MAX MATHERNE

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Associate Editor, Papers of Martin Van Buren and Assistant Professor of History
mmatherne@cumberland.edu
615-547-1351
Vise University Library, Presidential Papers of Martin Van Buren
Faculty
Presidential Papers, Martin Van Buren
The Millard and JJ Oakley School of Humanities, Education and the Arts
B.A. Grove City College
Ph.D. University of Tennessee, Knoxville

Max Matherne came to Cumberland University in 2021 after earning his Ph.D. in U.S. History from the University of Tennessee, where he graduated with a Chancellor’s Citation of Extraordinary Professional Promise. His areas of expertise include United States political cultures and the early American republic. He is currently revising a book manuscript that will examine the ideological underpinnings of political patronage in the early republic, showing how office-seekers shaped the development of Americans’ two-party system. Support for his work has been provided in the form of fellowships and grants from various institutions, including the American Philosophical Society, the Dirksen Congressional Center, and the Society for U.S. Intellectual History.

Dr. Matherne has organized panels and presented his research at numerous national conferences, such as the Society for Historians of the Early American Republic (SHEAR) and the Society for U.S. Intellectual History (S-USIH), serving on the conference committee for the latter organization’s 2021 conference. He has organized multiple public-facing forums for faculty members to discuss the relevance of their research for modern-day political conversations. In the classroom, Dr. Matherne has instructed undergraduate courses on myriad topics, including historical methods as well as both American and European history. He comes to Cumberland University with documentary editing experience dating back to 2014, having previously served as a Research Associate with the Papers of Andrew Jackson.

Outside of his office and the classroom, Dr. Matherne enjoys reading a wide array of books on an equally wide array of subjects. His personal interests include jazz music, literary fiction and film.

JENNY MASON

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Dean of the Oakley School of Humanities, Education, and the Arts, and Associate Professor of Psychology
jmason@cumberland.edu
(615) 547-1338
Memorial Hall, Room 210A
Faculty
The Millard and JJ Oakley School of Humanities, Education and the Arts
B.S., University of Tennessee, Knoxville
M.Ed., Auburn University
Ph.D., University of Southern Mississippi

Dr. Jenny Mason is an Associate Professor of Psychology and Cumberland University’s Dean of the Millard and J.J. Oakley School of Humanities, Education and the Arts. Dr. Mason began at Cumberland in the fall of 2014 where her teaching responsibilities have included undergraduate courses in developmental psychology, abnormal psychology, statistics for the behavioral sciences, and research methods in psychology, as well as graduate statistics courses in other programs at the university. She served as Assistant Dean for one semester and then Interim Dean for one year before being selected to her current position. Prior to arriving at Cumberland, she taught as an Adjunct Professor at Lipscomb and Belmont Universities, was a Research and Corporate Consultant across the state, and a Clinical Therapist working in both individual and group settings with a concentration on aggression and sexual violence.

A Nashville native, Dr. Mason graduated from St. Cecilia Academy and went on to attend college at Transylvania University in Lexington, Kentucky. In search for more research opportunities, she transferred to the University of Tennessee, Knoxville her junior year, where she graduated with a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Psychology. Following graduation from Auburn University with her Master’s degree in Community/Agency Psychology, Dr. Mason worked for two years as a Child Therapist before returning to school to obtain her doctoral degree in Experimental Psychology from the University of Southern Mississippi, taking nearly the full course load required for doctoral degrees in both Counseling Psychology and Experimental Psychology.

Research experiences for Dr. Mason included assisting parents of diabetic children to better understand medication and nutrition regimes in managing Type I Diabetes, developmental-based parenting training for parents of children ages 2 to 6, determining levels of change agency and diversity valuing in college students, and assessing the characteristics of those who most effectively challenge workplace bullying in order to provide useful training opportunities for new hires in a business or academic setting.

VALERIE KING

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Associate Professor of Marketing, Academic Area Leader of Business
vking@cumberland.edu
(615) 547-1277
Labry Hall, Room 109
Faculty
The Labry School of Science, Technology, and Business
B.B.A., Belmont University
M.B.A., Belmont University
D.B.A., Argosy University

Dr. Valerie King, DBA is an Associate Professor of Marketing for both Undergraduate and Graduate Business degree programs. Prior to teaching full time, she was a Marketing Specialist at a major global healthcare organization with specific responsibilities for developing marketing strategies for public health education initiatives. Additional experience includes management and oversight of a Marketing and Media department at a non-profit organization located Nashville, Tennessee. During this time, she managed a team of 40 staff members and over 50 volunteers will full strategic development, implementation, budgeting, and people management responsibilities. Further, she has a strong background in Healthcare Finance particularly in the area of pricing and relationship management. She is a Marketing Consultant specializing in strategic marketing, branding, and social media management for non-profit organizations, ministries, and small business organizations.

