Alumni & Friends

Meet Our Alumni

• <span class="lw_item_thumb"><a href="/live/profiles/701-" title="Will Wadlington" aria-label="Will Wadlington"><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="Will Wadlington" title="Will Wadlington" class="lw_image" width="345" height="225" data-max-w="411" data-max-h="441"/></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/704-" title="Rachel Dunne" aria-label="Rachel Dunne"><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="Rachel Dunne" title="Rachel Dunne" class="lw_image" width="345" height="225" data-max-w="690" data-max-h="390"/></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/786-julie-meadows" title="Julie Meadows" aria-label="Julie Meadows"><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" title="Julie Meadows" class="lw_image" width="345" height="225" data-max-w="375" data-max-h="532"/></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/1434-gary-reedy" title="Gary Reedy" aria-label="Gary Reedy"><img src="/live/image/gid/68/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/0,0,280,279/2269_Gary_Reedy.rev.1516131489.jpg" alt="Gary Reedy" title="Gary Reedy" class="lw_image" width="345" height="225" data-max-w="280" data-max-h="414"/></a></span><div class="lw_widget_text"><h4 class="lw_profiles_headline"><a href="/live/profiles/1434-gary-reedy"><p> Gary Reedy is CEO for American Cancer Society.</p></a></h4><div class="lw_profiles_description"><p> Gary M. Reedy is the Chief Executive Officer for the American Cancer Society. He took the position in April 2015, but he served as a volunteer for many years before that.</p><p>  </p><p> As a volunteer leader, Reedy is credited with transforming the organization into one able to better deliver on its lifesaving mission. He is a past chair of the Society’s volunteer Board of Directors and past chair of the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network^SM (ACS CAN) Board. He also led the ACS Board’s advisory committee on transformation, a pivotal role for the organization’s recent restructuring work. He first joined the Society in 2000 as a member of the Board of Trustees of the former American Cancer Society Foundation. In recognition of his service, Reedy was elected as an Honorary Life Member of the Society in 2014.</p><p> Prior to taking the helm of the Society, Reedy had a distinguished 37-year career as a health care business and advocacy leader, most recently as the worldwide vice president of government affairs and policy, at Johnson & Johnson, where he spearheaded initiatives to influence global health policy. He previously devoted more than 25 years of his career to the business side of the industry, including senior leadership positions with SmithKline Beecham, Centocor, and Johnson & Johnson. During his tenure at Johnson & Johnson, Reedy served as president of Ortho Biotech, a Johnson & Johnson company with annual revenues of more than $3 billion.</p><p> Reedy’s nonprofit experience includes current board appointments for the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, the Tobacco-Free Kids Action Fund, the National Health Council, Research America, and Emory & Henry College. He is an active member of the Atlanta Rotary Club, previously served on the C-Change board of directors, and was a charter member of the CEO Roundtable on Cancer.</p><p> As the Society’s top staff executive, Reedy leads the strategic direction and overall management of the organization, with 2  million volunteers, 6,000 staff, and 5 geographic regions. He works with the Society’s Board of Directors to establish the organization’s vision and drive revenue and impact to achieve its lifesaving mission.</p><p> Reedy also holds an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from Arcadia University. He and his wife, Cindy (E&H ’80), live in Atlanta, Georgia, and are the proud parents of two adult daughters, Katie and Stephanie. </p></div><a href="/live/profiles/1434-gary-reedy" class="link-with-arrow gold">Keep reading</a></div>
• <span class="lw_item_thumb"><a href="/live/profiles/2028-stewart-whitmore-plein" title="Stewart Plein" aria-label="Stewart Plein"><img src="/live/image/gid/68/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/0,0,2133,3200/3894_34169_S_BFP_0136_XX.rev.1522863006.jpg" alt="Stewart Whitmore Plein" title="Stewart Whitmore Plein" class="lw_image" width="345" height="225" srcset="/live/image/scale/2x/gid/68/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/0,0,2133,3200/3894_34169_S_BFP_0136_XX.rev.1522863006.jpg 2x, /live/image/scale/3x/gid/68/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/0,0,2133,3200/3894_34169_S_BFP_0136_XX.rev.1522863006.jpg 3x" data-max-w="2133" data-max-h="3200"/></a></span><div class="lw_widget_text"><h4 class="lw_profiles_headline"><a href="/live/profiles/2028-stewart-whitmore-plein"><p> Stewart