SOUTH CAROLINA
Denny C. Powers, BSL ’87, Elgin — retired from the Army Criminal Investigation Division in 1994 as a chief warrant officer 4 after serving in the first Gulf War. He has also retired from state law enforcement and the state teacher system in South Carolina as well as from serving as technical college department chair and criminal justice instructor. For the past five years, he worked as the criminal justice program director for the Columbia campus of South University. Currently, he’s in the dissertation phase of earning a PhD in criminal justice with Capella University. Powers says he is “loving life” and has no plans to retire again any time soon. He thanks Excelsior College for “kick-starting my educational journey.”


TENNESSEE


Cydie H. Shumate, AAT ’03, BSL ’08, Johnson City — has been honored by the State of Tennessee as Teacher of the Year at Cherokee High School for exceptional service to the chil- dren of Tennessee, professional expertise, and personal excellence.


TEXAS
Chris Beebe, BSL ’06, Cibolo — recently joined Shodair Children’s Hospital as the director of human resources. Beebe has more than 17 years of experience managing human resource programs. He retired from the U.S. Army after serving for over 20 years on active duty and fin- ished his military career as the human resource manager for part of the U.S. Army Medical Department Center and School at Fort Sam Houston, TX. Beebe earned an MBA in human resource management from TUI University and has also been certified as a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) through the Human Resource Certification Institute (HRCI).


Doretha Meissner, BSL ’97, Killeen — retired from the Army in 2004 and pursued her teacher certification with Tarleton State University. She was a classroom teacher for six years and graduated with a master’s in education with principal certification in May 2009. She is currently an assistant principal in the Killeen school district and is “thankful for programs like Excelsior because for military members who are in school at so many different universities it is difficult to gather the necessary degree. The Excelsior program afforded me an opportunity to continue my education without loosing credits gained from other universities.”


Excelsior also allowed Meissner to utilize military training towards her degree plan, and she says, “Thank you [Excelsior] for opening up doors for soldiers to further their education while serving their country. We appreciate and thank you for a job well done.”


James R. Phelps, AS ’87, San Angelo — retired from the U.S. Navy in 1998 and chose to continue his education after working for two years in chemical manufacturing. He completed a BA in history from the University of Southern Colorado-Pueblo and an MA in U.S. history from the Sam Houston State University- Huntsville. Phelps recently published his first book, What Happened to the Iraqi Police? published through Carolina Academic Press.


Mark Anthony Polimeno, BS ’00, Lake Jackson — teaches piano, sax, clarinet, and flute. He is a member of the Music Teachers National Association and Houston Professional Musicians Union. Along with his family, he owns and operates Mother Teresa’s Fine Foods, an Italian restaurant, caterer, and manufacturer of Italian sauces, dressings, vegetables, olive oils, and balsamic vinegars. Cooking classes and wine tasting classes are also offered. Polimeno is presently pursuing his MBA with Excelsior College. He has been in business since 1986 and has been teaching since 1988.


Franklin Zepp, BSL ’05, Kileen — has been awarded the 2009 National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC) Foundation Military Scholarship, which is awarded to servicemembers and veterans enrolled in a CACREP-accredited counseling program, during or after military service, who commit to serving military personnel after graduation. The mission of the NBCC Foundation is to promote mental health through the advancement of professional coun- seling and credentialing. Zepp received $3,000 to support his counseling education.


VIRGINIA
Benjamin Bryant, BSL ’06, Alexandria — joined the Department of Defense’s Independent Review Panel in 2009, investigating the November 5 mass shooting at Fort Hood, TX. He served as managing editor of the final report to DoD Secretary Robert M. Gates, Congress, and President Obama, and was the senior/supervising contractor for the panel. He co-founded his own communications strategy and public affairs firm, Bryant Zamberlan Group, LLC, a minority-owned, HUBZone small business (informally known as “BZ”) to serve the government, military, and industry.


Bryant is BZ’s majority partner and the company’s president and CEO. “Founding BZ is a dream come true and something I definitely credit my higher education and Excelsior degree with helping make a reality,” said Bryant. “It’s also proof that, in the majors that have them, the depth area requirements, while not specified on the degree, do matter.” His depth areas were in government and business management, which he says were essential to his current work. He also credits Excelsior’s flexibility, “which allowed me to work in this field full-time while finishing my degree.”


Nevill M. Jemmott, BSL ’10, Quantico — is looking forward to the beginning of his graduate program and moving on to work for the Department of Homeland Security. He strongly believes that “we should all take part in the security of our nation, more importantly, for our future sons and daughters and their safety.”


Owen E. Powers, BSL ’92, Norton — was the oldest to graduate in his class of chiropractic. “I never graduated from high school,” he says. “I took the GED in 1980 and have not stopped going to school since then.” Powers says that his degree from Excelsior has been a stepping- stone to continued learning. He completed a PhD in Clinical Christian Psychology from the Jacksonville Theological Seminary in 1999 and a Doctor of Chiropractic from Sherman College of Chiropractic in 2007.


Samuel T. Watkins Jr., BSL ’99, Virginia Beach — recipient of the 2009 Excelsior’s C. Wayne Williams Award, has a new book of poetry and inspirational writings that is now available on all online book resources including amazon.com and Barnes & Noble. Watkins says, “This book has something in it for everyone; it is divided into three sections: Inspirational, Reflections, and Love and Passion.”


WASHINGTON
Christopher David Nelson, BSL ’10, Seattle — is now in grad school working on a master’s degree in leadership and organizational devel- opment at LIOS Graduate College of Saybrook University. He has just received certification as a Mediator Practitioner and is in the process of applying to the Washington Mediation Association to be certified in Washington State.

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