YP Nashville.

Jenna Hagen (MEd, EdD ’20) of Nashville is principal at Ruby Major Elementary School.

Brian Marshall (MA) of Nashville recently received the Equality Award from Human Rights Campaign.

2016 Tate Burns (BS) of Argyle, Texas, is a software engineer II at Microsoft in Dallas.

Erin Duvall (MFA) of Nashville is director of digital marketing and streaming strategy at Black River Entertainment.

Joshua Weber (MEd) of Nashville is the training and education broker for Bradford Real Estate and leads the Bradford Academy training program for new real estate agents.

Jennifer Zepparelli (BBA, MA ’20) of Nashville is manager of DSP Services for Amazon.