Whitmore Plein (E&H ’82) is the Curator of Rare Books and Print Resources in the West Virginia & Regional History Center, the special collections unit of West Virginia University. </p></a></h4><div class="lw_profiles_description"><p> Growing up, Emory & Henry was always an essential stop for Stewart Whitmore Plein and the Whitmore family, on the way to visit grandparents in Gate City, Virginia. Her father, Ernest, a 1956 E&H graduate in History, made the detour through campus, driving slowly and pointing out favorite places and telling stories of his time at E&H. From her first trip through campus, Stewart knew she wanted to attend Emory & Henry someday. That day arrived in 1978, when she enrolled as a freshman.</p><p><br/> Born in Abingdon, Stewart is a 1982 graduate of Emory & Henry, with a degree in History, just like her father. She met her husband, Christopher Plein (’84) on campus and they married in the Emory & Henry Chapel in 1983. Stewart’s first job after graduation was working in the E&H Admissions office.</p><p><br/> Stewart is the Curator of Rare Books and Print Resources in the West Virginia & Regional History Center, the special collections unit of West Virginia University. Stewart says, “I double majored in history and religion at E&H and I use my degree every day in my work. My love of history and my education at Emory & Henry have been essential to my success as a curator, teaching students, working with donors and collections, and assisting faculty.”</p><p><br/> Stewart is also the Managing Director for the West Virginia National Digital Newspaper Project (NDNP) National Endowment for the Humanities grant in partnership with the Library of Congress. She received her Masters of Library Science from the University of South Carolina, and a certificate in Rare Book Librarianship from the University of Virginia’s Rare Book School.</p><p><br/> Stewart’s research and publishing interests include book history, bookbinding design, and Appalachian Studies. She is currently working on a book focusing on the development of the Appalachian stereotype on the covers of local color literature. Her work has appeared in the Journal of Appalachian Studies, the West Virginia History Journal and the Smithfield Review, among others. Her forthcoming book chapter, “A Sense of Place: The Rhododendron as Regional Identification on the Covers of Appalachian Local Color Literature,” is forthcoming in the two volume ecocritical anthology, Appalachian Nature, Appalachian Environment, from West Virginia University Press.</p><p><br/> Stewart works extensively with donors, teaches book history and rare book pedagogy sessions in the WVU rare book room, guest lectures, and always looks forward to reading a good book!</p></div><a href="/live/profiles/2028-stewart-whitmore-plein" class="link-with-arrow gold">Keep reading</a></div>
• <span class="lw_item_thumb"><a href="/live/profiles/714-" title="Jarrett Dunning" aria-label="Jarrett Dunning"><img src="/live/image/gid/2/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/53,72,821,840/1910_jarrett.rev.1515554170.jpg" alt="Jarrett Dunning" title="Jarrett Dunning" class="lw_image" width="345" height="225" srcset="/live/image/scale/2x/gid/2/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/53,72,821,840/1910_jarrett.rev.1515554170.jpg 2x" data-max-w="960" data-max-h="960"/></a></span><div class="lw_widget_text"><h4 class="lw_profiles_headline"><a href="/live/profiles/714-"><p> Investigation of Power </p></a></h4><div class="lw_profiles_description"><p> Enticed by the way power is used in our society, Jarrett is determined to expand upon his research in graduate school and to pass on his knowledge to future political theory students. </p><p> With a major in philosophy, politics, and economics (PPE), Jarrett is attending graduate school at the University of Chicago to study Political Science and plans to receive his Ph.D. in political theory with the long-term goal of holding a professorship. During graduate school he plans to expand upon his honors thesis work which critically engages the causes of faction and more specifically, the various uses of power in the ordering, structure, and maintenance of human interaction. Following an intellectual tradition encompassing thinkers as diverse as Locke, Von Mises, Weber, and Foucault, he hopes to explore the power dynamics between the individual and the state and interrogate the corollaries of power as a result of social class, economic status, and the structure of state institutions. This inquiry into the nature of power also extends to the origins of political order, social contract theory and the function of private property in society.