Faculty Category: Staff

KATELYN WOLFE

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Director of Annual Giving
Work Email: kwolfe@cumberland.edu
Work Phone: (615) 547-1332
Location: Catron Alumni House
Category: Staff
Department: Office of Advancement
Degrees:
B.A., Cumberland University
M.B.A., Cumberland University
Bio:
Katie Wolfe graduated from Cumberland with Bachelor’s degrees in English and Humanities and Social Sciences in 2013.  During all her undergrad years, she sang in both the University Singers and Cumberland Chorale on scholarship and served as a FOCUS mentor, resident assistant, and was actively involved in Student Government Association and Sigma Tau Delta.  She went on to work as the Graduate Assistant for the Executive Director of General Education while she completed her Master’s in Business Administration in 2014.

After graduation, Katie worked in product sales specifically catering to small businesses in Wilson County.  She then transitioned to work for a political fundraising and event management firm in Nashville where she traveled all over the state.  After returning to sales for a Nashville based printing company, Katie is currently using her experiences in both those fields in order to help grow funds and new support for Cumberland.

She has previously served as a board member of the Cumberland University Alumni Association and was their Treasurer for a few years.  Katie is a 2024 graduate of Leadership Wilson and currently serves as the Vice President of Wilson One and is a co-chair of the Leading Women Group at the Mount Juliet Chamber of Commerce.  In her spare time, Katie enjoys camping, spending time with her nephews and niece, hiking, and reading.

COURTNEY WHEELER

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Vice President of Advancement
Work Email: cwheeler@cumberland.edu
Work Phone: (615) 547-1239
Location: Catron Alumni House
Category: Staff
Department: Office of Advancement
Degrees:
B.A., Texas State University San Marcus
J.D., Texas Tech University School of Law
Bio:

Courtney spent the past 20 years working at various stages of government, nonprofit, and electoral campaigns.  Courtney began her career managing two successful state house races in East Tennessee in 2002. In 2003, she was named the Tennessee field director for a national presidential campaign traveling all over the country during the primary campaign. She then moved to Florida to build and run the political and field program for the Jim Davis for Governor campaign. In 2007, she moved back to TN to help Karl Dean run a successful race for mayor of Nashville.  After law school, she joined President Barack Obama’s 2012 successful reelection campaign as the National Voter Protection Director. She moved back to TN to join Mayor Dean’s administration as the Director of the Office of Neighborhoods. In 2015, Courtney worked for the non-profit education organization, Project Renaissance, as the Director of Community Engagement before she became the Campaign Manager for Karl Dean’s race for Governor.  In her roles Courtney has been managed and/or worked hands on in every facet of a campaign including fundraising, communications, digital, organizing, engaging, research, and platform development.

Courtney is an avid runner, yogi, and dog mom to Rigby. She enjoys reading as much as time permits.  She has hiked all over the world including the rain forests in Fiji, waterfalls in Hawaii, and near her home in the great Smoky Mountains.

ERIC EVANS

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Head Men's Basketball Coach
Work Email: ericevans@cumberland.edu
Work Phone: 615-547-1319
Location: Dallas Floyd Phoenix Arena
Category: Staff
Department: Athletic Department
Bio:

Eric Evans begins his second year as an assistant coach for the men’s basketball team in 2020-21.

Evans joined the staff in 2018-19 and has assisted with recruiting, player development, scouting, and several other operational duties for the team.

Evans played one year of football and basketball at Trinity International University in 2013-14. Evans was a forward for the basketball team and tight end/defensive end on the football team.

Prior to TIU, Evans was a standout athlete at Lancaster Christian Academy lettering in football, basketball, and soccer. In basketball, Evans averaged 16.9 points per game leading his team to a NACA championship while earning NACA All-American honors. In football, Evans and Lancaster Christian won the NACA championship in the fall of 2012 while also earning NACA All-American honors in football. 

Evans earned Daily News Journal Player of the Year in 2013 in basketball.

He will graduate with his Bachelor of Science in sport management degree in May 2021 from Middle Tennessee State University.

Evans resides in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, and has three brothers Israel, Anthony, and Ezra.

