The September roundup of alumni news and achievements includes Ryan Bell (’12) who has been named as a 2017-2018 White House Fellow, Margaret A. Mead (’80) who was named to The Expert Network as a Distinguished Lawyer and Dr. Cynthia Keifer (’99) who was awarded Trident University’s Teaching Excellence Award recipient.

Ricky Beck (’76) was among the inaugural class inducted into the Geneva Sports Hall of Fame. While at TROY, he played on the 1976 national championship winning golf team.

Margaret A. Mead (’80), managing partner of MeadLaw, P.A., has joined The Expert Network, an invitation-only service for distinguished professionals. Mead was chosen as a Distinguished Lawyer based on peer reviews and ratings, recognitions and accomplishments achieved throughout her career. Mead, who earned her J.D. degree from the University of Baltimore School of Law in 1989, has more than 25 years of experience and specializes in criminal law.

Ralph Everage, Jr. (’88) has been named as the first training officer of the Walton County (Fla.) Fire Rescue. He will focus on creating an advanced training program to improve overall performance and prepare employees to become leaders within the organization. Everage served as an assistant chief at the Crestview Fire Department for 26 years.

Heather Beyler (’96) has joined Carolina One Real Estate as an agent based in the company’s Summerville, S.C. office.

Dr. Cynthia Keifer (’99) has been named the recipient of Trident University International’s Teaching Excellence Award for winter 2017. She is a professor in Trident’s Glenn R. Jones College of Business, teaching both human resources management and leadership courses during her tenure. Dr. Keifer was selected from among 40 faculty members nominated entirely by students. She has also taught at Jones International University and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, where she served as director of academics and faculty chair. She is a published researcher who sits on the editorial board for the Journal of Business Studies Quarterly and served as an active duty member of the United States Air Force from 1991 to 1997.

LaTrice Snodgrass (’05) has been appointed as chief operating officer of AxessPointe Community Health Centers with five federally qualified health centers in Northeast Ohio. She has served as a consumer board member for AxessPointe since 2014 and previously served as practice manager and director of operations of Summa Health Medical Group. An adjunct professor at Indiana Wesleyan University, she has more than 20 years of leadership experience in healthcare management roles in hospital-owned and privately owned physician practices, ambulatory care networks, hospital and assisted living facilities. Snodgrass holds a master’s degree in management with a concentration in healthcare management from TROY.

Lee Boan (’08, ’13) is running for sheriff of Kershaw County, S.C. He has almost 25 years of law enforcement experience at the city, county and state levels and currently serves as captain of operations and assistant chief of the Camden (S.C.) Police Department. He also has more than 20 years of military experience in the South Carolina Army National Guard, having served two combat tours in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan and Kyrgyzstan.

Command Sgt. Maj. Jeffrey L. Dunkelberger (’10) recently retired from the U.S. Army during a ceremony at the Center for Strategic Leadership, The United States Army War College. With 32 years of service in the Army, Dunkelberger was serving as the Sergeant Major for the Nominative Leader Course in the Center for Strategic Leadership. Dunkelberger and his wife, Irma, have two sons.

Steven Boydstun (’11) recently completed a Juris Doctor degree at Samford University’s Cumberland School of Law. He is now contracts and compliance manager for the University of Montevallo.

Ryan Bell (’12) has been appointed as a member of the 2017-2018 class of White House Fellows. A major in the U.S. Army, Bell has been placed at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Created in 1964 by President Lyndon B. Johnson, the White House Fellows program was designed “to give the fellows first hand, high-level experience with the workings of the Federal government and to increase their sense of participation in national affairs.” Throughout the year, fellows engage in public service by serving in various roles in Federal government, actively participating in an education program that expands their knowledge of leadership, policy-making and contemporary issues. Bell holds a master’s degree in international relations from TROY.

Capt. Ian Hurdle (’14) is among 10 federal government officials participating in the year-long Mike Mansfield Fellowship Program in Japan. Capt. Hurdle is a B-1B pilot in the U.S. Air Force, assigned to the 34th Bomb Squadron at Ellsworth Air Force Base in Rapid City, South Dakota. Established by Congress in 1994, the Mansfield Fellowship program was created to build a corps of U.S. government officials with substantial Japan expertise. Fellows have unprecedented access, working side-by-side with their Japanese counterparts before returning to U.S. federal government service for a minimum of two years. In September, Capt. Hurdle began 10 months of practical experience in various Japanese government agencies and ministries in Tokyo.

Tiffany McGrath (’15) is a general assignment reporter at WDHN TV in Dothan. McGrath was actively involved in TrojanVision and the Broadcasting Club, serving as president during her senior year at TROY. After graduation, she served as a freelance assistant and producer for “So You Think You Can Dance,” Shark Tank’s “Beyond the Tank,” and TLC’s “Mr. Congeniality.” She joined WDHN in July.

Courtney Chandler (’16) joined Dothan’s WDHN news team in June as a reporter. He began his professional journalism career at WIAT CBS 42 in Birmingham as an editor and a production assistant.

Leah Lancaster (’16) has joined the staff of “The Enterprise Ledger” as reporter. The native of Chancellor, Alabama, earned her degree in English, graduating Summa Cum Laude, and served as editor for The Rubicon, TROY’s student-led publication journal.

Weddings and Engagements
Troy University congratulates the following alumna who has become engaged:
Emily Lauren Harris (’12) to Daniel Forrest Danner