Lenoir-Rhyne recognizes 2026 retirees and emerita honorees

Lenoir-Rhyne University honors the distinguished faculty and staff members who have retired or earned emeritus status in 2026. Their careers represent decades of faithful service, intellectual leadership and deep commitment to generations of Lenoir-Rhyne students. Across teaching and scholarship, academic leadership, student support, and campus life, these individuals have helped shape not only the lives of generations of students, but also the character, culture and enduring strength of the university itself.

The Lenoir-Rhyne Board of Trustees also granted emeritus status to two Lenoir-Rhyne University faculty members this year, recognizing their distinguished service and enduring contributions to the academic life of the university.

“Lenoir-Rhyne is deeply grateful for the extraordinary service of these faculty and staff members, whose careers reflect the very best of our university’s mission and values,” said Summer McGee, Ph.D., president of Lenoir-Rhyne University. “Their dedication to students, their commitment to excellence and their care for this community have helped prepare generations of LR graduates for meaningful lives and work. On behalf of the university, I extend my profound appreciation for all they have given to Lenoir-Rhyne and for the lasting impact they will continue to have on our institution.”

Gordon Cappelletty, Ph.D.

Associate professor of psychology

Gordon Cappelletty joined the Lenoir-Rhyne faculty in 2011 after serving for a decade as an adjunct professor in the university’s counseling program. Before entering higher education full time, he built a career in clinical psychology and community mental health, including work with the California juvenile court system and Mental Health Services of Catawba County. There, he created Family NET, a program integrating medical, psychological and social welfare approaches to support children experiencing significant emotional and mental health challenges.

At LR, Cappelletty became known for combining scholarship, mentorship and experiential learning opportunities for students. His research interests included resiliency in children who have experienced abuse or neglect as well as the role of religious belief in moral decision-making and life choices. Throughout his career, he involved students directly in research projects, helping them present work at regional and national psychology conferences across the country.

Beyond the classroom, Cappelletty also led multiple study abroad experiences in Italy, helping students engage directly with Italian culture, psychology and healthcare systems. Through those programs, students met with clinicians, professors and authors connected to their coursework while gaining broader cultural perspectives valuable to careers in psychology, counseling and social services.

In 2017, Cappelletty received the Lenoir-Rhyne Faculty Scholar Award, recognizing outstanding contributions to his discipline and commitment to student learning.

Toni Oakes, Ed.D.

Professor of occupational therapy, emerita posthumous

Toni Smith Oakes, Ed.D., dedicated nearly three decades to preparing future occupational therapists while building a reputation for warmth, encouragement and deep commitment to her students.

After careers in hospitals, rehabilitation centers and school systems across Virginia, South Carolina and North Carolina, Oakes joined the Lenoir-Rhyne faculty in 1996. Her expertise in pediatric occupational therapy and passion for teaching quickly made her a beloved mentor within the program. Former students frequently recalled her infectious laugh, creative teaching style and ability to make students feel supported both academically and personally.

Beyond the classroom, Oakes became a meaningful part of campus life through her long service as faculty advisor for Theta Xi Fraternity, where students affectionately referred to her as “Mama Oakes.” Following her death in March 2025, students and colleagues covered her office door with messages remembering the impact she made through her kindness, mentorship and joy.

The occupational therapy community at LR continues to honor Oakes’ legacy through the many students she inspired during her career. In recognition of her contributions to the university and the profession, she was awarded emerita status posthumously.

Becky Sharpe

Administrative associate in the Office of Student Experience  

Becky Sharpe has spent decades supporting students and campus operations while continuing a family connection to Lenoir-Rhyne that stretches back to the university’s earliest years.

Sharpe first joined LR as a residence director in 1983 before returning in 1993 after several years away from campus. Since 1998, she has served in student life, supporting the dean of students and helping oversee the daily operations that shape student experiences outside the classroom. Over the years, generations of students have come to know Sharpe as a steady and welcoming presence on campus, while colleagues across multiple administrations have relied on her institutional knowledge and experience during periods of transition and growth.

