Brittany Hilson is a nursing graduate from Cumberland University in 2013 with her Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) Degree. She also obtained her Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) with a concentration in Nursing Leadership and Management in 2018 from Western Governors University. Ms. Hilson’s background includes Medical/Surgical, Critical Care, Utilization Management, and Cardiac Cath Lab.  

She is certified in Basic Life Support (BLS) and Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS), and Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS). Brittany is a member of Sigma Theta Tau International (STTI) Honor Society of Nursing and Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. 

Joe Callis is a nursing graduate from Cumberland University. His background includes Medical/Surgical, Nursing Informatics, and Critical Care. He currently works in a Surgical ICU. He is board certified in Medical/Surgical and Critical Care.  Mr. Callis has the following certifications: CCRN & RN-BC.

In his free time, Joe enjoys traveling, cooking, and being with his two dachshunds, Huckleberry and Wally.

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.

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.

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 Laboratory, 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.

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 laboratories. 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 spent eleven years. After obtaining her Doctor of Nursing Practice in 2017, she knew that she wanted to pursue a position in nursing education. 

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. 

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, 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. 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. 

Her publication includes 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, and Rubrics are a Good Thing. (2010). Illumination, 2 (2). 1-2

Dr. Somerville has presented at the Cumberland University Colloquium on the topic Student Engagement in Online Learning.