Dr. King received her bachelor’s degree and master’s degree from Belmont University. Dr. King completed her Doctor of Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing at Argosy University, Nashville. She has also earned a Graduate certificate in Non-Profit Management from Tennessee State University.

Dr. King actively volunteers in various community organizations in her local community with a focus on healthcare, education, and poverty initiatives. Dr. King is a graduate of Young Leaders Council and regularly supports various non-profit initiatives. She is an avid sports person with a strong interest in women’s basketball, football and hockey. In fact, she is a former student athlete as a member of the collegiate Women’s Basketball team at Belmont University.

ERIC LANDIS

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Associate Professor of Management
elandis@cumberland.edu
(615) 547-1263
Labry Hall, Room 112
Faculty
The Labry School of Science, Technology, and Business
B.A., University of Alabama
M.A., University of Alabama
D.M., University of Phoenix

 Dr. Landis began working at Cumberland University in the spring of 1999. Dr. Landis earned his doctoral degree in Management from the University of Phoenix.  He earned his BA and MA in Communications at University of Alabama. While at Cumberland, he served as President of the Faculty Senate and was awarded SGA Teacher of the Year in 1998 and 2017. Dr.  Landis is the Program Director of Management in the Labry School of Science, Technology, and Business. He teaches business courses in the MBA program. He also teaches undergraduate courses including Introduction to Business, Organizational Theory and Design, and Principles of Management. He is the Faculty Athletic Representative (FAR) for the university.  Dr. Landis has owned and operated several businesses, including a talent agency. He has managed businesses as diverse as software education, a technology college, and a restaurant.

SUZANN LAFFERTY

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Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice
slafferty@cumberland.edu
(615) 547-1271
Memorial Hall, Room 210C
Faculty
The Millard and JJ Oakley School of Humanities, Education and the Arts
B.A., University of Southern California
M.F.S., National University, California
M.A., University of Memphis

Suzann Lafferty is an Assistant Professor and Program Director of Criminal Justice at Cumberland University. Prior to coming to Cumberland, Ms. Lafferty served as a Special Agent Forensic Scientist with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) for seventeen years. During this time, she was a member of the Violent Crime Response Team and processed complex crime scenes throughout the state of Tennessee, specializing in microanalysis and latent prints. As a forensic scientist in TBI’s Nashville crime laboratory, she was assigned to the latent print unit where she processed evidence for the presence of latent prints and compared submitted and developed latent prints to known impressions. Ms. Lafferty has been accepted in the state of Tennessee as an expert witness. 

During her last six years at TBI, Ms. Lafferty was assigned to the Training Division. In this capacity, she instructed in the TBI State Academy, TBI Special Agent Academy, and at the Tennessee Law Enforcement Training Academy. She additionally instructed courses for the TN Department of Children Services, TN Department of Human Services, Comptroller’s Office, and the Office of the Inspector General. She also led a multi-agency team to develop the curriculum for Just and Fair Policing, which was a mandatory four-hour course for law enforcement in Tennessee. Ms. Lafferty was also instrumental in implementing and developing TBI LEARN (Law Enforcement Access Right Now), an online platform that delivers training courses to law enforcement and other state agencies. 

During her time at TBI, she attended numerous training courses and conferences. Ms. Lafferty is a life-time member of the Tennessee Division of the International Association for Identification (TN IAI). She also previously served as president, vice-president, conference chair, and treasurer for the TN IAI. 

Prior to joining as full-time faculty, Ms. Lafferty also served as an adjunct instructor in Criminal Justice at Cumberland University for four years.

 

J. BRADLEY JORDAN

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Assistant Professor of Exercise and Sport Science
bjordan@cumberland.edu
615-257-9503
McFarland Hall, Room 1151
Faculty
The Jeanette C. Rudy School of Nursing and Health Professions
B.S., Cumberland University
M.S., Middle Tennessee State University
Ph.D., Middle Tennessee State University

Dr. Bradley Jordan began as an adjunct at Cumberland University in 2020 having previously taught for the university during the 2013-14 academic year.  He is a native of Lebanon, TN and a proud alumnus of Cumberland University holding a B.S. in Physical Education. He also holds both an M.S. and Ph.D. in Exercise Science from Middle Tennessee State University. In addition to his education, Dr. Jordan is a licensed Physical Education Teacher (Grades K-12) through the State of Tennessee and is also dually certified with the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) as a Certified Exercise Physiologist (EP-C), and Registered Clinical Exercise Physiologist (RCEP). 

