This month’s roundup of alumni news and achievements includes Dothan businessman Jeff Coleman (’95) who has been named as a civilian aide to the Secretary of the Army, Spencer C. Hoover (’06) who was recently appointed to the Michigan Veterans’ Facility Authority and Jaycee Affeldt (’15) who returns to her alma mater as an assistant softball coach.
Randy Hicks (‘72), who was a kicker on TROY’s 1968 national championship football team, was recently inducted into the Wiregrass Sports Hall of Fame. He was among nine inductees honored on the Hall of Fame’s 25th anniversary.
Dr. Lesley Ogden (’89), who has served as chief executive officer at Samaritan North Lincoln Hospital in 2015, will now also serve as CEO at Samaritan Pacific Communities Hospital in Newport. Ogden started with Samaritan Health Services as a physician in SNLH’s Emergency Department in 2006, working her way up to assistant emergency department medical director and medical staff president before accepting the chief operations officer role at SNLH in 2013. She held that position until being named CEO at SNLH in 2015.
Jeff Coleman (’95) has been named a civilian aide to the Secretary of the Army. Civilian aides are business and community leaders appointed to advise and support Army leaders throughout the U.S. There are more than 100 CASAs working throughout the U.S. It is an unpaid volunteer position. Alabama has two CASAs, one for north Alabama and one for south Alabama. Coleman is the CASA for south Alabama. Coleman was awarded the Alumni of the Year in 2003 for Troy University Dothan, and he was awarded the Champion of Life Award from Troy University in 2016 by the Dollar General Bowl.
Ricky Britt (’99) was recently honored at Enterprise High School’s Educator of the Year. Britt, who began working with the Enterprise School System in 1989, spending time as a math teacher, coach and administrator, currently serves as the school’s assistant principal.
Dale Alward (’02) has been named chief executive officer of Twin County Regional Healthcare, based in Galax, Va. He most recently served as CEO of Mercy Hospital in Miami and served for 24 years in the U.S. Air Force during which he took on management roles at several Air Force medical bases. Alward is a fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives and holds a Master of Public Administration from TROY.
Spencer C. Hoover (’06), vice president and executive director of the Henry Ford Cancer Institute, was recently appointed to the Board of Directors of the Michigan Veterans’ Facility Authority. Hoover, a resident of Grosse Pointe Park, is a decorated and disabled U.S. Army veteran with a wealth of professional knowledge and experience in healthcare and finance.
Dr. Ernest Rahn (’08) has been named executive director of the Wayland Baptist University campus at Eielson Air Force Base near Fairbanks, Alaska. Rahn has more than 26 years of experience in the United States Air Force, including being stationed at Eielson AFB from 2009-2012. During his Air Force career, Rahn has been deployed to both Afghanistan and Saudi Arabia. He has instructed a number of courses dealing with aviation, propulsion and other aeronautical applications. He has also served as an assistant associate professor for Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.
Matt Brown (’09, ’12) has been promoted to staff accountant II in the tax services division at the Brewton at Hartmann, Blackmon and Kilgore. He has been employed with Hartmann, Black and Kilgore since 2015.
Austin Lamar “Nikki” Milburn (’11) was recently appointed as the new county clerk for McDuffie County, Ga.
Roderick Robinson (‘11) has been named the director of the Gulf Coast State College’s Gulf/Franklin Center. He previously served as a counselor and head of the Franklin County School District’s dual-enrollment program for the past six years.
Amber Edwards (’14) has been hired an assistant athletic trainer for Marshall University Thundering Herd football. She previously served as intern for the University of Texas.
Jaycee Affeldt (’15) has returned to TROY as an assistant coach for the softball team. Affeldt served as a volunteer assistant in 2016 before spending the 2017 season as pitching coach at the University of Alabama Huntsville. She was a four-year letter winner as a member of the Trojan softball team from 2012 through 2015. She was named the 2015 Sun Belt Pitcher of the Year and earned first team All-Sun Belt honors.
Jonah Enfinger (’15) was recognized for his photography with three awards in the 2017 Alabama Press Association Better Newspaper Contest. He took two first place Best News Photo awards for his coverage of the Lifeflight Service held in Sartain Arena honoring the lives lost in the March 2016 Lifeflight accident in Coffee County. He also received a third place Best News Photo Essay award for a photograph from that same service. Seventy-four newspapers from across the state submitted over 2,700 entries in the 2017 competition. The Lifeflight service pictures appeared in the April 6, 2016, Troy Messenger. The owner of Jonah Enfinger Photography, Jonah’s photographs can be seen at www.jonahenfinger.com.
Megan Donald (’16) has been named volleyball coach at W.S. Neal High School. She previously served as volleyball coach at Gulf Shores High School and as a substitute teacher. In addition to her coaching duties, she will teach 11th grade English.
Dr. Rebecca Toland (’16) has been named an assistant professor of health sciences at Columbus State University. She has more than eight years of experience in academia and has educated and advised students enrolled in public health, health care administration and health services programs. Her areas of expertise are in disease prevention, mental health, and substance abuse. Additionally, Dr. Toland has over 17 years of practical experience working in the areas of public and community health.
Weddings and Engagements
Troy University congratulates the following alumni who have married or become engaged:
Nicole Wallace to Martin Morante (’13)
Shannon Warren (‘12 ) to Jeff Stem
In Remembrance
Troy University mourns the loss of the following alumni and friends:
Troy University Alumni
Jane P. Seckinger (’96)
Dr. Johnnie C. Robinson, Jr. (’03)
Troy University Friends
Sarah Talbot Lawrence
Rev. Joe Mitchell
