Michelle began teaching in the Jeanette C. Rudy School of Nursing as a clinical instructor in 2019 and also assists students in the health assessment laboratory. 

Michelle is a two time graduate from Cumberland University. She earned her Master of Science in Nursing degree in May 2020 and her Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree in May 2014. She is also a graduate of Tennessee Technological University earning a Bachelor of Science in Psychology degree in May 2010. 

Michelle has clinical experience in medical surgical, critical care, infectious disease, and home health nursing. She has a passion for rural health and has regularly traveled to Honduras on medical mission since becoming a nurse. 

Michelle is a member of both the Tennessee Nurses Association and American Nurses Association as well as the Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing and the Gamma Beta Phi Honor Society.

Mr. John “Jake” Whicker was appointed to the faculty of the Jeanette C. Rudy School of Nursing and Health Professions in the fall of 2018. Mr. Whicker is a two-time graduate of Cumberland University, having earned his Master of Science in Nursing degree in May 2018 and his Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree in May 2014. He also earned his Associate of Science degree from Nashville State Community College (Magna Cum Laude) in May 2012. 

Currently, Mr. Whicker teaches courses in Professional Nursing Foundations, Nursing Foundations Lab, and Dosage Calculations. 

Before his appointment to the faculty at Cumberland University, Mr. Whicker worked as a Research Nurse Specialist at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, TN. During his time at Vanderbilt, he served as the Study Coordinator for a clinical research team in the Department of Infectious Diseases. Prior to this, he spent several years working as a Public Health Nurse and Disease Intervention Specialist for the Tennessee Department of Health. While working for the Department of Health, Mr. Whicker’s responsibilities included performing disease surveillance and outbreak response, as well as HIV/AIDS counseling, Tuberculosis Case Management, contact investigation, and providing routine clinical services. He also has many years of experience working in emergency departments, several of which were as an Emergency Medical Technician prior to becoming a Registered Nurse.

Mr. Whicker is interested in issues pertaining to rural, migrant, and refugee health, and participates in medical mission trips around the world. He has done humanitarian aid work in Eastern Europe, Central America, East Asia, and rural Appalachia.

Mr. Whicker is a member of the Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing and the Gamma Beta Phi Honor Society.

Julie Windmiller has been an Assistant Professor at Cumberland University since 2009 and is currently teaching Medical Surgical and Successful Entry nursing courses. In 2001, she graduated from Indiana University with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) and in 2006 she graduated from Middle Tennessee State University with a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) with a concentration in Education. Julie practiced as an Emergency Department (ED) nurse for twelve years before becoming a Post Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU) nurse. She is certified in Basic Life Support (BLS) and Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS). She is a member of Sigma Theta Tau International (STTI) Honor Society of Nursing and has published an article in the International Journal of Childbirth Education.

Dr. Somerville joined the faculty at Cumberland University in 2015. She works in the RN-BSN and MSN nursing programs, both teaching and developing courses. She taught as an adjunct and was Interim Director of the RN-BSN program, August 2017-2018. She currently is a full-time faculty. Dr. Somerville’s nursing background includes Neuro, Cardiac, and Neuro-Surgical Intensive Care.  She enjoys presenting workshops and presentations promoting nursing education and evidence-based practice. 

Publications:

Dissertation: QSEN Initiatives Patient Safety Officer: A Quantitative Study On

Baccalaureate Nursing Students’ Patient Safety Competency, 2016

Thesis: Nurses’ Perception of Specialty Certification: A Replication Study of the
American Board of Nursing Specialties, 2010

Rubrics are a Good Thing. (2010). Illumination, 2 (2). 1-2

Presentation:

Student Engagement in Online Learning – Cumberland University – Colloquium (2018)

Dr. Richard “Dick” Storie began at Cumberland University in 2011 teaching in the Exercise and Sport Science Program. He is a former faculty member in the Department of Kinesiology and Health Education at the University of Texas at Austin and Director of the UT Fitness & Performance Center. In addition to academia, Dr. Storie has held various positions in hospitals working primarily in cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation. These experiences led him to start-up and administrator opportunities with three highly acclaimed Medical Fitness Centers that incorporate fitness, physical therapy, physician services, and community health promotion. These achievements garnered him the first ever co-recipient of the National Apple Achievement Award as a pioneer in Medical Fitness awarded by Modern Healthcare.

