CoAL Distinguished Alumni
Starting in 2020, each department within the College of Arts & Letters began selecting one alumnus annually from their programs to be awarded the Distinguished Alumni Award. Recipients are chosen to recognize their individual achievements, contributions to their fields, service to their community, and loyalty to Austin Peay State University.
2022 - Kim Radford (2002, 2007)
Kim Radford, a Nashville painter and muralist, graduated from Austin Peay in 2002
with a BFA in Studio Art. About her time at APSU Kim says: "My studio professors still
live in my mind to this day! Their passion, feedback, encouragement, and constructive
criticism is still sharpening me and practice today."
From the Brand Wise Collective: Radford is creating quite a large following for her spectacular artworks like the
Dolly Parton, Of Course Black Lives Matter mural located in East Nashville. Among her artistic murals is a Dragon image commissioned
by Americana Band Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors to commemorate the title track from
their album Dragons. Her works are popping up all over the South with her unique
pop art flair.
Radford loves familiar things done large. Kim has a mission to make public art that
is inviting – art that people can touch, stand next to, take photos, take videos and
even promote themselves with it. Radford got started with mural art when she was
at APSU earning her Bachelor of Fine Art degree. From painting Cinderella for a child’s
room, her art took off moving from homes to small businesses to big businesses. You
can read more about Radford on her website and you can find her on Instagram @kimradfordartist.
2021 - Chris Downes (1996)
Christopher Downes received his Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree from APSU in 1996, but
his career actually started before he graduated. From 1993 to 1996, he was the editorial
cartoonist for APSU’s very own newspaper, The All State. He even won First Place for
Best Editorial Cartoon at the 1996 Southeast Journalism Conference for his cartoon
on The Million Man March.
After graduating, Christopher lived and worked as a graphic designer in Galway, Ireland
- where he developed a fondness for living overseas. In 2000, he moved to Australia
to attend the University of Tasmania’s School of Art where he received a Masters of
Fine Art and Design.
Christopher has since worked as a freelance illustrator with clients like The Museum
of Australian Democracy, LORE podcast, The Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens, and
Crinkling News, a newspaper made just for kids. In 2021, he wrote and illustrated
Mona’s Ark, a children’s book published by the world-renowned art museum, Mona (The
Museum of Old and New Art) in Hobart.
He has also worked for over 10 years as an editorial cartoonist for The Mercury, Tasmania’s
main newspaper. During that time, he’s drawn cartoons on everything from local forestry
debates to federal issues like marriage equality and Australia’s treatment of asylum
seekers. In 2015 Christopher was awarded the Stanley Award for Best Editorial/Political
Cartoonist by the Australian Cartoonists Association and in 2020 the NRMA Kennedy
Award for Outstanding Illustration.
Christopher lives in Hobart, Tasmania with his wife and daughter. In the past 21 years,
he’s adapted pretty well to living in Australia. He knows most of the slang, uses
the metric system, and only very rarely drives on the wrong side of the road.
View some of Christopher's work here
2020 - Mike Andrews (1985)
Mike Andrews is a sculptor, art educator and family man. Mike took his first sculpture class at age eight at Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas and it had a profound influence on his future career path. When it came time to choose a college, his father’s military career brought him to Clarksville, and with that came Mike’s association with Austin Peat State University and Professor Olen Bryant. Mike worked with Olen Bryant as a student for five years from 1980-1985, and as Bryant’s studio assistant from 1982 to 1992. Andrews fondly recalls, “Olen became more than a teacher for me he was part of my family my son Michael worked for him the last 10 plus years of his life and he treated my daughter Sarah and youngest son Josh like they were part of his family. Elaine my wife and I miss him greatly and feel blessed to have known such a kind and gentle soul. He truly is a Tennessee treasure.”i
Mike Andrews is a similar kind, gentle soul who is also treasured by many of the colleagues who have worked with him over the years. Christopher Jarrell, current art teacher at Montgomery Central High School, recalls, “Mike was the perfect mentor for a new teacher. Steady, calm and nurturing. He would even invite me to his home on parent-teacher conference nights for a meal because he knew I lived quite a distance from Central.” Mike began his teaching career at Montgomery Central Elementary School in 1992 and taught there for six year before moving to Montgomery Central High School in 1998. In 2015, when the last of his elementary students had graduated from MCHS, Mike returned to Montgomery Central Elementary.
