Faculty - Lifelong Learning
Meet the faculty behind Lifelong Learning
Leon Alligood
Retired Journalism Professor, Middle Tennessee State University
Leon Alligood is a retired Middle Tennessee State University journalism professor. For 30 years before joining academia, he was a reporter, most of that time at The Nashville Banner and The Tennessean.
Larry Bumgardner (’77)
Retired Executive Director of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Center for Public Affairs at the Reagan Presidential Library; Attorney; Pepperdine University Emeritus Professor
An attorney and emeritus professor, Larry Bumgardner served in the 1990s as executive director of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Center for Public Affairs at the Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California. That gave him the opportunity to spend time with former President Reagan, Nancy Reagan and many members of the Reagan Administration.
Bumgardner spent most of his career as a professor and administrator at Pepperdine University in Malibu, California. Over nearly 40 years there, he taught business law, political science, public policy and journalism courses. Before moving to the faculty, he had served as an assistant vice president and associate vice chancellor at Pepperdine University.
He began his career as a journalist in Tennessee, where he worked as a reporter and copy editor at the Nashville Banner newspaper and as editor of the Tennessee Attorneys Memo and Tennessee Journal newsletters. Bumgardner is a graduate of Vanderbilt University School of Law and David Lipscomb College, where he was editor of the Babbler student newspaper.
Mary Nelle Chumley (’53)
Lipscomb Alumna and Special Event Hostess
Chumley’s unbroken legacy of volunteerism at Lipscomb began when she and her husband returned to the university in 1958 after a period during which he taught in Indiana. In those days at small colleges, faculty had wide-ranging responsibilities beyond the classroom. As art department chair, her husband was responsible for decorating everything from Board meetings to dorm lobbies to Homecoming, and she was in the middle of—or out in front of—these extracurricular assignments. A gifted floral arranger, Chumley quickly became recognized as the campus event decorator. But she contributed far more: for many years, she was the de facto showrunner for Homecoming, coaching participants on their roles and managing this and other events.
Following her husband John’s untimely death in 1986, Chumley single-handedly created all of the floral arrangements for every on-campus event through the year 2000. She continues to create arrangements for several departments on campus, particularly the School of Music and College of Pharmacy—she volunteers her time to prepare all of the arrangements for its white coat ceremony—and has served the university in this way for five presidential administrations.
As a young faculty spouse, she was concerned that students who could not afford to live on campus would choose not to attend Lipscomb at all. The couple opened their home, just a block away from campus, for many of these students to have a place to live. She saw the impact on and appreciation of these students, and as a founding member of the Associated Women for Lipscomb in the early 1980s, advocated for scholarships to be the central benefit of the nascent organization.
It was Chumley’s idea to use Avalon, university founder David Lipscomb’s historic, on-campus home, as a bed and breakfast or meeting space for campus visitors. Her vision was to use the proceeds to endow the Associated Women for Lipscomb (AWL)-Centennial Scholarship. The administration granted that request and invested in restoring Avalon to its original configuration and modest, country splendor. Chumley began serving as scheduler, host and caterer—roles in which she continues to serve more than 45 years later. She and others volunteered their time in every role — including cooking meals for the visitors — so all of the proceeds would go to the scholarship. A campus publication from 2001 stated more than $23,000 was raised that year alone from activities at Avalon. Today, nearly $414,000 has been generated for the Centennial Scholarship endowment principal. In the past 20 years, more than 600 scholarships have been awarded from the AWL-Centennial Scholarship fund.
The success of the AWL-Centennial Scholarship led them to endow additional scholarships, and satellite AWL chapters also adopted scholarships as their primary focus. In the same 20-year period, a total of 1,627 AWL scholarships have been awarded. Because of their appreciation for her vision and service, AWL established the Associated Women for Lipscomb–Mary Nelle Hutcheson Chumley Endowed Scholarship in 2015.
