Alumni

Carla Sanderson ('81)

Carla Sanderson has 40 years of leadership experience with global reach and impact in higher education and health care through academic leadership and boardsmanship with expertise in regulation, ethics, and the development of people and academic programs. Recognized as a mission-driven leader, Sanderson is an ambassador for Christian higher education and Christian worldview development in health care.

Sanderson is provost of Chamberlain University, which grants nursing, public health, and social work degrees. She has responsibility for academic programs and leads an institutional effectiveness and research team that has implemented highly effective predictive modeling in support of student success.

She is provost emerita at Union University, where she led new program development and multi-campus expansion with an emphasis on faith integration in the classroom. She has served on 10 non-profit higher education, health care, and faith-based boards and launched educational readiness programs and volunteer community health clinics for the underserved in domestic and international settings. She is a member of the inaugural Sterling Awards class recognizing the most influential women in West Tennessee.

Sanderson's Ph.D. in nursing science is from the University of Florida (Nursing Science). She earned her Master of Science in Nursing from the University of Tennessee Center for Health Sciences and her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Union University.

Sanderson resides in Jackson, Tennessee, with her husband. They have three adult sons, two daughters-in-law, and three grandchildren, with another on the way. The Sandersons collectively hold six Union University degrees.

Elsie Smith ('60)

Elsie Y. Smith, professor emeritus, served as a biology professor at Union for 54 years before her retirement in 2016.

She earned her bachelor's degree in biology at Union in 1960 and her master's degree in microbiology from the University of Illinois. She then returned to her alma mater, joining the Union faculty in 1962. She taught such courses as Principles of Biology, Botany, Microbiology, Immunology, Genetics, and many others.

Smith served multiple stints as chair of the biology department, and she served the Union community in a variety of other ways — the Health Professions Advisory Committee, the Curriculum Committee, the Admissions/Re-admissions Committee, the Long Range Planning Committee, sponsor of Sigma Zeta Honorary Science Society, president of UU Faculty Forum, and president of the UU Alumni Association, just to name a few.

She was recognized with the Distinguished Faculty/Staff Award in 1982 and the Union Faculty of the Year Award in 1987. The Elsie Y. Smith Microbiology Lab in White Hall is named in her honor.

Outside of Union, Smith has served on the Board of Directors for Youth Town of Tennessee and as a member of the Salvation Army Advisory Board. She led biology workshops for Jackson Central-Merry students to help them prepare for the Academic Decathlon, and she developed a summer enrichment program for local high school students.

A member of the Gideons International Auxiliary and the Tennessee Academy of Science, Smith also served as a Sunday school teacher and Bible study leader at Antioch Baptist Church. She was married to William O. "Bill" Smith from 1965 until his death in 2016.

Gil and Judy Fletcher ('75)

Gil and Judy Fletcher are longtime Union University friends. Judy graduated from Union with a bachelor's degree in accounting and worked as a CPA for many years before retiring from Alexander Thompson Arnold in 2015.

She received the Sterling Award for Outstanding Women in 2011 and was a Rotary Paul Harris Fellow. A member of the Tennessee Society of CPAs and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, she also served on the West Tennessee Healthcare Finance Committee and is a past president of the Union University National Alumni Association.

A native of Haywood County, Gil Fletcher graduated from the University of Tennessee at Martin in 1970 with a degree in agriculture and also attended the Graduate School of Banking of the South at Louisiana State University. His career in finance and lending began in 1974. He served with Federal Land Bank for 11 years and retired from BancorpSouth after 21 years of service.

He has served on the Union University Board of Trustees and is a past chairman of the Union University Foundation. Gil is a past president of the Humboldt Chamber of Commerce, the Humboldt Rotary Club, and the Old Hickory Rotary Club of Jackson, and a past chairman of the Humboldt General Hospital Board of Directors and the West Tennessee Healthcare Foundation.

The Fletchers are members of the Church at Sugar Creek in Humboldt. They have two children and four grandchildren.

Ann Singleton ('74)

Ann Haltom Singleton is associate provost and dean of instruction at Union University. Previously, she served the university as associate dean of the School of Education and continues to teach as university professor of special education. Before joining Union, in 1985, she worked in the former Madison County School System, both as a classroom teacher and supervisor of special education.

