Alumni Notes

1950s

Peggy Gordon Miller ’59, Volga, South Dakota, was inducted into the South Dakota Hall of Fame in September. Peggy served as president of South Dakota State University from 1998-2006.

1960s

Dot Couch Watson ’62, Tullahoma, Tennessee, has a lifetime of service to others, from being a teacher to a nurse to now a volunteer. She established Partners for Healing — a primary care clinic offering free services to the uninsured. And now she serves as vice president for The Literacy Council. 

William E. Davis ’64, Carson City, Nevada, visited campus in November when he was in Lexington for the Kentucky Book Festival. He spoke to professor Don Dugi’s Legal Systems class and met with professor Steve Hess’ Peace Corps prep students. Bill discussed his book “In Service to Justice,” which details stories from his life, adventures and lessons learned. 

William “Bill” J. Meers ’64, Louisville, Kentucky, has retired after 30 years as a civil servant. He is back in Kentucky after spending three years in Naples, Italy, followed by 25 years in Kettering, Ohio. He looks forward to reconnecting with fellow alumni.

James W. Purdom ’65, Broomfield, Colorado, was presented the Chinese government’s Friendship Award, China’s highest award given to foreign experts, in 2023. Jim is responsible for significant work in the development of meteorological satellites for China and other countries across Asia-Oceania. He spent almost 30 years working for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service. He was the NOAA lead during the genesis of the Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere at Colorado State University and remained for 17 years as NESDIS’s Regional and Mesoscale Meteorology Branch chief. He also served as director of the NESDIS Office of Research and Applications, where he worked with NASA to form the NOAA/NASA Joint Center for Satellite Data Assimilation. Jim remains senior research scientist emeritus through CIRA/CSU.

1970s

Barry Bronson ’70, Lexington, visited Monte Carlo in May to catch up with Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity brother Donald Manasse ’71. Barry, now retired, had visited Monaco for several years while working as director of sports marketing at Valvoline Inc. to leverage the brand’s sponsorship in the World Rally Championship, which kicked off its season in Monte Carlo. Donald has been an attorney in Monaco for more than 30 years.

Wyatt L. Gragg ’70, Prospect, Kentucky, is an outstanding sculptor with an even more amazing story. Wyatt graduated with a degree in biology and education, but during his recovery process from a brain surgery, he decided to get creative. He now has a plethora of paintings and sculptures all over the country, touching the lives of those who encounter his work.

Stuart B. Bonnington, ’71, Clarksville, Tennessee, teaches tai chi and qigong in Clarksville, where he continues to pursue the elusive fame of a musical career.

Edward L. Zuroweste ’71, Clinton, New York, represented Transylvania at the Hamilton College president’s inauguration in New York on Sept. 28.

Stephen Radway ’73, Waterford, Connecticut, retired to a new home in Maine after 25 years with Snap On Tools. He has a new grandchild.

Warren Andres ’75, Simpsonville, South Carolina, retired from BMW Manufacturing Corporation in May 2020.

Deborah Clubb ’76, Memphis, Tennessee, celebrated 20 years as executive director of the Memphis Area Women’s Council, a nonprofit dedicated to advocacy for women and changing policies to assure safety, justice and equity. She coordinates the Memphis Says NO MORE campaign to end domestic violence and sexual assault and co-founded Women of Achievement, which has recognized local women for change-making leadership annually since 1984, documenting and archiving the stories of 278 individuals and three groups to assure their place in history via published books and womenofachievement.org.

Bruce Johnson ’78, Danville, Kentucky, James Graham Brown Professor of Economics at Centre College, was featured on the podcast “The Academic Minute.” He spoke about his research on determining if the economic benefits of public investments in large stadiums were worth it — spoiler alert — he says, for the most part, no.

Mark C. Green ’79, Homosassa, Florida, has joined Chief Outsiders as the chief sales officer, He is helping CEOs of midsize companies grow their businesses by providing sales expertise on a fractional basis.

1980s

Jeffrey D. Rogers ’81, Lexington, published his fifth coffee table book, “Kentucky: Heart of the Bluegrass.” It’s available on Etsy.com.

