Alumni & Friends

Meet Our Alumni

• <span class="lw_item_thumb"><a href="/live/profiles/704-"><picture class="lw_image"> <source type="image/webp" srcset="/live/image/gid/2/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/0,0,690,390/354_25f3d785419f0eb611f94ba17fd1703d_f1833.rev.1500386495.webp 1x, /live/image/scale/2x/gid/2/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/0,0,690,390/354_25f3d785419f0eb611f94ba17fd1703d_f1833.rev.1500386495.webp 2x"/> <source type="image/jpeg" srcset="/live/image/gid/2/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/0,0,690,390/354_25f3d785419f0eb611f94ba17fd1703d_f1833.rev.1500386495.jpg 1x, /live/image/scale/2x/gid/2/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/0,0,690,390/354_25f3d785419f0eb611f94ba17fd1703d_f1833.rev.1500386495.jpg 2x"/> <img src="/live/image/gid/2/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/0,0,690,390/354_25f3d785419f0eb611f94ba17fd1703d_f1833.rev.1500386495.jpg" alt="" width="345" height="225" data-max-w="690" data-max-h="390" loading="lazy"/> </picture> </a></span><div class="lw_widget_text"><h4 class="lw_profiles_headline"><a href="/live/profiles/704-"><p> Rachel Dunne Finds Unlikely Path in Alaska </p></a></h4><div class="lw_profiles_description"><p> When Rachel Dunne (’04) was a student at E&H, she pretty much set the woods on fire. Lately, she’s been busy putting out fires. This is truly a young woman who knows how to fire up a Liberal Arts degree. </p><p> This is all a corny way of saying that Rachel has been fighting wildland fires in Alaska.</p><p> A double major in Public Policy & Community Service and Psychology, Rachel was a top notch student with a heart intent on making a difference. And it comes as no surprise that she is finding such a creative means of making her way in the world.  She wanted to pursue work in the area of disaster relief response after graduate school, but needed job experience.  She spent 10 months in the AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps doing a lot of work in the Gulf region of the U.S. working on Katrina recovery efforts.  She also got sent to a very small town in Arizona where her team was assigned to assistance with brush clearing to prevent wildfires.  Her superiors suggested she come back after AmeriCorps for a job.</p><p> While she only intended to do the job for a year, she stayed for two and a half years honing her skills not only in firefighting and prevention but also in coordinating fire response, GIS, HAZMAT, EMT, and learned how to drive a water tender (please Google this to see how impressive this feat is).</p><p> After Arizona she found an opportunity to continue this good work and to see some of the country’s most beautiful land. She considered Big Sky country, but ended up in Alaska because of their unique challenges in fire logistics. She served as a fire logistics dispatcher for the Alaska Fire Service, which is part of the Bureau of Land Management. In this role, she helped get the people, supplies, and aircraft out to remote areas of Alaska for wildland fires.</p><p> As is wont to happen, while in Alaska, Rachel ran smack into another Emory & Henry person! Daniel Griggs (’07) was there doing similar work and putting his geography background to good use. Giving Dr. John Morgan all the credit for getting him the right start, Daniel says he finds working for the fire service very “real” in the sense that there is “immediate need for accurate geospatial information.”  He ended up in Alaska because he had always wanted to visit the state, so when he got a job offer in Anchorage he jumped at the chance.</p><p> Rachel says folks in her position work seasonally—putting in 6 months of work and then filling the other half of the year with school, other work, travel, or personal projects and hobbies.  While the job sounds pretty cushy, it turns out those six months are pretty demanding.  On a fire assignment, dispatchers and firefighters alike usually work 14 straight days of up to 16 hour shifts.  In many ways, it’s more of a lifestyle than a job.</p><p> So what happens during those long days? This season, Daniel got sent out to the field as a GIS specialist, providing custom real-time maps of fires for the incident decision-makers.  Rachel moved to another dispatch center as an aircraft dispatcher, where she finds the helicopters and planes that support both fires and scientists in interior Alaska and the lower 48.  “It’s not every day you get to say, ‘Yeah, I ordered a jumbo jet at work today’,” says Rachel.  “The best part of the job is the constant challenge—you never know who is going to call or what they are going to need, and it’s great to be able to say, ‘Sure, I can make that happen,’ even when it means getting people or supplies into parts of Alaska your average tourist will never even think about visiting.”</p><p> With these new job demands, Rachel is less “fire fighter” and more “travel agent” – booking flights into all corners of the state.  Whether they are VIPs touring Alaska before making recommendations on energy or land management policy, scientists researching animal habitats and archeological sites, or firefighters protecting Alaska’s assets, everybody knows they’ll have to fly to get to their Alaskan destination.  “I may miss the smell of smoke and getting to do things with my own hands, but what I can do with a phone and a radio allows those professionals to make the difference, and I’m proud to be part of their support network.”</p><p> While Daniel will stay on with Alaska Fire Service in Fairbanks for the near future, Rachel plans to move on after this season ends.  “What’s next? I don’t know, but if you’d told me I was going to be a firefighter or live in Alaska while I was at Emory, I’d have laughed.  I just keep believing in the hope that people can do amazing things when we are willing to take on a challenge, even if it means leaving our comfort zones behind.”</p></div><a href="/live/profiles/704-" class="link-with-arrow gold">Keep reading</a></div>