Singleton received a Bachelor of Science in elementary education from Union University in 1974, a Master of Arts in special education in 1975, and a Doctor of Education in curriculum and instruction in 2001 from the University of Memphis.

Her professional activities include publications in peer-reviewed journals on academic chair leadership in higher education and effective teaching of mathematics in elementary grades. Additionally, she has co-written textbooks used to instruct elementary education majors on effective ways of teaching mathematics. The textbook, Teaching Mathematics to All Children: Designing and Adapting Instruction to Meet the Needs of Diverse Learners, is published by Prentice Hall.

Her support of local schools includes numerous in-service presentations and consulting work. Her scholarship has been presented at state and international professional organizations, including an invited presentation to the International Teaching Professor Conference.

In 2003, she was named Union University's Faculty of the Year.

Singleton is an active member of First Baptist Church in Jackson and enjoys participating in the music ministry.

Paul Akin ('06)

Paul Akin serves as dean of the Billy Graham School of Missions, Evangelism, and Ministry at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. Prior to serving at Southern, Akin served as a team leader at the International Mission Board. He possesses a rare combination of missionary field experience, elder and pastoral experience, and missions recruiting and training in both the local church and seminary context.

Akin has lived and worked among Muslims in Africa and the Middle East, trained missionaries, and served alongside missionary teams in more than 40 countries around the world. Over the last decade, he has helped mobilize and send scores of people to serve Christ among the nations and has been actively engaged with the persecuted church around the world.

He earned a Ph.D. in applied theology from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, writing on missionary teams in global cities. Akin and his wife, Kari, have four children and live in Louisville.

Allen M. Smith ('04)

Allen M. Smith has worked in the software industry, specializing in Apple platforms, since graduating from Union in 2004 with majors in computer science and mathematics.

For the last nine years, he has worked at eBay as a software engineer on one of the world's leading e-commerce apps. He is now the lead developer for the Item screen on the iOS app, where buyers view details about eBay listings and make purchases. This code not only enables millions of views and transactions every day, but also supports the livelihood of the thousands of small businesses that make up eBay's seller community.

Prior to his employment with eBay, Smith built the Mac software to run new generations of Wacom's industry-leading pen tablets, the dominant input device for artists in professional fields such as movie production.

Smith is also active in the adult Lego fan community and regularly displays his Lego art at large public exhibitions. His largest work was a sweeping 48-square-foot outdoor scene of a campground nestled in forested hills.

He and his wife, Ruth, have three children and live in Camas, Washington.

Polk Glover/Emery Family

The Glovers' connection to Union has covered five generations, beginning with Dr. Ilar Glover, who was a Union trustee, and two of his six children (Dale and Louise) who attended Union. Dale, who played football for Union, graduated in 1928 with a Bachelor of Science degree and married Elizabeth Beaird, a friend of Louise's, in 1934. He taught and coached football for a few years before joining Elizabeth's father, Polk Beaird, to manage the family farm in Obion County.

Dale was later elected to the Tennessee House of Representatives and Senate and was chairman of the Commercial Bank of Obion. He and Elizabeth had four sons and were active at First Baptist Church in Obion.

Their oldest son, Polk Glover, attended Union where he met his wife, Sarah Pauline "Polly" Stone. Polk says he thoroughly enjoyed his college days and never allowed his academics to get in the way of a good time. He was an ATO and Union cheerleader, and he loved art classes. Polly was more serious about her education. She attended Union on a scholarship, played the clarinet in the band, and was editor of the Cardinal & Cream. She graduated in three years with a bachelor's degree in English. Polk graduated in five years with a bachelor's degree in business administration.

They married in August of 1961, the summer after graduating from Union, and had three children — Brooke, Beaird, and Josh. Polly went on to get her master's degree in teaching and doctorate in higher education administration from Vanderbilt University. She was an English professor at the University of Tennessee at Martin for more than 35 years and served for many years as the coordinator of the Student Learning Center there. She wrote a book about making successful adjustments to college life, in addition to a book on the history of Obion. Polly died of bile duct cancer in 2000.

