11 minute read
Class Notes
1970s
Jo Ann Campbell Jeffries (’70), Horseshoe Bend, Idaho, published three new books: Astronaut Kids, Have You Seen Tucker?, and Loloa the Floppy Eared Puppy
Deborah Faulkner (’79), Franklin, was awarded the Chief Joe Casey Award from the Tennessee Association of Chiefs of Police, the organization’s top law enforcement award given annually in recognition of a chief of police who has served with distinction through their character, effort, and dedication. Faulkner is the police chief in Franklin.
1980s
Richard D. Pugh (’80, ’86), Las Vegas, recently retired from UCLA as an internal audit manager following 23 years of service to the university. Following his retirement, Pugh and his wife, Rachel, relocated from Los Angeles to begin the next chapter in their lives.
Joe Fisher
A veteran Nashville sportscaster and playby-play announcer, Fisher returned to his alma mater this season after Dick Palmer stepped down as the voice of the MTSU women’s basketball program. Fisher has four decades of experience in the Nashville market, including at Nashville Sports Radio, TV stations WKRN and WTVF, Tennessee Tech and Vanderbilt universities, and Dye, Van Mol, and Lawrence Public Relations.
1990s
Frank Elston (’90), Spring Hill, was appointed chief information officer for Crossroads Treatment Centers, tasked with improving patient care through innovative IT initiatives and streamlined processes.
Christine Grzybowski Potts, (’91, ’97), Columbia, was named the new principal of E.A. Cox Middle School. She has served in various educational leadership roles in her career, including as principal of Spring Hill High School.
Martina Suttle Harris (’92), Chattanooga, was inducted into the National League for Nursing Academy of Nursing Education. Harris is the dean of the Nursing and Allied Health Division at Chattanooga State Community College.
Jonathon Hawkins (’93, ’00), Murfreesboro, was appointed director of alumni and development at the Webb School in Bell Buckle.
Capt. Jennifer Bowden
When Bowden’s parents took her to a Coast Guard Festival in Grand Haven, Michigan, during a summer break from college in the early 1990s, Bowden (’94) knew she wanted to join the U.S. Coast Guard. Bowden was contemplating how and where to pursue ministry at that time, but the Coast Guard didn’t have chaplains then—it used Navy chaplains. Fast forward to July 2024, and Bowden became the 13th chaplain of the Coast Guard and the first woman to hold the role.
Bowden was ordained in the United Methodist Church (North Georgia Conference) as an elder in 2001, joined the Navy shortly after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and served around the world in a variety of Navy and Marine Corps commands (including deployments to Iraq, Japan, and throughout the Pacific) as a Navy chaplain. Her first Coast Guard posting was in 2004 at the Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut. In addition, she’s served at First Coast Guard District, Sector Southeastern New England, and most recently as Coast Guard District Eight chaplain.
Along the way, she has assisted survivors of hurricanes and offered counseling and pastoral services to Coast Guard first responders and others who witnessed the tragic events of the Boston Marathon bombing in 2013, among other experiences. Now in Washington, D.C., at Joint Base Anacostia–Bolling, she leads a team of active duty, reserve, and auxiliary chaplains throughout the Coast Guard dedicated to serving the moral, spiritual, and mental health needs of the workforce and their families.
Kevin Armstrong (’95), Antioch, principal of DuPont Hadley Middle School, was named president of the National Association of Elementary School Principals Board of Directors.
Renita Wade (’96), Murfreesboro, was named adjunct professor in the School of Journalism and Strategic Media at MTSU.
Nina Joines (’97), Murfreesboro was recognized by BestAgents.US a s a 2024 Top Agent. She is a licensed realtor with Parks Compass Real Estate.
Marisa Massey (’99), Columbia, was named principal of Randolph Howell Elementary STEM School. She previously served for 13 years as Marvin Wright Elementary's principal and has almost three decades of overall experience teaching and working in Maury County Schools.
