Lauren Albin joined the YHC family in 2022. She specializes in telescopes, star lore, and poetry. She came to YHC from Fernbank Science Center in Atlanta, GA where she worked in the planetarium and observatory. Since arriving at Young Harris College, Lauren has hosted numerous shows in the O. Wayne Rollins Planetarium and opened the college’s observatory for YHC students, local school groups and members of the surrounding community. Lauren teaches astronomy courses like “Introduction to the Solar System” and “Beyond the Solar System” for both YHC and Young Harris Early College students. She is also a published poet and translator of Korean poetry. In her freetime, she likes to read and travel. 

Dr. Atherton joined the YHC faculty in 2016 at which time she assumed the role of Director of Field and Clinical Experiences in addition to her instructional duties. She has been teaching Educational Psychology, Assessment, Field Seminars, and Research Lab in the Education Department.

Currently, Dr. Atherton also serves as the Coordinator of the Elementary Education Program. Her current research interests lie in examining pre-service teachers' cognitive awareness as it pertains to their practice. Dr. Atherton enjoys the learning experiences she shares with students as they co-construct knowledge to develop conceptual understanding through course work and student research focused on developing their pedagogical practice. 

Professor of Music Jeffrey Bauman joined the YHC faculty in 1992.  He is the Director of Choral and Vocal Activities at Young Harris College where he directs the Concert Choir and Chamber Choir, teaches applied voice and conducting, and serves as Chair of the Department of Music.  Choirs under his direction have sung in some of the greatest European venues, performed for ACDA and GMEA conventions, and regularly tour the U.S.  A life member of ACDA, Professor Bauman serves as clinician for choral events throughout Georgia and is a certified head adjudicator for performance evaluation.  Jeff recently served on the national choral advisory council for NAfME, including two years as chair of that committee.

A former NATS winner, Jeff has performed leading operatic roles throughout the southeast and regularly appears in concert and on the rosters of professional choral organizations. Singers from his voice studio regularly win and place at regional and national singing competitions.  In addition to these responsibilities, Mr. Bauman is the Director of Music at the First United Methodist Church of Union County where he has served for twenty-four years.  He resides in Blairsville with his lovely wife Diane.

Dr. Christopher Brown is the Instructor of Low Brass at Young Harris College. He received his Doctor of Music degree from Florida State University, Master of Music degree from Pennsylvania State University, and Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Akron. Christopher also was awarded a Graduate Artist Diploma from the Yale School of Music. Principal teachers include Dr. John Drew, Scott Hartman, Mark Lusk, and Ed Zadrozny.

Dr. Brown is bass trombonist with the Chattanooga Symphony & Opera and the Huntsville Symphony Orchestra. Previously held positions include bass trombone with the Southwest Florida Symphony and the Northwest Florida Symphony. Other appearances include the Atlanta Opera, Atlanta Ballet, Charleston Symphony, Alabama Symphony, and the New World Symphony.

As an active soloist and chamber musician, Dr. Brown has performed and presented at festivals, competitions, and conferences throughout the United States. He appeared as the only bass trombonist finalist in the 2015 Zellmer Trombone Competition, placing third overall. With membership in trombone quartets, he has been twice the first alternate in the International Trombone Association quartet competition. Conference presentations include the Midwest International Band & Orchestra Clinic and the National Association of College Wind & Percussion Instructors. Summer festivals include fellowship with the Atlantic Music Festival, Penn’s Woods Summer Music Festival, and the National Repertory Orchestra. Dr. Brown has also presented various solo recitals including guest artist visits to Cleveland State University, East Carolina University, and Penn State.

Recent consortium memberships include new music for solo bass trombone, “Out of the Darkness” by Frank Gulino and “Sonata for Bass Trombone and Piano” by Juraj Filas. His trombone quartet commissions and premieres include “Down By the River” by Sheila Silver and “Fanfare” by Chandler Leroy Wilson. Dr. Brown’s doctoral treatise surveyed and studied recent solo bass trombone music written in the twentieth century by trombonist composers and included two lecture recitals presenting these works.

