Alumni Notes

1950s

Rollin Russell ’58, Asheville, North Carolina, is a retired pastor of the United Church of Christ and professor at Lancaster Theological Seminary. He now writes op-eds for the Asheville Citizen-Times.

1960s

William E. “Bill” Davis ’64, Carson City, Nevada, recently published his autobiography, “In Service to Justice: Striving to Bring Forth our Nobility.” One reviewer said, “I believe that Bill Davis has done more than any other single individual — be they minister of justice, prime minister, or chief justice of a Supreme Court — to bring about significant court reform to improve the quality of justice for hundreds of thousands of ordinary people around the world.” 

1970s

John C. Berrett ’70, Wilbraham, Massachusetts, represented Transylvania at the Worcester Polytechnic Institute’s Presidential Inauguration on March 22, 2024.

James H. Gearhart ’72, Paducah, Kentucky, was re-elected president of the Captain Virgil McCracken Chapter Kentucky Society, Sons of the American Revolution. He’s leading a project to place a Purple Heart Memorial on the Courthouse grounds. Jim is also a member of the Poor People’s Campaign Kentucky Coordinating Committee and the NAACP.

Nancy L. Allf ’79, Las Vegas, a general jurisdiction judge in the 8th Judicial District for Clark County, retired in January 2024 after 13 years on the bench. During her tenure, she served as presiding civil judge and as one of six Business Court judges in the State of Nevada. In February 2024, she joined JAMS ADR as an arbitrator and mediator.

William H. “Bill” McCann ’79, Winchester, Kentucky, a 2025 nominee for the Grawemeyer Award in Religion for his book “God Hires Gardeners” (Finishing Line Press, 2023) is happy to announce that his second book — “The New Adventures of Jesus” (Finishing Line Press) — will be published in May 2025. Concurrently, Bill is working on a play based on this second book.

1980s

Jeff Rogers ’81, Lexington, Kentucky, published his sixth coffee table book of his photography. Check out his work at www.jeffrogersfineart.com.

Les Johnson ’84, Madison, Alabama, is serving as NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center chief technologist. In this role, he advises on technology initiatives, leading the Marshall team in center-wide technology development affairs. Additionally, he represents the center on NASA’s Center Technology Council and aids in Center Innovation Fund activities.

John W. Iliff ’87, Hamilton, Virginia, has retired from The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration after a 33-year career.

Billy Van Pelt ’87, Bowling Green, Kentucky, has been named national director of strategic initiatives and senior advisor at American Farmland Trust, where he has worked since 2016. AFT is a national nonpartisan, nonprofit agricultural organization in Washington, D.C. Billy is based in Kentucky and works throughout the nation. 

Denise Grant ’88, Washington, DC, was appointed to the William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board by President Biden. She is founder and CEO of Overlook Strategies and senior advisor to Heidrick & Struggles. 

R. Paul Guillerman ’89, Cincinnati, is now working as a professor of radiology at the University of Cincinnati and a radiologist at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. 

Jay T. McCoy ’89, Lexington, Kentucky, has been hired by Kentucky Humanities as the assistant to Katerina Stoykova for the Kentucky Book Fair.

1990s

Kara Little Covert ’90, Lexington, is the new vice president for advancement at Transylvania University.

Mike C. Finley ’90, Columbia, South Carolina, was featured by Pulse 2.0 for his work with AnswerRocket, the company he co-founded. It’s a Gen AI analytics platform that helps business users uncover insights from their enterprise data. And while AI is big in the news now, note that Mike founded AnswerRocket in 2010 just a few years after founding Qualia Labs in 2007, again with an AI focus.

Ann Montalvo Guillerman ’90, Cincinnati, is a learning support specialist at The Seven Hills School in Cincinnati.

Brent Donovan ’92, Warren, New Jersey, was promoted to vice president at Bristol Myers Squibb, where he heads up analytical strategy and operations.

Susan B. Marine ’92, Lowell, Massachusetts, recently co-authored a new book, “Voices of Campus Sexual Violence Activists: #MeToo and Beyond,” published by Johns Hopkins Press. She serves as vice provost of faculty development and professor of higher education at Merrimack College.

Jefferson Calico ’93, Corbin, Kentucky, has been awarded tenure after nine years of teaching at University of the Cumberlands, which has included the publication of his book “Being Viking,” and leading study trips to Greece.

Jerri R. Dyer ’96, Berea, Kentucky, is director of projects in the programs division at Fahe, a regional nonprofit focused on strengthening a more resilient Appalachian region through membership and partnership with existing affordable housing-focused nonprofits. 