In 2006, Chumley was named the university’s “Alumnus of the Year,” an honor she shared with her husband Charles Chumley (’39), a 1991 “Alumnus of the Year” honoree. Married in 1990, the Chumleys served Lipscomb together until his death in 2004.
In recent years, Chumley has immersed herself in serving the university’s alumni relations office, particularly with the Lifelong Learning and senior alumni programs. She is described as “a third staff member” and “a life saver” by the professionals in those programs. She is happy to do the “small things” that have a big impact in constituent services, such as meticulously reproducing yearbook photos of 50-year class reunion attendees, setting up registration areas, greeting guests, coordinating events, and general office work.
Jackie Edwards-Henry
Professor Emeritus of Piano, Mississippi State University; Adjunct Instructor/Collaborative Pianist, Lipscomb University
Jackie Edwards-Henry is professor emeritus of Piano and Piano Pedagogy at Mississippi State University, where she also served as coordinator of Group Piano for more than 20 years. She has also served as an adjunct collaborative pianist at Lipscomb University since October 2023.
She holds a Ph.D. in piano pedagogy from The University of Oklahoma, B.S. and M.M. degrees in performance and pedagogy from William Jewell College and The University of Illinois, and pursued additional piano study in Bordeaux, France as the recipient of a Rotary Scholarship.
She first received group piano training at the age of 19, as a freshman at William Jewell College, by Richard Chronister, co-author of Keyboard Arts piano method and former director of the National Conference on Piano Pedagogy. She taught children’s group piano classes using the Keyboard Arts method from 1979-82 in the Lydia Lovan Community Music School at William Jewell. She served as a graduate assistant in group piano at The University of Illinois (1984-85), supervised by Dr. James Lyke, and The University of Oklahoma (1989-91), supervised by Dr. E. L. Lancaster. Both of her supervisors are authors of popular texts for group piano (Keyboard Musicianship and Alfred’s Group Piano for Adults, respectively).
In 1986, between her master’s and doctoral degrees, Dr. Edwards received certification in the Yamaha Music Education System and taught adult group electronic keyboard classes for Jenkins Music Company, Kansas City, MO (1986-89). To augment and enhance independent and group piano teaching, she pursued levels 1 and 2 training in Dalcroze Eurhythmics at DePaul University in 2003 and did additional training in 2010 at the Lucy Moses School in New York City. As a result, Dr. Edwards regularly uses Dalcroze techniques with students in private lessons and classes.
In addition to teaching and coordinating group piano classes for college students, Dr. Edwards regularly offered beginning piano classes for adult hobbyists. And because group piano teaching was an area of specialization, she regularly used level one adult hobbyist piano classes as the intern teaching component for the undergraduate Introduction to Piano Pedagogy course.
Dr. Edwards remains committed to teaching piano to adult hobbyists. She serves as Chair of the Committee on Teaching Adults for the National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy. Additionally, she received a grant from the National Piano Foundation to do training in Recreational Music Making at the 2024 MTNA Convention held in Atlanta. To utilize her recent training and long-standing group piano expertise, she would like to offer a beginning adult piano class at Lipscomb University on the day she accompanies vocal students. This would have the added benefit of serving Lipscomb with a new area of outreach, and possibly give undergraduate piano majors an opportunity to learn about group piano teaching and gain some hands-on experience assisting in classes.
David French (’91)
Distinguished Visiting Professor of Public Policy, Lipscomb University College of Leadership & Public Policy
David French is a columnist for The New York Times. A graduate of Harvard Law School, David was previously a senior editor at The Dispatch and a contributing writer at The Atlantic. He is a former constitutional litigator and a past president of the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education.
David is a New York Times bestselling author, and his most recent book is “Divided We Fall: America’s Secession Threat and How to Restore Our Nation.”
David is a former major in the United States Army Reserve and is a veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom, where he was awarded the Bronze Star.