• <span class="lw_item_thumb"><a href="/live/profiles/793-joe-shortt"><picture class="lw_image"> <source type="image/webp" srcset="/live/image/gid/68/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/213,0,1089,877/563_Joe_Shortt.rev.1505400886.webp 1x, /live/image/scale/2x/gid/68/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/213,0,1089,877/563_Joe_Shortt.rev.1505400886.webp 2x"/> <source type="image/jpeg" srcset="/live/image/gid/68/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/213,0,1089,877/563_Joe_Shortt.rev.1505400886.jpg 1x, /live/image/scale/2x/gid/68/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/213,0,1089,877/563_Joe_Shortt.rev.1505400886.jpg 2x"/> <img src="/live/image/gid/68/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/213,0,1089,877/563_Joe_Shortt.rev.1505400886.jpg" alt="Joe Shortt at the American Saddlebred Horse Association of Virginia's Hall of Fame" width="345" height="225" srcset="/live/image/scale/2x/gid/68/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/213,0,1089,877/563_Joe_Shortt.rev.1505400886.jpg 2x" data-max-w="876" data-max-h="877" loading="lazy"/> </picture> </a></span><div class="lw_widget_text"><h4 class="lw_profiles_headline"><a href="/live/profiles/793-joe-shortt"><p> Joe Shortt has been inducted into the American Saddlebred Horse Association of Virginia’s Hall of Fame.</p></a></h4><div class="lw_profiles_description"><blockquote><p> Joe Shortt is a 2017 inductee into the Hall of Fame of the American Saddlebred Horse Association. </p></blockquote><p> Joe Shortt was a STEM guy before STEM was cool. He graduated summa cum laude with a B.S. in chemistry with minors in math and physics. And while his career utilized his science background, it was his sideline that has recently garnered him recognition.</p><p> A well-known horse-trainer, Joe was inducted into the American Saddlebred Horse Association of Virginia’s Hall of Fame in 2017.</p><p> Through the 1970s he trained a host of champion horses with names like Prince Magic, Drum Chant, Bourbon’s Curiosity, Katy Vanguard and Boomerang. He told the Smyth County News and Messenger that his love of horses took shape while he was still in high school. “As a sophomore in high school I began working during the summer at Nancy Brown’s training stable in Seven Mile Ford. This is what encouraged me to begin a professional training career.”</p><p> But he started riding much earlier. “I began riding at about eight years old on my Shetland pony named Nubbins, and showed him for the first time at the Rich Valley Fair the following year.”</p><p> Joe worked with horses in Virginia until he moved to Sevierville, Tennessee, with his company, Blue Circle Cement.</p></div><a href="/live/profiles/793-joe-shortt" class="link-with-arrow gold">Keep reading</a></div>
• <span class="lw_item_thumb"><a href="/live/profiles/1431-jeremy-peters"><picture class="lw_image"> <source type="image/webp" srcset="/live/image/gid/68/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/357,137,786,568/916_Jeremy_Peters_photo.rev.1508790892.webp 1x"/> <source type="image/jpeg" srcset="/live/image/gid/68/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/357,137,786,568/916_Jeremy_Peters_photo.rev.1508790892.jpg 1x"/> <img src="/live/image/gid/68/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/357,137,786,568/916_Jeremy_Peters_photo.rev.1508790892.jpg" alt="Jeremy Peters (E&H '99) receives award from CBEAR in 2017." width="345" height="225" data-max-w="429" data-max-h="431" loading="lazy"/> </picture> </a></span><div class="lw_widget_text"><h4 class="lw_profiles_headline"><a href="/live/profiles/1431-jeremy-peters"></a></h4><div class="lw_profiles_description"><p> Jeremy Peters is the Chief Executive Officer of the National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD).</p><p> NACD is a nonprofit organization representing America’s 3,000 conservation districts, their state and territory associations, and the 17,000 men and women who serve on their governing boards. These districts work with millions of cooperating landowners and operators to help them manage and protect land and water resources on private and public lands in the United States. NACD’s mission is to promote the wise and responsible use of natural resources for all lands by representing locally-led conservation districts and their associations through grassroots advocacy, education, and partnerships.</p><p> In 2017, the Center for Behavioral and Experimental Agri-Environmental Research (CBEAR) presented Jeremy with their CBEAR Prize for Agri-Environmental Innovation. In presenting the Award, CBEAR Outreach Director Mark Masters commented, “Jeremy’s effective leadership of NACD is based, in large part, on his ability to bridge the gaps that often exist between research, policy, and application. The relationships established and opportunities facilitated through Jeremy’s hard work have greatly informed, and improved, CBEAR’s research and outreach efforts.”</p></div><a href="/live/profiles/1431-jeremy-peters" class="link-with-arrow gold">Keep reading</a></div>
• <span class="lw_item_thumb"><a href="/live/profiles/2955-kyle-sensabaugh"><picture class="lw_image"> <source type="image/webp" srcset="/live/image/gid/68/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/0,0,601,601/6892_Kyle_Sensabaugh_Photo.rev.1568396666.png 1x"/> <source type="image/webp" srcset="/live/image/gid/68/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/0,0,601,601/6892_Kyle_Sensabaugh_Photo.rev.1568396666.png 1x"/> <source type="image/png" srcset="/live/image/gid/68/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/0,0,601,601/6892_Kyle_Sensabaugh_Photo.rev.1568396666.png 1x"/> <img src="/live/image/gid/68/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/0,0,601,601/6892_Kyle_Sensabaugh_Photo.rev.1568396666.png" alt="Kyle Sensabaugh, E&H Class of 2014" width="345" height="225" data-max-w="601" data-max-h="601" loading="lazy"/> </picture> </a></span><div class="lw_widget_text"><h4 class="lw_profiles_headline"><a href="/live/profiles/2955-kyle-sensabaugh"><p> Kyle Sensabaugh is a Director for People, Inc. – and says he’s forever grateful to Emory & HEnry.</p></a></h4><div class="lw_profiles_description"><p> Kyle is a native of Columbus, Ohio and now resides in Glade Spring, Virginia. He came to E&H in 2009 as a first-year student and athlete, and eventually made Southwest Virginia his home.</p><p> Upon graduation, he accepted his first job as the Head Assistant Basketball Coach at Emory & Henry. He was then offered a position as an Assistant Store Manager at Lowe’s (home improvement) – a job he held for four years.</p><p> He is currently employed with People Incorporated of Virginia as the Director of Housing Services. He started this job in 2017, and says he owes much of his success to his E&H degree, and he loves that his career allows him to make a difference for people. “My position consists of finding affordable homes for clients, giving aid to current homeless individuals, helping to prevent individuals from becoming homeless, weatherization services for under income individuals, under income home ownership programs, and voucher programs for section 8.”