Mike is a dedicated teacher and artist and has received a number of awards over the years including the Teacher of the Year Montgomery Central Elementary School (2019), Tennessee Teacher of the Year Award in the Humanities (2013), the Helping Hands Award (2014), and the Artist of the Year Ovation Award (2014) from the Center for Excellence in the Creative Arts at Austin Peay State University. Mike has had two one-man shows at the Customs House Museum in Clarksville, TN in 2013 and 2019. His work has been exhibited throughout the region and is represented in private collections from California to Washington DC and abroad. His sculptures can be found in collections throughout Tennessee including Vanderbilt University, the White House Public Library, the Nashville International Airport, Austin Peay State University, and The Ronald McDonald House.
2019 - Lorilee Rager (2001)
Lorilee is the founder of Thrive Creative Group, LLC. She earned her Master’s degree in Graphic Design at Vermont College of Fine Arts, in Montpelier, Vermont, and her undergrad Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design from Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tennessee. She is also a Visiting Assistant Professor of Design and active alumnus in the Art and Design department today at APSU, and regularly attends workshops with her cherished VCFA cohorts and advisors to learn and research more about the true history of Graphic Design.
She also hosts her own Podcast Ground And Gratitude where her passion lies in understanding the pressures and responsibility of Graphic Designers to the world, and how to build a safe space where a creative career and life can align honestly and authentically. As an HSP and Enneagram Type 9 she’s a creative, optimistic, and supportive leader. Lorilee’s also a writer and mom to two super great boys. As well as a lover of her sobriety, bulldog, coffee, and chapstick.
2022 - Celeste Malone (2017, 2019)
Celeste Malone is a double-alumnus of the Department of Communication, graduating
with her BS in 2017 and her MA in 2019. During her time at Austin Peay, Malone served
as a blogger and writer for The All State, as a graduate assistant for the Wilbur N. Daniel African American Cultural Center,
and as the student representative to the APSU Board of Trustees (2018-2019). She is
a member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority and the Omicron Delta Kappa Honors Society.
After graduating with her MA, Malone worked for MP&F Strategic Communications in Nashville.
She is currently a board member of APSU’s National Alumni Association and works as
a Content Specialist for Vanderbilt University. You can read Malone's work for Vanderbilt here.
2021 - Dr. Tracy Shearon Nichols (1992, 2004)
Dr. Nichols received both her Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts degrees with an emphasis in Theatre and Communication at Austin Peay State University and her doctoral degree from Trevecca Nazarene University. She worked for the Fortune 500 Company, The Principal Financial Group, in management for several years. As an employee, she was selected to serve on the prestigious Advisory Board in the Healthcare Division. Dr. Nichols was a licensed insurance agent. Utilizing the skills and knowledge gained from her degrees, she also worked as a professional actor and director in regional theatre where she won the Best Actress award for her role as Mama O’Hanlon in Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus. Dr. Nichols has over 25 years of acting and directing experience in professional, educational, and community theatre. She also married her husband Eddie, a professional scenic artist and graduate of APSU, on the Trahern Stage where they met. In 2015, they won the Govs in Love award.
Dr. Nichols began teaching full-time at APSU in 2007. She is an active member of her department, the university, and the communities she works and lives in.
2020 - Chrissy Luther Hale (1991)
2022 - Howard Bradley (1976)
Howard Bradley graduated Austin Peay State University in 1976. While at APSU, Bradley
studied History and Political Science. His studies in the classroom helped him with
is career goals in education and politics. and served as a commissioner. While a student,
he was elected to the County of Commissioners for Robertson County. He was first elected
in 1972 and severed a total of 22 years as a commissioner. After graduating from APSU,
Bradley taught history at Springfield High School. In 2002, he was elected as the
county mayor of Robertson County. He served four terms as county mayor, retiring in
2018. From 2018 to 2020, he was Vice President for Business Development for F&M Bank
in Springfield, Tennessee. He also was an adjunct professor for history for twelve
years.
