Lee University welcomes eight new faculty to its campus this fall: two to the College of Arts and Sciences, four to the School of Music, one to the School of Nursing, and one to the Helen DeVos College of Education. 

Courtney DeLay joins the full-time faculty as a lecturer of chemistry in Lee’s Department of Natural Sciences, where she has served as the chemical hygiene officer and laboratory manager since 2014. She has also been teaching Benevolence, Introduction to General Chemistry, and Principles of Organic and Biochemistry. She serves on the department’s outreach and safety committees and is a faculty mentor for the Office of Undergraduate Research and Scholarship in honeybee and honey research. 

DeLay earned her Master of Science (MS) in biochemistry from the University of Saint Joseph and her Bachelor of Science (BS) in biochemistry at Lee University. 

Dr. Kay Dick joins the Lee University School of Music as an associate professor of music education, bringing over 40 years of professional music experience to the position. Prior to Lee, she served as an assistant professor of choral music education and worship leadership at Union University. Her research interest in cross-cultural teaching has led to collaborative events such as unity concerts, intergenerational choral festivals, joint worship services with inner-city church choirs, choirs for students with disabilities, and overseas work in Europe and Africa. 

Dick earned her Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in vocal music education at Auburn University, her Master of Music (MM) in church music at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, and her Bachelor of Music (BM) in music education at Louisiana College. 

Dr. Amy Humberd joins the full-time faculty of the School of Music as a senior lecturer of music, where she has been serving as adjunct professor of clarinet and the recruitment coordinator for the past three years. She has taught applied clarinet, woodwind pedagogy, chamber music, orchestra, and music theory. She holds masterclasses and clinics throughout the region and is a member of the International Clarinet Association, the College Music Society, and the National Association for Music Education. 

Humberd received her Doctor of Music in woodwind performance in clarinet at Florida State University, her MM in clarinet performance at Indiana University, and her Bachelor of Music Education (BME) from Lee. 

Dr. Kelley Obringer joins Lee’s School of Nursing as an associate professor of nursing. She comes to Lee having served as an assistant nursing professor in the graduate program at Carson Newman and has experience teaching undergraduate and graduate nursing education courses and clinical expertise in critical care. Her research interests include nursing leadership, spirituality, and end-of-life care. She is a member of the American Nurses Association, the American Association of Critical Care Nurses, and the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization. 

Obringer received her PhD in nursing at Illinois State University and her Master of Science in Nursing and Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Millikin University. 

Dr. Josh Pace joins Lee’s School of Music as an assistant professor of music education, the director of bands, and director of Wind Ensemble. He teaches courses in music education, including conducting, methods courses, and supervising student teachers. Prior to Lee, Pace was the band and orchestra director at Omaha Northwest High School, where he taught marching band, concert band, jazz band, orchestra, keyboard, and guitar. He also served as a graduate assistant to the University of Florida Band Department while completing his doctoral studies. 

Pace earned his Doctor of Musical Arts in instrumental conducting at the University of Florida, his MA in music education from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and his BME in music education and biblical education from Grace University. 

Dr. Joanna Pepple joins the Lee University School of Music as an assistant professor of musicology. Her research interests include the early histories of America’s first musical conservatories stemming from pedagogies of the Leipzig Conservatory in Germany. She has published research and has given national and international conference presentations on topics including the hymn composer William Bradbury, Felix Mendelssohn, the Leipzig Conservatory, and Johannes Brahms’ 19th-century chamber music. Pepple continues to perform as an active violinist and violist in various orchestral and chamber opportunities. 

Pepple earned her PhD in musicology and her MS in information at Florida State University, her MM in music theory and composition at East Carolina University, her MM in violin performance at Appalachian State University, and her BM in violin performance from Mercer University. 

Hannah-Grace Davis Poore joins the full-time faculty of the Department of Health, Exercise Science, and Secondary Education as an associate lecturer of athletic training, where she has been serving as adjunct faculty in the Master of Athletic Training program. She is a board-certified (BOC) and Tennessee-licensed athletic trainer and a member of the National Athletic Trainers’ Association. Her research interests include athletic training education, soccer player injury prevention, and athletic trainer mental health care. 

Poore received her Master of Business Administration in sport management from Lincoln Memorial University and her BS in athletic training from the University of West Alabama. She is currently pursuing her PhD in healthcare professions education from Rocky Mountain University. 

Dr. Marcie Williams joins Lee’s Department of Mathematical Sciences as an assistant professor of engineering. Prior to Lee, she taught high school physics at Ooltewah High School for the past 10 years. She completed her postdoctoral research at Harvard Medical School where she studied cell signaling in white blood cells and endothelial cells. Prior to that, she was as a graduate research associate during her time at the University of Oklahoma and the Georgia Institute of Technology. 

Williams earned her PhD in biomedical engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology, and her MS in chemical engineering and BS in chemical engineering and biochemistry from the University of Oklahoma.