Bluefield College welcomed several new full-time faculty and staff to the BC family for the start of the 2010-’11 academic year, including four new professors and seven new members of the administrative staff.
Kayla Anders joined the BC staff as an admissions counselor after working as an administrative assistant at Wytheville Community College in Virginia. A native of Bland County, Virginia, Anders holds a bachelor’s degree from The College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, where she served as a mentor, oral communication consultant, and member of the Planning for College Success Committee of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars.
Dr. Gerardo Cummings joined the faculty as an associate professor of Spanish and director of the school’s Global Education Program. Before BC, he was an assistant professor at Indiana State University from 2007 to 2010 and an instructor at Bowling Green State University in Ohio from 2004 to 2007. He holds a Ph.D. in modern languages, a master’s degree in Spanish, and a bachelor’s degree in Spanish from Wayne State University in Michigan.
Peter Dryer came to Bluefield to serve as head coach for men’s soccer after three years as an assistant coach at Geneva College in Pennsylvania. Dryer’s experience also includes a stint as director of coaching for the Pittsburgh Strikers Soccer Club and several years of coaching for Step Ahead Soccer, First Touch Soccer Camps, Athletes in Action, and On Goal Soccer Ministries. He graduated from Cedarville University, where he was captain of the men’s soccer team.
Mike Gravier joined the BC staff as head coach for the recently revived football team. Gravier helped launch a football program as an assistant coach and offensive coordinator at Malone University in Ohio in 1992. He later served as head coach for four years at Malone. His experience also includes five years of coaching at the high school level and seven years as an assistant coach at Kalamazoo College in Michigan, Western Michigan University, Southeast Missouri State University, Michigan Technological University, and Concord University in West Virginia.
Dr. Emily Lambert joined the BC family as an assistant professor of biology after serving as a graduate assistant at Virginia Tech, where she taught biology, microbiology, and pathogenic bacteriology. She holds a Ph.D. in biological sciences from Virginia Tech and a bachelor’s degree in biology from Concord University. A native of Princeton, West Virginia, Dr. Lambert is an active member of Mount Horeb United Methodist Church.
Ryan Moore joined the BC staff as an admissions counselor after working as a financial representative for American General in Charlottesville, Virginia. He holds a master’s degree in business administration from Radford University in Virginia and a bachelor’s degree in business from Bluefield College. Moore also attended Southwest Virginia Community College, where he served as a student recruiter.
Dr. Charles Priest joined the faculty as an instructor of instrumental music. He has a doctor of musical arts degree from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Kentucky, a master’s degree in music from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, and a bachelor’s degree in church music from Bryan College in Tennessee. He also has a wide array of experience in higher education and church music ministry as a conductor, teacher, and performer.
Samantha Snow joined the BC staff as head coach for women’s soccer after serving as a coach for the Rush Soccer Club in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and with the Colorado Olympic Development Program. Her experience also includes an interim stint as head coach for women’s soccer at Oxford College in Georgia and work as an instructor for the Georgia Olympic Development Program. Snow is a graduate and former soccer standout of Columbus State University in Georgia.
Dr. Jason St. Pierre joined the BC faculty as an assistant professor and chair of the Biology Department after serving as a laboratory director for the Institute for Reproductive Health in Cincinnati, Ohio. He holds a Ph.D. in biology from the University of Dayton in Ohio and a bachelor’s degree in biology from Bowling Green State University.
Michele White joined the Bluefield College staff as an accounting associate for the Business Office after working part time in BC’s Financial Aid Office. Her previous experience also includes work as an office assistant, property manager, and community services coordinator. In addition, she’s an active coach for local youth athletic teams. White studied sociology and economics at the University of Virginia at Wise.
Kelsey Wimmer joined the BC staff as an information technology support specialist after working as a technology support specialist for Tazewell (VA) County Public Schools. He holds a bachelor’s degree in computer science from Bluefield (WV) State College and is a youth leader and Bible study instructor for Destiny Outreach Ministries in Bluefield, Virginia. Bluefield, Virginia.leader and Bible study instructor for Destiny Outreach Ministries in Bluefield, Virginia.