Class Notes

1960s

James H. “Jim” Hughes (’67),

Monterey, Virginia, was inducted into the National Association of State and Territorial Apprenticeship Directors (NASTAD) Hall of Fame on Sept. 13. He was selected by the commonwealth of Virginia as a 2022 Hall of Fame recipient. His professional career included: manager, training, the Apprentice School of Newport News Shipbuilding; president, American Apprenticeship Round Table; and gubernatorial appointment to chair, Virginia Apprenticeship Council, 1994–98.

Jim Free

The Kappa Sigma Fraternity awarded Free (’69, ’72), pictured above, the U.S. Sen. John G. Tower Distinguished Alumni Award, considered one of the highest honors alumni can receive within the national fraternity. Established in 1995, this award honors Kappa Sigma brothers who have shown a commitment to their business, family, church, philanthropy, and community activities. It is named for the late John G. Tower, a Kappa Sigma member and U.S. senator from Texas, who served on the Kappa Sigma Supreme Executive Committee for six years and was Worthy Grand Master in 1971–73. Free is a 1969 initiate and Founding Father of the Kappa-Iota Chapter of Kappa Sigma at MTSU, the first college fraternity on campus.

He served as staff to the speaker of the Tennessee House of Representatives and, in 1977, began serving in the Carter White House as special assistant to the president for congressional affairs. For decades since, Free has represented major global companies in such areas as energy, entertainment, communications, health care, financial services, and transportation. A lifelong country music fan and collector, Free recently donated his vast collection of unique music industry artifacts collected over the years to MTSU.

1970s

Ashley Smith Jr. (’72),

Cleveland, was presented the Distinguished Service Award at the Tennessee Association of Middle Schools annual conference. Smith served as a principal at Cleveland Middle School for 17 years. Upon his retirement from Cleveland City Schools, he became director of teacher education at Lee University and initiated the middle grades preparation program.

Alan Clark (’75),

Estill Springs, was selected as the 109th district governor for Rotary District 6780. Clark will serve a one-year term until June 30. Rotary International is a service organization dating back to 1905.

1980s

Kevin Arnold (’82),

Smyrna, retired as chief of the Smyrna Police Department after 15 years in the position. Arnold joined the Smyrna police force in 1989, starting off as a patrol officer. He was promoted to the rank of major five years later after working numerous assignments and investigations. In 1997, Arnold graduated from the FBI National Academy; he was appointed to the role of assistant chief that same year. Susan West (’81), Mount Juliet, was appointed executive vice president of administration and chief of staff for Belmont University. West has been with Belmont for more than 33 years.

Ronald Roberts

A managing partner of global marketing agency Finn Partners, Roberts (’84, ’91) was elected new president of the MTSU Foundation. He will serve a two-year term that ends in June 2024. Roberts is a former assistant director of public relations at MTSU, later moving to the Mass Communications faculty. Prior to his MTSU tenure, he worked as assistant producer at The Nashville Network (TNN).

The MTSU Foundation was established in 1961 as a 501(c)(3) taxexempt organization and is managed by a volunteer board of trustees and staffed by MTSU employees. The foundation’s primary function is to receive and acknowledge private gifts to the University.

Joseph Whelan (’87),

Nashville, was appointed senior vice president and general manager of Round Hill Music Nashville.

1990s

Roy Gifford (’92),

Villa Hills, Kentucky, was named vice president and chief marketing and communications officer at Cleveland State University in Ohio. Formerly he was associate vice president and chief marketing officer at Northern Kentucky University. During his time at MTSU, Gifford was a four-year starter on the football team.

Jeff Ballard (’93),

Brentwood, was appointed president of Delta Dental of Tennessee. Ballard joined Delta as chief financial officer in 2015. He was named a 2020 CFO of the Year by the Nashville Business Journal and was recognized again in 2021 with CFO of the Year in the Health Care Innovation Awards.

Vanessa Alderson (’94),

Columbia, was nominated for the 2021 NAACP Women’s History Month Phenomenal Woman award and the 2022 Women of Influence Award from the Nashville Business Journal. An educational assistant at Randolph Howell Elementary STEM School, she received the 2020 COVID-19 Essential Workers Badge of Honor from Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority SER. She also received the 2016 Humanitarian Award from the E. Trice Scholarship Program and is celebrating 40 years since her crowning as Miss Black MTSU.

Greg Lunsford (’97),

Harrisburg, Virginia, was hired as Greene County’s director of water and sewer. Before moving to Virginia, Lunsford worked in the Ocean Reef Public Safety Department in Key Largo, Florida, and then as an assistant community manager for Ocean Reef.