2021 - LTC Paul Witkowski (2010)
Lieutenant Colonel Paul Witkowski earned a Bachelor of Arts in History from Columbus State University and a Master of Arts in Military History from Austin Peay State University. His awards include the Bronze Star Medal (3), the Meritorious Service Medal (8), the Combat Infantryman's Badge (2nd Award), Expert Infantryman’s Badge, Ranger Tab, Master Parachutist Badge, Pathfinder Badge, Air Assault Badge, Army Staff Identification Badge, and Drill Sergeant Identification Badge.
Some of his past assignments include Platoon Leader and Company Executive Officer A/1-15th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Benning, GA; Commander, D Company and Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1-327th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, KY; Commander C Company, 5th Ranger Training Brigade, Camp Frank D Merrill, Dahlonega, GA; Liaison Officer, 3rd Brigade 1st Infantry Division, Fort Knox, KY; Interagency Fellow with U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Washington, DC; Battalion Executive Officer, 1st Battalion 502nd Infantry Regiment and Brigade Operations Officer, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) Fort Campbell, KY; Division Future Operations Planner, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault); and Aide-de-Camp to the 35th Vice Chief of Staff of the Army, the Pentagon, Washington, DC. His last assignment was battalion commander of 1st Battalion 506th Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) and commander a multinational force of U.S., Norwegian, French, and Danish soldiers in Iraq. He is currently a student at the United States Army War College at Carlisle Barracks, PA. His next assignment is with the Joint Staff in the Pentagon.
2020 - David Britton (2010)
After working a variety of jobs, David Britton attended APSU beginning in 2006 which
corresponded with his employment with Tennessee State Parks as a laborer. His interests
were primarily in early America and the trans-Appalachian west. Accordingly, He took
a lot of classes with Dr. Richard Gildrie and Dr. Kristofer Ray. All of his classes
in the History Department helped him improve and hone his writing and critical thinking.
He graduated in 2010. Since then he had an essay published in the TN Historical Quarterly
as well as in an edited essay collection from University of TN press. He is currently
under contract with Vanderbilt University for a book on the historical context of
the Bell Witch of Tennessee.
In 2013 he became a Tennessee State Park Ranger at Bicentennial Capitol Mall State
Park in Nashville, TN and attended the Tennessee Law Enforcement & Training Academy.
In 2017 he became the Park Manager for Dunbar Cave State Park and Port Royal State
Historic Park.
2022 - Raven Jackson (2012)
A native of Tennessee, Raven Jackson is an award-winning filmmaker, poet, and photographer.
Her work often explores landscapes of indefinable experiences and emotions, as well
as the body’s relationship to nature. A participant of Film at Lincoln Center’s Artist
Academy during the 57th New York Film Festival, she is currently in post-production
for her debut narrative feature, all dirt roads taste of salt, which has received support from Cinereach, SFFILM, IFP, Film Independent, Tribeca
Film Institute, New Orleans Film Society, Kenneth Rainin Foundation, and Westridge
Foundation. The film was also one of five selected for the Ikusmira Berriak Residency
in San Sebastián, Spain, and was handpicked by Barry Jenkins for Indie Memphis’ 2019
Black Filmmaker Residency in Screenwriting.
Her short films "Nettles" and "A Guide to Breathing Underwater" are currently streaming
on the Criterion Channel. "Nettles" is the winner of an inaugural Flies Collective
Film Grant and had its International Premiere at the 66th edition of the San Sebastián
International Film Festival. The film also won the jury award for Best Narrative Short
Film at the 2018 Tacoma Film Festival and screened at Slamdance, Metrograph NYC, Palm
Springs International ShortFest, and Bermuda International Film Festival, among others.
Her work has been featured in The New York Times, TriQuarterly, CALYX, Kweli, Phantom
Limb, PANK, and elsewhere. Her chapbook of poetry, little violences, is available
from Cutbank Literary Magazine. Raven is a Cave Canem fellow and holds MFAs from New
York University's Graduate Film Program and the New School's Writing Program. Jackson
graduated from APSU in 2012; you can learn more about Jackson's work here.
2021 - Andrea Yarbrough (2012)
Andrea Yarbrough is a 2012 graduate from APSU with a BA in Foreign languages (German)
and the 2011 recipient of the Edelweiß-Club scholarship for APSU German students.