Polk succeeded his father in managing Glover Farming Co. and was involved in with the Masons, Obion County 911, Red Cross, United Way of Obion County, and many other organizations. He was elected as an Obion County commissioner and alderman for the town of Obion, serving some terms simultaneously. He was an active member of First Baptist Church in Obion, where he was treasurer and a deacon. He has served several terms on Union's Board of Trustees and is a trustee emeritus. Polk has been inducted into Union's 21st Century Society, and in 1999, the Glovers received the Distinguished Service Award from the university.

Their daughter, Brooke Emery, is assistant professor of marketing at Union and says her parents passed on both a love for higher education in general and for Union specifically. She graduated from Rhodes College and complete her Master of Business Administration degree from Union in 2009.

After working as a property manager for 23 years, Brooke joined the Union faculty in 2010 and has served on various committees, including the Union University Foundation, and as Faculty Forum president. Her husband, Joe, graduated from Union in 1992 with a degree in business administration and is finishing his MBA. He is the manager of business analytics at ERMCO in Dyersburg and has many years of experience in banking and manufacturing.

The Emerys have three daughters — Sarah, who will graduate from Union in the spring, and twins Mary and Rachel, who are seniors at Dyersburg High School.

Hyran Barefoot

Hyran E. Barefoot served as Union University's 14th president from 1987-1996 leading the institution during a period of record enrollments, new construction, innovating programming, and renewed alumni commitment.

A graduate of Mississippi College in 1949, Barefoot completed his seminary education at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, earning his doctorate in theology in 1955. He joined the Union faculty in 1957, serving for three years as associate professor before moving to the faculty of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary from 1960-1962. He returned to Union in 1962 as professor of New Testament, a role he held for 25 years until his election as president.

"I thought going to the seminary would be a step up in my career, but I never enjoyed it as much as my three years at Union," Barefoot recalled. "There has always been something about Union's atmosphere and students that does not exist anywhere else."

Barefoot was recognized as Union's Teacher of the Year in 1967 and as the Chi Omega Man of the Year in 1967 and 1972. He received the university's Distinguished Faculty Achievement Award in 1973 and was named the Jackson, Tennessee, Man of the Year in 1993.

Under his leadership as president, Union enlarged the Penick Academic Complex several times, built additional housing units, and constructed the Blasingame Academic Complex and the Hyran E. Barefoot Student Union Building named in his honor.

Bill Adcock

Bill Adcock graduated from Russell High School, Russell, Iowa, in 1952, and studied at Iowa State University. He served in the army during the Korean conflict and received the "Minute Man" award for his service.

In 1961, Adcock moved to Tennessee to start a pilot apparel operation with only 13 employees. He owned All-Wear Manufacturing and Lonoke Manufacturing, companies that eventually employed more than 900 people and manufactured blue jeans. He was named the Dyer County Chamber of Commerce's "Outstanding Businessman of the Year" in 1981, and in 1990, he was named "CEO of the Year" by Bobbin Magazine.

For Adcock, his involvement in his community was just as important as involvement in his industry. He served as president of the Newbern Rotary Club and the Newbern Lions Club and was a member of the Dyersburg Jaycees, the Masonic Lodge, the American Heart Association Board, and the Security Bank Board of Directors. He chaired the Newbern Library Board and served on the executive board of the West Tennessee Boy Scouts.

Adcock served over 20 years as a member of the Union University Board of Trustees and has been named Trustee Emeritus. He was also a member of the Union University Foundation Board from 2006-2020. His wife Mary is a charter member of the Union Auxiliary and has served the Auxiliary for more than 22 years. The Adcocks' love for the university and their passion for Christian higher education led them to establish three endowed scholarships: the Bill and Mary Adcock Scholarship Fund, the Margo Marie Petersen Nursing Memorial Scholarship Fund and the Hollie M. Adcock Memorial Endowed Scholarship Fund.

The Adcocks are members of Newbern First Baptist Church where Bill has served as a deacon, trustee, and Sunday school superintendent and teacher. They have three children, six grandchildren, and eight great-grandchildren.

Health Care: Betty Whiteaker Hurt ('55)

Bettye Whiteaker Hurt earned her Bachelor of Science degree from Union University in 1955 before completing her dental degrees in 1968 and 1970 from Baylor University.

She has been a major donor for Baylor College of Dentistry and has served on the board there. In 2005, she was inducted into Baylor College of Dentistry's Hall of Fame. In 2012, she established a fellowship to the Baylor Oral Health Foundation to assist the center with enhancing stomatology expertise among dental professionals.

