By decision of Lee University’s Board of Directors in their February meeting, four faculty members were awarded tenure. Those receiving tenure are Dr. Brenda Jones, School of Nursing; Dr. ChoEun Lee, School of Music; Catherine Mantooth, College of Arts and Sciences; and Dr. Allison Pierce, School of Business.

Jones joined Lee’s School of Nursing faculty full time in 2016 and now teaches in the undergraduate and doctoral nursing tracks, in addition to the disaster and healthcare mission management major. In 2021, Jones began serving as Lee’s coordinator for the Doctoral Family Nurse Practitioner track. With special interests in global healthcare missions, Jones has led Lee students interested in medical missions on Global Perspectives trips. She has also written curriculum to train indigenous leaders in developing countries in public healthcare and disaster preparedness practices. Jones serves as the executive director of Life Givers International Ministries.

ChoEun Lee, faculty at Lee since 2016, serves as an assistant professor in collaborative piano and vocal coaching. She has given numerous performances across the world in major venues including Carnegie Hall, Ozawa Hall (Tanglewood Music Center), and Harris Concert Hall (Aspen Music Festival). She was twice invited to the Tanglewood Music Festival and named a recipient of the Grace B. Jackson Prize. She has been invited as a repetitor to American Institute of Musical Studies in Graz and also world-premiered a co-commissioned vocal chamber music for soprano, saxophone, and piano by Lori Laitman in the National Opera Center in New York City.

Mantooth joined Lee’s Communication Arts faculty in 2005, where she currently serves as an assistant professor in theatre, lighting design, and production management. Her theatre background specializes in all types of technical theatre, as well as scenic and lighting design. As production manager for the Lee Theatre Program, she also trains stage managers and board operators and oversees production calendars. She is most often found backstage or in the design lab encouraging her student designers to explore their theatrical imaginations.

Pierce, assistant professor of business administration, joined Lee’s School of Business in 2016, where she teaches courses in organizational business and healthcare. Prior to Lee, Pierce worked with Century Life Pharmacy developing a pharmaceutical business plan and pro forma, served as central division president of Sava Senior Care, and was senior vice president of people development at Life Care Centers of America. Pierce has won numerous awards such as the 2003 National Young Businesswoman of the Year and 2003 Governor’s Outstanding Achievement Award in Tennessee. She was also selected to lead a subcommittee for the Bush Administration to address the national labor issues related to the nation’s healthcare profession.