PENFIELD, Ga. — Mercer University’s Board of Trustees elected nine new trustees and elected Cathy Callaway Adams of Kennesaw as board chair during its annual Homecoming meeting on Nov. 14, held on Mercer’s historic campus in Penfield.
The nine new trustees, whose terms began at the conclusion of the meeting, include Heather Darden, Atlanta; Nathan Deal, Demorest; Donna Hyland, Atlanta; Stanley Jones, St. Simon’s Island; Shaun King, Atlanta; J. Curtis Lewis, Savannah; Brandon L. Peak, Columbus; Chip Russell, Forsyth; and Marc Treadwell, Forsyth.
Trustees who rotated off the board and were recognized for their service include Virgil L. Adams, Macon; Michael P. Boggs, Blackshear; Ashley Amos Copelan, Macon; Julie Long, Macon; W. Louis Sands, Albany; Jennifer Nunn Tarbutton, Sandersville; and J. Henry Walker IV, Atlanta.
David E. Hudson, who completed a record eighth five-year term on the board, was elected a Life Trustee.
Adams, a 1981 graduate of Tift College, served as board chair from 2019-2021 and served as chair of the board’s Executive Committee in 2024 and 2025. She succeeds Thomas P. (Tom) Bishop of Kennesaw, who served as board chair in 2024 and 2025. Raymond McLeod (Thad) Warren III, a 1986 Mercer graduate and former board chair, was elected chair of the Executive Committee for 2026.
In other action, the board approved a new Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD) degree program in the College of Health Professions, which will launch in Fall 2026 on the Cecil B. Day Graduate and Professional Campus in Atlanta.
The OTD program will enroll at least 24 students in the first cohort and increase to 36 students by the fourth year. It is a full-time, eight-semester program that will prepare doctors of occupational therapy who improve the health and quality of life of individuals through evidence-based research, client-centered care, leadership and advocacy. The board also granted tenure to incoming College of Pharmacy Dean Dr. Michael Crouch, whose appointment is effective Jan. 6, 2026. Professor emeritus status was granted to Dr. Jeffrey Denny, professor of mathematics who passed away in September. Emeriti status was also granted to recent retirees Dr. Margaret Symington, professor of mathematics; Dr. Candace Barnett, professor of pharmacy practice and distinguished professor of pharmacy administration; and Dr. Martha Malone, professor of music.
