2023 AmeriCorps Summer Associates

Jessie Atkinson is passionate about alleviating poverty and ensuring healthy futures. She will receive a degree in international and global studies from The University of the South in the spring of 2024. Jessie decided to join AmeriCorps in order to deepen her connection with the South Cumberland Plateau communities and broaden her understanding of service. As a SCP AmeriCorps summer associate, Jessie hopes to engage with community members while learning about their needs. She hopes to continue to serve the community and make a difference in the world after completing her service.

Tammie Beers, 58,  moved to Tracy City from Kentucky last year. A self-described woman of many hats, she is a mom and grandmother who has worked as a minister, a realtor, a truck driver, and a server. She is currently studying psychology at Chattanooga State Community College and will graduate in 2026. After graduation, she plans to open a holistic rec center. She enjoys crafts, cooking, reading, hiking, and music. Through her AmeriCorps service, she hopes to make a difference in her new community by helping kids to have a better future.

Pete Haight is majoring in music at Sewanee and has been playing shows with his band between there and Nashville.  Both his parents have taught at The University of the South, and he has lived in Sewanee ever since he was a child. In a family of mathematicians, he separates himself as an artist through his passions for music, story telling, and performance. He heard about the AmeriCorps program from a friend and recognized it as a unique chance to take part in a community that he has been part of since his earliest days. Sewanee is a special place to live that Pete is eager to give back to while reaping the opportunities that the AmeriCorps program provides.

Emma Glezer is a 22-year-old Sewanee student, who is passionate about the environment, is studying environment and sustainability with a minor in politics. She was born in Johnson City, Tennessee, moved to Illinois for 15 years, moved back to Tennessee, and has lived in Nashville since last year. After many years of babysitting, teaching young children at her Temple, and volunteering around her community, Emma joined SCP AmeriCorps as a summer associate to enact change in her new community of Sewanee. Emma loves anything outdoors–hiking, caving, canoeing, rowing, and especially reading or taking a nap in her hammock. She is passionate about mental health advocacy and awareness along with her passion for the climate. Her motto is ‘think globally, act locally,’and that is exactly what she plans to do this summer. Emma hopes to serve her local community for as long as it takes to make a change and then to move onto something larger scale.

Grundy County native Kennedy Landis, 19, lives in Pelham and is a rising sophomore at Tennessee Technological University where she is majoring in sociology with a social work concentration. After earning her master’s degree in social work, she hopes to find a job with the Department of Children’s Services. She enjoys spending time at the pool, playing with her dogs, hanging out with family, doing her nails, taking naps, and journaling. She wanted to serve in AmeriCorps to be a vessel in her own community.

Taylor Lathers is a 21-year-old woman who is passionate about giving back to the communities she’s in. Originally from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, she is currently enrolled at Louisiana State University, majoring in biological sciences. Taylor decided to join AmeriCorps in order to serve the community in hopes of making a difference in the Tennessee area. She hopes to help improve the lives of community members and gain valuable skills through her AmeriCorps service such as leadership, teamwork, and project management. Taylor enjoys watching theater, reading, and traveling. She hopes to continue serving the community and making a difference in the world after completing her service. Taylor is a dedicated and passionate AmeriCorps member who is committed to serving others and making a positive impact in the world.

Mel Lee, 21, is from McMinnville, Tennessee, and will graduate from Sewanee in 2024 with a degree in anthropology and natural resources. After volunteering with Growing Roots, she decided to become a Summer Associate with the SCP AmeriCorps program to address food security and sovereignty on the Cumberland Plateau. Outside of AmeriCorps, Mel enjoys environmental education and learning about the natural world. She hopes to continue serving in this way and develop more sustainable food security methods after completing her service.

Mariah Maxam is a 17-year-old AmeriCorps member who is  passionate about cooking, baking, and working with animals. Originally from New Orleans, Louisiana, she currently attends  St. Andrew's Sewanee School. After completing many summers as a camp counselor at TEEP (Trinity Educational Enrichment Program), Mariah decided to join AmeriCorps to gain amore hands-on experience with giving back and service. As a SCP AmeriCorps member, Mariah has learned the basic needs of service and how to give back to the community and the country as a whole. She has also gained valuable skills in communication and management as well as social and life skills. She hopes to continue serving the community and making a difference in the world after completing her service. Mariah is a dedicated and passionate AmeriCorps member who is committed to serving others and making a positive impact in the world.

Marley Maxam, 21,  is passionate about service and assisting others within their community. Originally from New Orleans, she will be graduating from Louisiana State University (LSU) with a degree in fine arts in 2024. After working as a teacher’s aide helping children expand their interest in art at Trinity Educational Enrichment Program, a summer outreach program of Trinity Episcopal Church in New Orleans, Marley joined AmeriCorps to give back to her community, gain new experiences, and build relationships with new people.Outside of AmeriCorps, Marley enjoys creating art and traveling. She hopes to continue serving the community and making a difference in the world after completing her AmeriCorps service. She is a dedicated and passionate AmeriCorps member who is committed to serving others and making a positive impact in the world.

