1971
Steve Armstrong ’71 and Al Kesler ’71 reconnected several years ago when they both showed up as volunteers at a Kairos Prison Ministry event. Kairos Prison Ministry is a non-denominational Christian ministry that aims to address the spiritual needs of incarcerated people and their families.
1979
Steve Wilborn ’79 connected with longtime friends and fellow WCU alumni Chuck Hauser ’82 and Don Armstrong ’80 in Gastonia to catch up on the latest news.
Chuck Dellinger ’79 former Parks and Recreation Director for the City of Gastonia is the recipient of the Hall of Fame Award presented by the North Carolina Recreation and Park Association (NCRPA). The award is bestowed upon a retired professional who has a minimum of 25 years of service in the profession in the state of North Carolina and 25 years of NCRPA membership.
1981
Approaching the 40th anniversary of WCU’s appearance in the NCAA Division 1-AA National Championship football game, Terri Sessoms ’81 has shared a photo taken the day of the game.
1983
Dr. Van Wilson ’83 MPA ’89, the Virginia Community College System senior vice chancellor for academic and workforce programs, has been named the interim president of Brightpoint Community College.
1992
Stephanie Goodell ’92 started a new role as the global director of talent development for Sirtex, a medical device company in Boston, Massachusetts. She was also recently accepted into the Georgetown University Executive Leadership Coaching Program.
1993
The Holy Angels’ Board of Directors has announced that Kerri Massey ’93 has assumed the role of president and CEO effective Jan. 1, 2023. Massey assumed the CEO title on July 1, 2022, but was just recently unanimously selected and approved to be president by the Holy Angels’ Board of Directors along with the Sisters of Mercy.
1995
Shawn M. Boone ’95 recently re-joined Explore Asheville as a senior sales manager on the business development team. In this role, Boone is responsible for generating group business with meetings and conventions for Buncombe County hotels.
1997
Claudia (Beach) Summers ’97 has been named the National Child Passenger Safety Instructor of the Year at the 2023 Lifesavers conference in Seattle, Washington. Summers accepted a position with the National Safety Council as a program manager in child passenger safety in December of 2022.
1998
Kimberly Hobson ’98 was recently welcomed by the Carolina Hearing Doctors in Clemmons.
2001
Lead clinical dietician Heather Cornelison Pitts ’01, recently finished teaching a weeklong study in Jeddah and Riyadh in Saudi Arabia to foreign dieticians. Pitts’ teachings focused on the “Nutrition Focused Physical Exam,” as well as conducting nutrition assessments on patients. The previous year, she traveled to Dubai to teach a similar course.
2002
Michael Byer MPA ’02 recently started a position with the US Department of State as a foreign service technology officer-radio communications. Byer specializes in radio technologies for U.S. embassies around the world.
The Joint Office of Energy and Transportation has announced Barak Myers ’02 MBA ’05 as a member of the Electric Vehicle Working Group. In this role, Myers will represent the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians to help guide the widespread adoption of electronic vehicles across the country and solidify America’s position as a global leader of clean energy jobs and manufacturing.
Valle Crucis School principal Dr. Bonnie Smith ’02 MSA ’09 has been named Watauga County Schools 2023-24 Principal of the Year.
The Asheville Police Department has named Jacquelyn “Jackie” Stepp ’02 MPA ’14 as its new deputy chief, making her the first female deputy chief in department history. Stepp began as a patrol officer with APD 18 years ago. Since then, she has risen through the ranks after becoming sergeant over APD’s downtown bike unit and internal affairs in 2012. In 2016, Stepp, was promoted to lieutenant, and in 2019, Stepp became captain over APD’s finance and support division, patrol division and community engagement division
2003
After a two-decade career of local government work in North Carolina, New Mexico, Texas, and Tennessee, Joshua Ray ’03 has been appointed city manager for the North Carolina municipality of Jacksonville.
Twenty years after graduating from Western Carolina University, Mena Owle ’03 welcomed her firstborn to the Catamount family as an enrolled freshman at the university.
2004
In April of 2023, Lincoln Walburn ’04 was honored with the Higher Education Student Affairs Program 2023 Alumni Award at the College of Education and Allied Profession’s end-of-year celebration.
2007
David Joy ’07 MA ’09 has published his latest book, “Those We Thought We Knew.”
The Towns County Board of Education members recently promoted Towns County High School assistant principal Bryan Thomason ’07 MA ’09 to lead the Georgia high school as principal to start the 2023-24 school year.
