Jennifer Axsom Adler

Assistant Director Roan Scholars Leadership Program, East Tennessee State University

Dr. Jennifer Adler is the Assistant Director for the Roan Scholars Leadership Program at East Tennessee State University, where she also teaches courses on religion as an Adjunct Faculty member in the Department of Philosophy and Humanities. Originally from Bloomington, Indiana, Adler graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Harvard College with her A.B. in Government. She went on to earn her M.A. and Ph.D. in Religion from Vanderbilt University with a focus on American religious history. In her current role as Assistant Director of the Roan Program, Adler oversees programming, leadership development and enrichment opportunities for the more than two dozen Roan Scholars. Currently, Adler resides in Kingsport, Tenn. with her husband Warren, and their son Pierce.

LEARN MORE >

Brendan Boyd

Director, Coatings, Inks, Specialty Fluids and External Innovation, Eastman Chemical Company

Brendan Boyd joined Eastman Chemical Company in 1999 after graduating from the University of Florida with a PhD in chemistry. Since joining Eastman, Brendan has had a variety of assignments starting as a scientist in corporate research, new business development, corporate development, and leadership roles in research and innovation. During his career at Eastman, Brendan has worked along the spectrum of business building, from taking new products to market in existing businesses to building businesses that were far outside of Eastman’s business portfolio at the time. He has also worked in re-shaping Eastman’s business portfolio through his work identifying and then acquiring new businesses for Eastman.

LEARN MORE >

Michael Cadore

President, Magnus Solutions

Cadore is founder and president of Magnus Solutions Inc., a consulting company that provides professional business organizations security assessments, policy review, employee violence safety training, inspirational leadership development and crime prevention training. As a community advocate, Magnus Solutions also provides life skills character building, motivational speaking and educational workshops for youth.

Prior to becoming a law enforcement officer, Cadore was drafted in the National Football League to the New Orleans Saints. He finished his professional football career with the Montreal Machine in Canada where he was second in the league as a kick return specialist. Cadore keeps his faith and family first. He has three wonderful children and has been married to his high school sweetheart Cornelia for 25 years.

LEARN MORE >

Jose Castillo

Founder, Flavor Inc

Jose Castillo is one spicy guy. His mission in life is to add flavor, connect people and change the world.

Castillo is the founder of Flavor Inc.—a marketing firm committed to helping clients share their story by discovering what makes them dramatically different—and Spark Plaza, a thriving co-working community that is home to geeks, creatives and startups. He is a serial entrepreneur who has launched resources like Startup Stories, Will This Float, Will This Scale and GeekSouth to help other entrepreneurs find their flavor.

LEARN MORE >

Lafe Cook

Band Director, Dobyns-Bennett High School

Cook has been a high school band director for 27 years and is in his twentieth year as the Director of the Dobyns-Bennett Band Program in Kingsport, Tenn. Mr. Cook is a graduate of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville where he was drum major of the Pride of the Southland Marching Band and a graduate assistant with the music department.

Under Mr. Cook’s direction, the Dobyns-Bennett Marching Band has appeared in three Tournament of Roses Parades, two Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parades, The Lord Mayor of London’s Parade, the Fiesta Bowl Parade, the Presidential Inaugural Parade and has been a Band’s of America Grand Nationals Semifinalist five times.

LEARN MORE >

Dennis Depew

Dean, ETSU College of Business and Technology

Dr Dean Dennis Depew became the Dean of the ETSU College of Business and Technology in 2014. An Elizabethton native, Depew received an undergraduate degree in technology education from ETSU in 1975, as well as a master’s degree in technology in 1984. He received a Ph.D. in industrial technology from Purdue University in 1987.

Depew began his teaching career as an assistant professor in the ETSU Department of Technology, followed by three years as a Purdue faculty member in quality control, facilities planning and production operations. In 1990, Depew was named head of the Department of Industrial Technology at Purdue, a position he held from 1990-1998, when he was named Assistant Dean of the Purdue Graduate School. A year later, he became Dean of the College of Applied Sciences at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee, N.C.

LEARN MORE >

Owen Foster

Director and Chief Student Affairs Officer, Aether

Owen Foster’s diverse background in architecture, landscape, environmental, and industrial design has allowed him the opportunity to work on an extensive array of projects ranging from small consumer products to green environments for several municipalities. Though very successful in his endeavors, becoming an educator and mentor seemed to be Foster’s calling. He started this career with professorships at Auburn University and University of Louisiana Lafayette in the field of industrial design. He has facilitated over 20 cross-disciplinary collaborative studio projects with Fortune 500 companies such as Coca-Cola, GE, Mattel, HP, Reebok, McDonald’s and many others. Additionally, Foster has guided international study abroad programs in Ireland, UK, Hong Kong, Taiwan and China. This body of work has afforded Foster to be named one of the ‘Top 30 Most Admired Educators in the Field of Design’ in 2014, IDSA Educator of the Year 2015, IDEA jury member for 2014-2015 and 2015-2016, IDSA Board Member and has provided him with speaking engagements around the world as a leader in design education.

LEARN MORE >

David Golden

Senior Vice President, Chief Legal and Sustainability Officer and Corporate Secretary, Eastman Chemical Company

David Golden is a native of Albany, Georgia. He holds a B.S. degree in accounting from Brigham Young University and a J.D. degree, also from Brigham Young University, graduating Magna Cum Laude and Order of the Coif and served on the management committee of the BYU Law Review. He completed the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School in 2012. Golden joined Eastman in 1995 as an attorney. Golden assumed his current role in January 2013. Prior to joining Eastman, he worked in the Atlanta office of a large international law firm.