James V. Hall ’81, Amsterdam, the Netherlands, won two Angel Film Awards at Monaco International Film Festival in December. His screenplay “The Outrageous Life of Henry Faulkner” was named Best Independent Spirit Screenplay and Best Epic Drama. 

Brian Hughes ’82, Lexington, Transylvania Alumni Board member, was spotlighted as a Lexington Habitat for Humanity volunteer. He estimates he’s been volunteering with Lexington Habitat for 15-20 years. “I’ve picked up so many skills — much more than just swinging a hammer,” he said. But his favorite thing about volunteering with the group? The incredible friendships he has formed along the way. 

Joanie O’Bryan ’82, Bowling Green, Kentucky, is serving in a newly created role of development officer at LifeWorks for autism. She will play a pivotal role in cultivating partnerships with businesses and individuals to secure financial support for LifeWorks and the Bridge to Independence Scholarship Fund. LifeWorks is a supportive learning community for autistic young adults as they transition to independent living and employment.

Brett Kitchen ’86, Washington, D.C., is the owner and publisher of Greet Del Ray magazine in Alexandria, Virginia.

Richard Medley ’88, Louisville, Kentucky, and members of his team at Louisville Surgery Center performed their first ureteroscopy using the new Thulio laser earlier this year.

1990s

Rena A. Hallam ’90, Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, is director of the Delaware Institute for Excellence in Early Childhood and a professor of human development and family sciences at the University of Delaware’s College of Education and Human Development. Earlier this year, she was appointed as interim dean for the college. 

Dawn J. Wilson ’90, Louisville, Kentucky, served as grand marshal in the Kentuckiana Pride Parade this year. Dawn is education chairperson for the Louisville Metro Human Relations Commission, a minister and professional fencer. 

Jeff Brumfield ’92, Seminole, Florida, received special recognition from HCA Florida Largo Hospital for a new surgery he performed, the first in his area to do so. Jeff assisted a patient with a new minimally invasive pacemaker — wire-and-chest-incision free. He’s a board certified cardiologist and clinical cardiac electrophysiologist.

Christopher S. Dillard ’92, Milledgeville, Georgia, is starting a six-month master dog trainer certification course at Highland Canine School in January. It’s the beginning of a new career and a dream come true. Upon graduation, he’ll be certified as a trainer in dog obedience, service dogs, police/K-9 and search and rescue dogs.  

Amy Shearer Lingo ‘92, Statesboro, Georgia, is the Dean of the College of Education at Georgia Southern University.

Shannan Stamper ’94, Lexington, was selected by Leadership Kentucky as a member of its 2024 class, which included 52 participants from across the commonwealth representing a variety of public and private sectors. Shannan currently serves as deputy general counsel for academics, finance, students and athletics at the University of Kentucky. She also is a member of Transylvania’s Board of Regents.

Cynthia G. Ice ’96, Fishers, Indiana, was selected to represent the Defense Finance and Accounting Service in the competitive Department of Defense Executive Leadership Development Program for 2024-25. In the program, she will travel to military bases in the Pacific and the U.S. to experience what the military does to help prepare for leading the Department of Defense through emerging challenges. 

W. Justin McDonald ’96, Burleson, Texas, represented Transylvania at the Brite Divinity School presidential inauguration on Nov. 2.

Suniti S. Mujumdar ’97, Lexington, is the social innovation program director at UK Innovate — the innovation, entrepreneurship and economic enterprise for University of Kentucky Research.

Jennifer L. Price ’97, Georgetown, Kentucky, is the new executive director of the Kentucky Governor’s Scholars Program. She has held every position in the organization since her days as a student in the program.

Emily Damron Northcutt ’98, Frankfort, Kentucky, was honored by KET’s All Stars program, which celebrates exceptional educators across the state who are making a profound impact in the lives of their learners and within their communities. Emily is a librarian with Marnel C. Moorman School in Shelby County. Last year, she was named Outstanding Librarian of the Year by the Kentucky Association of School Librarians and received the Kentucky Library Association’s Excellence in Teaching award. 

