2013 Kris Ahler (MBA) has been named police chief of Landrum, SC. He began his duties on Sept. 5, 2018, after winning out among 17 candidates who applied for the position. Ahler has 20 years of law enforcement experience. Prior to his new role, he worked with the Greer Police Department for more than 10 years and was select- ed Officer of the Year in 2008. Ahler held the rank of sergeant in the Greer Police Department. He earned his bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and master’s in business administration from NGU.


Dylan Fulk has been named Pro Bass Angler title sponsor of Kona Gold Solutions Inc., a hemp lifestyle brand focused on product development in the energy drink sector. Kona Gold’s title sponsor- ship will encompass all of 2019, in which Fulk will compete in around 15 tournaments along the East Coast of the United States in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, Ken- tucky, and Maryland.


Hannah Reynolds is teaching English at High Point Christian Academy in High Point, NC.


Eliza Rountree was voted the 2018-19 Teacher of the Year at the South Carolina School for the Deaf and the Blind, where she teaches preschool and kindergar- ten.


2014 Jacob Buckley’s nonprofit, Fire Pit Ranch (FPR), has introduced a new leadership development curriculum that is being used


26 | NGU.EDU


in elementary schools in South Carolina. FPR is a nonprofit focused on making connections through outdoor experiences, like backpacking and canoeing, that re- define a child’s legacy. In addition to serving as the director of FPR, Buckley also works as the career development facilitator at R.D. Anderson Applied Technology Center.


Adam Cochran is teaching elementary music at Monarch El- ementary School in Simpsonville, SC. Tis year, he began a bucket drumming ensemble for fourth- and fifth-grade students. Te ensemble is an auditioned group of 13 students who perform with the school’s chorus at concerts. Adam also serves on the worship team at Te Church at Greer Station in Greer, SC, where he and his wife, Courtney Holt Cochran (’13), are members. Courtney works for financial aid at NGU. Te Cochrans have one daughter, Evelyn.


2015 Joseph Elledge has become an adjunct professor of sport man- agement at Lander University in Greenwood, SC.


Michael Johnson has published his article “Te 5 T’s of Playing Low Brass” in the South Caroli- na Music Educators Association journal, “South Carolina Musi- cian.” After graduating from NGU with his degree in music, Johnson pursued his Master of Education at Samford University in Birming- ham, AL. He is active as a teacher and performer, playing both euphonium and trombone.


Jade Kelley graduated from Te Southern Baptist Teological Seminary with a Master of Arts in Christian Education in May 2018.


2016 Nelson Hughes III has signed on with the Ancona Dolphins, who finished fifth in Italy’s Division I in 2018, as their quarterback for the 2019 season. Hughes, a native of Spartanburg, SC, was the sev- enth leading passer in the German Football League (GFL) in 2018, playing for the Ingolstadt Dukes. He threw for 2,947 yards and 30 touchdowns, averaging 210 yards a game. He also rushed for 352 yards and another three touch- downs. He first arrived in Europe partway through the 2017 GFL season, playing for the Hildesheim Invaders.


2017 Ashton Heard, former North Greenville standout, will find his way back to the gridiron after signing a contract with the Copenhagen Towers. Te Towers are the defending Danish Amer- ican Football League champions, finishing last season with a perfect 100 record to go along with the league title.


Rodney Inman is now teaching at Monarch Elementary School in Union, SC.


John Partin is now a legislative as- sistant in the U.S. House of Rep- resentatives, serving on the staff of Congressman William Timmons. Partin previously worked as a leg- islative correspondent in the U.S. Senate. He graduated from NGU with his bachelor’s in history and a minor in political science.


2018 Sam Houston, a three-year starter at middle linebacker for the Green Wave football team, was recently inducted into the Easley High School Athletic Hall of Fame. Named all-region his senior year, he later received a football scholarship to NGU. At North Greenville, Houston was a four- year starter at middle linebacker. He holds several records for tackles during his NGU career. In 2015, he was a National Christian Col- lege Athletic Association (NCCAA) All-American selection. In 2016, he was voted a team cap- tain and the team’s Most Valuable Player, along with being nominat- ed for the South Carolina Hall of Fame Player of the Year award.


Will Paul McDonald won first place in the Columbia Scholastic Press Association (CSPA) Gold Circle Awards Photo Illustration category for his photo, “Sight,” published in NGU’s literary and art magazine “Te Mountain Laurel” in 2018.


Lance Moore recently opened Te Mountain Top Gym in Kings Mountain, NC. Te name of the 24-hour gym references both the gym’s city and its owner’s goal: to push members to the top to be- come their healthiest selves. Moore spent several months after college as a personal trainer in Gaffney, SC, before deciding to make the jump and open his own gym.


Jessica Pearce is teaching chorus at Tanglewood Middle School in Greenville, SC.


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32