Dr. Richard Garman (’76)
Retired Primary Care Physician and Medical Director with Hospice
Dr. Richard Garman is a retired primary care physician with more than four decades of service to the Nashville, Tennessee community. He earned his B.A. from Lipscomb University, his M.D. from the University of Louisville, and completed his internship and residency at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Garman was board certified in both internal medicine and geriatric medicine. Garman devoted his career to compassionate, patient-centered care.
Though retired from private practice, Garman continues to contribute to the healthcare field as medical director of a local hospice—a role he has held for over 20 years. Throughout his career, he also served as medical director for four long-term care facilities and was the team internist for the NHL’s Nashville Predators for 11 seasons. Early on, he served as director of the Mind Body Institute at Baptist Hospital, an innovative program founded by Dr. Herbert Benson.
Outside of medicine, Garman is an accomplished endurance athlete. An avid runner for many years, he completed 50 marathons, including five Boston Marathons. Today, he dedicates his time and resources to fighting food insecurity. On his 735-acre farm in Rutherford County, he grows produce and raises livestock and poultry, donating nutritious food to those in need.
Cory Kronheim
Founder and CEO, SM Advisors
Cory Kronheim is the founder and CEO of SM Advisors, a values-first AI advisory and enablement firm dedicated to helping organizations unlock potential through strategic, responsible innovation.
Kronheim draws on over 15 years of experience in public accounting at Crowe, including 3+ as Partner, primarily within the audit and advisory functions for financial institutions. His experience and approach to client service combines a thorough understanding of risk, internal controls, and organizational processes with a forward-looking vision for AI-driven transformation.
During his tenure at Crowe, Kronheim led numerous audits of integrated financial statements and internal controls for small to mid-sized public and private companies. He spent over a decade working closely with C-suites and boards, translating audit insights into actionable growth strategies. Known for his ability to deliver constructive, candid feedback, Kronheim has consistently helped leadership teams build trust, enhance compliance and align operational practices with long-term objectives.
In the final 18 months of his corporate career, Kronheim became a driving force behind AI enablement efforts, launching a grassroots transformation strategy that reached across all of Crowe’s business lines. He played a pivotal role in driving strategic relationships—most notably with OpenAI—and facilitated firm-wide cultural shifts to embrace AI as a tool for empowerment, not disruption. His enablement programs trained several hundred professionals, from entry-level auditors to executive leaders, helping them develop AI literacy, assess risk and build governance frameworks for responsible adoption.
SM Advisors is the culmination of this journey. Built around an 8-phase AI enablement framework and rooted in values of trust, collaboration, and sustainable innovation, SM Advisors partners with organizations to bridge the gap between AI possibility and practical implementation. His unique skillset—a blend of audit discipline, cultural intelligence and AI fluency—positions him as a trusted advisor for organizations ready to reimagine how they lead in the age of intelligent systems.
Heather Lenzy
Manager, Forensic Biology and CODIS Units, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation
Heather Lenzy started her career in forensics at the Phoenix Police Department. She then moved to Nashville where she continued her career in forensics at Orchid Cellmark. Lenzy has spent the last 14 years working at the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, where she is the manager of the Forensic Biology and CODIS units in the crime lab. She has a bachelor’s degree in biology and computer information systems from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point.
Janet McMahan (’75)
Lipscomb Alumna, Performing Artist, Writer and Producer
Janet McMahan has worked as a professional pianist since she was 16 years old. She's also worked as a writer, performing artist and producer of music, audiobooks and dramatic works.
Her first love has always been volunteering as a musician and singer for retirement centers, skilled nursing facilities, homeless shelters and similar venues. She began volunteering at age 12 when the school librarian invited her to sing at Lakeshore/Wedgewood. It has been a passion of hers since.