Dr. Brown previously held positions as part-time Instructor of Music in Brass and Music Technology at Clayton State University, and currently he lives in the metro-Atlanta area.

Dr. Hayes Bunch joined the faculty of Young Harris College in the Fall of 2022. He conducts the Young Harris College Concert and Jazz Bands, teaches Percussion Class and Advanced Conducting for music education majors, and Applied Major Percussion lessons.

As a conductor, Dr. Bunch has led works and collaborated in rehearsal and performance with Oberlin Conservatory’s Stephen Hartke, Harvard Professor Emeritus and Pulitzer Prize winning composer Bernard Rands, University of Missouri – Kansas City Conservatory professor and Pulitzer Prize winning composer Zhou Long, and eighth blackbird. He has presented research on programming possibilities for electronics and ensemble at the Southwestern Division Conference of the College Band Director’s National Association, and has participated in conducting symposia with Richard Clary, Eugene Corporon, Michael Haithcock, Craig Kirchoff, Gary Lewis, H. Robert Reynolds, Kevin Sedatole and Mallory Thompson. Bunch has also served as a guest conductor, clinician, and adjudicator for various concert, marching, chamber music, and solo events in Georgia, Kentucky, Virginia, South Carolina, Missouri, Texas, Michigan, and Tennessee. Dr. Bunch has served on the faculty of the University of South Carolina Aiken, the Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp (MI), the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor (TX), the Temple Independent School District (TX), the Interlochen Arts Academy (MI), and the Obion County Schools (TN).

Dr. Bunch performed as a percussionist under the baton of Leonard Slatkin on the Grammy Award Winning recording of William Bolcom’s Songs of Innocence and Experience (Naxos), internationally at the Beijing Modern Music Festival at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing, China, with the Fountain City Brass Band (MO), Temple Symphony Orchestra and Temple Jazz Orchestra (TX), Plymouth Symphony (MI), and with artists Randy Brecker, Allen Vizzuti, Gordon Goodwin, Bill Watrous, among others. He currently enjoys playing with the Tri-State Community Band in Blue Ridge, GA.

Dr. Bunch’s professional affiliations include the College Band Directors National Association, National Association for Music Education, Georgia Music Educators Association, Percussive Arts Society, Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, as well as honorary memberships with Tau Beta Sigma and Kappa Kappa Psi.

Dr. Bunch is student-centered and feels that YHC students are thoughtful, kind, driven, intellectually curious about art and music, and committed to making a difference in their communities and academic disciplines. When not teaching and researching, he enjoys watching sporting events, visual art, and reading.

Dr. Clara D. Busby joined the YHC faculty in 2022. She specializes in British Romanticism and Composition, Rhetoric, and English Studies. Since her arrival, she has taught courses in British literature and English Composition. Dr. Busby conducts research in eighteenth- and nineteenth-century British literature, focusing on aurality and the intersections of sound studies, cognitive poetics, and Composition and Rhetoric. She aspires to direct a digital humanities project on poetic recitation that preserves and appreciates diverse performance translations. Her most recent publication in Romantic Circles Pedagogy Commons, “Ideal Presence and the Past and Present Acoustic Ecologies of Romanticism: Reader–Listener–Performers and Their Recitations and Auditory Translations,” calls for the innovative teaching and preserving of Romantic texts using new technologies. She appreciates how welcoming YHC students are and looks forward to mentoring them and learning more about their interests and how she might help them accomplish their goals. When she is not teaching, Dr. Busby can be found walking her dogs, working in her garden, hanging out with her family, and on Saturdays during football season, cheering for the Alabama Crimson Tide.

Dr. Anne Marguerite Coyle joined the YHC faculty in the fall of 2022. Her research focuses on conservation, population, and landscape ecology, specializing in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Statistics. Her Master's research studied the impacts of land use on fish community structure using the Index of Biological Integrity (IBI). In this, she integrated the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation into GIS to create an erosion potential model for the state of North Dakota. For her PhD and beyond, she researched the ecology of nesting golden eagles in Western North Dakota.   She is still working with her data including telemetry locations she collected from tagged juvenile golden eagles. Her research served as a model for conservation, working with multiple interest groups, agencies, businesses, and landowners. Dr. Coyle is interested in future research involving the conservation of plants and plant-insect interactions.