RICHARD WILLIAMS

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Head Men and Womens Golf Coach and Game Day Supervisor
Work Email: rwilliams@cumberland.edu
Work Phone: (615) 547-1219
Location: Dallas Floyd Phoenix Arena
Category: Staff
Department: Athletic Department
Degrees:
B.S., Middle Tennessee State University
Bio:

Rich Williams begins his seventh season as head golf coach and eighth with the Phoenix golf program in 2019-20. He also serves as the department’s Game Operations Director, a title added during the summer of 2016.

During his tenure, Williams has coached four NAIA All-Americans–Austin Garrett in 2013-14, Ryan Botts in 2015-16, and Ana Laura Pages Preuss and Raquel Romero Valverde in 2018-19–alongside 38 All-Mid-South Conference players. In the 2018-19 season, Cumberland captured both MSC Freshman of the Year awards with Maria Pilar Scenna for the women and Adrian Steeger on the men’s side.

His men’s teams have won the last three MSC Tournament Championships, earning an an automatic bid to the last three NAIA Championships. The women have recieved at-large bids to the NAIA Championships the last three years. In 2019 he led them to a MSC regular season title before finishing a program record seventh in the NAIA Championships.

In his first season as head coach, he led the Cumberland men to its first regular season championship. CU won three times during 2013 and placed second in four other tournaments, earning Williams Mid-South Conference Coach of the Year honors. 

Cumberland enjoyed a successful 2016-17 season, winning three tournaments including the MSC Championships and placing second in two others to earn a spot in the NAIA Championships for the men. The women won a single tournament and took second in four others, securing the program’s first ever trip to the national tournament. Williams was honored with a Co-MSC Coach of the Year honor for his efforts.

The Franklin, Tenn., native has worked in a variety of roles within the golf industry, including as an assistant and head professional at Indian Hills Golf Club in Murfreesboro, The Little Course as Aspen Grove, The Polo Club in Boca Raton, Fla., and Gaylord Springs Golf Club in Nashville. He was an independent sales representative in the golf industry from 1998-2007.

In his Game Operations role, Williams oversees all aspects of set-up and breakdown for home athletic events at football, basketball, volleyball, soccer, wrestling, baseball and softball, including staffing for ticketing and marketing, security for officials, locker rooms for visiting teams and scheduling for the Dallas Floyd Phoenix Arena.

Williams received his bachelor’s in Psychology from Middle Tennessee in 1992 and is currently working on his master’s in Public Service Management at Cumberland.

 

 

STEPHANIE THEALL

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Head Softball Coach
Work Email: stheall@cumberland.edu
Work Phone: (615) 453-6361
Location: CU Softball Field
Category: Staff
Department: Athletic Department
Degrees:
B.S., Cumberland University
M.S.S.E.P., Cumberland University
Bio:

Former All-Conference infielder Stephanie Theall (formerly Gutierrez) joined the Cumberland staff as a full-time assistant in January 2016. This marks her eighth year as an assistant coach at her alma mater. She has spent ten of the last 11 years at Cumberland as either a student-athlete or coach.

Hernandez garnered First Team All-Mid-South honors and Torregano and Courtney Miles earned Second Team All-MSC. Six players were named Academic All-Mid-South.

The Orlando, Fla., native spent a year-and-a-half on the staff at Centre College in Danville, Ky., with the Colonels compiling a 14-18 record in 2015. She coached one Second Team and one Third Team All-Conference player as well as an Honorable Mention All-Conference performer while at Centre.

Gutierrez served as a student assistant at CU during the 2012 season after finishing her playing career and was a graduate assistant for the 2013 and 2014 seasons. Cumberland posted a 37-22 mark in 2013, advancing to the NAIA Championship Opening Round for the first time in program history.

Gutierrez earned a bachelor’s in Sports Management from Cumberland in 2012 and a master’s in Sport and Exercise Pedagogy at CU in 2014. She married former Cumberland football player Grant Theall in January 2016.