As a musician and singer, Janet has performed on the Grand Ole Opry, toured the United States and abroad as Roy Orbison's keyboard player and played for hundreds of society gigs, weddings, parties and every kind of function imaginable. She’s worked in the studio as a keyboard player, vocalist and vocal contractor on recordings for numerous artists including Carrie Underwood, Dolly Parton, Steve Winwood, Shirley Jones, John Denver, Sandi Patti, Kathie Lee Gifford, Michael Crawford and many others.
She’s performed on jingles for McDonald's, Target, General Tire and many other regional and local commercials and also has written and produced for Simon and Schuster, LifeWay, McGraw-Hill, Word, Gibson Publishing, Thomas Nelson, Sparrow, Brentwood/Benson and Sesame Street Records.
She has written and produced Grammy and Dove Award winning projects. Janet has had more than 1,500 songs published and in print and over 75 published children's musicals which she has written and/or collaborated. Several of her dramatic musical works (words, music and book) have been recognized by the Dramatists Guild "Off Off Broadway."
With her collaborator, Janet wrote the musical adaptation of "Much Ado About Nothing" for the Nashville Shakespeare Festival in Summer 2012, and it’s being licensed for worldwide distribution.
Her songs have been featured on 20/20, 60 Minutes, Robert Schuller Hour of Power and the Billy Graham Crusade, and they have been recorded by artists including Big Bird, Sandi Patti, Sonny James and Lynn Anderson. She has received the ASCAP Award for 21 years in a row, and she was one of nine participants selected for ASCAP Musical Theatre Workshop in NYC. Janet has acted in radio and television commercials as well as numerous live theatrical performances. She is a member of the American Federation of Radio and Television Artists, the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers and the Dramatists Guild of America.
Russell Moore
Editor-in-Chief, Christianity Today; Bill & Crissy Haslam Endowed Distinguished Professor of Faith and Reason, Lipscomb University
Russell Moore, editor-in-chief of Christianity Today, is the author of several books, including “Losing Our Religion: An Alter Call for Evangelical America,” “The Courage to Stand: Facing Your Fear Without Losing Your Soul,” Onward: Engaging the Culture without Losing the Gospel” and “The Storm-Tossed Family: How the Cross Reshapes the Home.”
An ordained Baptist minister, Moore served previously as president of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission from 2013 to 2021. Prior to that role, Moore served as provost and dean of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, where he also taught theology and ethics.
The Wall Street Journal has called Moore “vigorous, cheerful, and fiercely articulate.” He was named in 2017 to Politico Magazine’s list of top 50 influence-makers in Washington, and has been profiled by such publications as the New York Times, the Washington Post, TIME Magazine and the New Yorker.
Moore was a Fellow at the University of Chicago’s Institute of Politics and currently serves on the board of the Becket Law and as a Senior Fellow with the Trinity Forum in Washington, D.C.
He also hosts the weekly podcast The Russell Moore Show and is a senior commentator of Christianity Today’s weekly news and analysis podcast, The Bulletin.
A native Mississippian, he and his wife Maria are the parents of five sons. They live in Nashville, where he teaches the Bible regularly at their congregation, Immanuel Church.
Mattie Ree Neal (’20)
Artist in Residence at Lipscomb University; Lipscomb Academy Alumna
Mattie Ree Neal is a Nashville based artist. Mattie trained primarily with her father Michael Shane Neal and his mentor, renowned artist Everett Raymond Kinstler, and traveled to seek instruction directly from living master artists all over the world. She recently established a studio on the grounds of her home where she paints commissioned portraits, landscape, and still live paintings, and teaches art to students of all ages. Mattie also lives part time in Manhattan and teaches with Drawing New York in Gramercy, at Warehouse 521 in Nashville, and was recently on the 2024 faculty at the Portrait Society of America conference. She is currently the Artist in Residence at Lipscomb University.