Her contributions to student life have been recognized through both the Jeff Norris Staff Employee of the Year Award and the Student Government Association Award, honors celebrating her commitment to student well-being and campus community. Sharpe is also a member of the LR Servus Universitas Society, recognizing employees with at least 25 years of continuous service to the university.

For Sharpe, LR has always been more than a workplace. Her family’s connection to the university spans multiple generations, including grandparents, parents and great-grandfather Robert Anderson Yoder, one of the university’s founders and LR’s first president from 1891 to 1901. Through her own years of service, Sharpe became part of that continuing history while helping students find a sense of belonging and support.

Caryn Sumic

Library specialist for circulation and materials services

For more than two decades, Caryn Sumic helped shape the daily life of Rudisill Library not only through her work behind the scenes, but through the community she fostered among generations of student workers.

Since 2001, Sumic has overseen the hiring, training and scheduling of library student employees, becoming one of the most familiar faces in the library for countless students balancing coursework, campus involvement and part-time employment during their years at LR. Students and colleagues alike have consistently described her as a supportive and welcoming presence whose care extended far beyond schedules and day-to-day operations.

Under her guidance, the library became more than a workplace for many student employees. It became a second home — a place where friendships formed, students learned responsibility and teamwork, and younger workers found encouragement and support during stressful moments in college life. While much of her work happened quietly behind the scenes, its impact was felt throughout the university community through the warm and collaborative atmosphere she helped create within one of campus’s most important shared spaces.

Kerry Thompson, Ph.D.

Dean of health sciences and Glenn and Addie Ketner Family Nursing Professor, emerita

Kerry Thompson, Ph.D., helped shape the growth and reputation of Lenoir-Rhyne’s health sciences programs through decades of leadership, teaching and professional service.

A specialist in critical care nursing, Thompson’s research focused on patients experiencing uncertainty related to congestive heart failure. Alongside her academic work, she played a major role in expanding opportunities for nursing education at LR, helping develop the university’s Master of Science in Nursing Administration and Education programs as well as the Regionally Increasing Baccalaureate Nursing (RIBN) initiative.

Beyond campus, Thompson served as an accreditor for the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, traveling nationally to evaluate nursing programs and support excellence within the profession. Her leadership and service were recognized in 2014 when she received the Roediger Distinguished Service Professorship, an honor presented annually in recognition of distinguished contributions to the university, profession and community.

Through her work as an educator, administrator and mentor, Thompson helped strengthen LR’s role as a leading educator of healthcare professionals in western North Carolina. Her leadership supported the expansion of nursing education programs and has positioned the College of Health Sciences for continued growth.

Jeff Vahlbusch, Ph.D.

Founding dean of the Fritz Honors College

Joining the LR faculty in 2023, Jeff Vahlbusch, Ph.D., brought decades of experience in honors leadership to the planning and implementation of the Fritz Honors College. He previously served as inaugural dean of the Honors College at Appalachian State University and director of the University Honors Program at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. At LR, he met the challenge of bringing together multiple honors initiatives under a unified structure with a student-centered approach. Vahlbusch consistently emphasized an inclusive vision of honors education, encouraging students and faculty to pursue opportunities that expanded both academic and personal horizons.  

During his time at LR, members of the university community earned national recognition through highly competitive scholarship programs. In 2025, Melanie Mora ’25 received the Benjamin A. Gilman Scholarship to study abroad in Korea, while Demmi Ramos ’25 earned a Barry Goldwater Scholarship supporting climate research. Vahlbusch also supported art professor Claire Pope, M.A., MFA, through the Fulbright application process as she pursued a 2026 research and study opportunity in Ireland.

Under Vahlbusch’s leadership, the Fritz Honors College built a foundation centered on ambitious scholarship, inclusive opportunity and national engagement that will continue shaping the program in the years ahead.