</p><p> As far as his hobbies go, Jarrett is a well–established bibliophile. He said, “I am known to stay up late into the night hunting the internet for that one rare or out-of-print edition that I can’t keep off my mind, or travel out of my way to visit obscure, used bookstores in hopes of coming across that next great find.” While attending graduate school, Jarrett also works as a Program Assistant for The Hermon Dunlap Smith Center for the History of Cartography at the Newberry Library. As the world’s largest private research library, working at The Newberry has been an excellent opportunity for the expansion of Jarrett’s career and research interest.</p><div class="row sqs-row" id="yui_3_17_2_1_1500390393817_126"><div class="col sqs-col-5 span-5"><div class="sqs-block quote-block sqs-block-quote" data-block-type="31" id="block-yui_3_17_2_2_1423505275009_6882"><div class="sqs-block-content"/></div></div></div></div><a href="/live/profiles/714-" class="link-with-arrow gold">Keep reading</a></div>
• <span class="lw_item_thumb"><a href="/live/profiles/705-" title="John Honeycutt" aria-label="John Honeycutt"><img src="/live/image/gid/2/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/0,0,1000,666/355_cb05c7c2dda509f77c32d255409bb14f_f3246.rev.1500387149.jpg" alt="John Honeycutt" title="John Honeycutt" class="lw_image" width="345" height="225" srcset="/live/image/scale/2x/gid/2/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/0,0,1000,666/355_cb05c7c2dda509f77c32d255409bb14f_f3246.rev.1500387149.jpg 2x" data-max-w="1000" data-max-h="666"/></a></span><div class="lw_widget_text"><h4 class="lw_profiles_headline"><a href="/live/profiles/705-"><p> John Honeycutt: Successful Attorney </p></a></h4><div class="lw_profiles_description"><p> John Honeycutt said his experiences as a student at Emory & Henry reached far beyond the four walls and whiteboard, making a positive impact in his life a decade later.</p><p> As an attorney in Abingdon, Va., Honeycutt believes his college experience opened the door for his eventual profession.</p><p> “Becoming an attorney was not a driving force for me during college, but I enjoyed the legal classes I took through the political science department and eventually decided the study of law was more than a passing interest for me,” he said.</p><p> Honeycutt credits many members of the College community, including political science professor <a class="soft-link" title="View Dr. Joe Lane's profile page" href="http://www.ehc.edu/profile/view/822/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Dr. Joe Lane</a>, for building his confidence.</p><blockquote><a class="soft-link" title="View Dr. Joe Lane's profile page" href="http://www.ehc.edu/profile/view/822/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Dr. Lane</a> helped me become a big fish in a small pond, but at the same time, he made sure I knew there were lakes and oceans out there. When I got to the ‘lakes’ and ‘oceans,’ I wasn’t shocked by the fact that smart, capable people are everywhere. Instead, I knew I was one of them and found my own place.<a title="Learn more about this outstanding Emory and Henry College alum" href="http://www.pennstuart.com/attorneys/jhoneycutt.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">John Honeycutt</a><br/> Attorney</blockquote><h2> A Successful Struggle</h2><p> As is typical for many college students, Honeycutt struggled early on to find the right academic path. “I come from a family of ministers, and I initially took a lot of religion courses with <a class="soft-link" title="View Dr. Joseph Reiff's profile page" href="http://www.ehc.edu/profile/view/888/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Dr. Reiff</a> and Dr. Kellogg,” he said. “I was close to going down the path of religion for my major and profession, but I was never quite as comfortable and confident with religion as I am with the law.  It’s funny how things work out.  I really appreciate what Joe Reiff and Fred Kellogg taught me. What I learned from them was a vital part of my E&H experience.”</p><p> Following graduation from E&H, Honeycutt earned a Masters of Public Administration at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill before attending the College of Law at University of Tennessee. For the past four years, he has practiced employment law at Penn, Stuart & Eskridge in Abingdon, primarily representing employers in workers’ compensation claims filed by their employees. He also represents employers in federal employment discrimination law suits.</p><p> “E&H challenged and grew my capacity to work hard,” said Honeycutt. “When I was in graduate school and law school, I drew on the experience of classes I took from Dr. Lane, Dr. Kathleen Chamberlain, and Dr. Joe Reiff to get me through. The papers, tests, and presentations for these classes made me realize I had to be better to be successful. Those challenges pushed my limits, and when I got to graduate school and law school, I was able to handle the difficulty when other students from less strenuous undergraduate institutions could not.”