</p><p>                 Kyle is proud of the fact that he was a Bonner Scholar at Emory & Henry. “Bonner gave me a true appreciation and respect for community service. I enjoyed all the sites I worked with and loved the rewarding feeling of helping others. That same experience drove me towards my passion for my job now. I had great relationships with several of my professors and peers, that allowed me to network within this community. Those networking opportunities, took me down numerous paths from finding employment, building stronger community relationships, and finding a place that I call home. I was never a strong student before coming to Emory & Henry College, and the atmosphere and resources there changed that for me. I never had an issue getting the help I needed, the encouragement, or someone to take the time to see my situation through. Without E&H and the Bonner Scholars program, I can honestly say I would not be working with People, Inc. today.  I am forever grateful and forever an advocate for the college.”</p></div><a href="/live/profiles/2955-kyle-sensabaugh" class="link-with-arrow gold">Keep reading</a></div>
• <span class="lw_item_thumb"><a href="/live/profiles/770-ashley-anderson"><picture class="lw_image"> <source type="image/webp" srcset="/live/image/gid/16/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/0,51,640,691/541_14429489_10104176658464845_379036427_n.rev.1505248978.webp 1x"/> <source type="image/jpeg" srcset="/live/image/gid/16/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/0,51,640,691/541_14429489_10104176658464845_379036427_n.rev.1505248978.jpg 1x"/> <img src="/live/image/gid/16/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/0,51,640,691/541_14429489_10104176658464845_379036427_n.rev.1505248978.jpg" alt="Ashley Anderson" width="345" height="225" data-max-w="640" data-max-h="640" loading="lazy"/> </picture> </a></span><div class="lw_widget_text"><h4 class="lw_profiles_headline"><a href="/live/profiles/770-ashley-anderson"><p> Ashley Anderson, ’05: Higher Education Professional and Diversity Advocate</p></a></h4><div class="lw_profiles_description"><p> Ashley Anderson - Regional Admissions Representative, University of Alabama</p><p> Graduate Degree:  Master of Arts in Teaching, Indiana University-Purdue University, Indianapolis; Graduate Certificate in Higher Education and Student Affairs, Indiana University</p><p> “I learned how to make a difference in the world because of my time spent at Emory & Henry College…I carry the teachings of E&H with me everyday, especially in the workplace where I pride myself on being a change-maker. In my current position, I work with entering college students, and I have a strong passion for working with undocumented and LGBTQ+ students and helping them find the right college fit. I was able to cultivate this passion during my time E&H where I learned to be an advocate for justice and equality.”</p></div><a href="/live/profiles/770-ashley-anderson" class="link-with-arrow gold">Keep reading</a></div>
• <span class="lw_item_thumb"><a href="/live/profiles/2546-bailey-williams"><picture class="lw_image"> <source type="image/webp" srcset="/live/image/gid/68/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/0,0,718,721/6008_bailey.rev.1551226795.webp 1x, /live/image/scale/2x/gid/68/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/0,0,718,721/6008_bailey.rev.1551226795.webp 2x"/> <source type="image/jpeg" srcset="/live/image/gid/68/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/0,0,718,721/6008_bailey.rev.1551226795.jpg 1x, /live/image/scale/2x/gid/68/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/0,0,718,721/6008_bailey.rev.1551226795.jpg 2x"/> <img src="/live/image/gid/68/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/0,0,718,721/6008_bailey.rev.1551226795.jpg" alt="Bailey Williams, E&H Class of 2018, talking with Lamarr Alexander at Bristol's Rhythm & Roots in 2017." width="345" height="225" srcset="/live/image/scale/2x/gid/68/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/0,0,718,721/6008_bailey.rev.1551226795.jpg 2x" data-max-w="718" data-max-h="721" loading="lazy"/> </picture> </a></span><div class="lw_widget_text"><h4 class="lw_profiles_headline"><a href="/live/profiles/2546-bailey-williams"><p> Bailey Williams: Class of ’18, and already landed her dream job.</p></a></h4><div class="lw_profiles_description"><div> Bailey Williams is a staff assistant for Virginia Senator Tim Kaine. She started the work in 2019 after a short-term stint as an intern for Pennsylvania Senator Bob Casey.</div><div><br/> Her responsibilities in the Washington D.C. office will include answering calls from Virginians across the state, running the front office, and training new interns. Bailey says she’s especially looking forward to “working for a state she loves, a public servant she admires, and an institution that she has dreamed of being a part of for years.”<br/><br/> A Political and International Studies major at Emory & Henry, Bailey’s role in research for a class project in her Women and Gender Studies Class led to a sea of change on the E&H campus. She and classmates identify an alarming lack of attention to women and women’s stories on campus, and their studies and interviews led to a report that led to a new building on campus being named for Gov. Patrick Henry’s famous sister, Elizabeth Henry Campbell Russell (she was a champion for Methodism in this region).<br/><br/> Now she’s ready to take her lessons learned on campus to a bigger stage. “This job is a dream come true. Emory & Henry College is where I discovered my passion for public service and learned the skills I needed to make it a reality. I can’t wait to be answering your calls and I hope to represent the Political Science Department and the College well.”</div></div><a href="/live/profiles/2546-bailey-williams" class="link-with-arrow gold">Keep reading</a></div>
