Dr. Jennifer Hixson, is a mental health professional providing services in the Middle Tennessee area.  She obtained her Doctorate of Psychology from the California School of Professional Psychology in 2007, and has been practicing in the field of child and adolescent mental health, as well as family systems work since 1998.  She is a licensed clinical psychologist, school psychologist and Board Certified Behavior Analyst. Dr. Hixson has an extensive background in studying and treating complex trauma, studying under national experts such as Dr. Dan Hughes’, who is the founder of Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy; Dr. Elizabeth Warner, the developer of SMART; and Dr. Constance Lillas who is the co-developer to the Neuro-Relational Framework (NRF).  She also has a collegial and consultative relationship with David Prescott, a leading expert in trauma and Problem Sexual Behaviors. Her career has transitioned between educational institutions and in-patient mental health facilities, providing both direct services and serving in administrative positions. Her passion is in studying and remediating the effects of toxic stress across ages and systems. Finally, “rerouting the schools to prisons pipeline|” inflicting so many of our youth today affected by toxic stress, struggling family systems, and trauma is her most recent crusade.   

Sally Ham Govan has been an adjunct instructor in the Fine Arts program since 2014, teaching graphic design, 2-D computer illustration, and typography. Her industry experience brings a professional perspective to the classroom. She enjoys researching graphic design and illustration trends and mentoring students by providing them with the inspiration and resources to be successful in today’s economy.

As an art director for a national magazine publisher, Whittle Communications, she worked with renowned photographers and illustrators from around the country and collaborated with top designers. She has designed and edited marketing materials and publications for the Jones College of Business at Middle Tennessee State University, special publications for the Knoxville News Sentinel, and a variety of projects for small book publishers and other clients as a consultant. She exhibits fine art drawings and digital illustration in solo and group exhibits.

Ms. Govan holds a Master of Fine Arts degree in illustration from the University of Hartford and a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in studio art with concentrations in drawing and graphic design from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. She has regularly updated her skills by attending Milton Glaser’s summer design program at the School of Visual Arts; classes in multimedia and web design; data visualization workshops at the University of California–Berkeley; and national illustration, typography, and interactive design conferences.

A native of Massachusetts, William “Tiger” Fitzhugh attended Berklee College of Music for 3 years as a composition/arranging major, then took a 17 year summer vacation before finishing his education with a BS and MMu in Classical guitar performance from Austin Peay State University, studying with Dr. Stanley Yates. In between these colleges, he performed in nearly all states and nearly all genres, rock, jazz, gospel, country, mariachi, classical, Dixieland, and bluegrass. He performed on tour with Razzy Bailey and Alan Jackson, has played with the Nashville Symphony Orchestra and the Gypsy Hombres, recorded with Vassar Clements and children’s music artist Mary LaFleur, and performed at Opryland show park for 8 years. He currently performs with the Nashville Vintage Mandolin Quartet and several other groups, as well as solo performances. He has been teaching in area colleges since 1999, and is the author of the Hal Leonard publication “Classical Guitar for the Steel String Guitarist”.

Mr. Cooper joined Cumberland University in August 2019 as an Adjunct Instructor of Criminal Justice. Korey earned a Master of Professional Studies in 2016 from Tennessee State University, where he studied Strategic Leadership. In 2008, he earned his Master of Science in Criminal Justice degree from Southwest University. Mr. Cooper serves as a law enforcement instructor at the Tennessee Law Enforcement Training Academy in Donelson. Prior to joining the training academy, Mr. Cooper had been appointed as a Director in the Tennessee Department of Correction’s Office of Investigation & Compliance for over six years. Mr. Cooper also served for the Columbia Police Department for seventeen years. 

He is a native of Maury County, Tennessee. Mr. Cooper is actively involving in the community with volunteering and fundraising for non-profit organizations as well as community-based programs. Mr. Cooper is married and has two children with his lovely wife of over twenty years. 

