Class Notes

Class Notes

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1970s

Dr. Howard Roberts ’78, founding dean of the Coleman College of Business, has been appointed to the Big Sandy Community & Technical College Board of Directors for a term of six years. Much of Roberts’ career has been focused on increasing economic opportunity in the region through education, innovation and collaboration. Roberts is actively engaged in the UPIKE Alumni Association Board of Directors, Southeast Kentucky Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, East Kentucky Advanced Manufacturing Institute Advisory Board, Kentucky Humanities Council Board of Directors, Jenny Wiley Theatre Board of Directors and the Pikeville Rotary Club.

1990s

Brandon Ball ’97 has been named head baseball coach at Dixon High School in Holly Ridge, N.C. Ball also serves as athletic director and teaches. A catcher for the Bears’ baseball team, Ball previously coached baseball at Pikeville High School and Pike County Central High School and coached football and baseball at Breckinridge County High School.

Following in his father’s footsteps, Kevin Justice will play baseball for UPIKE next season. “This day has been a dream of mine for a long time,” Kevin said. “I’m truly excited about having the opportunity to play for UPIKE.” The Pikeville High School senior standout is the son of Gary Justice ’97 and Katina Justice. Inducted in UPIKE’s Athletic Hall of Fame in 2004, Gary was a two-time Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (KIAC) all conference member, 1993 KIAC Conference Pitcher of the Year and was elected team captain in 1996. Justice, who earned his MBA from the Coleman College of Business in 2013, currently works as a senior biopharmaceutical representative with Amgen.

Donnie Akers, O.D., ’94 served as interim dean of the University of Pikeville’s Kentucky College of Optometry (KYCO) while a national search for the optometry school’s next dean was under way. Akers currently serves as associate dean for academic affairs, working as the chief reviewer and developer of the faculty and the academic curriculum for KYCO.

Brad Hall ’96, who led Kentucky Power’s economic development efforts since 2012, has been named vice president of external affairs for sister operating company Appalachian Power. In his new role, Hall is responsible for customer services, corporate communications, government affairs, economic development, community affairs and environmental issues covering Appalachian Power’s territories in Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia.

2000s

Robbie Spears ’09, a conservation officer with the Kentucky Department of Fish & Wildlife Resources, District 7, was honored as the Southeast Association Fish & Wildlife Agencies Officer of the Year. Selected by peers, the statewide award is a testament to the officer’s character, professionalism, quality of work and dedication to duty.

J.B. Smiley Jr. ’09 has been named one of “Twenty Young Memphians To Watch” by the Memphis Flyer. The weekly newspaper, which serves the greater Memphis area, publishes the list annually, highlighting young leaders who are shaping the city’s future. After earning his bachelor’s degree at UPIKE, Smiley, who played basketball for the Bears, went on to study law at the University of Arkansas. He practiced corporate law for a time and is currently the founding member of Smiley & Associates, PLLC.

Chamberlin’s journey through biblical history continues

Tommy Chamberlin ’96 will return to the Holy Land this summer serving on an archeological team excavating the ancient site in Israel known as Shiloh. Chamberlin, who is president of UPIKE’s Alumni Association, was pivotal in bringing the exhibit, “Khirbet el-Maqatir & A Journey through Biblical History,” to Pikeville in 2017.

Hosted by the City of Pikeville, Community Trust Bank and the university, the community exhibit featured 250 artifacts from ancient Israel, Jordan, Egypt and Syria. The artifacts represented biblical periods in history, from the time of Abraham, to Joshua’s conquest, ancient Babylon and the Second Temple era and time of Jesus. This year the university and Community Trust Bank are hosting “The World of Jesus” which features approximately 60 artifacts from the first century – the time of the New Testament.

The return trip to Israel will include Abigail Leavitt who, like Chamberlin, has worked on archeological digs in the past, along with fellow UPIKE scholarship recipients Sylvia Griffith and Laura Keeton. The group will work in areas of ancient Shiloh, dating from the Byzantine period circa 400 A.D., going back to the Canaanite period circa 1700 B.C.