2009
Current WCU Alumni Board member Lizzy Thier ’09 MHS ’13, who volunteers with Daughters of the American Revolution, was named the North Carolina Society’s Outstanding Junior, as well as being announced as one of eight finalists for national recognition.
2010
Katelan Price ’10 MAcc ’12 returned to WCU in the spring of 2023 to teach an undergraduate accounting class in the College of Business.
2011
Alex and Ashely Swann ’11 MS ’13 recently hit their 10-year anniversary as speech therapists. They run an Invitation Therapy, a pediatric therapy practice offering speech and occupational therapy based out of McDowell County with four clinic sites in Western North Carolina. Their practice currently provides therapy to more than 300 children through 25 therapists.
2012
2023 has been a big year for the Moeller family. Jordan ’12 and Daniel ’13 welcomed their third child, Evie Danielle Moeller, to the world on March 23, 2023. Jordan also celebrated two years with the United Way of the Piedmont in Spartanburg, South Carolina, and was recently promoted to the director of corporate partnerships position.
2014
Kevin Gath ’14, MA ’16, recently accepted the role of assistant director of alumni engagement with Sigma Alpha Epsilon National Fraternity. Gath previously served as the manager of chapter development for the fraternity, a role he had held since 2017.
2015
Forensic services technician Tess Allen ’15 recently attended the National Forensic Academy for a 10-week training that cover numerous forensic topics including photography, fingerprints, anthropology and shooting reconstruction. Allen has served with the Asheville Police Department for four years this past June.
Cody Dunlap ’15 MEd ’18 accepted the position of associate director of fraternity and sorority life housing at the University of South Carolina.
2017
Dom Sorrells ’17 and Geneva Studenc Sorrells ’20 celebrated their one-year anniversary on Oct. 1. They live in Ladson, South Carolina, where he is a product manager for Tremco Inc. and owner of Sorrells Fitness, an online fitness coaching business, and she is a property manager for Sky Run Vacation Rentals.
2019
After eight years in the mountains, Katherine Spalding ’19 MEd ’21 moved from Asheville to the Charlotte metro area with long-term partner and fellow WCU graduate Brian Booe ’21 and their puppy Aspen. Booe accepted a job with LPL financial, while Spalding started a new position as a talent advisor with Motion Recruitment Partners.
2020
New Bridgton Hospital has named Lucretia Stargell MBA ’20 as president of Bridgton Hospital and Rumford Hospital. Stargell will also serve as senior vice president of Central Maine Healthcare.
2021
Chapman Cultural Center and Hub City Writers Project recently announced the selection of artist Mo Kessler MFA ’21 who began an eight-month residency in Spartanburg in September and will collaborate on a joint project addressing the culture of the American South.
Kaitlyn Norman ’21 started a new position as a school counselor at Scotts Creek Elementary School in Sylva. She is currently working towards completing her master’s degree in school counseling at Bradley University.
Waynesville resident Katie Sanders ’21 recently began her second full year of teaching fourth grade at Junaluska Elementary School in Haywood County.
After graduating with his master’s in public affairs in the spring of 2023, Desmond Worrell ’21 MPA ’23, has accepted a position with the North Carolina League of Municipalities as the American Rescue Plan special projects coordinator. In this role, Worrell will work with two different grants that provide additional assistance to towns across the state related to their use of American Rescue Plan funding received in 2021.
2022
Not only has Rebecca Hart ’22 started a new job as a city planner focused on community development projects for the city of Lexington, but she also recently became a volunteer firefighter with the Churchland Fire Department.
The past several months have been filled with bucket list items for Tanner Holland ’22 and Ray Brown ’22, who married in May 2023. The two decided to take their honeymoon to San Francisco, California, and check Yosemite National Park off their bucket lists. Tanner serves as a multimedia specialist for the North Carolina Department of Transportation in Raleigh, while Ray is a sixth-grade teacher in Johnston County.
After graduating from WCU in the spring of 2022, Madison Lovingood ’22 could not think of anywhere better to work than her alma mater. Lovingood has been sharing stories of the Catamount community through her work in the WCU Office of University Communications and Marketing, managing WCU’s main social media accounts.
Sierra Moses ’22 is working towards a master’s degree in poverty studies at New York University’s Gallatin School of Individualized Study with an expected graduation in May 2024.