Dr. Storie has been involved in a number of entrepreneurial ventures, including a consulting firm specializing in athletic physiological testing, injury prevention, and performance enhancement that he founded and operated for 11 years. During that time, Dr. Storie served on two U.S. Olympic Committees addressing High Performance Athletics, and he has served as a Sport Physiology Consultant to the Nashville Predators since 2006.

He has served on numerous committees and boards throughout the industry, including the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) National Committee on Certification, and Education Chair for the Medical Fitness Association. He currently serves on the ACSM Professional Education Committee, Exercise Science Education Committee, and holds several ACSM certifications. His research has been published and presented nationally, including anaerobic power assessment and training outcomes in various populations; dose-response relationships during physical activity; and cardiopulmonary, metabolic, and functional responses to acute and chronic exercise and therapeutic interventions.

Dr. Jennifer Spires began at Cumberland University in the spring of 2019. She has taught in both Adult Health 2 clinical rotations and Nursing Foundations labs. Dr. Spires started her nursing career working as a bedside nurse in a stepdown cardiac surgery unit at Vanderbilt University Medical Center where she spent 4 years. During this time, she was working towards the completion of her Master of Science in Nursing with a Family Nurse practitioner concentration. She then went on to practice as a nurse practitioner in an ENT outpatient clinic where she has been for the past eleven years. After obtaining her Doctor of Nursing Practice in 2017, she knew that she wanted to pursue a position in nursing education. She enjoys working as adjunct faculty and finds her time interacting with the students extremely rewarding. 

Dr. Spires is Board Certified as a Family Nurse Practitioner from the American Nurses Credentialing Center and is a member of the International Nursing Honor Society, Sigma Theta Tau, Middle Tennessee Advanced Practice Nurses, and the Society of Otorhinolaryngology and Head-Neck Nurses. 

Dr. Spires lives in Mount Juliet with her husband and their two sons. She enjoys reading, traveling, trying new restaurants, and playing with her family’s three dogs in her personal time. 

Mrs. Amy Robertson was appointed to the faculty of the Jeanette C. Rudy School of Nursing and Health Professions in the fall of 2021. 

Mrs. Robertson is a two-time graduate of Belmont University, having earned her Master of Science in Nursing degree in December 2013 and her Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree in December 2007. She also earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Biology and Chemistry from Western Kentucky University in December 1995.

Currently, Mrs. Robertson teaches the Nursing in Child and Family Care course, Pediatric In-patient Clinical, and Health Assessment Lab. 

Prior to her appointment to the faculty at Cumberland University, Mrs. Robertson worked for seven years as a Board-Certified Family Nurse Practitioner in the Department of Pediatrics at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, TN. During her time at Vanderbilt, she served as the clinical coordinator for a clinical research team in the Division of Genetics and Genomic Medicine. Her team serves as one of twelve clinical teams of the NIH funded Undiagnosed Diseases Network, evaluating patients whose conditions have evaded diagnosis and partnering with a team of scientists seeking to understand how specific genetic changes contribute to disease. While working in the Division of Genetics, Mrs. Robertson provided clinical consultation services for patients with suspected neurofibromatosis, Marfan syndrome, Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, congenital hearing impairment, developmental delays, and abnormal TN State Newborn Screen results. 

Prior to this, Mrs. Robertson spent six years as a Registered Nurse at the bedside in Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt (VCH). During that time, she achieved designation as a Certified Pediatric Nurse, RN level 3, and received the honor of Preceptor of the Year from VCH’s Pediatric Nurse Residency Program. Mrs. Robertson is a member of both the Tennessee Nurses Association and American Nurses Association as well as the Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society.

Prior to her nursing career, Mrs. Robertson, served for nine years as a campus minister at East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina and internationally in Russia. Mrs. Robertson is interested in promoting healthy growth and development of children, adolescents, and young adults. She is passionate about patient education and family centered care. She and her husband have been involved with the foster care system in Tennessee through their local church and desire to see children and families strengthened with the healing love of Jesus Christ.

Dr. James Holbrook began at Cumberland University in fall of 2010 and teaches sport management, and is the Program Director for sport management  Prior to arriving at Cumberland, he served as an Associate Professor, as well as a Department Chair and Program Director at other universities. He has published several journal articles as well as a few books.  He has also held several professional offices in SCAHPERD.

Dr. Holbrook holds a Bachelor of Arts in physical education with a minor in marketing, a Master of Science in Sports Administration, and a Doctor of Arts in physical education.