Katie Wilson Conrad ’99, Miami, Florida, is the executive director of scholarships and Financial Aid at Georgia Institute of Technology.

Joseph B. Williams ’99, Raleigh, North Carolina, has been promoted to director of the Addiction Medicine Program at the Department of Psychiatry, UNC-Chapel Hill School of Medicine. Joseph, a clinical associate professor, is also director of the Addiction Medicine Fellowship Program, assistant director of the Forensic Psychiatry Fellowship Program and director of Correctional Psychiatry at UNC-CH. He is triple-board certified in addiction medicine, forensic psychiatry and adult psychiatry.

2000s

Laura A. Rice ’00, Louisville, Kentucky, a realtor, was recognized on the RealTrends 2024 list of America’s Best Individual Agents by Volume.

Kyle M. Sadler ’00, Louisville, Kentucky, is the vice president, regional market access – east, for Option Care Health.

Erin Moran Keltner ’01, Lexington, was promoted to president of KVC West Virginia in July. She will have been with KVC for 20 years in January and has held numerous roles, from clinician to director to vice president. Erin is also currently serving as the vice chair for the board of the National Family Focused Treatment Association. 

Sean C. McNichol ’01, Elizabethtown, Kentucky, assumed command of the 304th Expeditionary Signal Battalion – Enhanced on May 29. The 304th Expeditionary ESB-E is the U.S. Army’s only tactical communications unit forward deployed in the Republic of Korea. The unit’s mission provides tactical communications support to United Nations Command, Combined Forces Command, U.S. Forces Korea, Eighth Army and non-DOD U.S. government organizations within the Korean peninsula. 

William C. Bradford ’02, Lexington, is the assistant superintendent of school leadership for Fayette County Public Schools. With 21 years of experience as an educator and leader at the elementary, middle and high school levels, William has served for the past two years as one of two chief middle school leadership officers in the district.

James H. Rock Jr. ’02, Spring Hill, Tennessee, is the vice president of asset management and capital investment at Highmark Holdings, a private equity real estate developer and investor in Nashville.

Miranda Clapp Wyles ’02, Paris, Kentucky, who has served as a member of CASA of Lexington since 2017, won the Governor’s Service Award for volunteering in 2020 and was the 2023 Bourbon and the Bayou honoree. She was also one of the main reasons CASA expanded into Bourbon County when it did, and she kickstarted the movement to help CASA expand to seven counties.

Shannon Board Kisselbaugh ’03, Louisville, Kentucky, is serving as president-elect of the Charitable Gift Planners of Kentuckiana. She is the executive director of Park Community Credit Union Foundation.

Magan McFadden Gaddis ’04, Adairville, Kentucky, has been with the Kentucky Department of Education Office of Special Education and Early Learning Transition Education Unit as the coaching coordinator since September. 

Misty K. Nall ’05, Lexington, joined Othram Inc., in 2022 as a forensic genetic genealogist. Othram is a forensic lab located in The Woodlands, Texas, specializing in sequencing DNA evidence in cold cases and in conducting forensic genetic genealogy. Last year, Othram assisted the Boone County Sheriff’s Office in resolving a nearly 50-year-old cold case by using genetic genealogy to identify the perpetrator in the 1976 murder of northern Kentucky teenager Carol Sue Klaber.

Shericka D. Smith ’05, Lexington, received the Lyman T. Johnson Torch of Excellence Award from the University of Kentucky’s College of Social Work in 2024. The honor is named for the trailblazer who won the court case that forced UK to open its doors to Black students in 1949. Shericka serves as Fayette County Public School’s mental health services coordinator in the Department of Student Support. 

Bryan C. Conover ’06, Elizabethtown, Kentucky, will be the executive director for the Central Kentucky Community Action Council in January. In his role, he will oversee over a dozen poverty fighting programs for central Kentucky residents.

Mary Rose “Rosi” French ’06, Richmond, Kentucky, completed her final two licensing exams: the Kentucky Life and Health Insurance. She received a promotion to assistant vice president at U.S. Bank. 