 

 

HANNAH VADAKIN

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Head Womens Volleyball Coach
Work Email: hvadakin@cumberland.edu
Work Phone: (615) 547-1253
Location: Dallas Floyd Phoenix Arena
Category: Staff
Department: Athletic Department
Degrees:
B.A., Coker College
Bio:

Hannah Vadakin begins her fourth season as a full-time assistant coach with the Phoenix after spending the previous two years as a graduate assistant at Doane College in Nebraska.

In 2018, Vadakin was selected as the AVCA Southern Region Assistant Coach of the Year. She also led the Phoenix Women’s JV team to 11-3-2 record earning themselves Mid-South Conference JV Champions. 

The Centennial, Colo., native played for three seasons at NCAA Division II Coker College in Hartsville, S.C., posting 166 kills, 87 blocks and 36 service aces as a sophomore for the Cobras. As a junior she collected 147 kills, 49 digs, 80 blocks and 25 service aces and finished her senior campaign with 74 kills and 23 blocks.

During the last two seasons at Doane, Vadakin helped Shelbi Mlynczak to a pair of Second Team All-Great Plains Athletic Conference honors while Haley Norvell and Breanna Fye earned Honorable Mention All-GPAC accolades in 2015 and Julie Els was an Honorable Mention selection in 2014. The Tigers finished 19-13 this past season, 9-7 in GPAC action, and were 15-19 in 2014.

At Doane she was responsible for recruiting, managing events, coordinating logistics, fundraising and supervising work study students. She also spent time as the head coach of the Nebraska Juniors for one year and served as an assistant coach at Rock Canyon High School for two summers.

Vadakin attended Littleton High School, earning three letters and Honorable Mention All-State accolades as a senior for the Lions.

She earned her bachelor’s in Business Administration and Political Science from Coker in 2014 and received a master’s in Management from Doane in 2016.

 

LARRY VAUGHAN

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Director of Institutional Research
Work Email: lvaughan@cumberland.edu
Work Phone: (615) 547-1222
Location: Alumni Hall
Category: Staff
Department: Office of Academic Affairs
Degrees:
B.B.A., Middle Tennessee State University
Bio:

Larry Vaughan graduated with a BBA from Middle Tennessee State University in 1981 and worked in public accounting for 15 years.  In October 1996 he became the Director of Financial Aid at Cumberland University.  In 2006 he turned financial aid over to Beatrice LaChance and he helped create the Office of Institutional Research.

 

BRANDON TAYLOR

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Enrollment Specialist
Work Email: btaylor@cumberland.edu
Work Phone: (615) 257-9646
Location: Memorial Hall
Category: Staff
Department: Office of Enrollment, Admissions, and Student Financial Services
Degrees:
B.S., Cumberland University
Bio:

Mr. Brandon Rahshad Taylor is a Brownsville, TN (Haywood County) native who graduated from Cumberland May of 2021 with a B.S. degree in Exercise Science. Mr. Taylor also spent his four years as a football athlete for the Phoenix as a team captain. He is currently pursuing his Masters of Arts of Education in Athletic Coaching.

Brandon is a member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Incorporated. He served as the Second Vice District Representative for the 5th District of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc. during the years of 2019-2021. He is the current Faculty Advisor for the Phi Delta Delta Undergraduate Chapter who assists the chapter advisor here at the university.

He has a son, Amir Rahshad Taylor, who he loves more than life itself. He enjoys working out and learning the unknown truths of life.

LESLIE STEELE

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Executive Director, Office of the President and Instructor
Work Email: lsteele@cumberland.edu
Work Phone: (615) 547-1268
Location: Memorial Hall, Room 101
Category: Staff
Department: Office of the President
Degrees:
B.A., University of Tennessee, Knoxville
M.S.P., Cumberland University
Bio:

Leslie Steele began working at Cumberland University in 2006. She serves as Executive Director, Office of the President and works closely with the Board of Trust. Additionally, in the fall of 2018 she began teaching the Foundations of Scholarship and Learning course to incoming freshmen. She also assists with the Cumberland University Parents Association, and is the proud mother of son Ethan. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Theatre from the University of Tennessee in 1995 and her Masters of Science in Public Service Management from Cumberland in 2018. 

 

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