2000s

Nic Dugger (’00),

Nashville, was appointed chief marketing officer for Live Media Group Holdings (LMGH), where he will oversee marketing and communications for the company’s five divisions, including Live Mobile Group, Lyon Video, and TNDV. Dugger founded TNDV in October 2004, and over 15 years grew the company from a single-truck operation to a 10-truck fleet. He developed a full crew of production professionals over that same period, gaining strong brand recognition as a mobile production leader for live television, entertainment, worship, and corporate event services throughout the U.S. He has continued to lead the TNDV division following LMGH’s acquisition of his company in 2019. Dugger, who first gained real-world experience as the student television station manager at MTSU, has since received 14 Emmy Awards for live production, technical achievements, and directing at TNDV.

Scott Cook

The Tennessee Board of Regents appointed Cook (’01) president of Dyersburg State Community College. Previously provost of Madisonville Community College in Kentucky, Cook also served a stint as senior administrator and professor at Motlow State Community College.

Patience Long (’01),

Murfreesboro, was named executive director of the Tennessee Association of Optometric Physicians. She formerly was executive director of the Murfreesboro Center for the Arts.

Anna Maddox (’01),

Rockvale, has joined LBMC Employment Partners as chief human resources officer.

Ben Wilkinson

An MTSU History alumnus, Wilkinson (’01) recently channeled his passion for history into action by successfully proposing a new Nashville historical marker for pinup icon and Nashville native Bettie Page. “Her importance in our pop culture history is immeasurable,” Wilkinson said. “Everyone from artists, actors, photographers, models, and even musicians have sung the praises of the impact that Bettie has had on pop culture . . . and she deserves the recognition!”

It was an MTSU Topics in Southern Studies course focused on the history of women in the South that first led to Wilkinson’s discovery about Page’s being a local. He credited his True Blue education for preparing him to complete the rigorous proposal process. Wilkinson told Rutherford Source that he is already at work on a second historical marker, this one recognizing a “legendary magician from Nashville” from the 1940s to the 1960s.

Zack Bennett (’03),

Smyrna, was elevated to assistant program director at WSM-AM Nashville. Bennett’s resume includes stints as assistant program director at Talk WVNN-AM/ Huntsville, Alabama, and Sports/Talk WGFX-FM (104.5 The Zone) in Nashville, where he was a midday producer. He joined the air staff of WSM-FM in 2012.

Scott Griswold (’03, ’06),

Knoxville, was appointed clerk and master of the Knox County Chancery Court, managing the administrative functions of the court and overseeing the administration of probate matters. Griswold is a shareholder with Long, Ragsdale & Waters P.C. and has been in private practice since 2008. Prior to starting private practice, he served as a judicial law clerk to then-Tennessee Supreme Court Chief Justice William M. Barker. Griswold also is an assistant examiner for the Tennessee Board of Law Examiners and a fellow of the Knoxville Bar Foundation.

Carlandria Hayes (’03),

Rex, Georgia, was named membership director at the DeKalb Chamber of Commerce.

Robert Russell (’04),

San Francisco, joined Rutan & Tucker LLP as a senior counsel in the corporate group. Russell, who is also a CPA, represents businesses and individuals for tax planning, tax controversy, and transactional tax services. He is the current chair of the American Institute of CPAs International Tax Technical Resource Panel.

Jon Blankenship (’05),

Franklin, became partner at Market Retrievers, a boutique marketing and consulting firm in Nashville offering marketing strategies and implementation solutions to clients in the insurance and risk management space and to local nonprofits.

Jennifer Tipton (’05),

Maryville, is the new principal at Walland Elementary. She was previously assistant principal of Mary Blount Elementary School.

Audrey Chamberlain (’06),

Burns, was promoted to coordinator for special education with Dickson County Schools, where she has worked for the past 14 years.

Jacob Pratt (’06, ’14),

Spring, Texas, joined Vision RNG as senior director, strategic accounts and virtual pipeline solutions. With more than a decade of experience in developing projects across the U.S., Pratt was previously vice president of sales and business development for Morrow Energy in the landfill gas sector and vice president of renewable natural gas for Certarus Ltd.

Elliott Brown (’07),

Nashville, was promoted to treasurer and vice president of finance and investor relations for LifePoint Health. Brown joined the company in 2010, most recently serving as vice president of finance since 2018. During his nearly 12 years with LifePoint, Brown has been responsible for its consolidated financial reporting functions and has served as a key member of the financial leadership team. He previously worked for Ernst & Young LLP as senior associate, assurance services.

Dan Weisse (’07),

Oshkosh, Wisconsin, was named head boys basketball coach of Oshkosh West High School. Weisse is a 1999 Oshkosh West graduate and is in the school’s athletic hall of fame. Most recently, he was head men’s basketball coach at the University of Minnesota–Crookston.

Tonja Williams (’07),

Antioch, was appointed new head of school of New Hope Academy. With more than 25 years of experience in education, Williams joins New Hope from the esteemed Head Middle Magnet School of Mathematics and Science in Metro Nashville Public Schools, where she served as executive principal for nine years. Prior to her appointment to Head Magnet, she served as the academic and curriculum principal at Glencliff High School and worked for seven years as assistant principal for Nashville School of the Arts. In 2019, Williams launched Peace, Love & Pearls, a mentoring program designed to equip middle school girls with tools and coping strategies to help them succeed in work and life. In 2020, she launched Power, Strength, and Purpose, a mentoring program designed to help young men recognize their inner power, strength, and purpose.