• <span class="lw_item_thumb"><a href="/live/profiles/1432-josh-myers"><picture class="lw_image"> <source type="image/webp" srcset="/live/image/gid/68/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/0,0,427,427/1596_Josh_Myers.rev.1513028145.webp 1x"/> <source type="image/jpeg" srcset="/live/image/gid/68/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/0,0,427,427/1596_Josh_Myers.rev.1513028145.jpg 1x"/> <img src="/live/image/gid/68/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/0,0,427,427/1596_Josh_Myers.rev.1513028145.jpg" alt="Josh Myers and wife" width="345" height="225" data-max-w="427" data-max-h="427" loading="lazy"/> </picture> </a></span><div class="lw_widget_text"><h4 class="lw_profiles_headline"><a href="/live/profiles/1432-josh-myers"><p> Myers is president of EMM Financial Services.</p></a></h4><div class="lw_profiles_description"><p> Josh Myers, is president of EMM Financial Services, Inc. in Greensboro, North Carolina.<br/></p><p> His post-college experience has varied widely.  He spent a bit of time in the nation’s capitol working for a large national lobby based in Northern Virginia. He attended the University of South Carolina for graduate studies in public administration. And he ran a statewide political campaign in South Carolina. He says that all his experiences and especially his education at Emory & Henry have given him the confidence, as well as the financial and analytical tools that prepared him for his leadership position with EMM.<br/></p><p> A management major at Emory & Henry, Josh says working collaboratively within groups and having real-world experiences through internships were the most helpful tools he acquired as an undergrad. He credits the compassionate community-based mantra of E&H as being an underlying guide to how he lives his life and serves his clients. He is reminded daily to always put people first and the rest will follow.<br/></p><p> He also says he has one very simple and helpful word of advice to anyone planning for the future: Save early and save often. No one ever got to the end of the road and said they wish they’d saved less.<br/></p><p> Josh is married to Catherine “Katie” Reynolds Myers (E&H ’08) who is a speech pathologist in the Guilford County, North Carolina, school system and the couple have two children, Carter and Emily. </p></div><a href="/live/profiles/1432-josh-myers" class="link-with-arrow gold">Keep reading</a></div>
• <span class="lw_item_thumb"><a href="/live/profiles/701-"><picture class="lw_image"> <source type="image/webp" srcset="/live/image/gid/2/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/0,0,411,441/351_22190fabaa5cf5891f3c9f97021a2c3b_f7834.rev.1500384865.webp 1x"/> <source type="image/jpeg" srcset="/live/image/gid/2/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/0,0,411,441/351_22190fabaa5cf5891f3c9f97021a2c3b_f7834.rev.1500384865.jpg 1x"/> <img src="/live/image/gid/2/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/0,0,411,441/351_22190fabaa5cf5891f3c9f97021a2c3b_f7834.rev.1500384865.jpg" alt="" width="345" height="225" data-max-w="411" data-max-h="441" loading="lazy"/> </picture> </a></span><div class="lw_widget_text"><h4 class="lw_profiles_headline"><a href="/live/profiles/701-"><p> Salad Days </p></a></h4><div class="lw_profiles_description"><p> Will Wadlington (’08) recently shared a little tidbit:</p><p> “You may like to know I just accepted a new position as Lettuce Breeder, fyi.”</p><p> How could we not have follow up questions??</p><p> He recently defended his Ph. D. work in Plant Biology at the University of Illinois, and his current research is on spinach sex chromosomes. Working at Everglades Research & Education Center, Dr. Wadlington says they are doing research to determine how plants control whether they are male or female. “We don’t really know how plants do that, so I’m researching how spinach (my specialty) and also papaya use sex chromosomes to have male or female plants.  It’s basic research to figure out how botany works.”</p><p> Turns out there’s an advantage to being able to change the sex of spinach: “I developed a variety of spinach that makes YY spinach (not XX not XY but with two Y’s).  Breeders use those for seed production to make the most pollen.”</p><p> His next post-doc job will be working with lettuce. In particular, he’s looking at making lettuce more disease-resistant.  “Lettuce in the field gets pathogens sometimes and it can ruin a crop or make them ugly.  We are finding varieties that are resistant to common diseases so we can then breed naturally occurring resistance genes into major lines.”</p><p> The hope is for less food waste and higher quality produce – which is great for growers, but also for the environment. “Disease-resistant lettuce requires fewer chemical sprays when cultivated, so it’s cheaper to produce, better for the environment, and great for the people that work in the fields and eat salads.”</p><p> Let-us all hope for Will’s success.</p></div><a href="/live/profiles/701-" class="link-with-arrow gold">Keep reading</a></div>
• <span class="lw_item_thumb"><a href="/live/profiles/3028-dr-adam-pugh"><picture class="lw_image"> <source type="image/webp" srcset="/live/image/gid/68/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/0,32,1947,1977/7197_Head_Shot.rev.1575315387.webp 1x, /live/image/scale/2x/gid/68/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/0,32,1947,1977/7197_Head_Shot.rev.1575315387.webp 2x, /live/image/scale/3x/gid/68/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/0,32,1947,1977/7197_Head_Shot.rev.1575315387.webp 3x"/> <source type="image/jpeg" srcset="/live/image/gid/68/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/0,32,1947,1977/7197_Head_Shot.rev.1575315387.jpg 1x, /live/image/scale/2x/gid/68/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/0,32,1947,1977/7197_Head_Shot.rev.1575315387.jpg 2x, /live/image/scale/3x/gid/68/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/0,32,1947,1977/7197_Head_Shot.rev.1575315387.jpg 3x"/> <img src="/live/image/gid/68/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/0,32,1947,1977/7197_Head_Shot.rev.1575315387.jpg" alt="Dr. Adam Pugh is a 2014 graduate of Emory & Henry, and a 2018 graduate of the E&H School of Health Sciences." width="345" height="225" srcset="/live/image/scale/2x/gid/68/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/0,32,1947,1977/7197_Head_Shot.rev.1575315387.jpg 2x, /live/image/scale/3x/gid/68/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/0,32,1947,1977/7197_Head_Shot.rev.1575315387.jpg 3x" data-max-w="1947" data-max-h="1945" loading="lazy"/> </picture> </a></span><div class="lw_widget_text"><h4 class="lw_profiles_headline"><a href="/live/profiles/3028-dr-adam-pugh"><p> Dr. Adam Pugh is a Physical Therapist at BenchMark Physical Therapy.</p></a></h4><div class="lw_profiles_description"><p> Dr. Adam Pugh is a 2014 graduate of Emory & Henry College. In May of 2018 he graduated from the Doctor of Physical Therapy program at Emory & Henry School of Health Sciences. He was part of the inaugural class.  <br/><br/> He and his wife, Amber, welcomed their first baby (a son) into their family in March of 2019.