Golden is Senior Vice President, Chief Legal & Sustainability Officer, and Corporate Secretary for Eastman Chemical Company. He also has overall responsibility for Eastman's Global Business Conduct and International Trade Compliance programs. Immediately prior to this position, he was Vice President, Associate General Counsel, and Corporate Secretary with overall responsibility for Eastman’s legal Department.

LEARN MORE >

Hannah Harvey

Professional Storyteller

Dr. Hannah Harvey is an internationally-commended performer, a nationally-known professional storyteller and a distinguished teacher. She has performed as a featured teller at the National Storytelling Festival in Tennessee; received accolades for her performances at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in Scotland; and led intercultural workshops in Casablanca, Morocco. As a scholar-artist, Harvey studies storytelling as a pervasive cultural force and an everyday artistic practice. Harvey develops oral histories into theatrical and solo storytelling works that highlight the true stories of contemporary Appalachian people. She also tells world folk and fairy stories, especially those that have influenced southern Appalachian mountain culture and the region’s Scottish heritage.

LEARN MORE >

Michael Hubbard

Director of Performance Excellence, Kingsport City Schools

Michael Hubbard serves as the Director of Performance Excellence for Kingsport City Schools. He completes work for the district and oversees state testing and accountability work. He served as an elementary principal and associate principal, the Director of Accountability, and an elementary teacher. He was instrumental in developing two educational crosswalks for the state, assisted in the development of an innovation rubric and tool for the district, and led efforts for Kingsport City Schools being named a recipient of an Achievement Level Award at the state level in 2014, the only K-12 Tennessee public school district to obtain this honor. He received a 2016 TNCPE’s Champion of Excellence Award for furthering performance excellence within his organization. Michael received a B.S. degree in Business from Berea College. He also received an M.A.T. degree in Elementary Education and an Ed.S. in Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis from East Tennessee State University.

LEARN MORE >

Stephen Marshall

Chair/Associate Professor Department of Media and Communication, East Tennessee State University

Stephen Marshall, Ph.D. (University of Florida) is an Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Media and Communication at East Tennessee State University as well as a brand strategist for Creative Energy of Johnson City, TN. Dr. Marshall brings extensive professional and academic experience to every endeavor. Publications and research presentations focus on strategic brand and media strategies, multicultural advertising and educating for the changing media landscape. Dr. Marshall is known for his collaborative leadership style and innovation in education. He ideated and initiated the first Digital Marketing Graduate degree in Tennessee. He is responsible for creating Adobe’s first-ever in the country university alliance focused on teaching students Adobe’s Digital Marketing Cloud – the premier enterprise platform for Fortune 500 companies.

LEARN MORE >

Morgan Munsey

The Science of Computing Student, East Tennessee State University

A sophomore at East Tennessee State University majoring in The Science of Computing with a Concentration in Information Systems, Morgan Munsey completed internship focused on increasing the interest of girls in technology. She has crated iGit: Involving Girls in Tech and is working with students and faculty to help young girls reach their potential while understanding the importance of technology in a variety of career fields. Morgan is leading efforts on campus to extend this program into local schools and increase interest in technology across the region. Morgan is a Roan Scholar at ETSU and was appointed as a Senator in the Student Government Association. She is also a member of Alpha Delta Pi Sorority and serves as a Preview and Orientation Leader on campus. Currently, Morgan resides in Church Hill, Tennessee.

LEARN MORE >

Brian Noland

President, East Tennessee State University

Dr. Brian Noland became the ninth president of East Tennessee State University in January 2012 after serving for six years as Chancellor of the West Virginia Higher Education System. Prior to that, he served as the associate executive director for the Tennessee Higher Education Commission, where his job duties included the development and implementation of the Tennessee Education Lottery Scholarship program. In the past, he has also served as an adjunct faculty member at Vanderbilt University, Nashville State Community College and Tennessee State University. Noland holds a bachelor’s degree in political science and a master’s degree in public policy studies, both from West Virginia University. He earned a Ph.D. in political sciences from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. He is married to Donna Noland, of Greeneville, Tenn. The couple has one son, Jackson.

LEARN MORE >

James Welch

Executive Director, Elizabeth R. Griffin Research Foundation

Following a 30-year career in public education, Welch became the executive director of the Elizabeth R. Griffin Research Foundation (ERGF) in 1999. ERGF is a nonprofit foundation that works globally in collaboration with government and non-government stakeholders in advocating safe and secure science and global health security. Educated at East Tennessee State University and the University of Tennessee, Welch serves on the Scientific Advisory Board of the National Biosafety and Biocontainment Training Program at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the US. He is a founding member and serves on the board of directors of the International Federation of Biosafety Association (IFBA) in Ottawa, Canada and previously served as a board member of the International Centre for Infectious Diseases (ICID).

LEARN MORE >

Randy Wykoff

Dean, College of Public Health, East Tennessee State University

Randy Wykoff is the founding Dean of the College of Public Health and professor of health services management and policy at East Tennessee State University. Wykoff graduated with a Doctorate of medicine from Tulane University in 1981 and worked a pediatrics residency at the University of Virginia. Wykoff currently serves on the Healthier Tennessee, Science Advisory Committee, is the Executive Director of Tennessee Institute of Public Health and is Chair for the Education Committee and a Board Member for the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health. His personal interests include mandolin, fly fishing and Kung Fu. Wykoff is married to his wife Janinie and has five children.

LEARN MORE >