Dr. Keri Cagle, a proud alumna of Tusculum University, has been named Senior Vice President of ORAU and Director of the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE). In this new leadership role, Dr. Cagle will oversee critical initiatives supporting the U.S. Department of Energy and its national laboratory system, advancing scientific research and public health programs. With nearly two decades of experience at ORISE, she previously served as Senior Director of Scientific Peer Review, where she led strategic operations and guided the program through significant growth and innovation. Dr. Cagle holds a doctorate in Leadership & Learning from Vanderbilt University, along with advanced degrees in organizational leadership and business management, including her bachelor’s from Tusculum. Her deep expertise in strategic planning, program management, and government contracting reflects the leadership values and commitment to excellence cultivated during her time as a Pioneer.

Read more: Cagle Named ORAU Senior Vice President and ORISE Director

Rev. Jonas Hayes, who graduated Tusculum in December 1999. His parents met and fell in love at Tusculum College when they attended Tusculum in the 1960s. He toured Tusculum along with many other colleges and connected with the Tusculum Common’s Curricula, Robert Knott, and the incredible staff and faculty who were there – especially Alice Loftin, Jeff Lokey, Stephen Weisz.

In 2023, Rev. Hayes received his Doctor of Ministry in Preaching at McCormick Theological Seminary, writing his thesis on “Creating Space for Every Voice: Preaching Diversity from a Place of White Privilege”. For the past eight years, he served at Grace First Presbyterian Church in Long Beach, California, where he championed diversity, disability rights, and environmental stewardship. His leadership earned him the title Faith Leader of the Year in 2019 among local interfaith and civic groups. In addition to leading the church in the midst of the global COVID-19 Pandemic he helped the church also become a certified Earth Care Congregation.

Rev. Jonas Hayes has accepted a new pastoral role at Lely Presbyterian Church in East Naples, Florida.  Lely Presbyterian Church is a church that is welcoming and inclusive. They welcome all people. They are grounded in faith in Jesus Christ and inspired to act with compassion to our local community. Every week, Lely Presbyterian Church serves over 300 people through a local food pantry – Meals of Hope. The church serves food and home goods and other needed items to families of farm workers in Immokalee, FL. Lely Presbyterian Church is part of the Peace River Presbytery.

Lely Presbyterian Church is a passionate and welcoming congregation of believers – eager to serve Jesus Christ and open to new ways of serving God with energy, intelligence, imagination, and love.

We’re proud to celebrate Jonas’s achievements and his continued impact in diverse faith communities. His journey from Tusculum to national recognition exemplifies the Pioneer spirit.

Read more: Pastor Jonas Hayes Installation – Lely Presbyterian Church