<br/><br/> Adam is currently the clinic director and physical therapist at BenchMark Physical Therapy in Marion, Virginia, and he says the part of the job he most enjoys is “getting to work with a variety of people from a variety of backgrounds to help them achieve their best in life.”<br/><br/> Because Adam completed his Physical Therapy degree as part of the E&H School of Health Sciences’ inaugural class, he had to enter the program with a lot of faith because the program’s accreditation didn’t officially occur until the first cohort completed their course work and they were just about to graduate from the program. When asked if that ever concerned him, Adam says, “I never once doubted that Emory & Henry wouldn’t become accredited. This school excels in everything that it does academically and I knew this wouldn’t be any different. It’s no wonder why E&H has been known to be one of the top 100 colleges that changes lives.”<br/><br/> These days Adam is busy seeing 10-18 clients a day. He says the best part of his job is “getting to interact with the people of the community, build lasting relationships, and become a part of their healing story.”    </p></div><a href="/live/profiles/3028-dr-adam-pugh" class="link-with-arrow gold">Keep reading</a></div>
• <span class="lw_item_thumb"><a href="/live/profiles/786-julie-meadows"><picture class="lw_image"> <source type="image/webp" srcset="/live/image/gid/16/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/0,50,375,424/562_Julie_Meadows.rev.1505324079.webp 1x"/> <source type="image/jpeg" srcset="/live/image/gid/16/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/0,50,375,424/562_Julie_Meadows.rev.1505324079.jpg 1x"/> <img src="/live/image/gid/16/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/0,50,375,424/562_Julie_Meadows.rev.1505324079.jpg" alt="Julie Meadows" width="345" height="225" data-max-w="375" data-max-h="374" loading="lazy"/> </picture> </a></span><div class="lw_widget_text"><h4 class="lw_profiles_headline"><a href="/live/profiles/786-julie-meadows"><p> Julie Meadows, ’17: Youth Advocate and Traveler</p></a></h4><div class="lw_profiles_description"><h4><strong>Julie Meadows - CityYear Mentor, Milwaukee, WI</strong></h4><p>  </p><p> “Through my time in the program, I had the opportunity to practice what I had learned while serving abroad in Dublin, Ireland and working on a major project in my local community. My professors were willing to help in times of need and did a fantastic job in preparing me for a future career, and I would not be where I am today without their guidance.”</p></div><a href="/live/profiles/786-julie-meadows" class="link-with-arrow gold">Keep reading</a></div>
• <span class="lw_item_thumb"><a href="/live/profiles/2647-jessica-richardson"><picture class="lw_image"> <source type="image/webp" srcset="/live/image/gid/68/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/179,576,1817,2214/6268_jessica_richardson.rev.1554756662.webp 1x, /live/image/scale/2x/gid/68/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/179,576,1817,2214/6268_jessica_richardson.rev.1554756662.webp 2x, /live/image/scale/3x/gid/68/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/179,576,1817,2214/6268_jessica_richardson.rev.1554756662.webp 3x"/> <source type="image/jpeg" srcset="/live/image/gid/68/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/179,576,1817,2214/6268_jessica_richardson.rev.1554756662.jpg 1x, /live/image/scale/2x/gid/68/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/179,576,1817,2214/6268_jessica_richardson.rev.1554756662.jpg 2x, /live/image/scale/3x/gid/68/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/179,576,1817,2214/6268_jessica_richardson.rev.1554756662.jpg 3x"/> <img src="/live/image/gid/68/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/179,576,1817,2214/6268_jessica_richardson.rev.1554756662.jpg" alt="Jessica Richardson, E&H Class of 2017, at the Olympic Training Center." width="345" height="225" srcset="/live/image/scale/2x/gid/68/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/179,576,1817,2214/6268_jessica_richardson.rev.1554756662.jpg 2x, /live/image/scale/3x/gid/68/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/179,576,1817,2214/6268_jessica_richardson.rev.1554756662.jpg 3x" data-max-w="1638" data-max-h="1638" loading="lazy"/> </picture> </a></span><div class="lw_widget_text"><h4 class="lw_profiles_headline"><a href="/live/profiles/2647-jessica-richardson"><p> Jessica Richardson is a data analyst for the U.S. Olympic Committee.</p></a></h4><div class="lw_profiles_description"><p> It’s a match made in heaven.</p><p> Outstanding E&H athlete and mathematics major Jessica Richardson is a data analyst for the United States Olympic Committee. It’s like the job was made for her interests, talents, and academic expertise.</p><p> Part of the E&H honors academic program, Jessica also excelled as a student athlete at Emory & Henry. She was a four time All-ODAC First Team honoree, winning the 100 yard freestyle her sophomore year. She currently holds two individual E&H records as well as being a part of four relay records and was the league’s Bonnie Kestner Sportsmanship Award recipient her sophomore year. </p><p> The Florida native is adjusting well to life in Colorado. “The new community of Colorado has been very welcoming. I absolutely love being back in the mountains, it reminds me a lot of my time at Emory. The culture and lifestyle of Colorado Springs is very active and I love that there is no end to the outdoor activities one can participate in (Pro tip: don’t underestimate the Manitou Incline - if you haven’t heard of it you should look it up!).”</p><p> She is grateful for the education she got at E&H and looks back now at the experiences and opportunities provided with gratitude for the preparation.  </p><p> “I will forever be thankful for my time at E&H. From the caring and passionate teachers whose guidance and lessons both in and out of the classroom helped me discover my passions, to the athletic department who not only supported me in the pool but provided me with opportunities to work in a sports environment, to the honors program that pushed me past my comfort zone as well as provided me with great opportunities including my first internship. I also am very appreciative of my friends and teammates who always supported and believed in me, helping me become the person I am today. ”</p><p> Her favorite thing about the new job is having a hand in helping Team USA and all of its athletes. “The projects I am working on everyday are challenging but rewarding in every way. My entire team is so welcoming and collaborative as we are all working to the same common goal, to support our athletes in pursuit of their dreams.”</p><p> When asked what she hopes to one day be doing, she replies: “Exactly this. This is way more than I ever imagined I would be able to achieve and right now I am living my dream.”</p></div><a href="/live/profiles/2647-jessica-richardson" class="link-with-arrow gold">Keep reading</a></div>