Since graduation, she has been able to combine her passion for science and her degree
in German. Ms. Yarbrough is working as Laboratory Manager for Freudenberg Filtration
Technologies in Hopkinsville, a large German corporation with worldwide facilities.
Yarbrough uses her German language skills and her knowledge of German culture on a
daily basis in her interactions with German colleagues and management both in the
US and in Germany. She has traveled to headquarters in Mannheim, Germany several
times for training and collaboration.
2020 - Susan Lawrence (2014)
2022 - Andrea E. Brown (1998)
Dr. Andrea E. Brown was appointed the Associate Director of Bands at the University of Maryland in 2018. In this position she conducts the University of Maryland Wind
Ensemble and serves as the Director of Athletic Bands in which she leads the “Mighty
Sound of Maryland” and all aspects of the athletic band program. Brown is formerly
a member of the conducting faculty at the University of Michigan where she served
as the assistant director of bands. In this position, she was the conductor of the
Campus Bands and director of the Campus Band Chamber Ensembles, associate director
of the Michigan Marching and Athletic Bands, director of the Men's Basketball Band,
guest conductor with the Symphony Band and Concert Band, taught conducting, and was
a faculty sponsor of a College of Engineering Multidisciplinary Design Project team
researching conducting pedagogy technology. Previously Brown was the director of orchestra
and assistant director of bands at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta
where she also led research in conducting pedagogy technology and was a member of
the Oxford Program faculty. She is a frequent guest conductor, clinician, and adjudicator
in the US, Europe, and Asia.
Brown completed a DMA in instrumental conducting at UNC Greensboro where she was
a student of John Locke and Kevin Geraldi. While at UNCG, she was named Outstanding
Teaching Assistant and was both guest conductor and principal horn on UNCG Wind Ensemble's
fireworks! and finish line! CDs released on the Equilibrium label. Brown has also
had several rehearsal guides published in the popular GIA Publications series, "Teaching
Music Through Performance in Band" and has presented at the Midwest Clinic in Chicago,
Music For All Summer Symposium, the Yamaha Bläserklasse in Schlitz, Germany, the International
Computer Music Conference in Ljubljana, Slovenia, the College Music Society International
Conference in Sydney, Australia, and multiple times at the College Band Directors
National Association National Conference.
Originally from Milan, Tennessee, she is a graduate of Austin Peay State University
where she was named "Outstanding Student in Music." Brown earned a master of music
degree in horn performance and a master of music education degree with a cognate in
instrumental conducting from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Prior
to her position at Georgia Tech, Brown was the assistant director of bands at Austin
Peay State University and taught public school in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and Dallas,
Texas. She is a member of Phi Kappa Phi, Pi Kappa Lambda, and CBDNA. She was awarded
the Rose of Honor as a member of Sigma Alpha Iota and is an honorary member of Kappa
Kappa Psi and Tau Beta Sigma. Learn more about Brown here.
2021 - Cindy Freeman (1969)
Cindy Freeman is a 1969 graduate of Clarksville High School in Clarksville, Tennessee. In 1973, she earned her Bachelor of Science degree at Austin Peay State University in Music Education, majoring in piano, under Dr. Patricia Gray. She attended piano seminars at George Peabody College in Nashville featuring such artists as Charles Rosen, Leon Fleisher, Jorge Bolet, and Rudolph Serkin. She did graduate work at The Ohio State University in piano pedagogy studying under Dr. George Haddad. Freeman earned her Master of Music degree in Choral Conducting in 1996 from Austin Peay State University, studying extensively under her mentor, Dr. George Mabry.
Freeman taught for 45 years as director of choral activities at Dickson County High School, teaching six choral organizations-Mixed Chorus, Women’s Ensemble, Concert Choir, Chamber Singers, Barbershop, and Beautyshop, as well as Theory and Harmony, Music History, Class Piano and General Music. She was a member of the American Choral Directors Association, the National Association of Music Educators, the Tennessee Music Educators Association, the Middle Tennessee Vocal Association, the National Education Association, and the Tennessee Education Association.