Mattie graduated high school from Lipscomb Academy where she was chosen as Fine Arts Student of the Year in 2020. Mattie received the 2020 Scholastic American Visions Award for Painting with a ceremony at Carnegie Hall in New York. She also won the 2019 and 2020 Congressional Art Competitions for the 5th District of Tennessee. Her winning painting was on display for two years in the U. S. Capitol. Also in 2020, Mattie received an honorable mention in the Art Renewal Center Salon, a finalist in the Portrait Society of America’s Members Only Competition, and was featured in International Artist Magazine in an article entitled “Creating New Paths for the Future Generation.” She was also featured in the Tennessean newspaper in an article entitled “A Rare Honor: Nashville Dad and Teen Daughter Both Have Art in US Capitol.”
Mattie Ree is taking commissions and has most recently been included in the Select 50 of the 2023 Portrait Society of America International Competition. Her piece was juried into the top 100 of 3,075 entries. Mattie is a member of the Portrait Society of America and the Salmagundi Club. She has a piece in the collection of The Players Club of New York. In fall 2024, Mattie was chosen by the MET Museum's copyist program to take part in a nine-week study where she painted in the gallery.
Mattie Ree plans to continue to pursue her passion for art and is dedicated to growing and making painting and drawing her life’s career.
Paul Prill
Retired Lipscomb University Professor, Certified Master Gardener of Davidson County and Certified Tennessee Naturalist
Paul taught at Lipscomb for 42 years, and he served as director of the Honors College for the last 22 of those. He was also the minister of the Acklen Avenue Church of Christ from 1981-2011.
After retirement at the end of 2020, he became a Master Gardener and joined Wild Ones (a nonprofit committed to native plants), and he serves on the board of the local chapter as the secretary. In October, 2023, he earned a Certificate in Native Plants from the Tennessee Valley chapter of Wild Ones, and in May, 2024, he was certified as a Tennessee Naturalist. His yard was featured on the Nashville Public Television program “Volunteer Gardener” in summer 2024.
Linda Peek Schacht
Retired Lipscomb University Faculty; White House and US Senate veteran, Former Senior Fellow, Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government; Founding Director, Nelson and Sue Andrews Institute for Civic Leadership and Co-Founder, Leadership Tennessee
Linda Peek Schacht has advised government, business and nonprofit leaders on communication and strategy for over 40 years. A veteran of the Carter White House press office, she has held the top communication positions for a national presidential campaign, USA Today, the Majority Leader of the U.S. Senate and the Senate Democratic Policy Committee. She is a former vice president for global communications and public affairs strategy for The Coca-Cola Company and former senior fellow at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government.
In her government, corporate and education roles, Schacht developed programs reflecting her commitment to developing leaders who serve the common good through collaboration and communication. She is an executive coach for young government leaders for the state of Tennessee’s LEAD program and for leaders in education and nonprofits. A frequent commentator and author on leadership, politics and government, she teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in leadership and communication at Boston’s Emerson College.
As a board member of the International Women's Media Foundation and Athena International, Schacht has worked to advance women’s leadership around the globe and hosts the Women Business Collaborative series #WBCfastertogether. She was elected to the International Women’s Forum and is the recipient of the NBJ Women of Influence Trailblazer award, the Athena Leadership Award, the YWCA's Academy of Women of Achievement and Women in Numbers (WIN) Woman of Impact.
She is the widow of baseball artist and author Mike Schacht, whose literary and art legacy she manages.
J.T. Thompson
Executive Director of the Lotz House; Historain and Licensed Appraiser
On any given day, visitors will find J.T. Thompson suited up with a tie and vest leading tours around the Lotz House. Its white robust columns greet passers-by on Columbia Avenue.
When Thompson moved to Franklin at age 15, his first job was taking guests on tours of the Carter House. From an early age, he has had a great love of history and is passionate about historical preservation.
In 2000, a for sale sign in the yard of the Lotz House got the attention of this 1985 Harding University graduate and former television news director. He and his wife, Susan, purchased the house at that time. It is one of the three major house tours that shape the story of the Battle of Franklin, along with the Carter House and Carnton. The Thompson’s waited eight years before opening the doors for the first tour.