• <span class="lw_item_thumb"><a href="/live/profiles/683-"><picture class="lw_image"> <source type="image/webp" srcset="/live/image/gid/2/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/0,33,533,566/322_Victor_Trussell.rev.1499440958.webp 1x"/> <source type="image/jpeg" srcset="/live/image/gid/2/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/0,33,533,566/322_Victor_Trussell.rev.1499440958.jpg 1x"/> <img src="/live/image/gid/2/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/0,33,533,566/322_Victor_Trussell.rev.1499440958.jpg" alt="" width="345" height="225" data-max-w="533" data-max-h="533" loading="lazy"/> </picture> </a></span><div class="lw_widget_text"><h4 class="lw_profiles_headline"><a href="/live/profiles/683-"><p> Victor Trussell ’13 starting acting on a whim – and now he’s acting professionally.</p></a></h4><div class="lw_profiles_description"><p> Victor says he started acting his freshman year of high school, enjoyed it so much he majored in theatre at Emory & Henry, and now he on the stage all the time.</p><p> “I have been performing with a variety of different professional theatre companies since graduation. I have toured the country multiple times with companies like Bright Star Touring Theatre and The National Theatre for Children, both listed by Backstage as ’12 Touring Theater Companies That Make a Difference.’” Not only has acting become his vocation, but he is proud of the impact he is having on school kids.  “These experiences have allowed me to perform for thousands of children, educating them on a range of topics spanning from historical figures like Martin Luther King, Jr. to the importance of energy conservation.”</p><p> His range of theatre involvement shows an amazing array of skills. He has performed with <em>Trumpet in the Land</em>, a historical outdoor drama in New Philadelphia, Ohio, that tells the story of frontier Ohio.  And he has also been in <em>Hairspray</em>, <em>Les Miserables</em>, and even <em>Winnie the Pooh</em>.</p><p> In the summer of 2016, Victor will be performing at the Tecumseh Theater in Ohio doing Shakespeare. “Either <em>The Tempest</em> or <em>Macbeth</em>, or both!”</p><p> Victor is also a playwright. His one-act play <em>Millennial Show</em> has been published in the first edition of <em>Young Scribblers</em>, a publication started by fellow E&H alum Forrest Williams (E&H ’16). “The play, in the form of a variety show, pokes fun at generational stereotypes as well as challenges the ‘problems’ young people face today. Taken from real interviews, <em>Millennial Show</em> also features commentary on related topics addressed within the play.”</p><p> Victor ended up at Emory & Henry because he “loved the intimacy of the campus and classes. I had a ton of hands-on experience in the theatre department.” He is planning to use that experience to keep on writing and performing and inspiring others.</p></div><a href="/live/profiles/683-" class="link-with-arrow gold">Keep reading</a></div>
• <span class="lw_item_thumb"><a href="/live/profiles/13-"><picture class="lw_image"> <source type="image/webp" srcset="/live/image/gid/2/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/0,0,1000,666/22_fbd04c901271156159e4e275a5bf845f_f50561.rev.1490707796.webp 1x, /live/image/scale/2x/gid/2/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/0,0,1000,666/22_fbd04c901271156159e4e275a5bf845f_f50561.rev.1490707796.webp 2x"/> <source type="image/jpeg" srcset="/live/image/gid/2/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/0,0,1000,666/22_fbd04c901271156159e4e275a5bf845f_f50561.rev.1490707796.jpg 1x, /live/image/scale/2x/gid/2/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/0,0,1000,666/22_fbd04c901271156159e4e275a5bf845f_f50561.rev.1490707796.jpg 2x"/> <img src="/live/image/gid/2/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/0,0,1000,666/22_fbd04c901271156159e4e275a5bf845f_f50561.rev.1490707796.jpg" alt="" width="345" height="225" srcset="/live/image/scale/2x/gid/2/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/0,0,1000,666/22_fbd04c901271156159e4e275a5bf845f_f50561.rev.1490707796.jpg 2x" data-max-w="1000" data-max-h="666" loading="lazy"/> </picture> </a></span><div class="lw_widget_text"><h4 class="lw_profiles_headline"><a href="/live/profiles/13-"><p> Sydney England (’14) Receives Prestigious Fellowship Opportunity </p></a></h4><div class="lw_profiles_description"><p> She received the Armbrister Memorial Scholarship for freshmen honors and the Outstanding Senior Award from the Sociology Department. She was on the dean’s list all eight semesters while a student at Emory & Henry, and she graduated summa cum laude with college honors. She also was inducted into several national honor societies.</p><p> Is it any wonder that Sydney England is one of only two students throughout the country selected to receive the Jessie Ball duPont Fund Fellowship, providing a two-year period of work and study in philanthropy and charitable work?</p><p> England, a 2014 graduate of Emory & Henry College, was nominated by the college, which is among many liberal arts colleges and universities eligible for support from the Jessie DuPont Fund. England was selected from a large field of applicants.</p><blockquote> Dr. Joe Lane brought the fellowship opportunity to my attention. I don’t know if I ever fully set my sights on the fellowship because it always seemed like a long shot.Sydney EnglandClass of 2014</blockquote><p> The Jessie Ball duPont Fund Fellowship program, headquartered in Jacksonville, Fla., is designed to provide practical experience for students interested in careers with nonprofit, faith-based, or philanthropic organizations. As a fellow, England is exposed to foundation governance, grant making, governmental oversight, and industry events.</p><p> “Responsibilities shift daily, but primarily it’s a lot of research and grant management. The fellows are really there to support senior staffers with some of their project management and report preparation,” explained England.</p><p> “This fellowship will afford me an acute insight into the full life-cycle of a grant, from initial proposal to grant management and re-evaluation. It’s very rare to have the opportunity to see this grant maturation within a wide array of nonprofit organizations at my age and experience level,” she said.