Previously, Dr. Coyle enjoyed teaching various science courses and hired many students to assist in her research. She particularly enjoys YHC's undergraduate research program since it allows her to mentor students as they conduct their research. Since arriving at Young Harris College, she has taught introductory courses in biology, senior research capstone, and a GIS independent study course.

Over the years, she has worked for various federal and state agencies in GIS, ecology, wildlife/forestry management, and environmental review. She loves hiking and running, is curious about many subjects, such as history and physics, and enjoys art, music, writing, and photography.

Chris Crawford has been with Young Harris College since 2012, primarily designing lighting and scenery and teaching technical theatre and design classes.  Chris has served as a chair, dean, faculty senate president, and served on innumerable committees in his time at YHC.  Outside the school he is a freelance lighting designer, production manager, and event coordinator for theatrical, corporate, and concert production events along the East coast.   

Ms. DeFoor was appointed adjunct instructor of music in 2000 and instructor of music in 2012. She has studied with Elizabeth Buday (piano), Peter DeWitt (organ), and Jan van Otterloo (organ).                                                                                  Ms. DeFoor has been an independent music teacher for 40 years in Florida and Georgia. Ms. DeFoor has extensive accompanying and collaborative music experience in both chamber and orchestral settings.
Ms. DeFoor is a nationally certified member of Music Teachers National Association, Georgia Music Teachers Association, Past President of Fort Myers Music Teachers Association (1993-1995), Past President (2013-15) of the Northeast Georgia Music Teachers Association and past Georgia Music Teachers Association State Certification Chair (2016-2018).  Ms. DeFoor serves as the faculty advisor for the Young Harris College collegiate chapter of MTNA.  A member of Mu Phi Epsilon International Honor Fraternity since 1979, Ms. DeFoor was instrumental in forming YHC’s first chapter of Mu Phi Epsilon, Zeta Kappa, in 2011 and is the chapter advisor.  She is also a member of Phi Kappa Lambda National Music Honor Fraternity, the Associated Board of the Royal School of Music USA and the International Ernst von Dohnanyi Research Center.

Ms. DeFoor is an adjudicator for piano auditions, festivals, and competitions in Georgia and the Southeastern states.

Zachary R. Dehm joined the faculty of Young Harris College in the spring of 2022. Dehm has also taught at Boston College, the University of Michigan, and the University of Toledo, among other colleges and universities around the country. He particularly enjoys teaching World Religions at YHC. He finds that his students work hard to draw connections between the course content and their own personal interests. Outside the classroom, Dehm especially enjoys traveling to new states, countries, and national parks.

Dr. Donovan joined the faculty at YHC in 2021 after a long career as the CEO of an international management consulting firm. He is able to combine academic knowledge with years of practical experience in his courses. His current interest lies in writing the Leadership Competency Series which consists of 5 short books to help individuals develop their potential for leadership. He enjoys the energy and enthusiasm for learning that YHC students bring to the classroom. 

Gina Marie Dropp joined the Department of Theater as a guest artist in 2020, teaching Sketch Writing for the student devised production of "POC: People of Change." Dropp then returned as a guest artist in Fall of 2021, teaching a playwriting workshop and directing the production of "The Wolves." In Spring of 2022, Gina joined the faculty as an adjunct instructor of theater. Gina enjoys working with students in the classroom and at rehearsal teaching script analysis as a foundation for expanding their acting ability, growing as theater collaborators, and writing their own original material. As a YHC alumna, Gina finds working with the most recent generation of YHC talent inspiring and energizing. Gina is also a playwright, working on full length plays, such as "Ghosts From a Secret Past," a mystery drama that received a reading at Pumphouse Players Theater in Cartersville, GA. 

