Class Notes

1960s Hal Hardin (’66),

Nashville, was presented with the William M. Leech Jr. Public Service Award by the Tennessee Bar Association Young Lawyers Division Fellows.

1970s Jo Ann Campbell Jeffries (’70),

Naalehu, Hawaii, published Puanani and the Volcano, a book about the Kilauea eruption on the Big Island of Hawaii and how it affected an elementary school girl.

Joey Jacobs (‘75),

was named chief executive officer of Quorum Health Corp., a Brentwood, Tennessee–based hospital operator. Jacobs is a member of MTSU’s Board of Trustees.

Rex Gaither (’76),

Smyrna, and Todd Spearman (‘02), Murfreesboro, were named the first assistant town managers of Smyrna.

1980s Warren Denny (’80),

Nashville, was promoted to vice president of creative services for the Country Music Hall of Fame.

Karen Gerson Duncan (’81),

Tyrone, Georgia, published MyrtleKay Has Something to Say, a children’s book dealing with the topic of bullying.

Dr. Elliott Tenpenny Tenpenny (’05) was on the front line of the COVID-19 outbreak in New York City. Tenpenny, director of international health with Christian humanitarian organization Samaritan’s Purse, led a 72-member team that opened an emergency field hospital in Central Park on March 31. The 68-bed facility had 10 ICU beds. Tenpenny, a Murfreesboro native, is a former medical missionary in the Congo.

Jessi Alexander Singer-songwriter Jessi Alexander (’03) is the writer of numerous chart-topping hits on country radio, including four No. 1 songs. One of those songs, “I Drive Your Truck,” recorded by Lee Brice, won Song of the Year in the 2013 Country Music Association Awards, 2014 Academy of Country Music Awards, and 2013 Nashville Songwriters Association International Awards. Alexander’s career skyrocketed with her song “The Climb,” which Miley Cyrus recorded for her box office hit Hannah Montana: The Movie. Earlier this year, Alexander released her third studio album, Decatur County Red.

Meredith Gordon Meredith Gordon (’87) is a professional clown. A founding member of Humorology Atlanta, he has worked as a hospital clown at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta for the past 20 years. In 2019, he went with Clowns Without Borders USA on a hurricane relief tour in the Bahamas following Hurricane Dorian. Gordon was one of only 10 artists nationwide chosen for the 2019 Tanne Foundation Awards, recognizing outstanding achievement in art, and the first to receive the honor as a clown.

G. Akard (’84),

Blountville, retired after 31 years with Sullivan County school system, including six as an assistant principal.

Susan Slea Freeman (’84),

Madison, joined Minneapolis-based St. Croix Hospice in the newly created role of chief operating officer. Freeman has spent more than 33 years in the post-care arena, including hospice.

Randall Hutto (’84),

Lebanon, was inducted into the Lebanon High School Sports Hall of Fame. Hutto, who is currently the mayor of Lebanon, spent 18 years at the school as a teacher and coach.

Cynthia Shrader Hill (’87),

Flintville, has published Web of Terror: A Short Story Collection, in collaboration with psychic Mark E. Fults, offering fictional accounts of eerie events and supernatural happenings.

Pat Warner (’87),

Murfreesboro, joined DVL Seigenthaler as vice president. Previously, he was the director of public relations and external affairs for Waffle House Inc.

Armondo Ramos (’88),

Tucson, Arizona, founded Hip to be Hemp LLC, which markets a 100% biodegradable HVAC filter called HempGuard.

1990s Roy Gifford (’92),

Villa Hills, Kentucky, joined Northern Kentucky University as assistant vice president of marketing and communications. In previous positions, Gifford led marketing and communications initiatives for such brands as Coca-Cola, Coors Light, and Jack Daniel’s.

Todd Payne (’92),

Decherd, received the 2019 VFW Citizenship and Patriotism in the Dan and Dawn Wilson In June 2014, at the Celebrates Festival in Englewood, with a box of 25 “Born & Raised” T-shirts that Dan Wilson (’06) had designed, The DW Designs apparel line was born. By October 2014, Dan and his wife, Dawn (’06), had their first wholesale account. For the next couple of years, the True Blue couple continued working day jobs while primarily selling their T-shirts online and through what would become 40 wholesale accounts (packaging orders out of their home at night after their young children went to bed). In August 2016, Dan was able to leave his day job and begin working for the brand full time. Dawn left her day job and joined DW full time in April 2017 when the couple opened their first brick-and-mortar store in Farragut. In March 2019, DW added a new store in the Bearden area of Knoxville. The DW Designs creates T-shirt designs that showcase state pride and a love for Tennessee.

Classroom award for the state of Tennessee (grades 9–12). This award is bestowed upon a teacher for generating patriotism and good citizenship values in their classroom. Payne is a U.S. history teacher at Franklin County High School.