</p><p> Honeycutt said E&H helped him learn about work ethic and self-awareness. “Most any institution of higher education can teach students facts and figures, but E&H does better than most,” he said. “What sets E&H apart, however, is the unique environment in which it teaches students those facts and figures. To those students who engage the entire college community, E&H provides context better than any other institution of higher education I’ve seen.”</p><p> He added, “I also appreciate my experience at the College because it’s where I met some wonderful friends with whom I’m still close more than 10 years later. I also met my wife, Jenna, while we were students at E&H.  We have a precious little girl, Anna Claire.  We love her, and we’re so proud of her.”</p><div id="social-sharing-links" class="right clearfix"/></div><a href="/live/profiles/705-" class="link-with-arrow gold">Keep reading</a></div>
• <span class="lw_item_thumb"><a href="/live/profiles/1916-eric-scott" title="Eric Scott" aria-label="Eric Scott"><img src="/live/image/gid/68/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/0,11,312,323/3451_eric_scott_4.rev.1520287120.jpg" alt="Eric Scott" title="Eric Scott" class="lw_image" width="345" height="225" data-max-w="312" data-max-h="478"/></a></span><div class="lw_widget_text"><h4 class="lw_profiles_headline"><a href="/live/profiles/1916-eric-scott"><p> Eric Scott is an Emmy award-winning photojournalist for WJZ-TV, channel 13, a CBS owned-and-operated station in Baltimore, Maryland.</p></a></h4><div class="lw_profiles_description"><p> Eric Scott is an Emmy award-winning photojournalist for WJZ-TV, channel 13, a CBS owned-and-operated station in Baltimore, Maryland.</p><p>  </p><p> As a photographer for the TV newsroom, Scott is prepared to shoot multiple stories each day – everything from a news conference, to a school play, to a crime scene.</p><p> “I’ve covered every kind of story you can imagine,” he said. “I cover politics, crime, riots, sports events, you name it. I’m the reporter <em>behind</em> the camera. I tell stories with video.”</p><p> Along with the day-to-day assignments, Scott has experienced many “wow moments” during his career. He’s met presidents, vice presidents, mayors and governors. In 1998, he covered the Olympics in Japan. A year later, he traveled to Havana, Cuba when the Baltimore Orioles played the Cuban All-Stars in an exhibition game.</p><p> He’s worked on assignment with the military reserves at Camp Pendleton in California.</p><p> “My job is similar to a classroom. I meet new people and learn new things every day. It gives me a completely different view of the world.”</p><p> From time to time, his video clips make it to the CBS Evening News and CNN broadcasts. “For example, if they’re doing a story on the weather throughout the country, I may see some of my work on the national news.”</p><p> Scott said he shot the footage for a reporter at the Baltimore news station who won an Emmy for her investigative reporting. “But, the best story I’ve ever done was watching a baby being born. It was for a new-age dad story. I see death a lot in my work, but seeing new life was something different for me.”</p><p> Scott knew he wanted a career in the media as early as high school. “As a basketball player, I was always interested in sports. I thought I wanted to be a sports anchor, but I had no idea the path God would lead me to,” he said.</p><p> “I fell in love with photojournalism as a student intern at WCYB-TV in Bristol, and I forgot all about being in front of the camera. The first time I saw my video air on a broadcast, I fell in love with it because everyone got to see how I created it. That hooked me.”</p><p> After graduating from Emory & Henry, Scott went to work as a manager of circulation for a newspaper in South Carolina. “I never quit anything in my life, but the job was not for me.”</p><p> Scott accepted a photographer position at WCYB-TV while visiting friends in the region. When he was offered a job at Virginia Beach more than a year later, he moved again. Known for his creative work, he later was offered a position at the TV station in Baltimore where he has worked for the past 22 years.</p><p> “And, the rest is history as they say.”</p><p> Scott said his college education taught him many things, including independence and decision-making. He’s never forgotten about making a D grade in a Mass Communications class taught by Dr. Teresa Keller.</p><p>  “It was the only D I made at Emory & Henry. She said I could do better and I set out to prove her right. Dr. Keller became a mentor and friend. To this very day she still is someone I communicate with regularly and consider a member of my family,” he said.</p><p> “The late Coach Bob Johnson was another influence on my development. Discipline, detail, accountability, promptness, leadership, and love of my school and country were powerful things I learned from him.”</p><p> Scott said his greatest honor at Emory & Henry was being the co-captain for the men’s basketball team. “During my senior year we finished 16th in the nation.”</p></div><a href="/live/profiles/1916-eric-scott" class="link-with-arrow gold">Keep reading</a></div>
