This month’s roundup of alumni news and achievements includes Sarah Clemmons (75) who has been named president of Chipola College, Jeff Adams (90) who has published a new book on leadership and organizational success, and Rear Adm. Babette Bolivar (97) who has taken command of the U.S. Navy Region of the South.

Horace H. Horn, Jr. (’68) was named chairman of the Alabama State Port Authority last fall. Horn was initially appointed to the board in 2014. Horn is vice president of external affairs for PowerSouth Energy where he oversees the daily operations of governmental and public affairs in Alabama, Florida and Washington, D.C. He is a past state director of the Farmers Home Administration and serves on several national and regional boards, including the Energy Council, the Montgomery Chamber of Commerce and the Business Council of Alabama.

Sarah Clemmons (’75) was recently named president of Chipola College. Clemmons previously served as senior vice president of instruction and had served as interim president since October 2016. She serves on the board of trustees of Jackson Hospital, is active in the Jackson County Chamber of Commerce and was named Citizen of the Year by the chamber in 2015.

Dr. Mary R. Massey (’77) recently published her first children’s book, “Ellie Rae Discovers Eight Ways to Be SMART.” The book is about Howard Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences, written on a children’s level, and seeks to strengthen children’s sense of self by helping them understand they are all smart, just in different ways. She currently serves as an adjunct professor at Saint Leo University.

James “Radar” Brantley (’79) was recently inducted into the Coweta County (Georgia) Sports Hall of Fame. Brantley spent 35 years as an athletic trainer at Newnan High School. In 2011, he was honored for working 350 straight football games on the Newnan sidelines, and in 2013, he was inducted into the Georgia Athletic Trainers Association Hall of Fame.

Tommie Robinson (’87) has been named running backs coach and run game coordinator on the football coaching staff at Louisiana State University. Robinson spent the 2016 season on the coaching staff at the University of Southern California where he was named Pac-12 Recruiter of the Year. He also previously served as running backs coach at the University of Texas and as an assistant coach with the Arizona Cardinals of the NFL.

C. Gibson Vance (’87) was recently elected as a fellow of the Alabama Law Foundation. Vance, a member of the Beasley, Allen, Crow, Methvin, Portis and Miles, P.C. law firm, joined the fellows membership that is limited to just 1 percent of bar membership. To be considered for the honor, the fellow must have been a member of the bar association for at least 10 years and must have demonstrated outstanding dedication to the profession and the community. Vance has been a member of the Troy University Board of Trustees since 2012.

F. Erik Brooks (’89, ’92) has been named associate director of Western Illinois University’s Centennial Honors College. He formerly chaired the University’s Department of African American Studies. Before joining the faculty at Western Illinois, Brooks served as assistant to the dean and director of the Master of Public Administration program at Georgia Southern University.

Jeff Adams (’90) recently published the book “7 Essential Skills of Leadership, How to Lead Your Organization to Operational Excellence.” The book is oriented toward management and is for organizations that are working toward implementation of continuous improvement methodologies. Adams holds multiple certifications in continuous improvement methodologies including Lean, Six Sigma and QRM.

Col. Glen L. Goss (’94) retired from the U.S. Air Force in January after 25 years of active service. A command pilot with more than 3,300 flying hours in the C-17A Globemaster and KC-10 Extender aircraft, Goss served as a theater airlift liaison officer for the Army’s Third Infantry Division in 2003 during the initial combat phase of Operation Iraqi Freedom and commanded the 6th Air Refueling Squadron at Travis Air Force Base, California. Prior to retirement, he was assigned at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, where he served as the operations plans division chief at U.S. Strategic Command.

Sandy Atkins (’95) was recently inducted into the Marengo County Sports Hall of Fame. The Sweet Water native serves as the senior associate director of athletics and senior woman administrator and has been a member of the TROY Athletics staff since 2001. Atkins played two seasons on the Trojans softball team, earning All-Conference honors both years.

Eddie Tyner (’96) has been named USA Today Network’s Ohio regional president. As president, he will lead Enquirer Media, which publishes “The Enquirer,” Cincinnati.com and the Community Press group of weekly newspapers, as well as the Media Network of Central Ohio, which publishes print and digital across the state of Ohio. He has more than 20 years of experience in the media industry and holds a master’s degree in management from TROY.

Rear Adm. Babette “Bete” Bolivar (’97) has assumed command of United States Navy Region of the Southeast. Bolivar’s decorations include the Legion of Merit Medal with gold star, Defense Meritorious Service Medal with oak leaf cluster, Meritorious Service Medal with three gold stars, Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal with four gold stars, the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal with gold star and various campaign, unit and service awards including recognition as the Chief and Naval Operations’ Pacific Fleet finalist for the Vice Adm. James Bond Stockdale Leadership Award. She was also inducted into the Women Divers Hall of Fame.

