Brandon Hudson (’03, ’05), Murfreesboro, was named assistant director of the Tennessee College of Applied Technology–Shelbyville campus. He previously held the position of special programs coordinator at TCAT–Nashville.
Michael Bowen The City of Murfreesboro named Bowen (’01) its new chief of police in November 2017. Bowen began his career in law enforcement in 1988 as a patrol officer with the Murfreesboro Police Department.
PLLC in its corporate department, where he practices business law with an emphasis on mergers and acquisitions and securities transactions. Prior to returning to Miller & Martin in 2016, Gentle spent 10 years as a business operator, which included serving as president/CEO of SmartFurniture.com, a venture-backed internet retailer, and co-founder of Delegator.com and PriceWaiter.com. His board service includes a stint on the Business Forward Business Advisory Council in Washington D.C., where he consulted with senior White House officials regarding small business policy matters. Laura Hazelbaker Monks (’97, ’03), Fayetteville, was named president of the Tennessee College of Applied Technology–Shelbyville. Eunice Goldberg (’99), Seward, Nebraska, was inducted into the Concordia Athletic Hall of Fame. During a professional career that spanned from 1967 to 2011, she served numerous roles as a coach, professor, committee member, and Health and Human Performance Department chair. Due to her influence, Concordia emerged as one of the first colleges in Nebraska to offer competitive sports for female athletics.
2000s Josh Brackin (’00), Clinton, Mississippi, joined the Nashville law office of Loeb & Loeb LLP as senior counsel, bringing more than 15 years of experience in various segments of the music
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Chris Smith (’03), Collierville, was promoted to director of marketing at MCR Safety. Jesse Newsom (’05), Cullman, Alabama, was named athletics director for Cullman Parks and Recreation, focused on bringing more sports-based tourism to the Cullman area. and new media industries, including representing recording artists, record labels, distributors, songwriters, music publishers, managers, producers, mixers, and other media-related entities. Brackin previously practiced at Greenberg Traurig in Atlanta and also held positions in business affairs at Bug Music, BMG, and Evergreen Copyrights.
Melanie Blair Riddick (’05), Mount Juliet, was selected as the first executive director for Delight Ministries, a college women’s ministry with chapters on 100 college campuses throughout the country. Delight is currently working with young women to launch a Delight chapter at MTSU in the fall of 2018. Erin Mercer (’06), Jackson, was named communications manager of diversity, inclusion, and Title IX at Michigan State University. Mercer was most recently an account supervisor at MP&F Public Relations in Nashville.
Scott Cook (’01), Murfreesboro, was hired as provost of Madisonville Community College in Kentucky. He formerly was Honors program director, vice president of quality assurance and performance funding, and professor of History at Motlow State Community College. Brian Parker (’01), Woodbury, was named Teacher of the Year for his work as a special education teacher at Woodland School. He also was awarded the Cannon County School District Teacher of the Year in grades PreK–4. Matt Daniel (’03), Monroe, Georgia, was named head football coach and economics/personal finance teacher at Cannon County High School, his alma mater, in Woodbury. Carlandria “Carla” Hayes-Hill (’03), St. Louis, was appointed director of partnership for Explore St. Louis, responsible for partnership sales and services and development activities for the region’s official destination marketing organization. She also was appointed as board treasurer for Aspenstand, a local start-up nonprofit.
Lauren (Walker) Bush In 2017, Bush (’11) joined Rutherford County Schools as its new staff attorney. She previously worked as a staff attorney with the Sumner County Law Director’s Office. A Siegel High School graduate, Bush earned her bachelor’s degree in English from MTSU before getting her law degree from Belmont University.