Featured Alumni & Students

Alumni Leadership Experts

Kathleen Bazile, Ph.D., is a Nationally Board Certified & Licensed Professional Counselor in the state of Georgia. From the time she opened her first psychology book at the age of 14, Kathleen fell in love with the complexities of the human psyche. From then on, she knew that she was destined to be in a career where she would help alleviate the mental suffering of others. She has realized this destiny through a successful career in mental health counseling where, for the past 12 years, Kathleen has made it her mission to help young women discover their true authentic selves and create a life that allows them to thrive. Kathleen’s career has evolved to counselor education where she finds enjoyment in teaching and supervising counselors in training. Kathleen’s research focus includes the areas of ethics, social media’s impact on mental health, and technology in counselor education. Dr. Bazile is a member of the American Counseling Association and the National Board of Certified Counselors. Kathleen studied psychology at Florida International University and received her Master’s in Mental Health Counseling at Rollins College. She holds her Doctorate in Counselor Education and Supervision from Mercer University. During her time at Mercer, Kathleen received the Monroe F. Swilley, Jr. Student Research Award and Outstanding Doctoral Student in Counselor Education and Supervision Award. Currently, Dr. Bazile teaches at the University of Texas at El Paso and is secretly enjoying the work from home life but missing the annual festivities in Atlanta.

Melissa Graham, PhD, has over a decade of professional experience working in the field of higher education. Currently, she is the Assistant Dean/Director of Student Conduct and Ethical Development at the University of South Florida. In this role, she provides leadership on issues impacting student life as it relates to student conduct and student disciplinary policies, procedures, and practices. Prior to her current role, Melissa was the Title IX Coordinator at Mercer University and the University of Florida. As Title IX Coordinator, she oversaw sexual misconduct, stalking, and intimate partner investigations, implemented and managed interim accommodations, and developed Title IX policies and procedures. Melissa has completed extensive research in the area of Title IX compliance on college and university campuses which is reflected in her doctoral dissertation: A Journey to Compliance: Institutional Response to the 2011 Dear Colleague Letter to Address Campus Sexual Violence. Melissa recently co-authored a book chapter entitled Title IX, High-Risk Drinking Behaviors, and Hazing in the newly published Campus Crisis Management: A Comprehensive Guide for Practitioners (2nd edition). She has a passion for training and educating faculty, staff, and students in the areas of Title IX, effective communication, and engaged bystander intervention. Melissa has a Bachelor of Arts in Communication and Theatre Arts from Mercer University, a Master of Science in Family, Youth, and Community Sciences from the University of Florida, and a Doctor of Philosophy in Educational Leadership from Mercer University. She resides in San Antonio, Florida (Tampa Bay region) with her husband, dog, and four cats.

Kevin Hagan, with 20 years of leadership experience in nonprofits, corporate and government organizations, brings a wealth of expertise and insight to help organizations thrive and have greater impact. Throughout his career, his focus has been on large scale organizational transformation and crisis management. Kevin currently serves as CEO of Thrive Impact, a nonprofit consulting and coaching firm. He works alongside the nation’s charities to build sustainable funding and programmatic strategies. At Thrive Impact, Kevin’s practice areas include: organizational strategy, leadership and governance, change management, organizational transformation, and crisis management. Previously, Kevin served as CEO of two of the country’s largest charities: the American Diabetes Association and Feed the Children, where he led both organizations through significant transitions after each experienced periods of organizational turbulence and scandal. Kevin’s education includes a master’s degree in International Affairs from American University in Washington, D.C., and undergraduate degrees in Political Science, History and German from Mercer University in Macon, Georgia. During his nonprofit CEO tenure, he also completed executive education in Nonprofit Management at Harvard Business School. He is the recipient of the 2013 American University Alumni of the Year Award. He currently serves as the Board Chair for RESOLVE – the national infertility association and is also active as a Director on the Boards of the American Association of Mediators, Mercer University College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Alumni Board, and HyperCarrot – a startup technology company.

Dericus Harvey currently serves as an Area Team Director for Field Operations at Chick-fil-A. In this capacity he selects new franchisees and is responsible for internal Owner/Operator relocations. Additionally, he manages a team of Operations Leads who advise and serve as relationship managers to Midwest Owner/Operators in Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Ohio and Wisconsin ($550MM Revenue, 100+ restaurants). The Midwest is Chick-fil-A’s fastest growing region. Dericus’ industry experience spans the healthcare, automotive and quick service restaurant industries where he has worked in industrial engineering, supply chain management, manufacturing, strategic finance, treasury and business consultant capacities. Throughout his professional career he has led new product launch initiatives as well as multi-billion-dollar strategic finance projects on behalf of multiple Fortune 500 organizations. Dericus also has a noteworthy track record and expertise in fostering global business relationships to achieve long-term objectives for sustainable growth and profitability. He grew up in Macon, Georgia, graduated from Northeast High School, and attended Mercer University in his hometown. After college, Dericus worked as an engineer in the automotive industry, and he returned to school to obtain an MBA at the University of Indiana in Bloomington. After graduate school, Dericus joined Johnson & Johnson’s Finance Leadership Development program, and he spent nearly seven years with the company before returning to Georgia to join Chick-fil-A in 2011.