Prior to teaching at Cumberland University, Dr. Jordan was an Assistant Professor of Exercise Physiology at Valdosta State University in Valdosta, Georgia. Dr. Jordan also has prior academic appointments at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, TN as well as Tennessee State University in Nashville, TN. In addition to his previous experience in academia, Dr. Jordan has worked in clinical practice for Healthcare Therapy Services as well as Vanderbilt University Medical Center as Registered Clinical Exercise Physiologist (RCEP). In addition to his clinical role, Dr. Jordan also served as a guest lecturer for the Vanderbilt University Medical School. Dr. Jordan provided lectures on exercise’s role in combating the obesity epidemic while also providing exercise clinical rotations for 3rd and 4th year medical students within the Center for Weight Loss.   

Dr. Jordan’s primary research interest is in ergogenic aids to sports performance with particular interest in caffeine supplementation and its effect on both aerobic and anaerobic sports performance. He has presented his research nationally at the annual American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) conference as well as locally at the Tennessee Association for Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance (TAPHERD) conference. He has several peer-reviewed article publications and abstracts that are published in Medicine and Science in Sport and Exercise, International Journal of Exercise Science, and Pediatric Exercise Science. Dr. Jordan has also served as a reviewer for the International Journal of Sport Nutrition & Exercise Metabolism. 

Dr. Jordan is an avid runner/triathlete and is passionate about practicing the active and healthy lifestyle he teaches in his courses. Additionally, he enjoys fishing, watching sports, and spending time with his family. 

 

WYATT KEENER

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Instructor of English
wkeener@cumberland.edu
(615) 453-6403
Memorial Hall, 200E
Faculty
The Millard and JJ Oakley School of Humanities, Education and the Arts
B.A., Union University
M.A., University of Tennessee, Knoxville

Wyatt Keener began teaching at Cumberland University as an adjunct instructor in 2018 before being appointed to a full-time position in 2019. He has previously taught at the University of Tennessee, Pellissippi State Community College, and Volunteer State Community College. Mr. Keener holds a Master of Arts degree from the University of Tennessee. He specializes in Old English Literature and First-Year Composition.

Mr. Keener has taught in the Honors Program since 2022. His teaching responsibilities also include Composition and a range of literature courses, including Shakespeare and British Literature. In addition to his work at Cumberland, Mr. Keener volunteers as a mentor with tnAchieves. His favorite aspect of teaching is helping students navigate the transition to post-secondary education. He resides in Wilson County with his wife and their dog.

 

NATALIE INMAN

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Associate Professor of History
ninman@cumberland.edu
(615) 547-1279
Labry Hall, Room 214
Faculty
The Millard and JJ Oakley School of Humanities, Education and the Arts
B.A., University of Tennessee, Knoxville
M.A., Vanderbilt University
Ph.D., Vanderbilt University

Dr. Natalie Inman joined Cumberland University in 2010 after receiving her doctorate from Vanderbilt University. Dr. Inman is the author of Brothers and Friends: Kinship in Early America (University of Georgia Press), articles in the Tennessee Historical Quarterly and Journal of East Tennessee History, as well as a chapter in Before the Volunteer State: New Thoughts on Early Tennessee History, 1690-1800 (University of Tennessee Press). Her current research is on the cultural change and power dynamics within cross-cultural marriages between American Indians and Anglo-Americans in Early America. She supports indigenous rights and cultural sovereignty in Tennessee by serving as a consultant, providing public talks, and helping out at the Wilco Powwow. She has a forthcoming chapter in the book, New Directions in Family History. Dr. Inman is the author of three children’s books and maintains a non-profit, Haiti Heart Books, that promotes reading and celebrates Haitian culture.

 

 

C. ALAN HUTCHISON

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Instructor of Speech
chutchison@cumberland.edu
(615) 453-6397
Labry Hall, Room 230
Faculty
The Millard and JJ Oakley School of Humanities, Education and the Arts
B.A., Lipscomb University
M.A., Lipscomb University
M.A., Austin Peay State University

Alan Hutchison joined the Cumberland University faculty in 2018 as an Adjunct Instructor of Speech.  He was brought on board in January of 2024 as a full-time Instructor of Speech and Program Director for the Communications program which he was tasked with developing and implementing.

Mr. Hutchison holds an undergraduate degree in Communications from Lipscomb University as well as post-graduate degrees in Theology (also Lipscomb) and Corporate Communications (Austin Peay State University).  With over 30 years of communications experience in corporate, non-profit, and self-employed settings he brings both an academic and applied perspective to the classroom.  Alan has a passion for education, having volunteered in primary education classrooms in Wilson County tutoring students.  As a corporate communicator, he is a member of the Public Relations Society of America and Sales and Marketing Executives International.

In his spare time Alan enjoys hunting, fishing, gardening, attending University of Kentucky football and basketball games with his nephews, and spending time with his dogs, Trigg and Cadi.  Fun fact: Alan has these two dogs as a direct result of his students’ persuasive speeches on “Adopt, Don’t Shop” for your next pet.