Kerry Jenkins joined the YHC Art Department in the fall of 2021. His interests and work for clients involve graphic design, photography and illustration for projects that include logo and identity design, publications (books, magazines, annual reports, newsletters) other printed collateral (brochures, direct mail, posters), websites, and other interactive projects. See https://kerryscottjenkins.com for examples of his work and students' projects. When Jenkins is not teaching, researching and helping students, he enjoys photography, design, illustrating, and writing for a variety of clients.

Dr. Jen Julian joined the Young Harris College faculty in 2019. Her short story collection, Earthly Delights and Other Apocalypses, was the winner of Press 53’s Fiction Prize and was published in Fall 2018. Her work explores the aesthetic and political potential of surreal, magical, and gothic genres, and her stories and essays have appeared in numerous publications, including SmokeLong Quarterly, Greensboro Review, and Chattahoochee Review, among other places. Due to her diverse interests, Dr. Julian enjoys overseeing YHC’s Undergraduate Research Program and mentoring students to pursue their individual research passions. When she is not teaching or writing, she enjoys illustrating, practicing yoga, growing vegetables, and tending to the whims of her enormous ginger cat.

Mr. Mike Lalone joined the YHC faculty in 2019.  Mr. Lalone is the resident clay expert at YHC and enjoys teaching introductory, intermediate, and advanced ceramics courses in the Department of Art. A life-long potter, Mr. Lalone is a masterful artist with wheel throwing, hand building, and glazing techniques. He enjoys working with YHC students from all backgrounds and majors, and his love of clay is contagious. Mr. Lalone regularly teaches popular ceramics workshops at clay centers throughout the Southeast and beyond. His beautifully crafted vessels, forms, and sculptures are featured in galleries and collections across the United States and around the world. 

Dr. Jonathan Micancin joined the YHC faculty in 2019. Dr. Micancin studies the behavioral ecology, evolution, and conservation of cryptic amphibians. He and his undergraduate research students discovered the decline of southern cricket frogs in the Southeast, extended the known range of Collinses’ mountain chorus frog in Georgia, and are currently surveying rare and imperiled Appalachian salamanders. At Young Harris College, he has taught Introduction to Biology 2, Environmental Science, Environmental Studies and Sustainability, Conservation Biology, Animal Behavior, and Ecology. Dr. Micancin also promotes sustainability through management of invasive and native plants and is a founding member of the local chapter of the Georgia Native Plant Society. He particularly enjoys mentoring field research and conservation projects at YHC because of our students’ valuable combination of intelligence, athleticism, and enthusiasm. Dr. Micancin is an avid whitewater kayaker.

Dr. Ray joined Young Harris College in 2009. Since, then she has  been teaching classes in computer science,
physical geography, geology, climate physics, ArcGIS, physics, and advanced physics classes.

Dr. Ray has  extensive experience with online teaching methods using Canvas, Blackboard, and Moodle as
well as live sessions with Electa, teams, Blackboard collaborate and  WebEx and use it extensively. She has been teaching online summer classes for almost 9 years.

Dr. Ray's research interests include atmospheric physics , thunderstorm generator currents in the global electric circuit and physics education research.

Outside teaching and research , Dr. Ray does her best, along with her husband Dr. Arunava Roy (a subject matter expert in physics) to spend time with their two kids: an 8-year-old girl and a 10-year-old boy.   Between helping with robotics, piano and  homework, shuttling to gymnastics, tennis and swimming, they stay very busy. They also enjoy traveling and dining.

Kerry R. Rittenhouse joined the Young Harris College adjunct faculty in 2011 and became a full-time faculty member in 2021. At YHC, his primary teaching responsibilities include Marching Band Techniques, Introduction to Music Technology, Woodwind & Brass Instructional Methods, Student Teacher Supervision and Music Appreciation. His has also taught courses in Music Theory, Aural Skills, Brass Pedagogy along with Choral & instrumental Arranging. He has great interest in the training of the next generation of outstanding music educators. In addition to his teaching duties, he is currently the director of the Purple Reign Pep Band at YHC.