2000s
Janet Aaron, (’00, ’23), Lawrenceburg, was named dean of students at South Lawrence School.
John Strickland (’00), Murfreesboro, was promoted to effective utility management coordinator with the Murfreesboro Water Resources Department, where he initiates, monitors, and measures the department’s performance in accordance with the attributes of effective utility management and serves as a technical resource in water and wastewater treatment operations, process evaluation, and data management.
Darren Buck (’01), Arrington, was promoted to principal at executive search firm Caldwell’s Nashville office. Buck has more than 17 years of experience recruiting senior leaders within private equity-backed health care services, medical device, health care systems, and health care technology organizations across multiple functions, including CEO, chief financial officer, and chief operating officer, as well as sales leadership roles. He joined Caldwell’s Life Sciences and Healthcare Practice as a consultant in 2019 after successful leadership roles within Fortune 50 organizations and leading a regional firm as managing partner for more than seven years.
Melanie Blair Riddick (’01), Murfreesboro, was promoted to director of accounting operations at Miller Tanner Associates.
Cindy Watts (’02), Smyrna, joined American Songwriter as senior writer, leading Nashville insider beats. Watts spent more than 20 years reporting on country music, with the bulk of her career with the USA Today Network.
Jon Hathcock (’03), Fayetteville, is the new associate director of Madison Baptist Association. Hathcock previously served as children’s pastor at Calvary Baptist Church in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, as well as pastor of East Athens Baptist Church and Fayetteville First Baptist Church.
Nicole L. Stirbens (’04), Murfreesboro, was appointed principal of Daniel-McKee A lternative School.
Meredith Walker Gilliland (’05, ’18), Christiana, was promoted to principal of Eakin Elementary School.
B J Kerstiens (’06), Murfreesboro, was promoted to senior vice president of services for Vortex Companies, a leading provider of trenchless infrastructure rehabilitation products and services.
Brad Hutson (’07), Pleasant View, was named principal of Northeast High School in Clarksville.
M’Lisa Bryant Miffleton (’07, ’09), Murfreesboro, is the new principal of Northfield Elementary. She was assistant principal at Northfield Elementary since 2020 and previously assistant principal at Eagleville, Homer Pittard Campus, and McFadden schools.
Marybeth Stanbrough (’07), Murfreesboro, completed her Master of Jurisprudence in Compliance and Enterprise Risk Management from Loyola University Chicago School of Law.
Todd Shipley
Shipley (’09) was named program director for the Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation. The 501(c)(3) organization established in 1996 by Michael Kamen, composer for the motion picture Mr. Holland’s Opus , donates musical instruments to music programs where students have access to a music curriculum but lack the resources and support base to adequately keep up with equipment loss due to attrition, depreciation, and wear over time. Shipley previously served as director of arts education for the Tennessee Department of Education, where he launched the Tennessee Arts Education Data Project, a $1 million music education grant program. He also created the Tennessee Arts Education Network and implemented a first-of-its-kind statewide arts education landscape study with the collaboration of the Musicians Hall of Fame and the CMA Foundation in Nashville. Shipley previously served as a middle and high school band director and music teacher in the Nashville area, earning distinction as the recipient of the inaugural CMA Foundation Music Teacher of Excellence award in 2016. He was also named a Metro Nashville Public Schools Blue Ribbon Teacher in 2018. While the Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation is based in California, Shipley works remotely from Nashville and remains active in arts education both locally and nationwide.
Matthew M. Smith (’09), Nashville, was selected by Captive International as one of the 2024 honorees for its 40 under 40 awards list in the captive insurance industry. A senior account manager for Strategic Risk Solutions, Smith focuses on the management of a portfolio of captive insurance companies domiciled in Tennessee and other locations throughout the Eastern U.S. He began with Strategic Risk Solutions in 2017 as a CPA with more than 10 years of accounting experience, including as an audit manager with Crowe Horwath, where he oversaw the audit of more than 60 831(b) captive insurance companies and several GAAP and statutory-based audits of traditional property and casualty insurance companies.