Whitney Cassity-Caywood ’97, Paducah, Kentucky, has been named a tenure-track faculty member at the Western Kentucky University College of Health and Human Services and Department of Social Work. She previously chaired the Kentucky Board of Social Work, collaborated with the Association of Social Work Boards, and contributed to the Murray University Faculty Senate. She also ran a private practice and served as a research affiliate with the WKU LifeSkills Center for Child Welfare Education and Research.

Hope Tipton ’97, Baltimore, is a Circuit Court judge in Baltimore City, where she has worked as a family magistrate since 2013. She has also spent years devoting her time to providing legal assistance to poor and low-income clients. Hope previously worked with Maryland Volunteer Lawyers Services as the Founding Director of Project HEAL (Health, Education, Advocacy and Law), where she assisted families and children at the Johns Hopkins Children’s Center.

Rebecca A. Yowler ’97, Ames, Iowa, is the unit lead for arts and humanities in the Research and Instruction department at Iowa State University’s Parks Library. She coordinates Research and Instruction services for the Arts and Humanities and supervises librarians who work with these departments. She also serves as the library liaison to the History and World Languages and Cultures departments.

Chris K. Corbitt ’98, Lebanon, Ohio, is development director for MidPointe Library System in the greater Cincinnati area.

C. Shawn McGuffey ’98, Saugus, Massachusetts, received the 2023 Best Paper Award from the Southeastern Division of the American Association of Geographers. The title of the article is “A Kentucky State of Mind: bell hooks’ Feminist Geography of Subjectivity. It was published in Southeastern Geographer.

Emily Damron Northcutt ’98, Frankfort, Kentucky, is one of 21 educators in Kentucky who were honored as part of the public television network’s KET 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. In 2023, Emily was named Outstanding Librarian of the Year by the Kentucky Association of School Librarians and was presented with the Kentucky Library Association’s Excellence in Teaching award.

Shane E. White ’98, Columbus, Ohio, represented Transylvania at the inauguration of Kenyon College’s 20th president on April 13, 2024.

Katie Wilson Conrad ’99, Miami, was named executive director of the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid at the Georgia Institute of Technology. Previously, Katie was senior associate director of financial aid at Florida International University in Miami. She also holds the title of vice president for training at the Southern Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators.

R. Ben Crittenden ’99, Lexington, has been named a shareholder at Morgan Pottinger McGarvey. His practice focuses on banking and administrative law, representing banks and businesses in litigation matters. He was recently recognized by Super Lawyers for excellence in administrative law.

Jennifer Dierolf Trent ’99, Palm City, Florida, president/partner and director of asset and property management of NAI Southcoast in Stuart, Florida, was recently appointed to the Executive Leadership Board of NAI Global. With 5,800 professionals and 325 offices in 65 countries, NAI Global is a global commercial real estate service offering a wide variety of services in CRE from brokerage to construction management. Along with Jennifer’s local company, NAI Southcoast, she is also a partner in its sister general contracting company, SCP Commercial Building Solutions, and is a commercial real estate investor herself and recently, along with her partners, started an asset management and fund development firm.

2000s

Jason D. Moore ’01, Lexington, is a new member of the Fayette County Board of Education. Jason, a special agent and instructor with the Drug Enforcement Administration, was appointed by a unanimous vote to fill the District 3 board vacancy.

LaMarco A. Cable ’02, Indianapolis, graduated on May 18, 2024, with his Doctor of Ministry in prophetic leadership in the public square from McCormick Theological Seminary in Chicago.

Jessica D. Campbell ’02, Georgetown, Indiana, was named CEO at Wellstone Regional Hospital in southern Indiana, bringing nearly 21 years of acute behavioral health experience to the position. After Transy, Jessica received her M.S. and Ed.S in counseling psychology from the University of Kentucky. 

Sarah Stewart Holland ’03, Paducah, Kentucky, and Beth Thurman SIlvers ‘03, Union, Kentucky, received the Upstander Irwin Hurley Award for Perspective for their Pantsuit Politics podcast from the Holocaust and Humanity Center in Cincinnati.

Carl N. Frazier-Sparks ’04, Centerton, Arkansas, is now senior lead counsel for Complex Commercial Litigation for Walmart. Carl leads a team of highly skilled in-house counsels with responsibility for class action, mass action and other complex commercial litigation at Fortune 1.

J. Michael Baker ’05, Philadelphia, was on “America’s Got Talent” on NBC in 2021 as Rumi Kitchen, a spiritual adviser in the group “Johnny Showcase and the Mystic Ticket.” 

Kate Shirley Akers ’07, Taylorsville, Kentucky, is the senior advisor, policy implementation and best practices at Data Quality Campaign, a nonprofit advocacy organization dedicated to ensuring that data works for everyone. Kate previously served as executive director of the Kentucky Center for Statistics and as associate vice chancellor and chief data officer of Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education. 