Before coming to YHC, he served as the Director of Bands at West Laurens High School and Dublin High School in central Georgia and at Union County High School in Blairsville, Ga. His High School bands have performed nationally several times and consistently received superior ratings and awards throughout his career. An active adjudicator, he has critiqued both marching and concert events throughout the southeastern United States.

Trained on the trumpet, he has performed with the Savannah Symphony Orchestra, the Statesboro-Georgia Southern Symphony Orchestra, the Men of Note Big Band, the Brasstown Big Band, the Dublin Big Band (now the Georgia Big Band), the Northwinds Symphonic Band and the Tri-state Community Band. He has also served as the director of both the Young Harris Community Band and the Brasstown Big Band. 

His past and present professional associations include the Georgia Music Educators Association, The National Association of Music Education, The National Band Association, the Professional Association of Georgia Educators, and the International Association for Jazz Education. He is a member of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia (ZO) and the Phi Beta Mu (Z).

In his spare time, he enjoys cooking, home improvement projects and is a member of several fraternal organizations.

Dr. Shelley M. Sanderson, a native of Warner Robins, GA, joined the Young Harris College Department of Music faculty in the fall of 2015. Before teaching on the collegiate level she was Director of Choirs for middle and high schools in the middle Georgia area.   While a K-12 teacher she musically directed and conducted multiple musicals and ran a private voice studio since 2006. Dr. Sanderson is an active researcher, clinician, and adjudicator. She has been published in the Florida Music Director and The 5th, 6th and 7th International Symposium on Assessment in Music Education, and presents regularly at NAfME Music Research and Teacher Education Conferences and GMEA In-Service Conferences. Her research interests include Assessment in Music Education, High School Musical Theater Instruction, and Music and the Exceptional Learner. Dr. Sanderson was awarded the David Wilmot Prize for Excellence in Music Education (2014), while at the University of Florida and was the vocal winner for Georgia College and State University Aria/Concerto Competition (2010). She loves staying connected to K-12 music programs by judging for GHSA Literary Competitions, Guest conducting Honor Choirs, and adjudicating LGPE.

Dr. Sanderson coordinates the Bachelor of Music Education program, teaches multiple Music Education courses, including, Introduction to Music Education, Voice Methods, Secondary Music Methods, and Elementary Music Methods. She also has an Applied Voice studio and teaches on the rotation of Performance for Musical Theatre. She is also the advisor for the Collegiate National Associate for Music Education (CNAfME) chapter at YHC. Dr. Sanderson loves seeing her students grow into confident and dynamic educators and performers during their time at YHC. When she is not teaching or researching, she loves spending her time with her husband James and daughter Sofia at the beach or at Walt Disney World. She also loves her time singing in the professional Georgia women’s choir, Lux.

Dr. Chris Sass joined the YHC faculty in 2011. Dr. Sass has taught more than 20 different classes during his time at YHC, including math classes from general education courses such as College Algebra to upper-level major courses such as Real Analysis. He has also taught honors courses on fractals, mathematical logic, and radical American environmentalism. In his free time, Dr. Sass enjoys hiking and running. He runs both road races and ultramarathon trail races.

Dr. Andrew Sehmann joined the YHC faculty in 2019.  Dr. Sehmann teaches horn, aural skills, and music appreciation in the Department of Music. Current and former students have place first chair in the Georgia All-state Symphonic Band, been accepted to and attended GHP, and attended NYO-USA at Carnegie Hall.

Andrew plays with multiple orchestras in the Southeast. He is third horn in the Augusta Symphony, and second horn with the South Carolina Philharmonic. He has played under multiple conductors such as Keith Lockhart, Bruno Weil,  Courtney Lewis, Jeff Tyzik, Dirk Meyer, Timm Rolek, Joann Faletta, Ken Lam, Garrett Keast, Matthias Bamert, John Morris Russell, and Morihiko Nakahara.

His previous teachers have included: Marie-Luise Neunecker, Wolfgang Vladar, Johannes Hinterholzer, Jean Martin-Williams Mick Sehmann, Richard Deane, James Naigus, Hazel Dean Davis, Achim Reus, and Kevin Reid. Andrew's horn of choice is a Rauch (No. 127) and is highly proficient on both Wagner Tuba and Alto-Horn. He lives with his wife Ashley, a private piano teacher in Athens with their rescue dog, Stella.