Salvatore Vinciguerra (’97), director of music at Doctors Charter School of Miami Shores, recently earned his Doctorate of Musical Arts in Music Education from Boston University. His dissertation, “Lived Experiences of Secondary Instrumental Music Teachers Who Teach Students with Learning Disabilities,” employed phenomenological inquiry to understand instrumental music for students with learning disabilities. At Doctors Charter School, Vinciguerra teaches band, orchestra and chorus to middle and high school students.

Ragan Fretwell (’97) was recently named a relationship manager at Southwest Georgia Farm Credit in the Dawson, Georgia, office. Fretwell works with clients and prospects to finance farms, ranches, recreational properties, timberland and real estate. She also will continue to manage Farm Credit EXPRESS, the point-of-sale financing program available through dealerships for the financing of new and used equipment. She joined Farm Credit in 2003 and is a board member of the SOWEGA Council for the Aging.

Sarah Gambles (’99, ’04), a teacher based in Banks, Alabama, has written and directed her first feature-length documentary, “Armor.” Inspired by her life’s events, “Armor” highlights Gambles’ experiences and those of three other biracial women living in the South and the struggles they have faced with being viewed as “different.” The film’s premiere was held on the Troy Campus in November.

Wes Rhea (’00) serves as chief compliance officer for BioIQ, a company working with most of the top healthcare systems in the nation to better engage patient populations through technology. He also serves as a professor of information systems at Kennesaw State University. In addition to a Master of Business Administration from TROY, Rhea also holds a Juris Doctorate degree from Taft University School of Law.

Katrina Collier-Long (’06, ’07) was recently appointed as principal of Reese Road Leadership Academy by the Muscogee (Georgia) County School Board. An educator for nine years, Collier-Long has served as a special education teacher and secretary/bookkeeper in the Phenix City Schools.

Bryan Maynor (’07) was recently promoted to president and chief operating officer of Lumbee Guaranty Bank in Lumberton, North Carolina. Maynor has 28 years of banking experience—18 of which have been with Lumbee Guaranty. He most recently served as the company’s executive vice president and chief operations officer. He resides with his family in Pembroke, North Carolina.

Jason Faulk (’08) has been named the dean of admissions at Longwood University. He previously served as director of the University of North Texas’ Dallas location. He holds a master’s degree in instructional technology/design from TROY.

Luke Smith (’08) recently opened BluePoint Financial, an accounting firm in Destin. He earned a Master of Business Administration from TROY and has more than 11 years of experience as a CPA. Smith is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, a past member of the Niceville Military Affairs Committee and a graduate of the Destin Chamber of Commerce’s 2015 Forward Class.

Patrick K. Greene (’10), a registered nurse anesthetist, has accepted a position with the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Greene earned a master’s degree in nursing as a certified registered nurse anesthetist from the Medical University of South Carolina.

Scott Gray (’11) is the new police chief in Fayetteville, Georgia. He formerly served as the commander of the Henry County Police’s North Precinct.

Beth Hyatt (’14, ’15) has been named associate editor of Total Landscape Care. She previously served as editor of The Luverne Journal and as special projects coordinator for The Greenville Advocate. Hyatt holds a bachelor’s degree in English and a master’s degree in strategic communication from TROY.

Mandy McQueen (’15) joined the staff of WDHN in Dothan in November. She previously served as a content specialist at WSFA in Montgomery.

Shayla Terry (’16) has been named editorial coordinator for The Luverne Journal. Terry previously served as an intern with the newspaper.

In Remembrance

Troy University mourns the loss of the following alumni and friends:

Troy University Alumni
Jerry G. Beasley (’56)
Patsy T. Brackin (’72)
Leo H. Brooks (’59)
Charles S. Casey (’57)
Christopher Caton (’66)
Richard F. Daniels (’87)
Rodney S. Davis (’77)
James A. Fix (’99 & ’00)
Raford B. Furlow (’39)
Will O. Green (’95)
Patricia A. Henley (’98)
Hilmon Delane Logue (’76)
Maxie R. Luker (’84)
Robert H. Lynn (’72)
Jesse M. McLeod (’74 & ’76)
Byron W. Mixson (’77)
Eric Mizell (’93)
Phillip G. Moore (’75)
Felix Norman (’69 & ’73)
Charles W. Norris (’49)
Dr. Lacey E. Powell, Jr. (’50)
Riley E. Reed (’82)
Lisa T. Rogers (’82)
Billy Thompson (’61)
Janice B. Tillman (’58)
James R. Whitman (’79)
Dale E. Wilkinson (’70, ’72)
Paul Word (’62)

Troy University Friends
Thomas J. McClain