Mollie McWhorter is a 20 -year-old who is passionate about helping alleviate hunger in the Cumberland Plateau community. Originally from High Point, North Carolina, she is an undergraduate student at The University of the South studying history and anthropology. After completing three years as a Camp Seafarer summer counselor, Mollie decided to join the SCP AmeriCorps as a summer associate  in order to make a difference in the community surrounding her college community. As a service member, Mollie hopes to improve the lives of those living in Cumberland Plateau and gain valuable skills in leadership and project management. Mollie enjoys riding her horse, camping, rock climbing and hiking. She hopes to continue serving the community and making a difference in the world after completing her service. Mollie is a dedicated and passionate AmeriCorps member who is committed to serving others and making a positive impact in the world.

Stewart Miller, a native of Montgomery, Alabama, is a rising junior majoring in history with a minor in Southern Appalachian Studies, A Bonner Leader Fellow, he is also pursuing a Certificate in Civic and Global Leadership.. He is a member of the varsity men’s soccer team, Order of the Gown, the Student Athlete Advisory Committee, the Student Title IX Committee, and the Kappa Alpha Order. He loves serving others, playing sports, fishing, and spending time with family and friends. Stewart chose to serve with AmeriCorps this summer to build on the service and civic engagement work he partakes in at Sewanee. He has grown to love the South Cumberland Plateau and wants to learn more about the community and how to best serve it. For Stewart, AmeriCorps represents an opportunity not only to serve others, but to also provide a necessary base for his future after college.

David Mohrmann is a 20-year-old who is passionate about helping to alleviate poverty and bringing joy to others. He enjoys helping people and being part of a team. Originally from St. Louis, Missouri, he currently attends The University of the South with an expected degree in psychology and a certificate in creative writing in 2025. After participating in the Bonner service program, David decided to join AmeriCorps in order to gain experience while serving the community and making a positive impact. As a SCP AmeriCorps summer associate, David hopes to help improve the lives of members of the community through providing food to children. He  believes that nutritious and safe food is a necessity entitled to all people and expects to use his leadership and teamwork skills to contribute to the program. Outside of AmeriCorps, David enjoys writing poems and short stories as well as hanging out with friends, playing soccer, and lifting weights. He hopes to continue serving the community and making a difference in the world after completing his service. David is a dedicated and passionate AmeriCorps member who is committed to serving others and making a positive impact in the world.

Beth Riner recently moved to a 600 square-foot cabin in Monteagle after retiring from a 23-year career teaching English in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. A former newspaper reporter, she now writes feature articles for The Sewanee Mountain Messenger, likes to walk on the Mountain Goat Trail, and absolutely loves living on the mountain. She joined AmeriCorps this summer to become more involved in her new community.

Rylee Tipton, a Grundy County native, is a rising sophomore at Chattanooga State Community College, where she is majoring in business administration. In 2024, she plans to transfer to the University of Tennessee to finish her bachelor’s degree. She enjoys thrifting, crocheting, watching movies, going out to eat, traveling, and walking with her dogs and friends. Her family is her biggest supporter and she  wants to give back and show people the love she has received her whole life. In any career or path she goes down, she wants to be able to give to others and be what they need her to be in the moments they need her. 

Madison Almquist is a senior at Texas State University pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Public Health with a minor in geography. She has an interest in how physical & cultural geography affect individuals’ and communities’ relationships with health outcomes and the healthcare system, especially in the rural South and Southwest where she grew up. She joined the VISTA program to enter the world of community service and explore these issues in her new home on the South Cumberland Plateau.

A Summer Associate with AmeriCorps VISTA, Brenda Brunston is a 49-year-old licensed professional counselor earning a Master of Divinity while attending seminary at the School of Theology of The University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee. Upon graduation in May of 2025, she hopes to be ordained as an Episcopal priest in her home state of Georgia. Brenda is passionate about being a healing presence to those in need and putting plans into action to meet the needs of those she serves. She has joined AmeriCorps VISTA with gratitude for a community that has provided her space to live, learn, and grow. She is committed to helping alleviate poverty and giving back to the community that has given her so much. Brenda’s mantra for the summer and beyond is Mahatma Gandhi’s “Live simply so that others may simply live.”

An AmeriCorps VISTA Summer Associate, Michael Sturdy is currently a student at the School of Theology of The University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee, where he lives with his wife and two children. He most recently hails from Dallas, Texas, and has worked in both the corporate and not-for-profit worlds. Michael grew up in an Air Force family and has a great appreciation for those who participate in federal service at any level. He comes to VISTA interested in how cultural, social, and economic systems interact to contribute to poverty at the local level, in addition to its effects on individuals living in those systems. He also firmly believes that local organizations know how to best serve their communities and appreciates the VISTA approach to partnering with the people already doing the work on the ground. He has a passion for service member care and looks forward to helping AmeriCorps members process their experiences in anti-poverty work. “People come to serve from all walks of life and experience. The people they serve might look familiar to our members or they might come from different situations and backgrounds. Either way, the service we engage in can have profound effects on us in our own development as people, and the work of engaging that is vital to our members’ growth as people.”