• <span class="lw_item_thumb"><a href="/live/profiles/837-randall-meadows" title="Randall Meadows" aria-label="Randall Meadows"><img src="/live/image/gid/68/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/0,0,360,359/726_IMG_3080_4.rev.1506973300.jpg" alt="Randall Meadows" title="Randall Meadows" class="lw_image" width="345" height="225" data-max-w="360" data-max-h="532"/></a></span><div class="lw_widget_text"><h4 class="lw_profiles_headline"><a href="/live/profiles/837-randall-meadows"><p> As a psychotherapist in Los Angeles, Randall talks to a lot of people. But he finds that in many ways, people are very much the same.</p></a></h4><div class="lw_profiles_description"><p> Randall “Randy” Meadows LCSW (E&H ’88) talks to a lot of people during a day’s work. He’s a psychotherapist in Los Angeles, and part of his week is spent doing outpatient psychiatry Kaiser Permanente Medical Group; his role there is as a crisis therapist and he deals with things like work stress, panic attacks, and suicidal and homicidal impulses.</p><p> He also has a private practice where he does weekly therapy with individuals seeking personal internal growth. He says therapy is a “strange thing. It is a very intense relationship with a lot of boundaries.”  But despite the angst he deals with daily, he doesn’t get frustrated because he has seen so many people grow and succeed past current problems. “I routinely see people overcome their challenges.”</p><p> In fact, he sees his role as a privilege. “I’m fortunate: I get to see behind the masks of janitors, lawyers, and movie stars. In one conversation, a janitor may be worried about being judged by the head janitor while a movie star is worried about being judged by Jack Nicholson. We are all pretty much the same on the inside.”</p><p> Randy majored in economics and political science at Emory & Henry. And even though he wasn’t loving the program he had nearly completed his MBA at the University of Maryland when his father died. This big life event made him realize life was short and gave him need for some time to reflect; he entered therapy.  He was so impressed by the process that he decided to go into the profession.</p><p> Randy didn’t get a background in psychology at Emory & Henry, but he credits the College (particularly the political science department) for preparing him for a meaningful adult life. He loves living in the melting pot of Los Angeles, and says his E&H classes started him on the process of embracing the joys of living in a “liberal and inclusive” community. A self-declared Republican when he came to Emory & Henry, Randy recalls a day in class when Dr. Steve Fisher listened closely to what Randy was expressing and said, “You know you’re not a Republican, right?” He gave Randy a stack of books to read that paved the way for the rest of his life. He says his professors never tried to sway his thinking, but they challenged him to “make educated decisions.” </p><p> It’s not all work for Randy, and he says he plays as hard as he works. He says Los Angeles has an amazing array of cultural offerings including “theatre, concerts, museums” and more. And he takes full advantage of the California climate: “I can have breakfast at the beach, drive up the mountain to snowboard in the afternoon, and drive down the mountain for evening cocktails by the pool in the desert!” All in a day’s work.</p></div><a href="/live/profiles/837-randall-meadows" class="link-with-arrow gold">Keep reading</a></div>
• <span class="lw_item_thumb"><a href="/live/profiles/1431-jeremy-peters" title="Jeremy Peters" aria-label="Jeremy Peters"><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" title="Jeremy Peters" class="lw_image" width="345" height="225" srcset="/live/image/scale/2x/gid/68/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/357,137,786,568/916_Jeremy_Peters_photo.rev.1508790892.jpg 2x, /live/image/scale/3x/gid/68/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/357,137,786,568/916_Jeremy_Peters_photo.rev.1508790892.jpg 3x" data-max-w="1718" data-max-h="1147"/></a></span><div class="lw_widget_text"><h4 class="lw_profiles_headline"><a href="/live/profiles/1431-jeremy-peters"/></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>  </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/1017-emma-sturgill" title="Emma Sturgill" aria-label="Emma Sturgill"><img src="/live/image/gid/10/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/0,0,377,384/1144_Profile.rev.1510677783.jpg" alt="Emma Sturgill" title="Emma Sturgill" class="lw_image" width="345" height="225" data-max-w="377" data-max-h="384"/></a></span><div class="lw_widget_text"><h4 class="lw_profiles_headline"><a href="/live/profiles/1017-emma-sturgill"><p> From Biology student to biotechnology entrepreneur</p></a></h4><div class="lw_profiles_description"><p> Emma graduated from the Emory & Henry Biology Department in 2009 and continued on to Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN to study the activity of cytoskeletal proteins during cell division.  