</p><p> “I’m really just hoping to develop a strong grant writing and nonprofit management portfolio and to engage in meaningful personal research during my two years at the Fund.”</p><p> England is among the fifth class of fellows at the Jessie Ball duPont Fund. Some of their predecessors work with the Peace Corps, religious organizations, and community-based nonprofits.</p><p> Her accomplishments at Emory & Henry are equally impressive.</p><p> The alumna doubled majored in sociology and history with a minor in women’s studies. “When I entered Emory & Henry, I was the conventional high-performing student who was primarily concerned with grades. If nothing else, E&H taught me that if you aren’t imagining beyond your goals, you aren’t giving yourself enough latitude to grow.”</p><p> While a student at Emory & Henry, England was a research assistant, and she also gained experience working for Terry McAuliffe’s campaign for governor in Virginia.</p><p> Her honors thesis was entitled “Check Here: A Critique of Normative Discursive Categorization within Survey Construction.” The premise of her research was to address some of the General Social Survey’s methodological limitations.</p><p> “I found that nominal and mutually-exclusive language, as it pertains to the General Social Survey categorization of sex, creates a false sense of normativeness within American society and harshly limits the accuracy of data when causal inferences link these two categories to various other demographic features within the data set. Ultimately, I created an alternative survey proposal that I hope will be adopted more frequently on campus.”</p><p> England said her experiences at Emory & Henry have enabled her to be a successful person, employee, and citizen.</p><p> “I feel the impact of my liberal arts education daily and in several dimensions. First, I often find myself willing to engage in critical, solutions-oriented dialogue, and I think that’s a direct result of the type of Socratic courses that you regularly find at Emory.</p><p> “Second, I’m acutely aware of the impact that place has on people, and this is really imperative when you’re in a workspace. I’m really aware of workplace dynamics and organizational core values. Those are really important to understand when you’re trying to figure out how you, the individual, fit into the structure. At Emory, we were constantly reminded of how people and place are inextricably connected.”</p></div><a href="/live/profiles/13-" class="link-with-arrow gold">Keep reading</a></div>
• <span class="lw_item_thumb"><a href="/live/profiles/792-bronie-reynolds"><picture class="lw_image"> <source type="image/webp" srcset="/live/image/gid/68/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/0,0,499,543/565_bronie.rev.1505403379.webp 1x"/> <source type="image/jpeg" srcset="/live/image/gid/68/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/0,0,499,543/565_bronie.rev.1505403379.jpg 1x"/> <img src="/live/image/gid/68/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/0,0,499,543/565_bronie.rev.1505403379.jpg" alt="Bronie Reynolds (E&H '84) poses with Mike Young (E&H '86)" width="345" height="225" data-max-w="499" data-max-h="543" loading="lazy"/> </picture> </a></span><div class="lw_widget_text"><h4 class="lw_profiles_headline"><a href="/live/profiles/792-bronie-reynolds"><p> Did you ever wonder who picks the best referees in the country? Turns our Bronie Reynolds (right, E&H ’84) is one of those people.</p></a></h4><div class="lw_profiles_description"><blockquote><p> She picks the refs who make the big calls. </p></blockquote><p> Bronie Reynolds (E&H ’84, E&H Hall of Fame basketball point guard) laughs with glee as she recalls how Dave Thomas used a dust spray around the edges of the E&H basketball court. “He took such good care of the King Center…and we all knew if you got much beyond the court lines during a game, you’d slide all over the place because he had dusted over there!”</p><p> These days Bronie is looking at basketball from a different vantage point. She is one of a handful of people who evaluate basketball referees. She works for Charlene Curtis – former basketball standout and Hall Of Famer from Radford University who selects and assigns the Women’s Basketball Officials for the ACC, Big South, Southern and Colonial Conferences.  Bronie has known Ms. Curtis for a long time. “Coach Curtis, as I refer to her since I worked under her as her Graduate Assistant Coach at Radford University in 1984, is also responsible for the evaluation of the officials for those conferences.  She has to hire Neutral Observers, like me, to help her fulfill the expectations of each conference to have the best officials on the floor for every game. “</p><p> During the summer, she attends a camp where new officials try to break into conferences like the ACC and current officials try to vie for a better spot on the referee totem pole. Bronie says it’s very competitive. “Every year they’re all evaluated – so they have to be on their best game. They have to stay in shape physically, they must know the rules, and they need to appear invisible on the court. There is always someone trying to get their spot.”</p><p> She has a “day job,” too. She is Business Manager for Blue Spiral Consulting and an Insurance Consultant for Blue Ridge Insurance Services. However, throughout the year she watches tapes of games and attends games, and she gets to watch a lot of her favorite sport. “I get paid to watch basketball! Who can complain about that!?”</p></div><a href="/live/profiles/792-bronie-reynolds" class="link-with-arrow gold">Keep reading</a></div>