Daniel Clements (’08, ’12),

Smyrna, joined the Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance Captive Insurance Section as assistant director. A certified public accountant since 2016, Clements has extensive risk-focused examination experience in both the private and public sectors.

Alex Favazza, (’09),

Bartlett, is an assistant professor of music and head of the Division of the Arts at Southwest Baptist University in Boliver, Missouri.

Lance McAllister (’09),

Woodbury, was named the exceptional education coordinator for secondary instruction in Wilson County Schools.

Richard Miller III (’09),

LaVergne, joined the law office of Charles R. Frazier as the tax matters lead. He is a CPA with extensive experience in tax planning and compliance.

Patrick Nowlin

Nowlin (’09, ’10) was named the University of Notre Dame’s senior associate athletics director for business innovation and revenue generation. He joined the Fighting Irish after spending the last six years at the University of Oklahoma, most recently as senior associate athletics director for fan engagement.

2010s

Megan Bynum (’10, ’12),

Murfreesboro, a financial advisor for Harvest Wealth Group, was recognized as one of InvestmentNews’ 40 Under 40.

Monique Richard

Richard (’10) was named spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. In her new role, Richard represents a group of more than 112,000 members that touts itself as the world’s largest association of food and nutrition professionals. Richard, who was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes in 2005, balances her responsibilities to the academy with her own nutrition counseling and consulting service.

Martrell Harris (’13, ’21),

Nashville, was named by Big Brothers Big Sisters of Middle Tennessee to oversee the strategy and implementation of all marketing and communications efforts. Harris previously served as the director of digital marketing and promotion for Mount Zion Nashville.

Dustin Stoltzfus

Stoltzfus (’14) is a professional mixed martial artist who is signed with the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He lives in Germersheim, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. At MTSU, Stoltzfus majored in Foreign Languages with a concentration in German and minored in Economics. From 2014–18, he attended Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz in Germany, where he earned his master’s degree in translation. He made his professional MMA debut at “We Love MMA 10” in Germany in November 2014, where he defeated Kyril Kolomcec via split decision.

In 2017, even as his career was continuing, he began working for Wordflow Translation and Software Localization in Heidelberg, Germany, as a translation intern. In the same year, he started working as a freelance translator providing Germanto-English translation, proofreading, and transcription services for both national and global organizations in Mannheim, Germany.

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, he opened his own small training facility in Germersheim. In November 2020, six days after his 29th birthday, he made his UFC debut at “UFC 255” in the U.S. He lost via unanimous decision to Kyle Daukaus. His professional record, as of September 2022, is 14 wins and 5 losses.

Allie Knight and Emily Miller

Two former MTSU golfers secured spots in the 2023 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship at Baltusrol Golf Club in Springfield, New Jersey. The event will feature the best players in women’s golf playing at the historic A.W. Tillinghastdesigned Lower Course.

Knight (’15), shown in top photo, has been playing professionally on the LPGA’s Symetra Tour since 2016. She previously qualified for the 2021 and 2022 LPGA KPMG Women’s Championships. While at MTSU, she had one individual win and helped lead the golf team to its first women’s conference championship.

Miller (’16), who was voted first team All-Conference USA her senior year, also recently qualified for the event.

Ranesa Stafford Shipman (’15),

Lebanon, was appointed principal for Scales Elementary School in Murfreesboro. Shipman has more than 10 years of experience as a teacher and assistant principal with Wilson County Schools, serving as an administrator at the elementary, middle, and high school levels.

Lindsay Will (’18),

Nashville, was promoted to director of A&R (artists and repertoire) at Round Hill Music Nashville. She joined Round Hill in January 2021 after starting her career at Liv Write Play.

Zach McCrary (’19),

Readyville, was named assistant coach of the Cumberland University women’s basketball team. McCrary spent the last three seasons as an assistant coach at Lindsey Wilson College.

Ansley Pearson (’19),

Chattanooga, joined Science Applications International Corp. as a multimedia design analyst.

2020s

Peyton DePriest

Former MTSU soccer star DePriest (’22) signed a contract to play professional soccer with AS Saint-Etienne of D1 Feminine, the top-flight women’s soccer league in France. The Conference USA Player of the Year in 2018 and the three-time C-USA Offensive Player of the Year (and two-time Academic All-American) is the Blue Raiders’ all-time goals leader with 58.

Presley Hosford (’22),

Murfreesboro, joined the Cannon County Child Advocacy Center as community education coordinator. Hosford is a certified family life educator, and her experience and dedication to protecting children and families made her the perfect fit for the center’s small team. In her new role, Hosford’s job is to train adults how to recognize the signs and symptoms of child sexual abuse.