Adult Education

Sue is currently seeking her MS in educational psychology with the Adult Education program. Originally from Chattanooga, TN, she received her BS in business administration with a concentration in accounting at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC). She joined EPC in 2016, and still lives in Chattanooga. We asked her to reflect on some past and current experiences. Read her responses below.

Current Occupation

Director
Joseph F. Decosimo Success Center
UTC College of Business
Chattanooga, TN

Student success is my passion. Using my experience from my previous 25 years in banking has allowed me to develop a focus for students to become business world ready. In the Success Center in the College of Business at UTC, we offer our professional academic advisors to academic achievement and the Career Development Center to assist students in becoming competitive in the business world through professional development opportunities and internships.

Personal Interests

My family time together is very important and I truly enjoy hanging out with my with husband, Lee (retired engineer, UTC ’70, ’76), our two children and their spouses, our two grandchildren (Topher and Patricia), our dog, Riley and grand dogs (Rosie and Laney). Hiking is one of my personal pleasures in life, and we try to get to Colorado each summer to fill that space! Yoga is something that Lee and I enjoy frequently, as well as spending time walking Riley and consider mindful living as a ritual of our lifestyle. Additionally, travel is a great learning experience, and we love to travel to educate ourselves about other parts of the world.

Future/Vocational Goals

My only goal at this stage of my life is to be more effective at UTC. The increased understanding of the dynamics of the way adults learn, the techniques of program planning, and the fascinating theories of educational psychology and adult learning will allow me to broaden the scope of services and apply my knowledge to provide a more robust experience for our students.

What would you tell an incoming student who joins the program/department?

Make a commitment to yourself be an active participant in the program. The program is so amazing and the sharing of experiences from our many backgrounds provides an inclusive learning platform. We enjoy others’ similarities, differences, and perspectives as we learn from one another. The faculty brings the theory to life through a variety of means, and the students confirm our learning through our experiences.

What do you think has been the most rewarding/challenging about this program?

I came from the business world with a successful 30-year career in the financial industry. Making the transition from the business environment and philosophy to education was in itself a personal challenge. This program is not easy. The challenge in producing and addressing the theoretical assignments in a scholarly way has made me a better writer and thinker. I look at the world differently now. It has opened up another world of information that is very exciting and applicable in many ways.

EPC clinical assistant professor, Mary Catherine “Cathy” Hammon, has become the 2017 Chair of the United Way of Blount County Board of Directors. Hammon has been an active member of this organization for many years, serving in multiple capacities and on different committees – Community Impact Committee, Finance Committee, Human Resources Committee, Board’s Executive Committee, and annual Campaign Committees. We asked her to reflect on some past and current experiences with the organization. Read her responses below.

“It is extremely humbling to be Chair. Blount County is well known for its level of community/citizen engagement and its capacity for collaboration and cooperation. There is so much talent and so much heart in our community. United Way of Blount County is just one example of a community organization that thrives thanks to the hundreds of volunteers who give their talents and treasure in service to others.”

As Chair, what are you looking forward to this year?

Our board recently committed to two primary agenda items for 2017: (1) our continuing support behind another successful annual campaign and (2) the implementation of a pilot initiative (CLS Club) designed to increase the engagement of young professionals who work in Blount County with United Way of Blount County. The former objective takes care of today while the latter objective supports our future.

What makes the United Way of Blount County special?

That’s easy to answer – it’s the organization mission and all of the people involved!

United Way of Blount County advances the common good by supporting programs that help kids succeed, strengthen and support families, promote self-sufficiency, improve people’s health, and protect community well-being. We strongly believe that we can accomplish more than any single group can on its own. Our mantra is LIVE UNITED!

Last year, 256 organizations and 6,183 donors contributed $2,041,000. These campaign dollars are allocated to over 40 community based programs sponsored by 28 nonprofit, partner agencies.

And then there are all the people involved in one role or another. It starts with our extraordinary staff under the leadership of Jennifer Wackerhagen. We have wonderful board and committee members who are dedicated to excellence in governance, ethics, diversity, financial accountability, and transparency. From 2012-17, United Way of Blount County has received the highest 4-star rating for exceptional transparency and accountability from Charity Navigator.

Our partner agencies are equally dedicated to the quality of specific programs and services in support of their clients’ needs. They, too, are made up of very talented and committed people.

And the list can go on . . .

How did you become involved with the organization?

I worked for the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) for 30 years. As a quasi-federal agency, TVA participated in the annual Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) which is similar to United Way. The TVA workforce was very engaged in this annual CFC campaign. As a senior manager, I felt it important to model support for the CFC so I was always personally involved.

Once I retired from TVA, it was a natural fit for me to become more involved in United Way of Blount County where I live. I made my interest known and started participating on allocation panels and the Community Impact Committee. Within a couple of years, I was invited to join the Board of Directors.

Is there anything else you would like to say?

The University of Tennessee, Knoxville sponsors an annual Community Chest campaign (yet another version of a United Way). I encourage faculty and staff to be engaged in this campaign and/or in their local United Way campaigns.