• <span class="lw_item_thumb"><a href="/live/profiles/874-laura-holley"><picture class="lw_image"> <source type="image/webp" srcset="/live/image/gid/68/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/0,0,1000,664/918_Laura_Holley_2.rev.1509131760.webp 1x, /live/image/scale/2x/gid/68/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/0,0,1000,664/918_Laura_Holley_2.rev.1509131760.webp 2x"/> <source type="image/jpeg" srcset="/live/image/gid/68/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/0,0,1000,664/918_Laura_Holley_2.rev.1509131760.jpg 1x, /live/image/scale/2x/gid/68/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/0,0,1000,664/918_Laura_Holley_2.rev.1509131760.jpg 2x"/> <img src="/live/image/gid/68/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/0,0,1000,664/918_Laura_Holley_2.rev.1509131760.jpg" alt="Laura Holley with one of her trailhead exhibit signs (1 of 25 installed spring of 2016)." width="345" height="225" srcset="/live/image/scale/2x/gid/68/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/0,0,1000,664/918_Laura_Holley_2.rev.1509131760.jpg 2x" data-max-w="1000" data-max-h="664" loading="lazy"/> </picture> </a></span><div class="lw_widget_text"><h4 class="lw_profiles_headline"><a href="/live/profiles/874-laura-holley"><p> Laura Holley isn’t using her art skills as planned – but she’s bringing a lot of great talent to the National Park System!</p></a></h4><div class="lw_profiles_description"><p> Laura Holley Thomas is a long way from fashion magazines.</p><p> Laura (E&H ’10) majored in art and minored in environmental studies, and she’s finding the two disciplines to be a perfect match for the work she’s doing: a special 4-year long project that has her planning, researching, writing and designing trailhead and wayside exhibits for the entirety of Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota – all 110 square miles. “I’m using art, design, and the written word to communicate information about plants, animals, human culture, climate change, habitats, ecosystems, etc. Though, had I known there was more to graphic design than making fashion magazines (I kid you not. That’s what I really thought.) I might have taken more classes focused on digital art.”</p><p> Laura has been with the National Park Service for 5 years, all of which has been spent at Theodore Roosevelt. She began as a full-time volunteer (citing that volunteerism is something she saw emphasized at Emory & Henry). That led to several paid seasonal positions, and now to this current assignment. She says this is her dream job…“But, it’s temporary! So I’ll be moving on with another job or another project here or at another park. I’d like to make a career with the NPS, but gaining permanent status is difficult, so I’m keeping other options open.”</p><p> Her job experiences can’t be calculated within the confines of a resume. “Often I’ll get called away from my desk to help with whatever is going on in the park. We have a really small staff, so we all pitch in. I’ve helped return escaped bison to the park, assisted with elk reduction efforts, helped at bison roundups, helped with a prescribed burn, illustrated our new junior ranger book, led bird counts, helped plan our annual astronomy festival, done on-camera interviews with the media, gone on search and rescues, and so much more.”</p><p> And her current project to develop signage is more than busy work: it feeds into her core beliefs about the importance of National Parks. “My biggest concern is that the NPS will become irrelevant. We have to inspire each next generation to care for and about our American landscape and its history or we risk losing our relevancy. But staying relevant shouldn’t be difficult. Our parks speak for themselves. I’ve watched people look up and see the Milky Way for the first time. It’s something they (and I) will never forget. And they’ll remember that the clearest, darkest, most uninhibited sky they’ve ever seen was above a national park and they’ll understand why we protect this place. We just have to get people into their parks and make sure their experiences are meaningful and memorable. That’s what this signage project is all about. Hopefully the exhibits I create will inspire visitors to connect intellectually and emotionally with the park and its resources and turn those personal connections into active stewardship of this place and the public lands in their own communities.”</p><p> Laura’s experiences have run the gamut from wildlife management to designing websites and social media content. She even designed a special pictorial postmark to commemorate this year’s National Park Centennial (an honor stamp aficionados can appreciate). And she admits that some of the skills she’s using now were learned in E&H classes she didn’t think were all that important. “In my first few seasons as a ranger I was writing and presenting interpretive programs (tours, guided hikes, campfire talks, etc.). I leaned heavily on what I learned in speech class which I would absolutely never have signed up for had it not been mandatory!”</p><p> If you find yourself in Theodore Roosevelt National Park, look for Ranger Laura…and certainly, look for her signs.</p><p>  </p><p><em><a href="https://www.ehc.edu/live/image/gid/68/height/815/919_Laura_Holley.jpg" class="lw_preview_image"><picture class="lw_image lw_image919 lw_align_left lw_column_width_half"> <source type="image/webp" media="(max-width: 500px)" srcset="/live/image/gid/68/width/500/height/667/919_Laura_Holley.rev.1509131808.webp 1x, /live/image/scale/2x/gid/68/width/500/height/667/919_Laura_Holley.rev.1509131808.webp 2x, /live/image/scale/3x/gid/68/width/500/height/667/919_Laura_Holley.rev.1509131808.webp 3x"/> <source type="image/webp" media="(min-width: 501px)" srcset="/live/image/gid/68/width/611/height/815/919_Laura_Holley.rev.1509131808.webp 1x, /live/image/scale/2x/gid/68/width/611/height/815/919_Laura_Holley.rev.1509131808.webp 2x, /live/image/scale/3x/gid/68/width/611/height/815/919_Laura_Holley.rev.1509131808.webp 3x"/> <source type="image/jpeg" media="(max-width: 500px)" srcset="/live/image/gid/68/width/500/height/667/919_Laura_Holley.rev.1509131808.jpg 1x, /live/image/scale/2x/gid/68/width/500/height/667/919_Laura_Holley.rev.1509131808.jpg 2x, /live/image/scale/3x/gid/68/width/500/height/667/919_Laura_Holley.rev.1509131808.jpg 3x"/> <source type="image/jpeg" media="(min-width: 501px)" srcset="/live/image/gid/68/width/611/height/815/919_Laura_Holley.rev.1509131808.jpg 1x, /live/image/scale/2x/gid/68/width/611/height/815/919_Laura_Holley.rev.1509131808.jpg 2x, /live/image/scale/3x/gid/68/width/611/height/815/919_Laura_Holley.rev.1509131808.jpg 3x"/> <img width="611" height="815" alt="Laura Holley Thomas is shown here with her husband, Shawn, who is no longer a ranger, but is now ..." src="/live/image/gid/68/width/611/height/815/919_Laura_Holley.rev.1509131808.jpg" srcset="/live/image/scale/2x/gid/68/width/611/height/815/919_Laura_Holley.rev.1509131808.jpg 2x, /live/image/scale/3x/gid/68/width/611/height/815/919_Laura_Holley.rev.1509131808.jpg 3x" data-max-w="1944" data-max-h="2592" loading="lazy"/> </picture> </a>Photo, left: Laura Holley Thomas is shown here with her husband, Shawn, who is no longer a ranger, but is now a deputy.</em></p><p>  </p><p> Submitted October 25, 2016</p></div><a href="/live/profiles/874-laura-holley" class="link-with-arrow gold">Keep reading</a></div>