Amy McCleese Nichols ’07, Berea, Kentucky, has published her first book with Routledge titled “Rural Literacy Sponsorship Networks: Piloting Mixed-Methods Mapping for Small Communities.” The work shares narratives that map the complexity of rural community literacy practices. Amy is director of Writing Resources and associate director of the Center for Teaching and Learning at Berea College.

Charlene D. Mingus ’06, Baltimore, has been serving as the active transportation planner for the Baltimore Metropolitan Council. She is now the project manager for the Bikeable Baltimore Region project, which will identify a regional bike network that is safe and comfortable for people of all ages and abilities. 

Sarah Billiter Cameron ’08, Fort Thomas, Kentucky, was promoted by Dinsmore & Shohl LLP to office managing partner for its Covington office.

Nicole Eicher Hardy ’09, Louisville, Kentucky, is a physician assistant at Advanced ENT and Allergy.

2010s

Brandon M. Pennington ’11, Middlesboro, Kentucky, is chairman-elect of the Kentucky Travel Industry Association. He’ll assume the chair role in 2025. Brandon is the executive director of tourism for the City of Harlan, where he’s been since 2012. 

Ian J. Akers ’14, Pewee Valley, Kentucky, is a Pharmacy Operations Sr Specialist at the University of Kentucky HealthCare Specialty Pharmacy, where he’ll be focused on database reporting and analytics.

Evan R. Sizemore ’14, Lexington, is the vice president of lending at Bank of Lexington. He joined there after working most recently as a commercial relationship officer at UK Federal Credit Union. Evan also serves as a referee with the U.S. Soccer Federation. 

Victoria D. Short ’15, Westminster, Colorado, graduated with her Ph.D. in leadership from the University of the Cumberlands on May 4, 2024.

Katie Cohron Cambron ’16, Lexington, is the fractional controller at Finch Financial Services.

Danielle Evans-Clan ’17, Charlotte, North Carolina, is director of advancement communications at Queens University of Charlotte. 

Ghazal Jawed ’17, Menlo Park, California, has been the research coordinator for Sarcoma Oncology Research Group in Stanford Cancer Institute-Clinical Trials Office since the fall of 2022.

Daniel C. Martin ’17, Lexington, is back at Transylvania as the head strength and conditioning coach. After graduating, he earned his M.S. in exercise physiology from the University of Louisville and spent time as a performance specialist for Norton Sports Performance. Also, at UofL he was a lecturer and taught students the basic movements of life and how to structure a workout program. 

Erik J. Mudrak ’17, Indianapolis, is a senior frontend software engineer at ReFED, where he leverages data and insights to highlight supply chain inefficiencies and economic opportunities, helping to eliminate food waste. 

Bayleigh Routt ’17, Lexington, is a project manager at Fooji, a local brand and agency.

Kate McMahan Baughman ’18, Lexington, has been a marketing manager for the Lexington Public Library since March 2023. She ran the Boston Marathon on April 15, 2024.

Laura C. Daley ’18, Lexington, is the marketing and communications manager for the Lexington Habitat for Humanity.

Julia M. Nilsson ’19, Covington, Kentucky, is a digital product owner for Fifth Third Bank. In this role, her main duties are digital technology enablement, stakeholder engagement and marketing technology and strategy.

Mary Caitlin Wallace ’19, Lexington, successfully defended her dissertation and received her Ph.D. in entomology at the University of Kentucky in May. Her research was a mix of molecular and ecological biology. Next she’ll be working as a postdoctoral researcher and a research scientist, both advancing biotechnology tools for safer tree and crop protection.

2020s

Eileen R. Bunch ’21, Lexington, is the administrative operations coordinator in the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine.

Lexi Childers Sullivan ’21, Elizabethtown, Kentucky, was chosen as Elizabethtown Independent Schools’ 2023-24 ExCel Teacher of the Year. She teaches second grade at Helmwood Heights Elementary School in Elizabethtown.

Karisma L. Keeton ’22, Danville, Kentucky, is the winner of the 99th Campbell Moot Court at the University of Michigan Law School, where she is a student. They said she was an outstanding advocate and expertly argued her case in front of this year’s panel of judges. 

Kari G. Napier ’22, Lexington, is a social service worker in the Department of Community Based Services. 

Tori Griffth Williams ’22, Maysville, Kentucky, attends the University of Kentucky College of Medicine at its Northern Kentucky Campus.

Vaughn G. Hall ’23, Miami, is a senior associate for engineering, procurement and construction at HUT 8.

Brian A. Franco ’24, Lexington, is working as a control and systems engineer at TOA SE, a factory automation systems integrator in Nicholasville.