Department of Political and Global Affairs
Virtual Mentoring Program
Advice from those who have come through the program before you.
They sat where you sit now… and survived! They have taken many of the same classes, probably had some of the same professors, struggled with some of the same challenges, graduated, and today work in a wide range of fields. They have all volunteered to serve as virtual mentors to our current students. They are more than happy to hear from you and offer professional or even personal advice, share their thoughts about career choices and opportunities, or even share stories about their times in Peck Hall and MTSU. Email an alum, and adopt a virtual mentor!
Alumni are grouped into the following areas:
Administrative | Education | Government-related | International | Law | Students | Other | Graduates of the Master’s in International Affairs
Administrative
| Occupation/Title | Place Of Employment | Name | Email Address | Year Grad |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Provider Contractor | Prime Health Services (Brentwood, TN) | Jacob Butler | jjb23u@gmail.com | 2011 |
| Branch Manager | Accu-Tech Corporation | Brent Campbell | Brent.Campbell@accu-tech.com | 2002 |
| Vice President & General Counsel | ECS (Engineering Consulting Services) | Douglas J. Cole | DCole@ecslimited.com | 1983 PS minor |
| Financial Services Rep and Loan Officer | First Tennessee Bank | Brad Lamb | jbradfordlamb@gmail.com | 2009 |
| Director of Development | Verde (Portland, OR; environmental and racial justice) | Poppy Lee | poppylee@verdenw.org | 2017 |
| Director | International School-Runda in Nairobi Kenya (part of SABIS Network) | Adrian Mackie | amackie@sabis.net | 2011 |
| Senior Regional Planner | The Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe in Minnesota | Bryan McCoy | bryan.mccoy783@gmail.com | 2008 |
| Supervisor | Jean Crowe Advocacy Center | Megan Moore | meganmoore.tn@gmail.com | 2011 |
| U.S. Customs broker | A.O. Smith Corporation | Alexander Mosley | alexander.mosley81@gmail.com | 2012 |
| Area Compliance Officer | Sigue Corporation | Cameron Parrish | Cameronparrish@gmail.com | 2003 |
| Trade Union Team Leader | New South Wales Nurse & Midwives Association | Jordan Petit | jpetit.usa@gmail.com | 2007 |
| President | Market Wise, Inc | Guy W. Pridgen, Jr. | gpridgenjr@marketwiseinc.com | 1983 |
Education
| Occupation/ Title | Place Of Employment | Name | Email Address | Year Grad |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assistant Professor | Institute for National Security and Military Studies, Austin Peay State University | Dr. Erin Rowland Carlin, Ph.D., MPPA | carline@apsu.edu | 2004 |
| Program Coordinator | Office of Transition Programs Vanderbilt University | Tassany Henderson,M.Ed. | Tassany.henderson@gmail.com | 2008 |
| Assistant Principal/ Mid-Cumberland Representative | White House Middle School/ Tennessee Department of Education, common Core Leadership Council | Scott Langford | robert.s.langford@gmail.com | 1995 |
| History Lecturer | Middle Tennessee State University | Jared Norwood, Ph.D. | Jared.Norwood@mtsu.edu | 2009 |
Government-related
| Occupation/ Title | Place Of Employment | Name | Email Address | Year Grad |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Program Coordinator | St. Clair Senior Center, City of Murfreesboro | Drew Anderson | drewandersonis@gmail.com | 2014 |
| Assistant Director | AccessTN | Ryan Bouldin | Ryan.Bouldin@tn.gov | 2002 |
| Rural Field Representative | U.S. House of Representatives | Abbi Burgess Hilligrass | abbiburgess@gmail.com | 2008 |
| Assistant Director, Division of Budget | Department of Finance and Administration, State of Tennessee | Mike Dedmon | Mike.Dedmon@tn.gov | 1989 |
| Attorney Advisor | Federal Communications Commission | Joseph Meyer | josephdmeyer@comcast.net | 2014 |