Patrick A. Lewis ’06, Louisville, Kentucky, will become the president and CEO of the Filson Historical Society in January. Patrick has been at the Filson since 2019, leading the department of Collections & Research. He recently published a book, “Playing At War: Identity and Memory in Civil War Video Games,” (LSU Press, 2024) with Trae Welborn.

Zach A. Davis ’08, Lexington, was named favorite equestrian realtor in the South by Equestrian Living magazine, putting Zach at the top of the 2024 EQ Gold List. Zach serves as the president and principal broker of Kirkpatrick & Co.

Hallye R. Griffin ’08, Versailles, Kentucky, represented Team USA as the equestrian chef de mission at the Paris 2024 Olympics. She is the managing director, dressage for US Equestrian.

Cat Haning Coleman ’09, Wheeling, West Virginia, is a teacher and international student counselor at the Linsly School in Wheeling. This fall, she embarked on a new journey as one of 12 women selected to the World Affairs Council of Pittsburgh Global Citizens Fellowship. She has traveled internationally and spent time training and workshopping on global issues like artificial intelligence, climate change and migration.

Natasha L. Collier ’09, Lexington, works at Kentucky Career Center as a talent development specialist. They help coach job seekers through basic career services as well as provide case management and individualized career services to help build skills and find suitable employment and training opportunities. 

Shay Little Hutchinson ’09, Lexington, is the new executive director at the Kentucky Equal Justice Center.

2010s

Daniel S. Porter ’10, Los Angeles, is an investor in Andrew Lloyd Weber’s “Sunset Boulevard” revival on Broadway, starring Nicole Scherzinger. He is actively exploring opportunities in theater and entertainment production in New York City and Los Angeles.

J. Daniel Bodner ’11, Lexington, was promoted to senior business analyst at Amazon this spring. His experience is in data analytics, customer service, process improvement and project management.

Greg Finch ’11, Savannah, Georgia, was recognized this year as a Rising Star by Georgia Super Lawyers. He is also in the 2024 class of Leadership Southeast Georgia and was named on the 2024 “Ones to Watch” list by The Best Lawyers in America publication. Greg is a Partner at Bouhan Falligant LLP. 

Erin Brock Carlson ’12, Morgantown, West Virginia, was awarded a National Endowment for the Humanities Summer Stipend. She spent the time working on her manuscript for “Hauled Away, How Rural Appalachians Leverage Place in the Face of Extraction.” Erin has been conducting research in three different states to put together her book, which “is about the power of seeking out and amplifying the knowledge of residents across identity groups, disrupting stereotypes around who lives in a particular type of community, and providing a more nuanced representation of a place and all its people.” 

Quantá D. Taylor ’12, Louisville, Kentucky, received the 2024 Legacy Award from the National Association for Campus Activities. He is the executive director of student involvement at the University of Louisville, where he oversees the out-of-classroom experiences for all students ensuring they have appropriate and adequate opportunities for meaningful involvement, leadership development and community engagement.

Chase E. Bullock ’14, Chicago, has joined Fox Rothschild as an associate in the Litigation Department. He develops strategies to resolve clients’ commercial disputes and mitigate future claims.

Clinton R. Greene ’15, Tallahassee, Florida, finished his postdoctoral residency and became licensed as a psychologist in the state of Florida. He has accepted a psychologist position at Tallahassee Memorial Hospital, where he will be providing intensive outpatient individual and group therapy services and conducting psychological assessments. 

Hannah R. Greer ’15, London, Kentucky, is back at Transylvania as the grant and campaign communications coordinator. She previously served in a similar role at University of the Cumberlands, and before that, she was the executive director of the Corbin Public Library.

Valerie Whitlock McCubbin ’15, Hodgenville, Kentucky, is an attorney with Claycomb Law Office PLLC. She joined fellow Transylvania alumni attorneys Tom Claycomb ’05 and Catherine Ford Claycomb ’04. Valerie’s practice primarily focuses on real estate closings and title services, estate planning and probate matters. She also serves as outside counsel to the LaRue County School Board.