Upon obtaining her PhD in Cell Biology in 2014, Emma launched a biotechnology company that specializes in protein manufacturing.  She enjoys working at the intersection of research, entrepreneurship, and STEM education, and attributes her fascination for biology to her experiences at E&H.</p></div><a href="/live/profiles/1017-emma-sturgill" class="link-with-arrow gold">Keep reading</a></div>
• <span class="lw_item_thumb"><a href="/live/profiles/708-" title="Mary Beth Tignor" aria-label="Mary Beth Tignor"><img src="/live/image/gid/2/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/0,0,300,200/358_MaryBethTignor.rev.1500388800.jpg" alt="Mary Beth Tignor" title="Mary Beth Tignor" class="lw_image" width="345" height="225" data-max-w="300" data-max-h="200"/></a></span><div class="lw_widget_text"><h4 class="lw_profiles_headline"><a href="/live/profiles/708-"><p> Love for the region keeps Mary Beth Tignor’s future local </p></a></h4><div class="lw_profiles_description"><h1> Her love of this region and her passion for education are the fuel to her daily work. </h1><p> Mary Beth was a part of the first Emory & Henry Honors Program cohort that graduated in Spring 2013. She graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Studies and a Bachelor of Arts in Public Policy and Community Service. Currently, she is working as an AmeriCorps with Appalachian Sustainable Development and pursuing a Master’s degree in Education with a focus area of Middle School Science. </p><p> Serving the community of this region has always been one of Mary Beth’s passion and love. As a student at Emory & Henry, she served as a volunteer of an on-campus after school program called Highlands Project. She said, “Through this program and some of my courses, I developed a passion for education and the children in this area.” Since then, she has created and is the current coordinator of a after school program at a local elementary school. Her most memorable experience in the Honors Program is going to New York City as an upperclassman leader with First-Year Honors Scholars. After her first trip to New York City, Mary Beth had learned a lot from her experiences and really enjoyed sharing them with the First-Year Honors Scholars. </p></div><a href="/live/profiles/708-" class="link-with-arrow gold">Keep reading</a></div>
• <span class="lw_item_thumb"><a href="/live/profiles/1893-bobbie-frentz-larkins" title="Bobbie Larkins" aria-label="Bobbie Larkins"><img src="/live/image/gid/68/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/0,33,512,545/3399_771885.rev.1519915305.jpg" alt="Bobbie Frentz Larkins" title="Bobbie Frentz Larkins" class="lw_image" width="345" height="225" data-max-w="512" data-max-h="768"/></a></span><div class="lw_widget_text"><h4 class="lw_profiles_headline"><a href="/live/profiles/1893-bobbie-frentz-larkins"><p> Bobbie Frentz Larkins is a great advocate for connecting E&H students to career possibilities at Eastman Chemical Company.</p></a></h4><div class="lw_profiles_description"><p> Bobbie Frentz Larkins received her Bachelors of Science degrees in Chemistry and Biology from Emory & Henry college in May, 2003.  Bobbie taught high school Chemistry and Biology in Washington County, Virginia, from 2003 to 2007.  In 2007, Bobbie joined Eastman Chemical Company as a part of the Specialty Plastics organization.  Currently, Bobbie is a Portfolio Specialist focused on managing the growth portfolio for the Plastics business.<br/><br/> Bobbie joined the E&H Alumni board in 2012 with a passion to ensure that future generations have the opportunity to benefit from an Emory & Henry education.  Bobbie has worked to develop an E&H Alumni network within Eastman Chemical Company as well as provide opportunities for E&H’s science students to interact with Eastman (networking opportunities, plant visits/tours, career mentoring, etc.).<br/><br/> Bobbie also has a focus on service within her community – a value instilled by E&H.  Bobbie was a member of the Kingsport Junior League from 2011 to 2016, a member of the Tri-Cities ALS Association Board of Directors from 2012 to 2015 and is currently an active member of the Tennessee Doberman Rescue and Calvary Church in Johnson City, TN.  Bobbie and her husband, David, are passionate about supporting animal rescues and providing for school-aged children in need.<br/><br/> In her spare time, Bobbie enjoys organic gardening and cooking as well as spending time with her husband, David, their two children, Katie (17) and Andrew (14), and their three dogs Matilda, Brodie and Shadow.</p></div><a href="/live/profiles/1893-bobbie-frentz-larkins" class="link-with-arrow gold">Keep reading</a></div>