Timothy Charles Davis is a longtime Nashvillian. He co-authored, with John T. Edge, Sara Roahen, Sheri Castle and others, The Southern Foodways Alliance Community Cookbook (UGA Press). In 2015, The Hot Chicken Cookbook: The Fiery History and Red-Hot Recipes of Nashville’s Beloved Bird (Spring House Press) was published. In its fourth printing, the book has been reviewed or otherwise mentioned in Time, National Geographic, The New Yorker and Food Republic| and was the subject of a feature on NPR’s Morning Edition. A new book, tentatively titled Cooking With Kindness: A Manual For Mealmaking (Meditations and Exercises for a Meaningful Practice) is under contract with McFarland/Toplight and due in early 2021.

Davis’ partial publication credits include pieces for Salon.com, Mother Jones, First We Feast, Saveur, Christian Science Monitor, Travel + Life, Harp, Gastronomica| and Oxford American. He is a former staff writer and food columnist at Creative Loafing in Charlotte, NC and Weekly Surge/The Sun News in Myrtle Beach, SC. He also contributed as an associate editor to Gravy, the official newsletter of the Oxford, Mississippi-based Southern Foodways Alliance. Davis has been a contributor to a number of area publications, including the East Nashvillian, Nashville Scene, Edible Nashville, Nashville Lifestyles, and NATIVE. In addition to Cumberland University, he has also taught at Nashville State Community College, Lipscomb University and Watkins College of Art, Design + Film.

Dr. Robert C. Cox is full-time employee of the Department of Finance and Administration for the State of Tennessee where he is a leader in analysis and process improvement with foster care and related fields.

He is proud to serve in the Master of Public Service Managment Program offered through Cumberland University, where his teaching is centered on human relations, statistics, and research design. The research focus of Dr. Cox is transformative learning, which considers the conditions when a learner may experience a shift in worldview that is both more positive and discerning.

Robert holds a B.A. degree from Vanderbilt University, an M.S. degree from Cumberland University, and a Ph.D. from the University of Tennesse, Knoxville. He is a regular reviewer for the Journal of Transformative Education.

In 2022, Dr. Cox made the keynote address at the Transformative Learning Forum in San Paulo, Brazil, and he has had research articles published in 2022 in both the New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education Journal and in the Journal of Transformative Education.

He and his wife reside in Sumner County where he enjoys being active in his church and reading and collecting encyclopedia sets.

Bobby Cox began his career in education in the Warren County School District, TN in 1991 and served the district until his retirement in 2020. Bobby has served as a teacher, coach, supervisor at the district level and ended his career in K-12 education as the Superintendent of the district serving from 2012-2020. Bobby has served as an elected County Commissioner in Warren County, TN serving the people of the 12th District for 4 years.

Mr. Cox earned a Bachelor of Science Degree from Middle Tennessee State University and a Master of Arts Degree and Educational Specialist Degree from Tennesse Technological University. Bobby has served on various boards and committees at the state and national level, serving on the State Collaborative and Reforming Education (SCORE) K-12 Jobs Design Committee, Tennessee State Board of Education BEP Review Committee, Tennessee Department of Education Equity Playbook Development Team, and Tennessee Department of Education Assessment and Accountability Advisory Team just to name a few. Bobby is also the co-founder of the Citizens of Progress Scholarship program and has served as the chairman of the board of the McMinnville-Warren County Chamber of Commerce. Bobby has served as a mentor to new Superintendents with the Tennessee Organization of School Superintendents (TOSS), from 2015-2020 and served on the Tennessee Digital Learning Library development team to create free online instructional resources for school districts in Tennessee with the Tennessee Boards Association (TSBA).

Bobby was awarded the Upper Cumberland Superintendent of the Year award in 2017, The A.F. Bridges District Supervisor of the Year awarded by the Tennessee Secondary Schools Athletic Association (TSSAA) in 2015 and was awarded the Tennessee State Supervisor of the Year Award by the Tennessee Department of Education in 2012. Bobby was also awarded the McMinnville Exchange Club Book of Golden Deeds in 2020 and is a Paul Harris Fellow with the McMinnville Noon Rotary Club.

After his retirement, Mr. Cox began a career in partnership development serving as the Executive in Residence for the National Institute for Excellence in Teaching (NIET), focusing on partnership development in Tennessee, Alabama, Kentucky, South Carolina, and Iowa.

Currently Bobby works as an Adjunct Professor with Cumberland University and as an Account Executive with Energy Systems Group (ESG). Bobby has been married t6o his wife Latisha for 31 years and they have two children Lindsey 25 and Savannah 21.