Hunter M. Grisso ’16, Boston, joined the Marketing Strategy team at Takeda as the digital innovation manager in the Neuroscience Business Unit. 

Courtney Manies Hall ’16, Lexington, earned her Ph.D. in leadership and education from the University of the Cumberlands in December. 

Kaitlyn Hill ’16, Lexington, participated in the Kentucky Book Festival in November with her newly published book “Wild About You.”

W. Jordan Lloyd ’16, Lexington, and Barton H. Lynch ’16, San Diego, embarked on an incredible 545 mile bike ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles for AIDS Life Cycle. They joined others in raising at least $3,500 for the Los Angeles LGBT Center and the San Francisco AIDS Foundation. 

Danielle Evans-Clan ’17, Charlotte, North Carolina, is the director of advancement communications at Queens University of Charlotte. Danielle spent the previous seven years in the advancement office at Transylvania.

BayLeigh Routt ’17, Versailles, Kentucky, is a project manager at Fooji, a company that connects brands with their fans. BayLeigh also spends her time assisting team gameday operations at the Lexington Sporting Club and volunteering for both Access Language Solutions and the Kentucky Interpreter and Translator Association. 

Tyler J. Lega ’18, Louisville, Kentucky, is a teacher at North Oldham Middle School and the head track and field coach. Their girls team won the middle school state championship. Cole Green ’17, who is Tyler’s big brother in Delta Sigma Phi, also assisted in coaching the team.

Jewell E. Boyd ’19, Lexington, works as a metadata and digital marketing specialist at University of Michigan Press.

Raaziq K. El-Amin ’19, Lexington, has been promoted to Director of Development at Kentucky Equal Justice Center.  

Jason K. Pastoor ’19, Troy, Michigan, is a data analyst for the Detroit Tigers. In November, he connected with professor Mike LeVan’s Data class for an online video talk. 

Olivia L. Whaley ‘19, New Castle, Kentucky, is practicing dentistry at Drs. Long, Burton and Whaley DMD in Shelbyville. She graduated with high distinction (top 12% of her class) from the University of Kentucky College of Dentistry in May.

2020s

Summer M. Taylor ’21, Tampa, Florida, graduated from Notre Dame’s law school in May and started working at Morgan and Morgan.

Joko Bojang ’23, Lexington, and Amie Ndiaye ’23, Frankfort, Kentucky, represented the University of Kentucky at the National Association of Health Services Executives in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Both are pursuing a master’s degree in health care administration; Joko is in her final year, and Amie is in her first. After she graduates from UK in May, Joko will do a Fellowship with Ohio Health in Columbus. 

Steven Dabney ’23, La Grange, Kentucky, was selected as a staff editor for Volume 113 of the Kentucky Law Journal, the 10th oldest continuously published law review in the nation. Steven is a student at the University of Kentucky College of Law and interned this summer at the Kentucky Administrative Office of the Courts.

Ruben Joseph ’23, Charleston, South Carolina, is a residence hall director at the College of Charleston and earlier this fall received the Outstanding Campus Collaboration Award in recognition of exemplary service to the division of student affairs and the students. 

Lyric Onus ’23, Nashville, Tennessee, is a Tesla gallery adviser, a community-centered role geared toward giving the public more information about how to finance an EV and the practicality of making the switch from traditional gas cars.

Valerie E. Roberts ’23, Lexington, works as AmeriCorps program coordinator for the Homeless & Housing Coalition of Kentucky. 

Allison L. Atwell ’24, Lexington, is working as a public benefits paralegal for the Legal Aid of the Bluegrass. 

Olivia C. Miller, ’24, Lexington, is the new assistant director of alumni engagement at Transylvania.

Dasia Thornton ’24, Cincinnati, is living in Albania this year, playing on the basketball team Partizani Tirana. While at Transylvania, Dasia was one of the most decorated athletes in school history. She played a key role in Transy’s 2023 women’s basketball national championship and was only the second player in program history to reach 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds. 

Trent Youngblood ’24, Prospect, Kentucky, was picked by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 10th round of the MLB draft, making him the first Pioneer to be drafted.