The Lotz family stood as witnesses to history as they watched the Battle of Franklin unfold in front of them on Nov. 30, 1864, a time that the Thompsons want preserved for the generations who come after them.
The Lotz House has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1976.
Karon Uzzell-Baggett
Certified and Licensed Occupational Therapist; Retired Lieutenant Colonel, U.S. Air Force
As a certified and licensed Occupational Therapist, Karon Uzzell-Baggett is passionate about helping individuals live their best lives, especially as they age or manage chronic health conditions. Her journey into this field began after a rewarding career as a military officer, where she developed a strong foundation in leadership, discipline and a deep commitment to service. This experience has shaped her approach to occupational therapy, allowing her to bring a unique perspective to my practice, particularly in working with older adults, veterans, women and people of color.
Uzzell-Baggett holds an Occupational Therapy Doctorate from Belmont University, where she honed her skills and knowledge to provide comprehensive care that addresses both the physical and emotional aspects of her clients' well-being. Her practice focuses on empowering individuals to regain and maintain their independence through personalized treatment plans, caregiver training and community education. Whether it's helping a client adapt to life after an injury, managing a chronic condition or supporting a caregiver, she is dedicated to making a positive impact in every life she touches.
Starting her private practice, SpOTs LLC, in 2020 was a dream come true. It has allowed her to address health disparities and change the traditional dynamics of geriatrics, all while creating better health outcomes for her clients. She is committed to providing the highest standard of care, grounded in empathy, expertise and a deep understanding of her clients' needs. Uzzell-Baggett’s goal is to help every individual she works with live a more independent, fulfilling life, no matter their age or challenges.
David Webb
Publisher, Author and Instructor of Bible & Film at Apologia
David Webb is a longtime publishing professional who graduated with honors with a degree in journalism and motion picture studies from Ball State University, where he subsidized his moviegoing habit by reviewing films in print and on television. Before settling on a career in publishing and education, Webb worked in the motion picture industry as a film buyer and freelance story analyst.
As an educator in Los Angeles, he created a certified training program in makeup artistry in coordination with the Make-Up Artists & Hair Stylists Guild, IATSE Local 706, while also hosting a popular screening program for moviegoers, where he led in-person discussions with industry guests such as Wes Anderson, Mel Gibson, Shirley Jones, Owen Wilson, Richard Linklate, and Aaron Sorkin.
As a publishing veteran of three decades, Webb has developed hundreds of books, curricula, and resources with such authors as Dr. James Dobson, Randy Alcorn, Louie Giglio, Coach Joe Gibbs and Andy Stanley.
Webb is also co-author of the What We Believe series, an award-winning biblical worldview curriculum for families. The four books in the series include “Who Is God? (And Can I Really Know Him?),” “Who Am I? (And What Am I Doing Here?),” “Who Is My Neighbor? (And Does He Really Need Me?)” and “What on Earth Can I Do?” He teaches online middle school courses based on the series, as well as a course introducing high school students to film appreciation.
John Williams
Nashville Attorney and Author
John P. Williams is a Nashville attorney who has written the very first biography of Montgomery Bell, the legendary 19th Century Tennessee ironmaster for whom Montgomery Bell State Park and Montgomery Bell Academy are named.
Williams has practiced law in Tennessee for more than 50 years and is a frequent contributor to legal and historical journals. This is his first book.
Kay Wyatt (’69)
Retired Lipscomb Academy English Professor
Kay Wyatt, a teacher and educator for 25 years, has led eight “As the Page Turns Book Clubs” in the Lifelong Learning program since 2014. She graduated from Lipscomb University (B.A.) and Middle Tennessee State University (M.A.T.).
Her teaching/educational experience includes teaching preschool and kindergarten and leading the Children’s Ministry program at West End Church of Christ and teaching high school English at Lipscomb Academy. Kay enjoys reading, researching, teaching and traveling.