Monique Umphrey (’92, ’96),

Houston, was named president of Houston Community College Northeast in Texas.

Angelique “Angie” Davis (’93),

Murfreesboro, was named executive director of Kymari House, which was founded in 2012 to provide supervised visitation, a safe environment, and a healthy connection for children separated from one or both of their parents due to safety risks within the home.

Stephanie Linkous (’93),

Cleveland, was appointed as CEO of United Way of the Ocoee Region. She previously served as president and CEO of United Way of McMinn and Meigs Counties.

Jeff Roberts (’93),

Brentwood, founder of Jeff Roberts & Associates, PLLC, accepted a position as an adjunct professor at Volunteer State Community College, teaching students who are interested in a future career in law.

Al Gaines (’95),

Nashville, joined the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum as senior director of information and technology.

Connie Foster (’96),

Woodbury, was named principal of the year by the Cannon County School District. Foster is principal of East Side School.

Brent Secrest (’96),

Houston, was elected executive vice president and chief commercial

officer for Enterprise Products Partners LP in Texas.

John Liehr (‘98),

Arrington, was promoted to administrative captain for the Smyrna Police Department. He joined the department in 1994 as a patrol officer.

Tara Scott Stone (’98),

Murfreesboro, was named executive director with the Heart of Tennessee Chapter of American Red Cross in Murfreesboro. She previously served as business operations specialist for the chapter.

Travis Lytle Sr. (’99),

Chattanooga, was appointed as director of community development and community reinvestment act officer for SmartBank.

Martin Murray (’99),

Warren, Michigan, joined Mahindra Electric as chief technology officer after 30 years with General Motors.

2000s Ericka Downing (’00),

Murfreesboro, is the new executive director of the Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Center. She Michael McDonald McDonald (’79), MTSU’s first black student government president, spent Spring 2020 enrolled in the Leadership Credentials Program, a new initiative being offered by the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The program is designed to enhance the skills, talents, and expertise of incumbent community leaders in both the public and private sectors. The Rev. Dr. Mc Donald also holds a Master of Public Administration from Southern Illinois University, a J.D. from the University of Illinois John Marshall School of Law, a Public Administration Program degree from the University of Tennessee Center for Government, and a Deacon Ordination Program degree from the Vanderbilt University School of Divinity.

has more than 20 years of experience supporting middle Tennessee judicial systems.

Heather Lewis Kent (’00),

Lascassas, was promoted to vice president, director of marketing, for Guaranty Home Mortgage Corp.

Heather Knox (’00, ’11),

Lascassas, a former fifth-grade mathematics teacher at Northfield Elementary who now serves as a Murfreesboro City Schools gifted specialist, received the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching, the nation’s highest honor for K–12 mathematics and science teachers. The awards program is administered by the National Science Foundation on behalf of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.

Michelle Travis (’00, ’04),

Hendersonville, was appointed as executive director of SkillsUSA, a leading career and technical student organization in America.

Neil Vance (’01),

Hendersonville, joined Collective Artist Management as a manager. He brings with him rising country star and BMLG/Valory Music Co. recording artist Tyler Rich.

Cindy Watts (’02),

Murfreesboro, a longtime Tennessean country music/celebrities reporter, is now manager of corporate communications for the AMG, an artist management company. Watts will serve as community liaison for the AMG in addition to handling corporate communications and providing in-house media support for all AMG artists. Clients include Brad Paisley and MTSU alum Chris Young.

Michael Novak (’03, ’06),

Murfreesboro, received his Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership Policy Analysis with a focus in higher education from East Tennessee State University. He served as director of the Confucius Institute at MTSU.

Natosha Haskins Benning (’04),

Las Vegas, joined the Art Department of the University of Nevada–Las Vegas a part-time Graphic Design instructor.

Gernell Jenkins (’04),

Murfreesboro, was promoted to superintendent at Patterson Park Community Center.

Matthew Patterson (’05),

Spring Hill, received a promotion to credit officer at First Farmers and Merchants Bank.

Neely Tabor (’05),

Nashville, is the group creative director at GS&F, responsible for all creative operations, staff supervision, and work production.

Jessica Yelverton Novak (’06, ’16),

Murfreesboro, received her Doctor of Education in Learning Organizations and Strategic Change from Lipscomb University. She is employed by Murfreesboro City Schools as an English as a second language educator.

Andrew Osantowske (’07),

Shepherdstown, West Virginia, is director of operations for Robotic Skies Inc., the global maintenance network for commercial unmanned aircraft systems.

John Stigall (’07) and

Sheila P. Umayam (’07, ’08),

college sweethearts at MTSU, recently relocated to Baltimore, where Stigall is a philosophy lecturer at Morgan State University and Umayam is a pediatric nurse practitioner at Kennedy Krieger Institute.