• <span class="lw_item_thumb"><a href="/live/profiles/1229-michael-payne" title="Michael Payne" aria-label="Michael Payne"><img src="/live/image/gid/68/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/0,0,270,270/1710_michael_payne.rev.1513720647.jpg" alt="Michael Payne" title="Michael Payne" class="lw_image" width="345" height="225" data-max-w="270" data-max-h="324"/></a></span><div class="lw_widget_text"><h4 class="lw_profiles_headline"><a href="/live/profiles/1229-michael-payne"/></h4><div class="lw_profiles_description"><p> Michael is a licensed and Certified Athletic Trainer (ATC) working through Doctors Hospital of Augusta, Georgia. As part of an outreach program, he works mostly with the athletes at a 6A high school in Georgia, but also work through the Physical Therapy Department with prehab patients. As an athletic trainer, he is responsible for collaborating with physicians to provide preventative services, emergency care, clinical diagnosis, therapeutic intervention and rehabilitation of injuries and medical conditions in the athletic setting.</p></div><a href="/live/profiles/1229-michael-payne" class="link-with-arrow gold">Keep reading</a></div>
• <span class="lw_item_thumb"><a href="/live/profiles/1743-myron-wingfield" title="Myron Wingfield" aria-label="Myron Wingfield"><img src="/live/image/gid/68/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/0,0,320,404/3150_Myron_Wingfield.rev.1518206236.jpg" alt="Myron Wingfield" title="Myron Wingfield" class="lw_image" width="345" height="225" data-max-w="320" data-max-h="404"/></a></span><div class="lw_widget_text"><h4 class="lw_profiles_headline"><a href="/live/profiles/1743-myron-wingfield"><p> Myron Wingfield (E&H ’83) is the Executive Director of Connectional Ministries for the California-Pacific Conference of The United Methodist Church.</p></a></h4><div class="lw_profiles_description"><p> Myron Wingfield (E&H ’83) has returned to California to be the Executive Director of Connectional Ministries for the California-Pacific Conference of The United Methodist Church.</p><p> Resident Bishop Grant J. Hagiya of the Los Angeles Episcopal Area of The United Methodist Church recently shared the following letter as a means of announcing the news:</p><p> “I am pleased to announce that Rev. Myron D. Wingfield will become our next California-Pacific Conference’s Executive Director of Connectional Ministries.</p><p> Rev. Wingfield currently serves as the Associate General Secretary of the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry’s Division of Ordained Ministry where he supervises and coordinates the work of the program and administrative staff of the Division of Ordained Ministry. His work includes providing training, consultation, and resources for district superintendents across the Connection and for administering the Effective Ministry Assessment (EMA) on effective clergy-congregational leadership collaboration as well as the Ministerial Education Fund and the Central Conference Theological Education Fund.</p><p> Prior to this, in the California-Pacific Conference, he served as District Superintendent in the San Diego District for seven years and on the Board of Ordained Ministry for nine years. He has also served as Co-Pastor of St. Mark’s United Methodist Church (San Diego, CA), among other local churches, and as a delegate to the 2012 Western Jurisdictional Conference.</p><p> Rev. Wingfield earned a Master of Divinity with Honors from Candler School of Theology, Emory University (Atlanta, GA), and a Bachelor of Arts in Religion from Emory & Henry College (Emory, VA).</p><p> Myron both understands our Cal-Pac Conference culture and brings the perspective of the General Church, both nationally and internationally. He supervises the entire staff of the Division of Ordained Ministry, and as such brings a wealth of administration as well as program ministry gifts. I am confident that God will lead us into greater ministry vitality in and through his leadership. Let us keep him in prayer and welcome him as he comes to lead in this capacity, starting January 15, 2017.</p><p><strong>Bishop Grant J. Hagiya</strong><br/> Los Angeles Area Resident Bishop<br/> The United Methodist Church”</p></div><a href="/live/profiles/1743-myron-wingfield" class="link-with-arrow gold">Keep reading</a></div>