Tuoi Nguyen is a Senior Technology Manager of Service Assurance at Cox Communications. Her primary responsibilities include the oversight of the enterprise Incident Management process and Knowledge content management that provides the Network Operations Center with robust processes, governance, policies, knowledge to effectively and efficiently resolve customers’ service interruptions – assuring high service quality and an optimal customer experience. Tuoi joined Cox Communications in 2010 as a Senior Business Analyst consultant in the Technology Operations department. Prior to joining Cox, Tuoi started her career at Caterpillar Financial Services in 2008 where she served as a Business Systems Analyst supporting Seibel CRM and various business applications used by Customer Relations and Contract Services. Tuoi holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in Management Information Systems from the University of Georgia and an MBA for Innovations at Mercer. Tuoi is certified in ITIL Foundations 2018, Six Sigma Green Belt 2017, and Project Management Professional (PMP) 2013.

Mr. Michael Scott, Ed.S. is a Savannah, GA, native who joined the faculty of Central High School in the fall of 2013 as the Director of Bands in the Fines Arts department. During his tenure at Central, he served as the Fine Arts Department Lead and Fine Arts Magnet Program Coordinator. Mr. Scott received his Specialist Degree in Education Leadership from Columbus State University, his Master’s Degree in Music Performance from Mercer University, and his Undergraduate Degree in Music Education from Albany State University. Mr. Scott has been recently named Assistant Principal for Rutland High School in the Bibb County School System.

Gwen Sherwood, PhD, RN, FAAN, ANEF is Professor Emeritus at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Nursing where she served as Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and the founding Associate Dean for Global Initiatives. She is co-developer of QSEN, the award-winning Quality and Safety Education for Nurses framework to define a competency model to improve quality and safety which has been implemented nationally and internationally. She is senior faculty in the Academy for Emerging Leaders in Patient Safety and co-editor of four books including three AJN Book of the Year awards: Quality and Safety in Nursing: A Competency Approach (translated into Chinese) and Reflective Practice: Transforming Education and Improving Outcomes. A tireless educator and mentor, she leads interactive workshops for educators, clinicians and learners in many countries. An alum of Georgia Baptist College of Nursing, she has been named to the School’s Research Hall of Fame and awarded Alumnae of the Year. Among many honors she was recognized with the Sigma Theta Tau International Excellence in Leadership Award, the Prince Mahidol International Special Award for interprofessional Education, and awarded an Honorary Doctorate from Sweden’s Jonkoping University.

Yasmeen Hill graduated Cum Laude from Mercer’s Class of 2021 with a B.S. in Journalism and Media Studies. She is currently the Head of Multimedia at Picturesque PR. Yasmeen double majored in journalism and media studies while at Mercer. She is a community-driven multimedia journalist with a background in radio storytelling, and she is the co-host of the news and culture podcast Black Girl Tea Party. As a former member of Mercer’s nationally ranked debate team, she won the 2019 Dan Henning NPDA Top Novice Speaker Award.

Sterling Serfoss, PharmD, RPH, is a PGY1 Clinical Pharmacist Resident at Piedmont Columbus Regional Midtown Medical Center in Columbus, GA. He graduated in 2021 from Mercer University College of Pharmacy and is licensed to practice in the state of Georgia. During his time at Mercer, he served as president of the 2019-2020 Mercer College of Pharmacy Council of Students, secretary of 2018-2019 Christian Pharmacist Fellowship International, tutor of the Rho Chi Honors Society, and Student Political Action Committee member. As a student, Sterling competed in numerous academic pharmacy competitions and was the 2019 Mercer Champion for the AMCP Pharmacy and Therapeutics, and the 2018 Mercer Champion for the ACCP Clinical Skills Competition. Sterling’s research includes “Assessing Duration of Therapy of IV Methocarbamol at Piedmont Columbus Regional Midtown” which he presented at the 2020 American Society of Health-Systems Pharmacy Midyear Meeting.

Star Students

Selin Odman is a 5^th-year dual enrolled Clinical Psychology (PsyD) and Public Health (MPH) student who is passionate about working in integrated primary care settings. She is currently completing her predoctoral clinical psychology internship with the University of Colorado School of Medicine. She hopes to work with diverse and underserved populations and increase access to mental health therapy by reducing stigma and barriers to accessing such services.

Mr. Stephen Poydasheff is a 3L at Mercer University School of Law. While at Mercer Law, Stephen has served as the President of the Student Bar Association for the 2020-2021 school year, as well as the Treasurer of Student Bar Association for the 2019-2020 school year. Stephen is a member of the Mercer Law Review and served as the Student Coach for the nationally ranked Mercer Law ABA Moot Court Team in 2020. Stephen currently serves as the Research Assistant to Dean Linda D. Jellum, Ellison Capers Palmer Sr. Professor of Tax Law. Upon Graduation, Stephen plans to practice Mergers and Acquisition law in Atlanta, Georgia. Outside of school, Stephen volunteers with the Brookdale Warming Center and enjoys afternoons at the Macon Dog Park with his Australian Shepherd sidekick, Charlie.