As the 2017 Chair, Hammon gave the closing remarks at the United Way of Blount County Annual Meeting on Friday, January 20. During this speech, she spoke of their initiative – the CLS Club.

The purpose of the CLS Club is to develop young professionals through engagement with United Way of Blount County and by connecting, leading, and serving in our community. We are using an employer-based club model. Arconic, Denso, and Clayton have committed to establishing clubs in their organizations during this pilot year.

Identified club members will participate in monthly lunch meetings throughout 2017. During these gatherings, we will orient them to United Way’s mission, partnerships, and processes for raising funds, allocating resources, and serving our community. To bring an experiential feature to their learning, each club is being allocated $5,000. They will go through their own mini process of vetting grants, allocating money, and monitoring outcomes. They will be encouraged to engage in our annual campaign in some manner of their choosing. Ultimately, we hope some of the club members will exercise more formal leadership in United Way of Blount County by participating on allocation panels, serving on committees, or joining our board.

The Department of Educational Psychology and Counseling wants to congratulate the graduates from ten of our programs who earned their degrees during the fall 2016 semester.

To see photos of our recent graduates, please go to the “EPC Graduates” album on our EPC Facebook page.

Alyssa Michelle Adorati
MS in Educational Psychology – Applied Educational Psychology

John Lyman Ayers
MS in Counseling – Rehabilitation Counseling

Rochelle Butler
PhD in Counselor Education

Lakita Renae Dawston
MS in Counseling – Rehabilitation Counseling

Amanda Christine DeDiego
PhD in Counselor Education

Melisa Renee Donahue
MS in Counseling – Rehabilitation Counseling

Brittany Harris Elkins
MS in Counseling – Clinical Mental Health Counseling

Raven Kirby Gibson
MS in Counseling – Clinical Mental Health Counseling

Emily Carter Gray
PhD in Educational Psychology and Research – Collaborative Learning

Melissa Ann Harness
PhD in Education – Learning Environments and Educational Studies

DeAnna Lynn Hawtin
MS in Counseling – Rehabilitation Counseling

Shannon Rae Huffman Frias
MS in Counseling – Rehabilitation Counseling

Lena Karin Logan
MS in Counseling – Rehabilitation Counseling

Courtney Myers McInturff
MS in Counseling – Clinical Mental Health Counseling

Stacy Lynn O’Connell
MS in Counseling – Rehabilitation Counseling

Cory Lemont Parker
MS in Counseling – Rehabilitation Counseling

Annalise Christine Romeiser
MS in Counseling – Rehabilitation Counseling

Roseanne Michele Sasso
PhD in Education – Instructional Technology

Emily Pendergrast Taylor
PhD in School Psychology

Jason Tyler
MS in Education – Instructional Technology

Christina Valiquette
MS in Educational Psychology – Adult Education

Dammika Lakmal Walpitage
PhD in Educational Psychology and Research – Evaluation, Statistics & Measurement

Kevin Wayne Webster
MS in Counseling – Clinical Mental Health Counseling

David Austin Willis
MS in Educational Psychology – Adult Education

*If you are one of the graduates listed above and would like to have your photo added to our EPC Graduates Facebook album, then please email your picture to Synthia Clark sclark41@utk.edu.

**If you were an Educational Psychology and Counseling student who graduated during this time frame, yet have unintentionally been omitted from this list, please send your name, degree, and major/concentration to Synthia Clark sclark41@utk.edu. We will add you to the list after receiving this information from you and confirming your graduation status.

Adult Education

Linda earned an MS in educational psychology with a concentration in the Adult Education program in 2015. Originally from Cleveland, TN, she now lives in Chattanooga, TN. We asked her to reflect on past experiences with EPC and discuss where she’s at now. Read her responses below.

Current Occupation

Assistant to the Dean of the College of Arts & Sciences
The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
Chattanooga, TN

I support the efforts of the staff, faculty, and students of the College of Arts and Sciences in a variety of roles.

Awards and Accomplishments Earned as a Student

While in the program, I was honored to receive nominations for membership to Phi Kappa Phi National Honor Society and Gamma Beta Phi National Honor Society.

Accomplishments since Graduating

This semester finds me in a new role – college professor – as I am teaching as an adjunct at both UTC and Chattanooga State. My course at UTC is a First Year Experience class, which is aimed at helping first year students acquire the tools needed to successfully transition to college life. My course at Chattanooga State is an online section of Educational Psychology, and I am thrilled to be able to have an impact on students who aspire to be teachers. I have always wanted to teach and, now, thanks to my time in the program at UT Knoxville, I have the credentials, knowledge, and experience to revel in the accomplishment of this long-held goal.

Personal Interests

In my free time, I enjoy reading, expanding my culinary skills, and putting my Netflix subscription to good use watching movies and catching up on those TV series I missed while in school. I also enjoy spending time with my family and friends and getting some exercise walking Daga, my German Shepherd.

What sold you on this program/department/university?