Hurt was awarded the Good Samaritan Award from Dallas Baptist University in 1990 for her support of Christian education at DBU. She practiced periodontic dentistry is the Dallas, Texas, area until her retirement.

Although her career took her to Texas, she never forgot her years at Union and has supported her alma mater with her commitment to higher Christian education with the establishment of the Bettye and Kermit Whiteaker Freshman Biology Scholarship Fund.

Business: Rob Dixon ('08)

Rob Dixon earned his bachelor's degree in management from Union's McAfee School of Business before service with the Southern Baptist Convention's International Mission Board for two years in Bucharest, Romania.

He returned to his alma mater in 2002 as an admissions counselor, and for the past 14 years has been owner of a SERVPRO franchise in Nashville, Tennessee. The company provides fire, water, mold, and other specialty cleanup and restoration services.

Dixon was named SERVPRO's Rookie of the Year in 2007, and in 2019 his franchise was in the top 35 SERVPRO franchises in the country.

Outside of work, Dixon has served on the advisory board of the Tennessee Baptist Children's Home and as an elder and Sunday school teacher at Grace Community Church in Nashville.

Education: Donna Gaines ('80)

Donna Gaines is the wife of Steve Gaines, pastor of Bellevue Baptist Church in Cordova, Tennessee, and former president of the Southern Baptist Convention. Donna graduated from Union with a Bachelor of Science degree and from Texas Woman's University with a Master of Education degree.

She is a devoted student of God's word and has written and taught Bible studies to youth, college, and women's groups for more than 36 years. Gaines is the author of such books as Choose Wisely, Live Fully; There's Gotta Be More; Seated: Living from Our Position in Christ; and Leaving Ordinary: Encounter God through Extraordinary Prayer.

In 2012, Gaines began the ARISE2Read program for underserved second graders in the Memphis city school system.

Steve and Donna have been married for 40 years and have four children and 15 grandchildren.

Arts/Media: Kevin Adelsberger ('10)

Kevin Adelsberger is the founder of Adelsberger Marketing, where they make creative work that grows their clients' businesses in a culture that values their team and community of Jackson, Tennessee. After founding his marketing business in 2014, Adelsberger went on to be a co-founder of Our Jackson Home and host its podcast from 2015-2019.

He was recognized as an emerging leader by Leadership Jackson in 2016, and Adelsberger Marketing was named the Emerging Business of the Year by the Jackson Chamber in 2017.

Adelsberger currently serves as the board president for Madison County Court Appointed Special Advocates and is a board member for theCO in Jackson, Tennessee.

He lives in Jackson with his wife and business partner Renae, a 2011 Union graduate, and their two children. They are involved members of First Baptist Church in Jackson.

Church Ministry: Reggie Thomas ('85)

Reggie Thomas is president of PeakePotential, a firm that provides executive coaching, life coaching, and leadership training.

He previously served as executive pastor of Chino Valley Community Church in Chino Hills, California; as campus director of Gateway Seminary in Brea, California; and as senior pastor of First Baptist Church of Walnut, California, and First Baptist Church of Rancho Cordova, California. In addition, Thomas was director of missions for Central Baptist Association in Albuquerque, New Mexico; a new church development consultant for the Baptist General Convention of Texas; and a church planter at New Generation Baptist Church in Tyler, Texas.

A native of Huntington, Tennessee, Thomas completed his Master of Divinity degree at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary after graduating from Union. He earned his Doctor of Ministry degree from Fuller Theological Seminary.

He and his wife, Jeannine, have two children. Thomas is an avid runner and has run the Boston Marathon eight times.

Research/Sciences: Michael Ulon Smith ('72)

Michael Smith is professor emeritus in the Department of Community Medicine at the Mercer University School of Medicine in Macon, Georgia.

Smith joined the MUSM faculty in 1985 as assistant professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine. He held several positions there over the years, including associate professor of medical education, professor of medical education, director of AIDS education and research, and vice chair for curriculum.

He previously served as assistant professor of biology at Southeast Missouri State University and as chairman of the Division of Natural and Social Sciences at North Greenville College.

