and Understanding

Living Room Conversations

A number of Roan Scholars – including Katie Jones ’25, Sally Chikomb ’24 and Lexi Vance ’24 – hosted Living Room Conversations for their classmates and other campus and community groups this year, and Roan Finalist Days activities last January included a session moderated by current Roan Scholars. Living Room Conversations is a national non-profit that that seeks to revitalize civil discourse through conversation. Structured topic guides help conversation hosts moderate small group discussions which promote listening, facilitate connection, and lead to shared understanding – even across divides.

Enneagram Workshops

Last fall, Dr. Natalie Pickering, a local consulting psychologist, board-certified coach, and Enneagram enthusiast, partnered with the Roan on a leadership-focused Enneagram workshop series. Roan Scholars learned about the Enneagram model (which defines nine interconnected personality and communication types), and how to use this tool to become more effective leaders and stronger communicators.

Roan Summer Read 2023

This year’s Roan Summer Read was I Never Thought Of It That Way (2022) by Monica Guzman – a choice inspired, in part, by Mr. Gump’s strong desire to inspire others to make positive contributions in challenging moments by promoting dialogue and understanding and leading with integrity and reason.

Each year, the Lucy Kennerly Gump ‘Roan Reads’ Endowment allows us to provide a copy of the summer read to all Roan Scholars (as well as interested Roan Alumni and others), and to facilitate opportunities to discuss the book in small groups.

Roan Leadership Voices

The Roan’s ‘Leadership Voices’ series provides opportunities for Roan Scholars to engage with and learn from experienced leaders in a variety of fields.

This year’s series included Matt Pencarinha ’14 sharing about his experiences since graduation and lessons learned from life in his twenties; Dr. Randy Wykoff, Dean of ETSU's College of Public Health and Founding Director of ETSU's Center for Rural Health Research, who talked with Roan Scholars about public health issues in Appalachia; Warren Gump and Adam Rosenbalm ’21 co-hosting a financial literacy workshop; and Louis Gump, who spoke with Roan Scholars about their experiences in college and offered thoughts on various aspects of leadership.

“Lucy’s belief in the power of reading and discussion to bring people together continues to live on through the ‘Roan Reads’ program,” said Roan Executive Director Scott Jeffress. “We’re grateful for all of the individuals and organizations that contribute to this wonderful initiative, and we are looking forward to our conversations about this year’s book as the new academic year gets underway.”

To Mr. Gump, leadership was about making a positive impact – something he did in remarkable ways throughout his life, both professionally and personally. Roan Scholars and Alumni are following that example. Here are just a few stories of the ways in which they are making a positive impact on campus, the region, and our world.