After going back to school and finishing up my undergraduate degree in psychology when my youngest child went off to college, I felt that there were other educational endeavors to be explored and conquered, so I started examining possibilities. The EdPsych Online MS degree program at UT met all of my requirements. It combined both my field of work and my undergraduate field of study; it was online, so it was easily accessible; with my fee waivers as a UTC employee, the expense did not create a stumbling block; and the curriculum looked diverse and challenging. It was a great decision.

What was the most memorable experience during your time here?

While I had many wonderful experiences over the span of my two years in the program, some stand out more than others. Overall, the two courses I had spring semester of 2015 combined together to make the best learning experience of my life.

I had Survey of Adult Education with clinical assistant professor, Cathy Hammon, and we studied thought leaders, pros and cons, and key ideas of each of the seven philosophies of adult education. I came out of this course feeling a true scholar of adult education.

My other course that semester was Program Development and Operations with professor emerita, Mary Zeigler. The highlights of this course revolved around developing a new educational program from the ground up and learning about the amazing life of Myles Horton and the life-changing work done at the Highlander Folk School. And, yes, there was a field trip. Over half of our online class made time, on a Saturday, to travel to New Market, Tennessee for a day of work and conversations at the Highlander Research and Education Center.

What would you tell an incoming/current student in the program/department?

Some important thoughts I would like to offer:

1. Discard all of your preconceived notions of online classes because these are designed to allow for the benefits of sitting in an actual classroom with your colleagues and professors while in any variety of settings.
2. Learn your APA Manual forwards and backwards and make it your friend.
3. Share your strengths with your classmates and allow their strengths to buffer your weaknesses, especially during group work (and there will be plenty of that).
4. Be an active and engaged participant in the learning communities of your classes because you share in the responsibility for not only your learning, but your classmates’ learning as well.
5. It’s OK that you don’t know what you don’t know—everything will fall into place along the way.
6. Reflection is one of the strongest learning tools you have at your disposal, so do it often.
7. Walk at graduation. You worked hard and deserve the pomp and circumstance.

“I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge all of the wonderful people who made my grad school experience such a life-changing experience. The administration and staff who serve as the backbone of program were friendly and always readily available. I never had to wait long for a call or returned email. The professors shared their wisdom and demanded high-quality effort in an encouraging and accepting environment. They provided me with a vision of what I want to be as a teacher. My classmates grew from comrades in arms to good friends. I look forward to following where their lives go in the future. Finally, I need to give a shout out to my good friend and colleague Susan Long. We applied to the program together and spent most class nights over two years sitting together in an office or study room in the library at UTC with our laptops and a stash of treats. We shared the ups and downs of graduate school and talked each other off the ledge more than once. I know the experience was richer and definitely more entertaining because of her.”

The Department of Educational Psychology and Counseling wants to congratulate the graduates from nine of our programs who earned their degrees during the summer 2016 semester.

To see photos of our recent graduates, please go to the “EPC Graduates” album on our EPC Facebook page.

Frederick Lagmay Acosta
MS in Counseling – Rehabilitation Counseling

Valerie Karen Ambrose
PhD in Educational Psychology and Research – Adult Learning

Sheri K. Anderson
MS in Counseling – Rehabilitation Counseling

Karen Lea Baker
MS in Counseling – Rehabilitation Counseling

Breanna Paige Banks
PhD in Counselor Education

Dareen Basma
PhD in Counselor Education

Megan Amber Blonder
PhD in School Psychology

James Call
MS in Education – Instructional Technology

Anthony Lavern Capers Jr.
MS in Educational Psychology – Adult Education

Jamie Michelle Cyphers
MS in Education – Instructional Technology

Andrea McMahan Damewood
PhD in Educational Psychology and Research – Adult Learning

Sherrie Lynn Fairchild-Keyes
MS in Education – Cultural Studies of Educational Foundations

Lynda M. Forrester
MS in Educational Psychology – Applied Educational Psychology

Elizabeth Ann Hays
PhD in School Psychology

Taotao Long
PhD in Education – Instructional Technology

Ashley Rai Roberts
MS in Counseling – Rehabilitation Counseling

Joel Eddie Simmons Jr.
MS in Counseling – Rehabilitation Counseling

Adam Forrest Stephens
PhD in Counselor Education

Cheryl Ann Tays
MS in Education – Instructional Technology

Eleanore Claire Trant
PhD in School Psychology

Laurie Ann Wade
MS in Counseling – Rehabilitation Counseling

Tiffany Lynn Watson
PhD in School Psychology

Beth Ann White
PhD in Educational Psychology and Research – Adult Learning

Destiny Nichole White
MS in Counseling – Clinical Mental Health Counseling

*If you are one of the graduates listed above and would like to have your photo added to our EPC Graduates Facebook album, then please email your picture to Synthia Clark sclark41@utk.edu.

**If you were an Educational Psychology and Counseling student who graduated during this time frame, yet have unintentionally been omitted from this list, please send your name, degree, and major/concentration to Synthia Clark sclark41@utk.edu. We will add you to the list after receiving this information from you and confirming your graduation status.