Dr. Amanda Song joined the YHC faculty in 2009. She specializes in analytical and environmental chemistry. Dr. Song has published a number of papers on the detection and speciation of big molecules found in natural environments. Since arriving at Young Harris College, she has taught general chemistry, analytical chemistry, instrumental analysis, and environmental chemistry. Dr. Song enjoys teaching all her classes, particularly analytical chemistry, which offers her the opportunity to challenge students to examine the physical world with accuracy and precision. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, gardening, reading, and cooking.    

Dr. Stiglich is a European historian specializing in modern German history. Since joining the faculty of Young Harris College in Fall 2020, she has enjoyed teaching a variety of classes in German, European, and world history.

Dr. Stiglich's specific research interests include the history of East Germany and the process of German unification and postsocialist transition. Her research has been supported by the Berlin Program for Advanced German and European Studies at the Free University of Berlin, where she was a fellow during the 2015-2016 academic year. Her work has also been supported by the Central European History Society and the Graduate School at UNC. Dr. Stiglich is currently working a monograph project about everyday life and postsocialist transition in the former socialist model-city, Eisenhüttenstadt.

Outside of the classroom, Dr. Stiglich enjoys staying active by running, playing soccer, hiking, and spinning. She also likes to explore the beautiful region around YHC by taking longer camping and backpacking trips when time allows. Dr. Stiglich is originally from the Pacific Northwest and she'll never miss an opportunity to tell you about it.

Charlie Swor has been teaching at Young Harris College since 2011. He is originally from Lake City, Tennessee, and spent most of his childhood in Franklin, TN.

At YHC, Charlie teaches courses in general chemistry, inorganic chemistry, and green chemistry. His primary research interests are coordination chemistry, ligand design, and green and sustainable chemistry. He is an active member of the American Chemical Society and the Georgia Academy of Science. He also volunteers with MountainTrue, a local non-profit focused on clean water, resilient forests, and healthy communities.

Charlie’s favorite thing about YHC are the students. He enjoys getting to know them, showing them new and interesting concepts, and demonstrating the role of chemistry in the world we live in. He feels especially rewarded when a student finally understands a difficult concept, and when he sees our alumni using their chemistry knowledge in their professional lives.

In his spare time, Charlie and his family go on adventures in the southern Blue Ridge Mountains. He enjoys hiking, camping, hunting, fishing, and whitewater canoeing. He is also a lifelong fan of the Atlanta Braves.
 

Anne Towns joined the Theatre faculty at Young Harris in 2013. She teaches Acting, Directing and Dramatic Literature. Theatre Young Harris directing credits include Little Women, My Fair Lady, Bakkhai, First Lady Suite and the world premiere of Little Piglet Gets a Sister. Anne has acted and directed professionally around the country. She is a proud Associate of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society, and an active member of The National Alliance of Acting Teachers, The Michael Chekhov Association and The Playwright’s Center.

Professor Ted Whisenhunt joined the YHC faculty in 2009.  Professor Whisenhunt enjoys teaching drawing, painting, sculpture, printmaking, and illustration in the art department at YHC. His personal artwork often includes mixed media which is, in part, influenced by the variety of courses that he teaches. Professor Whisenhunt is an active artist and designer whose work has been exhibited at numerous galleries and museums across the southeast and beyond, including The Huntsville Museum of Art, AL, Georgia State University, GA, Artfields Jones-Carter Gallery, SC, Berea College, KY, The Rymer Gallery, TN, and The Vermont College of Fine Arts, VT, just to mention a few. He enjoys working with YHC students because they tend to be well rounded and curious individuals who are eager to explore new materials and concepts related to art making. When Professor Whisenhunt is not in the classroom or in the studio, he can often be found paddling one of the nearby, world-class, whitewater rivers (Ocoee, Nantahala, Chattooga) with some of his fellow YHC faculty colleagues.