After graduating from Union with his Bachelor of Science degree in biology in 1972, Smith earned his Master of Science degree in molecular genetics from Purdue University and his Ph.D. in science education from Florida State University.

Smith was named a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 2009 and received the Secretary's Community Health Promotion Award from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in 1993. He has served on the editorial board for such publications as Science Education, the International Journal of Science Education, the Electronic Journal of Science Education, and the Journal of Research in Science Teaching.

Government/Public Service: Chris Todd ('89)

Chris Todd was elected to the Tennessee House of Representatives for District 73, which covers most of Madison County, in 2018. He serves as vice chair of the House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee and is a member of both the State Government Committee and Finance Committee. He is the new state chair of the American Legislative Exchange Council, a national association of legislators that provides nonpartisan policy research based on principles of limited government, free markets, and federalism.

A native of Paris, Tennessee, Todd graduated from Union with a degree in biology and stayed in the Jackson area to start his career and family. He worked as an environmental specialist and biologist with the Tennessee Department of Health and Environment in Memphis and Jackson, where he was charged with overseeing small wastewater systems, complaint investigations, and construction site erosion permit enforcement.

In 1996, Todd and his wife, Melissa, founded a private environmental services company, Envirogreen Inc., and have employed many from the Jackson area over the years. They have been married for 30 years and have three children.

The Todds are members of West Jackson Baptist Church, where he serves as a deacon. He attributes the development of his managerial, interpersonal, and parliamentary skills to the training he received at Union, especially his service experiences within the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity.

Humanities: Glenna Veteto Marshall ('03)

Glenna Marshall is the author of two books, The Promise is His Presence: Why God is Always Enough (2019, P&R Publishing) and Everyday Faithfulness: The Beauty of Ordinary Perseverance in a Demanding World (2020, Crossway Books). She has written for publications such as The Gospel Coalition, Revive Our Hearts, Risen Motherhood, Women Encouraged, Practical Shepherding, and more.

She works as social media director for the women's branch of Practical Shepherding, a ministry to pastors and their families.

She is married to her pastor, William (a 2000 Union graduate), and is the mother of two young sons. Marshall is a member of Grace Bible Fellowship in Sikeston, Missouri.

Athletics: Gary Johnson ('92)

Gary Johnson serves as chair of the Department of Physical Education, Wellness, and Sport at Union University. He was born and raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and graduated from Union with a bachelor's degree in physical education. He earned a master's degree in exercise science from the University of Memphis and a Doctor of Arts in physical education from Middle Tennessee State University.

While at Union, he was a member of the tennis team. After graduating from the University of Memphis, he returned to Union as the intramural/aquatics director in the fall of 1994, became the wellness center director in 1995, and in 1997 was chosen as the men's tennis coach, serving six seasons in that position from 1997-2003. As tennis coach, his teams won four regular season conference championships and two tournament championships. The tennis teams advanced to the national tournament five of the six years he served as tennis coach.

In the fall of 1999, Johnson was named coach of the inaugural women's cross country program and coached them from 1999-2019. His teams won 11 conference championships and advanced to the national meet 14 times. The men's cross country program was revived in the fall of 2001, and Johnson served as coach from 2001-2019. The men won eight consecutive conference championships from 2004-2011 and advanced to the national meet nine times. Overall, Johnson earned Coach of the Year honors 27 times (four in tennis, 13 in women's cross country, and 10 in men's cross country).

Johnson and his wife, Holly, have one child, Miles, and are members of Englewood Baptist Church. Holly teaches at University School of Jackson and Miles is a ninth grader at USJ.

Not-for-Profit: Luke Pruett ('06)

Luke Pruett is the recruiting director at City Leadership in Memphis, where he leads teams advancing the Choose901, Teach901, Serve901, and Choose901: Alumni Recruiting campaigns. Originally from Blytheville, Arkansas, Pruett and his wife, April ('07), attended Union University, where he served as senior class president and then worked in student life and enrollment for six years after graduating.

A recipient of the Amy E. Spain Memorial Scholarship, Pruett graduated with his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law in 2015. While attending law school he co-founded Our Jackson Home. Pruett was a member of the Memphis Chamber of Commerce Young Memphis Leadership Class of 2019. The Pruetts live in Memphis with their three children.