Lipscomb Black Alumni Council appoints new chair

Nashville alumna April Terry will focus on connection and support for alumni and students.

Janel Shoun-Smith  |  12/20/2023

Nashville alumna and former track and field athlete April Terry (BA, ’15, MM ’16) was installed as the new chair of the Board of Directors of the Lipscomb Black Alumni Council this November. She follows the inaugural chair Pat Bethel (’72), who was honored for her service in September at the 2023 Carroll B. Ellis Symposium.

LBAC, kicked off in November 2018, connects black alumni, students, faculty, staff and others committed to diversity, inclusion and participation in the life of Lipscomb University. The council focuses on programming that supports black students and alumni in developing a robust network, and supports students in acquiring life skills to successfully transition from college to post-college life.

Terry has been a member of LBAC’s inaugural Board of Directors and co-chair of its Activities Committee and also was a member of Lipscomb’s Impact 360 Strategic Vision Steering Committee.

“I really want folks to see what they are missing out on, as far as all the wonderful things happening in our alumni community and on campus,” said Terry. Her personal theme for the year is “Bisons love Bisons,” and her goal is “to build a network of support and amplification.” 

“My experience at Lipscomb was one of support,” said Terry. “The reason I decided to go there was that I felt it was a community that would support all the goals I had. LBAC and my role is really about creating opportunities where alumni can build connections and provide support for one another's endeavors.” 

Terry also believes that amplification is not only important for Black alums and minorities, but important for our community at large. “Representation is not just for minorities to see themselves, but also for others to see and normalize a more diverse space, and take part in it as well.” 

She hopes to do that by holding more events for alumni to fellowship, network and interact with today’s Lipscomb students. This includes creating events around alumni interest and activities, and booking more alumni to speak in Lipscomb’s chapel services.  

“I really want to model for current students what being an alum means,” said Terry. “A great way to do that is to go where the students are. I want our juniors and seniors to have a natural connection to becoming an alumni once they graduate.”

Terry, an Arkansas native, came to Lipscomb in 2011 as a track and field athlete looking for a NCAA D1 university that also cared about academics. She found that combination at Lipscomb, she said.

“I wanted to know my professors and people around campus. Lipscomb was the best mix of highly competitive but also great for making those relationships,” she said.

During her college career, Terry set new records on the track and field team, was a member of the inaugural President’s Ambassador’s Council, served as student staff for the Imagine event featuring former President George Bush and helped Athletics found the Lippy Awards, a program that continues to honor excellent student-athletes today.

She graduated with her undergraduate degree in elementary education and continued on at Lipscomb to earn a Master of Management while competing in her final year of eligibility.  

Today Terry is a training manager for ActiveCampaign, an email marketing software, and holds customer training workshops all over the nation.

LBAC is currently open to new appointments, said Terry.  If you are interested in becoming involved with LBAC, contact the Lipscomb University Alumni Relations office at alumni [at] lipscomb.edu (subject: LBAC%20Council) (alumni[at]lipscomb[dot]edu).