2020 - Joe W. Giles (1961)
Mr. Giles has established a national reputation as one of the country’s most influential
leaders in Arts Education. His impressive resume details the depth of his experience
as an award-winning teacher and choral director from the early days of his career
to his appointment as the first Director of Arts Education for the State of Tennessee
when the state’s first curriculum frameworks and guidelines for each arts discipline
were produced under his direction. As a result of his success in this position, he
was elected to be President of the Southern Division of Arts Supervisors and the President
of the National Council of State Supervisors of Music, Washington, DC, a singular
accomplishment.
One of Mr. Giles’ premiere accomplishments has been the creation of the Tennessee Arts Academy, a summer residential staff development program that serves teachers of choral and instrumental music, music theory, theatre and creative dramatics, and visual art, as well as school administrators and supervisors. 2020 will mark the 34th year for The Academy. Professional arts associations consider The Academy to be the nation’s premier professional development program for teachers of the arts.
Mr. Giles has held leadership roles in significant state and national music organizations and has been a consultant, presenter, and guest speaker for numerous arts associations, as related in his dossier. His list of honors and awards are admirable. In addition to his accomplishments, he is known for his generosity, kindness, vision, friendship, intelligence, creativity, ability to remember everyone’s name, ethical thinking and a desire to look forward, not backward. I can think of no one who better represents the legacy of the Music Department of Austin Peay State University than Joe Giles.
2022 - Richard Daniel (1984, 1990)
Richard Daniel graduated with a B.S. in Music Education in 1984 and a M.A. in Speech,
Communication, and Theatre in 1990. A freelance actor, Daniel has performed in a number
of theatrical productions including Smoke on the Mountains, The Unseen, Once, 1776, Sweeney Todd and many more. Learn more about Daniel and his acting career here.
2021 - Jennifer Whitcomb-Oliva (2009)
Jennifer Whitcomb-Oliva (2009) is a Nashville native who received her Bachelor of
Arts in Communica(on with a concentration in Theatre Performance and a minor in Dance
from Austin Peay State University. She is a Professional Actor and Performance Artist
whose work spans multiple genres, including Theatre, Dance, Opera, and Film. Her recent
performance credits include Ouiser Boudreaux/ Steel Magnolias, Stepmother/Cinderella
(Studio Tenn); Mrs. Phelps, Matilda (AtPro); Mae Tuck/Tuck Everlas(ng (Nashville Children’s
Theatre) Jennifer’s film and other performance credits include: President Prexy/ The
Cradle Will Rock, (Nashville Opera); Queen Elizabeth/Shakespeare In Love, (Nashville
Repertory); Lady Day, Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill (Wild Card Productions);
Ms. H,7 Ways to Sunday (The Theatre Bug); Mayor/Ma/Nun, The Toxic Avenger (Street
Theatre Company). Tasha, Motherhood: The Musical (Faby Baby Productions).
2020 - David Alfrod (1989)
A graduate of Austin Peay State University (B.S. Communication Arts, Theatre) and
the Juilliard School for Drama, David was founder and Artistic Director of Mockingbird
Theatre in Nashville from 1994-2004. From 2004-2007 he served as Executive Artistic
Director of Tennessee Repertory Theatre (now Nashville Rep), the state's largest professional
theatre company, and in 2008 became the Rep's first Artist-in-Residence. His plays
Spirit: The Authentic Story of the Bell Witch of Tennessee, and Smoke: A Ballad of the Night Riders are produced yearly in his hometown of Adams, Tennessee. In 2011 he completed the
design and implementation of a first-ever Dramatic Arts Major at Martin Methodist
College in Pulaski, Tennessee. His book Living The Dream: The Morning After Drama School (a DIY guide to the acting business) is available through Kendall Hunt Publishing.
Best known as an actor, David appeared as Bucky Dawes in the ABC/CMT television series
Nashville. Other screen credits include The Blacklist (NBC), The Last Castle (Dreamworks), A Death in the Family (PBS/Masterpiece Theatre), and Stoker (Warner Bros.). He plays the lead role of Gil Cotton in the web series Local Air, and is the voice of Benjamin Moore Paint's ";Proudly Particular" ad campaign. Recent
stage credits include Mr. Marshall in the Manhattan Theatre Club's 2017 Broadway revival
of The Little Foxes, and the title role in the regional premiere of David Auburn's The Columnist (Nashville Repertory Theatre).