Four members of the Elon community were honored Homecoming weekend with the 2015 Elon LGBT Community Enrichment Awards at a champagne brunch.
The event, part of the Homecoming 2015 festivities, included remarks from President Leo M. Lambert, Michael Bumbry ’07, LGBTQIA Alumni Network president, and Ben Smith ’09, chair of the LGBTQIA Alumni Network’s awards and recognition commitee.
The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex and Ally (LGBTQIA) Alumni Network strives to improve the campus climate for members of the Elon community by advocating on behalf of LGBTQIA issues and partnering with others to build an inclusive and respectful community.
The 2015 Elon LGBT Community Enrichment Awards Recipients
Christian Adam Wiggins ’03
Christian A. Wiggins, who graduated from Elon with a bachelor’s degree in business administration, was actively involved in residence life and the Student Government Association where he served as student body treasurer for two terms and student body president. He was also a founding father for this chapter of Pi Kappa Phi, served as chapter president and was recognized by his national fraternity as president of the year in 2003.
Wiggins was named assistant executive director of Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity in May 2008 and was promoted to Chief Operating Officer in 2011. He is past president of multiple boards, including the Elon University Charlotte Alumni Chapter Board, the Elon Young Alumni Council and the Elon Alumni Board. Most recently, Wiggins was named chairman of Campus Pride’s board of directors, the governing board for a national nonprofit that focuses on campus safety and lead¬ership skills for collegiate LGBT youth.
Shelby Lewis ’16 (in absentia)
Shelby Lewis uses her voice and personal experience to build coalitions and conversations across Elon through intersections of faith, gender and sexuality. An intern with the Truitt Center for Religious and Spiritual Life and member of Spectrum, Lewis has helped coordinate the Sexy and Genderful God series and conducts academic research on queer biblical theory (specifically the Ruth and Naomi story in the Hebrew Bible).
Her hobbies include watching Netflix, taking naps and all things Chipotle. On being selected she says, “I’m happy to receive this award because my speaking out is not in vain. I have a voice that I use to create positive change, and it’s nice to see my efforts come to fruition.”
Rodney L. Parks
Rodney L. Parks is the registrar, director of Summer College and Winter Term and an assistant professor in the human services department at Elon, where he has served since January 2013. Prior to that, he was senior associate registrar at the University of Georgia. He earned his doctorate in counseling from the University of Georgia, as well as an educational specialist degree and a master’s degree in social work.
He completed his undergraduate studies at Old Dominion University, where he also earned a master’s degree in applied sociology. He has published numerous research studies and book chapters focusing on the unique populations of students navigating higher education. Parks is also a U.S. Navy veteran and served as a naval medic stationed in the Middle East during Operation Desert Storm as well as other duty stations in Europe and the United States.
Jana Lynn Patterson
Jana Lynn Patterson, associate vice president for student life and dean of student health and wellness, has been at Elon since 1986 and serves as the chief administrator for Health and Counseling Services where she oversees personal health programs and community well-being, including substance education. She coordinates crisis response and has been instrumental in the development of the university’s administrator-on-call and counselor-on-call systems; served as co-chair of the Sexual Assault and Gender Issues Advisory Board; and collaborated with colleagues across the university on a variety of projects, including the Academic Summit, Ethics and Technology Committee and the Academic Challenge Steering Committee.
She has a bachelor’s degree in psychology from N.C. State University, a Master of Education in counseling/student development administration from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and a doctorate in psychology from Northcentral University.