FACULTY & STAFF AGENDA

 Dr. Keith Boyd is a Human Capital Developer, Certified Manager of Quality/Organizational Excellence, Professional Career Recruiter, and Assistant Professor of Management and Leadership at Brenau University in Gainesville, Georgia. A retired United States Marine Corps veteran with more than twenty years of active-duty service, Dr. Boyd brings extensive management experience from leadership roles at Lockheed Martin, Delta Airlines, DHL, and Walmart. His diverse teaching career spans military instruction in leadership, management, recruiting, and aviation maintenance; high school Junior Reserve Officer Training; adult education in general studies and high school equivalency; business management at the technical college level; and undergraduate and graduate education in logistics, supply chain management, and project management. Dr. Boyd’s work emphasizes reflective adaptability, hands-on learning, and applied leadership development, equipping students and professionals alike to thrive in dynamic environments.

Natalie Sweet is the Executive Director of the Office of Research, Grants, and Sponsored Programs at Lincoln Memorial University. A passionate advocate for student and community development, Sweet is a 2008 recipient of the Mary Mildred Sullivan Award. She has served as project director for multiple grants awarded by organizations such as the Tennessee Arts Commission, Humanities Tennessee, Tennessee Downtowns, SouthArts, and the Appalachian College Association. Natalie is a frequent presenter on grant writing at national and regional conferences, including the National Council of University Research Administrators and the Tennessee Museum Association. She also serves as a board member and grant advisor for Guardians of the Gap, LLC, an organization dedicated to the preservation and promotion of the Cumberland Gap region. Her work bridges academic mentorship, research development, and community-based advocacy. 

As a Professor of Practice in Business at Warren Wilson College, Wendy empowers students to harness their curiosity and imagination to tackle complex, real-world challenges with creative solutions. Passionate about driving social change, she helps students apply business tools to make a meaningful impact. When she’s not in the classroom, Wendy can be found experimenting in the kitchen, exercising (perhaps to balance her love of food!), or enjoying playful moments with her granddaughter.

Tim is a lifelong agriculturist. His family operates Deer Run Farm – a 30 acre “truck” (vegetable) farm on Long Island, New York. As one of a handful of farms in the area, it faces unique challenges, especially those associated with urban-edge agriculture. As a result, Tim has a keen interest in the interplay between science, food deserts, sustainability, and policymaking. After graduating from Cornell University in 2001 with a B.S. in Plant Science, he worked in various levels of state and federal government while continuing to work seasonally at the farm. In 2008, Tim graduated from the University of Florida with a degree in Plant Medicine, the equivalent of a “plant M.D.” He is currently an Associate Professor of Crop Science at Ferrum College, where he manages the controlled environment agriculture (CEA) facility – providing roughly 50% of the campus’s produce needs. He has spoken extensively on the merits of CEA as a unifying platform for campus and community engagement.

J. Ian Norris, PhD, is Director of Entrepreneurship for the Public Good at Berea College. He is a professor of marketing and psychology and serves as the William and Kay Moore Chair in Entrepreneurship. He has taught everything from biological psychology to international business, with a special emphasis on consumer behavior, his primary area of expertise. He has published in journals such as Academy of Management Review and Journal of the Association for Consumer Research. He also developed the financial literacy program at Berea and co-authored the textbook Invest in Your Financial Literacy: A Guide to Financial Decision-Making. He holds a PhD in Social Psychology from Texas Tech University and an MBA from Murray State, where he also served as faculty in the psychology department.