| Professional Relations Officer | DHS-State of Tennessee | Dustin K. Mitchell | dustin.k.mitchell@ssa.gov | 2001 |
| Logistics officer & attorney | Marine Corps Officer | Capt. Sherman Neal II | shermanneal777@gmail.com | 2010 |
| Attorney Advisor | U.S. Small Business Administration | Alexander Ford | alexanderjford@gmail.com | 2013 |
| Homeland security analyst | Library of Congress | Shawn Reese | sreese@crs.loc.gov | 1994 PS minor |
International
| Occupation/ Title | Place Of Employment | Name | Email Address | Year Grad |
|---|
Law
| Occupation/ Title | Place Of Employment | Name | Email Address | Year Grad |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Attorney | Law Office of Adra E. Burks | Adra E. Burks | adraburks@sunflower.com | 1972 |
| Assistant Executive Director | Tennessee District Public Defenders Conference | Chelsea Curtis | Chelsea.Curtis@tn.gov | 2011 |
| Attorney | Southern California | Amy Depuy | adepuy@gmail.com | 2014 |
| General Counsel | Healthways, Inc | Mary Flipse | Mary.Flipse@healthways.com | 1989 |
| Associate Attorney (commercial law) | Bass, Berry and Sims, PLC | Nathaniel Greene | NGreene@bassberry.com | 2011 |
| Attorney | Wilson & Haynes Law Firm (Shelbyville) | Garrett Haynes | garretthaynes@gmail.com | 2011 |
| Associate Attorney (Litigation and Trial Attorney, Insurance Defense) | Carr Allison (Jacksonville and Orlando, FL) | Elizabeth Kirkpatrick | ekirkpatrick@carrallison.com | 2014 |
| Freelance Paralegal & Magistrate (part-time) | (part time Magistrate w/ Williamson County General Sessions Court) | Matthew Mezzatesta | matthew.jmezz@gmail.com | 2016 |
| Compliance Counsel | Tennessee Department of Treasury (Nashville) | Patrick Morrison | patrick.kelly.morrison@gmail.com | 2012 |
| Attorney | Sobel, Poss & Moore | Michelle Poss | michelleposs@spmlawfirm.com | 1992 |
| Attorney | The Stubbs Law Group | Walter H. Stubbs | wstubbslaw@aol.com | 1978 |
Still Studying
| Degree Sought/Program | Institution | Name | Email Address | Year Grad |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| M.A. in In Global Affairs, Concentration: International Security | University of Oklahoma | Sydney Brandon | smb9b@hotmail.com | 2017 |
| Law Student | Widener University Commonwealth Law School | Morgan CampBell | morgancampbell.youtube@yahoo.com | 2021 |
| Ph.D. Student, Grad Instructor & Fulbright Fellow | Washington State University | Adam Emerson | adam.e.emerson@gmail.com | 2012 |
| M.A in International Affairs (former Fulbright Scholar) | George Washington University | Dalton Lauderbach | daltonlauderback@gmail.com | 2015 |
| MA Int. Relations/Int. Law | Univ of Kent, Canterbury, England | Kayla McCrary | kaylamccrary12@gmail.com | 2016 |
| Law Students (*also a clerk at the Juvenile Court) | Nashville School of Law | Hannah Meeks | hannah.n.meeks@gmail.com | 2011 |
| MBA | University of New South | Jordan Petit | jpetit.usa@gmail.com | 2007 |
Other
| Occupation/ Title | Place Of Employment | Name | Email Address | Year Grad |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Senior Trainer and Curriculum Developer | Grassroots Leadership Academy | Matthew Hurtt | Matt.Hurtt@gmail.com | 2009 |
| Partner Coordinator | Better Lives | Justin Sewak | justin.sewak@betterlives.com | Global Studies Major 2011 |
Graduates of the Master’s in International Affairs
| Title | Place Of Employment / School | Name | Undergrad Degree | MA Conc. | Degree Year | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Statistical Analyst | TN Supreme Court (Admin Office) | James Griffin | jamkgrif@gmail.com | UT-Martin- History | Development / Globalization | 2018 |
| Ph.D.student | Emory University-Political Science | Rachel Harmon | r.a.harmon@emory.edu | MTSU- Int. Relations | Security/Peace | 2012 |
| Instructor | MTSU – pol. science/ IR | Cassie Smith | cns3m@mtmail.mtsu.edu | MTSU -Pol. Sci. | Development / Globalization | 2014 |