Chamberlin noted that findings from the Israelite period would be of special interest due to the biblical reference of the site as a location of the Tabernacle of Moses.

“Shiloh is of special interest to biblical scholars as the final home of the famous tabernacle of the Israelites’ wilderness wanderings,” said Chamberlin. “For our UPIKE team to be involved in excavating a site with rich biblical history is an amazing opportunity for our small university. I’m excited to share this amazing lifetime experience with our two scholarship students, Sylvia and Laura.”

Visit UPIKE Alumni Association's Youtube page for videos from the trip.

2010s

Barbara Hanna Davis, D.O., KYCOM ’10 has joined Norton Vascular Surgery in Louisville, Ky. Davis completed her internship and surgical residency with St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center, Boston, Mass., and a fellowship with the University of Arizona Department of Vascular Surgery, Tucson, Ariz. She recently served as a member of the clinical teaching faculty with the University of Arizona School of Medicine. Dr. Davis is board certified in surgery.

Stephanie Stiltner ’10 has been named director of family connections at UPIKE. In that role, she will focus on building family engagement through the Office of Student Success. Family Connections is designed to be a resource, encouraging families to share and support their students’ UPIKE experiences. As a member of UPIKE’s public affairs team, Stiltner served as coordinator of public relations from 2009-2018.

Randa Newman ’10 is a reproductive genetic counselor and assistant in the department of obstetrics and gynecology, division of maternal fetal medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Her clinical focus is reproductive genetics in a high-risk setting with a special interest in prenatal diagnosis of fetal skeletal dysplasias. Newman is on the curriculum development committee for the Master of Genetic Counseling Program at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, which plans to matriculate students fall 2019, and is involved in learner education for medical students, residents and fellows. Newman also conducts clinical research. In her spare time, she hangs out with her dog and is in an acting studio in Nashville. She also likes to travel, paint and play the fiddle.

Business Lecture Series

Hensley shares path of service, success as financial advisor

J.C. Hensley ’04 has fond memories of his college days, “a time of growth,” he notes, highlighted by a Final Four appearance for the tennis team, the debut of Pikeville College bowling and football and the first graduating class of the college of osteopathic medicine.

Hensley, a financial/wealth advisor for Edward Jones Investments, offered words of wisdom, advice for success and thoughts about his journey at UPIKE during the Coleman College of Business’ leadership speaker series.

A business administration and finance major, Hensley began his career at Edward Jones in 2004, just after college. In 2010, he was named a limited partner with the firm, which has been recognized as one of the top five places to work in the U.S. Hensley has also served in the role of field trainer and mentor in helping train new financial advisors.

“In this career, I have an opportunity to make peoples’ lives better, whether they’re building a business, saving for their kids’ college or planning for retirement,” said Hensley. “Working at Edward Jones I’ve been given an opportunity to travel the globe, meet people and do something I really love.”

Hensley is married to Brooke McGehee Hensley KYCOM ʼ13.

U.S. Air Force Airman First Class Nicole Howe ’16 is an F-15 Eagle tactical aircraft maintainer. Her home station is RAF Lakenheath, United Kingdom. The Florence, Ky., native graduated with a degree in business management and was a member of the UPIKE women’s bowling team. She is hoping for an invitation to try out for the Air Force bowling team. “I truly love putting on the uniform each and every day,” said Howe. “I enlisted to build my military resume, to see if I liked this lifestyle, to gain leadership skills, travel the world and to be challenged far beyond anything I ever thought was possible. I’m so incredibly thankful for the opportunity to serve and for the way things have worked out thus far.”

Kaitlyn Welsh ’17 is an Inside Sales Associate for the San José Earthquakes, an American professional soccer team in San Jose, Calif. Before graduating, Welsh played two seasons of volleyball at UPIKE as a transfer from Diablo Valley College. In her career, she had 390 kills and 476 digs before transitioning to a student-coach role for the 2017 season.