Brad Blackmon ('98)

After finishing Lee with a BA in Communications and Public Relations, Brad went to work for a property management firm out of Chattanooga that took him to Madison, Wisconsin and Spartanburg, South Carolina. His skills as a motivator and team leader took him to the India based communications firm, Lowe Lintas, then to global advertising leader, Wunderman, where he oversaw the Microsoft account while living in London. Brad was promoted up through Wunderman finally reaching VP, Account Director at Washington based RTCRM, a subsidiary of Wunderman. One co-worker said of Brad, “He is a shining star in the agency world.”

In 2010 he spent a year at the Chicago-based agency Draftfcb before being recruitedby advertising giant Ogilvy and Mather to lead a development team responsible for North American print, TV and web advertising for blue-chip client IBM. Today Brad lives in Manhattan, NY with his wife, April (Nicole) Daniels Balckmon (’99), and their son.

Nathan P. Chapman ('01)

Nathan grew up in the music industry.  He started playing guitar at age 3 and was recording in the studio by age 14.  The son of a well-known Christian duo, Nathan was also part of a Nashville church that gave the gospel world names like Amy Grant and Michael W. Smith.  As a boy he sat in studios watching legendary figures like Don Potter and Gary Hedden produce and engineer for world famous artists. But by the time he reached high school Nathan was burned out on the music industry.  He was ready to get away from the Nashville setting. 

 After hearing a Lee University choir in a local church he decided to enroll at Lee.  He declared a major in English and began having thoughts of one day becoming a professor.   But at Lee, Nathan’s love of music started to return.  He led worship in chapel using his skills as a writer and musician to connect with the audience.  By the time he graduated, Nathan was ready to return to the world he knew so well.     

Today Nathan Chapman is a sought-after studio musician and Grammy award winning record producer.  He has his own studio and works with a wide range of artists including Point of Grace, Taylor Swift, Sara Evans, Jewel, Stephanie Chapman, Shania Twain, and Colbie Caillat.  When asked what one piece of advice he would give to aspiring Lee grads, Chapman replies, “Work really hard.” 

Herbert Parker ('80)

Herbert Parker began his career as a staff accountant at the global power and technology company ABB Group in Chattanooga.  For 28 years he was promoted through a series of positions of increasing responsibility. In 1994, he became Segment Controller for ABB China in Beijing.  In 1998 he was promoted to Vice President and Business Controller for ABB in Zurich, Switzerland. In 2002, Herbert was named Chief Financial Officer of the $12 billion global automation division based in Norwalk, CT.

From 2008 to present Mr. Parker has served as the Chief Financial Officer and Executive Vice President of Harman International Industries Inc., a company that designs, manufactures, and markets audio products. In 2012 he was elected to the Board of Directors for TMS International Corp., North America's largest provider of industrial outsourced services to the steel industry.

Herbert earned a bachelor of science degree in accounting from Lee University.  He continued his education at Harvard Business School, completing the Executive Education program in Financial and Business Management and the International Institute for Management Development in Lausanne, Switzerland.  In February 2009, the magazine, Black Enterprise, named Mr. Parker one of the most powerful corporate executives in America.  He currently lives in Weston, CT and is married and with two children, a 14 year old daughter and a 12 year old son.

P. Jeffrey Conn, Phd ('81)

After graduating from Lee with a B.S. in Psychology, Jeff Conn attended Vanderbilt University where he completed his PhD in Pharmacology before entering Yale for his postdoctoral work. In 1988 he joined the faculty at Emory University where he was promoted to full professor while researching the relationship between neurotransmitter receptors and neurological disorders. In 2000 Dr. Conn joined Merck and Company as the Senior Director of neuroscience before returning to Vanderbilt in 2003 as the founding Director of the Vanderbilt Program in Translational Neuropharmacology and the Director of the Vanderbilt Center for Neuroscience Drug Discovery. Dr. Conn serves on numerous editorial boards and provides scientific oversight to several national organizations including the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s research. He is recognized as a pioneer for his innovative approach to drug discovery which calls for collaboration between research universities and drug companies in order to produce superior medical solutions. Dr. Conn is the Lee E. Limbird Professor of Pharmacology. Jeff was the 2008 Alumnus of the Year. He and his wife, Dr. Anita Ball Conn (‘81), have three children and live in the Nashville area.