Alumni News
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Rocky Top Business Award Alumni Feature: Cindy Brewer (’91), Co-Founder of LEO Events
Leo Events was recognized with a Rocky Top Business Award. Pictured from left to right are: Spencer Broocks, VP of Finance, Kevin Brewer, Co-Founder and Partner, Cindy Brewer, Co-Founder and Partner, and David Kenyon, Senior Vice President of Production. College of Communication and Information alumna Cindy Brewer (’91) believes exceptional professional communication is the most…
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Journalism & Media Alumni Team Up to Create Bonnie Hufford Endowment
From left: School of Journalism and Media Professor Emerita Dorothy Bowles; Lisa Hood Skinner (’80), Mack Hufford (Bonnie’s brother), and Fatima Hyder (’94). Bonnie Hufford put her all into what she did, whether she was teaching students proper grammar and Associated Press style or fundraising for the American Cancer Society. Before she passed away after…
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SIS Alumna Earns ALA Equality Award for Transforming Hiring Practices at KSU Libraries
When Kristina Clement (’18) took on her current role as assistant director of academic engagement and instruction for collegiate librarians at Kennesaw State University, she quickly began having informal conversations with library employees that inspired her to approach a colleague with an idea. It wasn’t long before Clement and her coworker, Karen Doster-Greenleaf, had a…
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Rocky Top Business Award Alumni Feature: Mike Maddux (‘83), Owner of Moonshine Mountain Cookie Company
From lemonade stands to national recognition, Mike Maddux (’83) has achieved remarkable success with Moonshine Mountain Cookie Company. His entrepreneurial journey began long before the company was founded. As a child, he sold Kool-Aid and mistletoe. Now, as the owner of Moonshine Mountain Cookie Company, he’s earning national recognition from USA TODAY. Maddux’s career has…
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Rocky Top Business Awards Alumni Feature: Chris Oneal (’91), Owner of Stones River Consulting
As an undergraduate majoring in speech, Chris Oneal (’91) tutored business majors who he recalls were terrified of talking in front of other people. With his minors in women’s studies and theatre, Oneal was at ease speaking in front of diverse audiences and realized that would give him an advantage in the business world over those lacking advanced communication…
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Tombras School Students Gain Career Insights During Chicago Networking Trip
For many students who participate in a Tombras School of Advertising and Public Relations networking trip, it represents either their first or last major experience with the Tombras School and the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. These trips can inspire students’ career paths and enlighten them about opportunities and environments in their industry they would never…
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Rocky Top Business Award Alumni Feature: Eric Jackson (’90), Owner of Element 47, LLC
Eric Jackson (’90) never imagined he would own his own business when he began pursuing an advertising degree at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Today, he is the owner of Elements 47, LLC and a recipient of the 2025 Rocky Top Business Award. As a first-generation college student who became a successful business owner, Jackson…
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Alum, WUOT Reporter Pierce Gentry Wins 2nd in Hearst Journalism National Competition
Pierce Gentry, far left, with the other contestants in the Audio category at the Hearst Journalism National Championship. As Pierce Gentry (‘25) walked through San Francisco in early June, he soaked in the colorful sights of the largest Chinatown in the world outside of China, but what he really focused on were the people and…
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From Student to Changemaker: Kayla Siddell Champions the Next Generation of Librarians
Kayla Siddell (‘13) is eager to mentor students and help them prepare for the real world, as she remembers what it is like to be in their position. Siddell earned her master’s degree in information sciences from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, in 2013. She is currently the chief operational officer (COO) of the Atlanta…
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Emmy Award-Winning Chief Meteorologist Heather Haley to Join CCI and WUOT in Fall 2025
There is one news event that affects everyone—it can help break the ice as small talk, it can make a day better or worse, and it can devastate entire communities: it is, of course, the weather. It’s important to have meteorologists reporting on the weather who are trained in both science and journalism, which is…