Advancement Staff

Ronald Bailey | Vice President for External Affairs

Retired Lt. Gen. Ronald Bailey is a 1977 graduate of Austin Peay. While he was a student, he played football for the Governors and participated in the University ROTC program. Bailey spent 40 years in the U.S. Marine Corps, with his final assignment being the deputy commandant for Plans, Policies and Operations for the Marine Corps. During his career he oversaw the Marine Corps Recruiting Command, and he served as commanding general of the First Marine Division, as commanding general of the Third Marine Expeditionary Brigade and as deputy director for operations of the Joint Staff. He was also a Military National Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. Following his retirement, he returned to Austin Peay in 2018 as the vice president for external affairs. He now oversees the University’s offices of advancement, communication and strategic initiatives.

Kris Phillips | Assistant Vice President for University Advancement

Kris returned to APSU, his alma mater (’91), in 2016 after a 16-year tenure at the University of Tennessee and the UT Health Science Center. In his role, he is responsible for all university engagement and fundraising activities. Kris and his wife, Tammy, have two sons, Brayden and Parker. Parker is also an Austin Peay graduate and a former Governors baseball player.

phillipsk@apsu.edu

Vonda St. Amant | Assistant Executive Director

Vonda is a 1983 graduate of APSU. After several years in non-profit fundraising, Vonda returned to her alma mater in 2010 and currently serves as the assistant executive director. In her role, Vonda oversees a dynamic development team and provides donor-focused leadership to help meet the strategic goals of the University.

stamantv@apsu.edu

Kimberly Adkison | Director of Donor Relations and Scholarships

Kimberly is a Clarksville native and an APSU graduate with degrees in professional studies and management (BS ’06 and MS ’10). She serves as the director of donor relations and scholarships. Kimberly oversees stewardship management and scholarship compliance.

adkisonk@apsu.edu

Matt Bucy | Director of Development Operations and Annual Giving

bucym@apsu.edu

Jordan Harmon | Assistant Director of Athletics - Development

Jordan attended APSU (BS ’17) and was a member of the Governors baseball team. He embraces the opportunity to be in a position to give back to his alma mater while serving as assistant director of athletics - development. Let’s Go Peay!

harmonj@apsu.edu

Jerica Swiger | Director of Development

Jerica Swiger has worked in the areas of arts, culture and development for several years with organizations such as Ohio Northern University, Eastern Michigan University and The Chicago Architecture Foundation. Jerica brings nearly 20 years of experience in all areas of non-profit and higher education management to APSU, where she assists the College of Arts and Letters, the College of Behavioral Health Sciences and the College of Graduate studies with membership development, programming, board development and fundraising. She holds a master’s degree in non-profit management with a concentration in human services and a bachelor’s degree in arts management with a minor in management.

swigerj@apsu.edu

Brad Averitt | Director of Development

A native of Erin, Tennessee, Brad is a two-time Austin Peay alumnus (BS ('10) in corporate communications and MS ('17) in health and human performance). He began his career at APSU in enrollment management, serving as an admissions counselor from 2010 to 2016 and as the coordinator of graduate recruitment from 2016 to 2018. He is eager for the opportunity to continue serving and strengthening his alma mater in his role as director of development, working with the College of Business.

averittb@apsu.edu

Sam Mynhier | Assistant Director of Annual Giving

mynhiers@apsu.edu

Payton Baggett | Advancement Communications Specialist

Payton is a Clarksville native and an APSU graduate with degrees in journalism and marketing (BS ’14 and MA ’17). She previously worked as a reporter for ClarksvilleNow.com and an AmeriCorps VISTA for the Clarksville-Montgomery County Education Foundation before returning to Austin Peay in her role as the Student Publications Assistant. As the Advancement Communications Specialist, she oversees press releases, email marketing, website content, social media and printed materials.

baggettp@apsu.edu

Ashley Puskas | Office Supervisor

Ashley is a native of Dickson County and a second-generation alumna of Austin Peay. She earned her bachelor's degree in 2010. Thoughshe has a heart for earth sciences, her head is in business. Her husband Eddie graduated from the APSU Center at Fort Campbell in 2013. He is a veteran of the US Army. As the office supervisor, she is responsible for processing donations and overseeing day-to-day activities in the Advancement office. In her free time, she enjoys long walks outdoors, hunting and snuggling with her two dogs.

puskasa@apsu.edu

Kelley Board | Advancement Coordinator

In 2001, Kelley earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville with a major in psychology and a minor in sociology. She entered the arena of higher education in 2017 and worked her way to the assistant director of admissions role at Daymar College in Nashville, Tennessee, before coming to APSU. In her position, she works with stewardship and donor relations. Kelley has a six-year-old son, Richard Pardue III.

Angie Leonard | Advancement Specialist

Angie worked for three years as the administrative assistant for the Wilbur N. Daniel African American Cultural Center at APSU before coming to University Advancement in 2019. As the advancement specialist, she works with gift processing. When she is not hard at work, she is with three of her favorite people, her husband Jeremy and their two sons Landon and Liam. She and her family have a seven-year-old adopted bird dog named Abby.

leonarda@apsu.edu

Larry Wheeler | Functional Support Specialist

wheelerl@apsu.edu

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