2010s
Christine Gillett (’12), North Richland Hills, Texas, was promoted to sales and events manager at Fort Worth’s Will Rogers M emorial Center.
Kayleigh Shoemaker (’13), Antioch, was promoted to director of public programs at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. Since joining the museum in 2017, she has served in many roles, most recently as senior public programs manager.
Jeff Lysyczyn
Lysyczyn (’14), was appointed as the first executive director of the nonprofit Rutherford Arts Alliance (RAA), founded to promote and preserve the arts in Rutherford County. A veteran of the music business, he spent more than 25 years as an artist manager, major label employee, public relations and marketing consultant, and staff songwriter.
Lysyczyn co-founded Big Show Music Co. in 2007, which reinvigorated the careers of several veteran recording artists as well as launched the careers of many developing talents such as Joe Diffie, Alex Williams, Lorrie Morgan, Raul Malo, Restless Heart, Mickie James, and others. In his new position, he’ll be able to assist a whole new generation of artists from a wide variety of mediums and styles.
Sarah Poss (’14), Watertown, was promoted to director of retail banking at First Freedom Bank.
Haley Adams (’15), Murfreesboro, was promoted to vice president of marketing and communications at the United Way of Rutherford and Cannon Counties.
Emily Peoples (’15), Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, joined Chernoff Newman as media supervisor, digital lead, based in its Charleston, South Carolina, office.
Sara Cardona
Cardona (’16) was named the main sports anchor and reporter for Miami’s WTVJ, a television station owned and operated by NBC. The bilingual broadcast journalist began her new role in June 2023. She also contributes to sports coverage on WSCV (Telemundo 51). Cardona previously covered University of Kentucky and University of Florida athletics in Lexington, Kentucky, and Gainesville, Florida, respectively.
Kelsey Hoggard (’16), Knoxville, is owner and creative director of Voyage Productions, a designdriven production company specializing in video content that improves sales and increases engagement for its clients. Hoggard is an animator, designer, and producer specializing in the advertising and film industries. Her work focuses on visual storytelling for brands through the creative use of animation and motion design.
Tyler Smith (’16, ’18), Franklin, completed a Ph.D. in Earth System Science at Auburn University, focusing on geoscience education, environmental geology, and environmental psychology.
Joel Norris (’18), Old Hickory, joined the communications team at the Tennessee Electric Cooperative Association as digital media manager. Norris served in the U.S. Army for four years with tours in South Korea and Iraq, earning the Army Commendation Medal and a Purple Heart.
2020s
Andrew Carpenter (’21, ’22), Brentwood, was appointed member engagement manager by the Nashville Health Care Council. In his new role, Carpenter will be responsible for prospecting new members while also engaging early to mid-level careerists within the Leadership Health Care program. This role will involve building and maintaining strong relationships with council members, stakeholders, and investors.
Katelyn Sanders (’22), Winchester, was inducted into the Marquis Who’s Who biographical registry. Sanders has served as the airport manager at Winchester Municipal Airport since 2023. She was previously airport manager at Smithville Municipal Airport.
Carlee Heming (’23), Murfreesboro, joined PLA Media, a Nashvillebased, full-service public relations and marketing company, as a publicist.
Leonie Beu and Alaba Akintola
Beu (’24) and Akintola (’23), two recent Blue Raider track and field competitors, represented their countries in the 2024 Paris Olympics along with current MTSU sophomore sprinter John Sherman.
Beu, the fastest woman from Papua New Guinea who reached the 100-meter semifinals in Paris, established a national record of 11.73 seconds earlier in the year.
Akintola competed in the 4x100-meter relay, the first time in 16 years that the Nigerian men qualified for the event.
Sherman, a LaVergne High graduate whose late father’s family immigrated from Liberia, was part of a 4x100 squad that set a Liberian record at the 2023 African Games.
