William Carey University inducted four people into in the Carey Alumni Hall of Fame during an awards dinner April 9 at Tatum Court.
The ceremony was part of the university’s 2021 Homecoming festivities, which were limited this year due to concern about the pandemic and need to observe COVID-19 safety protocols.
“Last year, we had to cancel Homecoming due to the pandemic. We were thankful this year to be able to host a few Homecoming events like the Alumni Hall of Fame inductions,” said Pam Shearer, WCU’s director of alumni relations.
“I was honored to participate in inducting these impressive graduates into our Alumni Hall of Fame. They are William Carey’s 2020 honorees. Our 2021 inductees will be the guests of honor later this year during a separate awards dinner – and we’re planning a full Homecoming schedule for April 1-2, 2022.
Here’s a look at William Carey University’s 2020 Alumni Hall of Fame inductees:
Rochelle Dahmer (’03)
Rochelle Dahmer earned a Master of Education degree from William Carey University in 2003. She taught English at North Forrest High School for seven years before moving into higher education at Jones College, where she has taught English since 2008.
She was Jones College’s Humanities Teacher of the Year in 2011-12, and North Forrest High School Teacher of the Year in 2004-05. She also was named Tulane University’s Southern Institute Tolerance Teacher of the Year in 2004-05.
Dahmer has served as leader and member of many professional organizations, including Mississippi Association for Developmental Education, the Two-Year College Association of Mississippi, and the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. She has presented and delivered the keynote address during many conferences. She has been in the classroom for 23 years.
Dahmer and her husband Philip have two children, Melissa, 30, and Donavon, 23. Melissa is a nurse and actress, and Donavon is a second-year medical student at the University of South Alabama College of Medicine.
Dan Edney (’83)
Dan Edney earned his bachelor’s degree from William Carey University in 1983, graduating summa cum laude and first in his class. In 1988, he graduated first in his class at the University of Mississippi School of Medicine. During his internship and residency, at the University of Virginia, he again won awards including Most Outstanding Resident and the Internal Medicine Award.
He practices internal and addiction medicine in Vicksburg and is active in medical missions work, having traveled to Indonesia, Lebanon, Haiti, Kurdistan, and Nepal with Mississippi Baptist Disaster Response as the medical team leader. He founded First Baptist Church Medical/Dental Ministry and has served as trustee and chair of Baptist Medical Dental Missions International Board.
In March, he joined the Mississippi State Department of Health as chief medical officer and regional health officer for the Central Public Health Region.
Edney is a member and leader of many professional organizations, including the American Medical Association, Mississippi State Medical Association, American College of Physicians, Mississippi State Board of Medical Licensure, American Board of Preventive Medicine, and the American Society of Addictive Medicine.
As a student, he was president of the Student Government Association. He has been an active alumnus, serving as trustee and chair of the William Carey University board and receiving the Young Alumnus Award.
Edney’s wife Lori is also a William Carey University graduate (Class of ’83). The couple has three children, Daniel, Meredith and Meg (Class of ’20); and two grandchildren, Benjamin and James. The Edneys are active members of First Baptist Vicksburg, where Dan Edney is a deacon, Lori Edney is a women’s ministry leader, and both teach Sunday school.
Angela Hawkins (’16)
Krisha Angela Hawkins graduated from the William Carey University School of Nursing in 2016 with a doctorate in nursing education. She also holds an MBA and a master’s degree in nursing. She has 20 years of experience as a registered nurse and is an executive career mapping strategist. She uses her perspective as a health care professional and senior-level administrator to share her passion about workplace-related issues.
Hawkins is currently the national deputy director of support services for the Veterans Health Administration, the largest public health care organization in the nation. Her division has national oversight of the VHA Learning Management System, Interagency Training, Training Evaluation, Accreditation, Marketing and Communication, and Mandatory Training.
She has been integral in the national implementation of educational initiatives for veteran health care that impact opioid safety, COVID-19 and many other issues. She has served as the national voice and coordinator for the field learning officers, a subject matter expert for agency education and training initiatives, and co-chair of the National Veterans Administration Mandatory Training Subcommittee.
Hawkins has been involved in the design and delivery of training programs since 2003 and has taught and coached leadership and communication skills for executives and managers at all levels and disciplines. She has designed and implemented training programs for a wide range of clients both inside and outside the federal government.
She is an annual speaker and presenter at the American Society for Public Administration Conference. Hawkins is a certified Crucial Conversations Trainer, and is also certified to teach coaching, mentoring, and training programs.
Hawkins lives in Jackson and is the proud parent of three children, Marissa, JaMorris, and Jamal.
Brett Valentine (’87)Brett Valentine earned a Bachelor of Science degree from William Carey University in 1987. He double majored in chemistry and biology. His activities on campus included Student Government Association, Pi Beta Sigma, and Baptist Student Union. In 1988, he studied biochemistry as a Rotary Scholar at the University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand.
He completed his education in 1993 with a Doctor of Dental Medicine degree from the University of Mississippi School of Dentistry. While in dental school, he won the Robert Finch Oral Pathology Award, published in Dentistry Magazine, and was a member of Mississippi Dental Association.
Valentine practiced general dentistry in Hattiesburg for six years with his father-in-law, Dr. Tom Rhea Philips. He moved to Sumrall and opened Sumrall Dental Clinic, where he has practiced for the past 26 years.
He and his wife Alesia are members of Temple Baptist Church, where he is involved in the music ministry, and he has traveled to Mexico and Kiev, Ukraine, for dental missions. He served as chairman of deacons in 2018 and taught seventh-grade boys Bible Fellowship for 12 years.
Valentine has served multiple times on the WCU board of trustees over the past 25 years under three WCU presidents, Dr. James Edwards, Dr. Larry Kennedy, and Dr. Tommy King. He served as chairman of the board in 2018.
Brett and Alesia Valentine have three children. Rhea Phillips Valentine Witmer resides in Chattanooga with her husband Ryan. She is a certified therapeutic recreational specialist at Parkridge Valley West Hospital. James C. Valentine resides in Richland with his wife Sara Golson (’18) Valentine. He is in his second year of graduate school studying entomology. Brett D. Valentine resides in Jackson where he is in dental school at the University of Mississippi School of Dentistry.
In the photo:William Carey University inducted four people into its Alumni Hall of Fame during Homecoming festivities, from left, Dan Edney of Vicksburg, Rochelle Dahmer of Hattiesburg, Angela Hawkins of Jackson and Brett Valentine of Sumrall.