Scarlet Lanning Murphy

(’08,’14) and Jeff Murphy

(’12,’13),

Murfreesboro, opened Domenico’s Italian Deli on Murfreesboro’s historic downtown square.

Allen Buchanan (’09),

Franklin, was named a principal at Dowdle Construction, where he has worked for nine years managing and estimating projects.

Jessica Harrie (’09),

Columbus, Ohio, now serves as executive director of operations for the International Clarinet Association. She is also associate editor of The Clarinet Journal. A freelance clarinetist and

Shannan Hatch Global management, production, and business development company Fourward’s new publishing venture, Fourward Music, with offices in both Nashville and Los Angeles, tapped Hatch (’98) to serve as its new president. Hatch’s focus is to sign the most talented songwriters across all genres. Hatch spent 17 years at performing rights organization SESAC, most recently serving as vice president of creative services. Hatch also serves on the Southern Region’s Board of Governors for the T.J. Martell Foundation and as a director at large for the Academy of Country Music.

L.B. Rogers Rogers (’18) is project manager at MusicRow magazine, where in addition to other duties she manages the MusicRow Top Songwriter Chart and contributes editorial for both the print and online platforms. Rogers joined MusicRow full time in January 2019, after interning and working part time for the company for a year. teacher, Harrie served on the Artistic Leadership Team for ClarinetFest 2019.

2010s Zachary Barnes (’10, ’18),

Clarksville, is assistant professor of Special Education in the Teaching and Learning Department at Austin Peay State University.

Zane Martin (’10),

Franklin, joined ServisFirst Bank, a subsidiary of ServisFirst Bancshares Inc., as vice president, commercial banking/ private banking relationship manager, at the Nashville location.

Matt McMurtrey (’10),

Orlando, Florida, was promoted to senior associate at Lowndes, a multi-practice business law firm advising public and private businesses across multiple industries.

Justyne McCoy Noble (’10),

Franklin, published the first book of “The Feel Good Goats” series called Billy Gets His Beard. Noble and her husband, Dustin, run Nobles Springs Dairy, featuring a variety of goat milk products and also hosting special events such as farm tours, goat cuddling, goat yoga, and cheese tastings.

Esther Freeman (’11),

Kansas City, Missouri, joined Gresham Smith as a market analyst in the firm’s corporate and urban design studio.

Andrew Fishback (’12),

Tullahoma, was promoted to assistant vice president of compliance with Guaranty Home Mortgage Corp.

Derek Pedigo (’12),

Hendersonville, joined FirstBank as a relationship manager at the Goodlettsville financial center.

Taylor Fox (’13),

Memphis, was promoted to internal audit manager for Helena Agri-Enterprises LLC.

Amber Jackson (’13),

Providence, Rhode Island, opened The Black Leaf Tea and Culture Shop, where she shares her love Lane Mathews Mathews (’19) enjoyed working with Hear Technologies’ personal monitor mixing systems while he earned his B.S. in Audio Production at MTSU. Now he’s working with the team that designs them. Mathews first applied for an install technician position at Quantum Technologies Inc., the parent company of Hear Technologies. Shortly after, Hear Technologies contacted Mathews to offer him the position of technician in the pro audio group, based on his enthusiastic cover letter explaining his experience working with the Hear Back PRO system at MTSU.

Drew Lane Lane (’93), an Aerospace graduate, has been employed with Duck River Electric Membership Corp. for 25 years. In September 2019, he was promoted to district manager for the Shelbyville and Lynchburg area.

of loose-leaf teas while engaging the community and celebrating black history.

Lauren Nelson (’13),

Nolensville, was selected to lead marketing and communications for Ascension Saint Thomas. Nelson, who joined Saint Thomas as an intern in 2010 while attending MTSU, has been a marketing leader at Saint Thomas since 2015.

Annie Gibson Cotter (’14),

Murfreesboro, is now business development manager for Choice Media & Communications. She formerly was director of strategic engagement and stewardship for United Way of Rutherford and Cannon Counties.

Bryan Gilley (’14),

Hendersonville, is lead historic interpreter at Andrew Jackson’s Hermitage.

Edward Johnson III (’14),

Brookhaven, Georgia, works for Zoom Video Communications.

Chris Davis (’15),

Nashville, returned to WTVF-Channel 5 as a reporter.

Iva Lowe (’17),

Ardmore, was promoted to senior account assistant at Nashville-based music industry business management firm FBMM.

Lauren Lee (’18),

Nashville, earned a promotion to the newly created position of director of AMEND Together operations and domestic violence educator of YWCA Nashville and Middle Tennessee.

Sarah Powers (’19),

Nashville, joined BBR Music Group/BMG Nashville as an executive assistant. violence educator of YWCA Nashville and Middle Tennessee.

Email alumni@mtsu.edu to share your story.