College Town Talk

College Town Talk

College Town Talk is a podcast from Tennessee Tech University in partnership with the Cookeville-Putnam County Visitors Bureau. Each week, hosts Jonathan Frank and Shan Stout introduce listeners to Tech faculty, staff and students – as well as successful Tech alumni, local business owners and civic leaders – who are making a difference and living Wings Up in their community.

Episodes

College Town Talk, Episode 89 - Dr. Amy Hill

August 3, 2026 • 24 mins
This week on College Town Talk, we sit down with Dr. Amy Hill, lecturer in Tennessee Tech's College of Emerging and Integrative Studies, three-time Tech graduate and a 2022 recipient of the university's Outstanding Professional Award. Dr. Hill reflects on her more than 25-year journey at Tech, discusses a student service-learning project that transformed a bedroom at the Cookeville Rescue Mission and shares the inspiration behind ...
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College Town Talk, Episode 88 - Matt Swallows

July 28, 2026 • 23 mins
This week on College Town Talk, we catch up with former Cookeville Mayor Matt Swallows, a Tennessee Tech alumnus, former Golden Eagle football player and the president and COO of Swallows Insurance Agency. Matt reflects on his years leading Tennessee's College Town, shares his perspective on local government and discusses the lessons he's learned from a lifetime of serving the Upper Cumberland. In our interview, Matt also looks ba...
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College Town Talk, Episode 87 - Dr. Thomas Payne

July 21, 2026 • 28 mins
This week on College Town Talk, Jonathan and Shan sit down with Dr. Thomas Payne, dean of the Tennessee Tech College of Business. Since becoming dean in 2015, Dr. Payne has helped lead the college to its highest enrollment in a decade, overseen the addition of new, sought-after programs of study and presided over a renewed emphasis on experiential learning — with more than 90% of students in the college participating in résum...
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College Town Talk, Episode 86 - Jimmy Guadalupe

July 15, 2026 • 23 mins
This week on College Town Talk, Jonathan and Shan welcome Jimmy Guadalupe, Tennessee Tech’s newly appointed student trustee and a rising senior majoring in business management and business information and technology. Jimmy reflects on being unanimously confirmed by the university’s Board of Trustees, discusses why supporting student mental health will be a priority during his one-year term and shares his experience nav...
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College Town Talk, Episode 85 - Dr. Lauren Harding

July 8, 2026 • 21 mins
This week on College Town Talk, Jonathan and Shan sit down with Dr. Lauren Harding, associate professor of political science at Tennessee Tech. As our country celebrates its 250th anniversary, Dr. Harding shares insights from her research on trust in government and discusses how she and her family are experiencing the best of America through their mission to visit every U.S. National Park Site. Plus, Dr. Harding tells us about pai...
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College Town Talk, Episode 84 - Margo Dirkson

June 16, 2026 • 23 mins
This week on College Town Talk, Jonathan and Shan sit down with Margo Dirkson, department coordinator in Tennessee Tech’s Office of Access, Belonging and Community Outreach and a doctoral student in Tech’s new Ph.D. in higher education program. Margo shares why she chose to pursue a doctorate while balancing a full-time career and extensive volunteer service, what it means to help students find a sense of belonging on ...
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College Town Talk, Episode 83 - Dr. Erin Hoover

June 10, 2026 • 22 mins
This week on College Town Talk, we sit down with Dr. Erin Hoover, associate professor of English at Tennessee Tech and the first-ever poet laureate for the City of Cookeville. In this episode, Dr. Hoover discusses how Tech’s English Department is thoughtfully incorporating AI into the classroom while helping students strengthen their writing skills, think critically and develop their own creative voices. She also shares her...
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College Town Talk, Episode 82 - Dr. Joshua Martin

June 3, 2026 • 23 mins
This week on College Town Talk, guest co-host Jamie Fancher returns for a conversation with Dr. Joshua Martin, a Tennessee Tech alumnus who now serves as assistant professor of Spanish. Dr. Martin is also the recipient of Tech’s 2024-25 Scholastic Research Award and author of the new book, "Masculinity, Coloniality, and the US-Mexico Border in Literature and Political Culture." In our interview, Dr. Martin reflects on what ...
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College Town Talk, Episode 81 - Dr. Julie Baker

May 26, 2026 • 24 mins
This week on College Town Talk, guest co-host Jamie Fancher joins us for a conversation with Dr. Julie Baker, a three-time Tennessee Tech graduate who now serves as dean of the College of Graduate Studies and associate provost at Tech. As she approaches her 20th anniversary at Tech, Dr. Baker reflects on her early years as a high school teacher, shares favorite campus memories and gives us a glimpse into what it’s really lik...
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College Town Talk, Episode 80 - Adam Poe

May 5, 2026 • 24 mins
This week on College Town Talk, Jonathan and Shan catch up with Adam Poe, a 2011 Tennessee Tech graduate who now serves as vice president of the Highlands Economic Partnership. In our interview, Adam discusses Tech’s role in driving economic development across the region and reflects on the lasting impact of his involvement as a Tech student with Kappa Sigma fraternity—an experience that ultimately led him to serve as ...
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College Town Talk, Episode 79 - Callie Smith

April 28, 2026 • 23 mins
This week on College Town Talk, Jonathan and Shan introduce listeners to Callie Smith, a senior at Tennessee Tech and Morgan County native double majoring in communications and marketing.  Callie is also a former Tech Trailblazer — Tech students who provide personalized campus tours for prospective students and their families — and the former sports editor for The Oracle, Tech’s student newspaper. While sti...
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College Town Talk, Episode 78 - Dr. Jeannette Luna

April 20, 2026 • 23 mins
This week on College Town Talk, Jonathan and Shan sit down with Dr. Jeannette Luna, assistant dean of research and graduate studies in the College of Arts & Sciences at Tennessee Tech. Dr. Luna was recently selected by NASA as a participating scientist on the first Artemis lunar surface science team — a small, elite group of researchers supporting the agency’s upcoming crewed mission to land astronauts near the moo...
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College Town Talk, Episode 77 - Sam Brooks

April 13, 2026 • 24 mins
This week on College Town Talk, Jonathan and guest co-host Susan Luna-Hazlewood are joined by Sam Brooks, a two-time Tennessee Tech graduate and president of the Tech Football Quarterback Club.  Sam has been an educator in the Upper Cumberland for more than 30 years, ranging from his early days as a biology teacher at Cookeville High School and Upperman High School, to his role today as Upper Cumberland regional dir...
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College Town Talk, Episode 76 - Dr. Nancy Hamilton

April 8, 2026 • 22 mins
This week on College Town Talk, Jonathan and guest co-host Susan Luna-Hazlewood are joined by Dr. Nancy Hamilton, a two-time Tennessee Tech graduate and chair-elect of Tech’s Alumni Association Board of Directors. Dr. Hamilton also serves as a Roane County commissioner and as program director for college success at Roane State Community College. In the interview, Dr. Hamilton reflects on her path to higher education leadersh...
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College Town Talk, Episode 75 - Thomas Lynn

March 30, 2026 • 25 mins
This week on College Town Talk, we’re joined by guest co-host Susan Luna-Hazlewood, executive director of Tennessee Tech’s Crawford Alumni Center, for a special conversation with Thomas Lynn—a two-time Tech graduate, member of Tech’s Board of Trustees and chairman of the board for First National Bank of Tennessee. Thomas is also a generous philanthropist who helped establish Mustard Seed Ranch, a home for c...
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College Town Talk, Episode 74 - Rachel Smalling

March 17, 2026 • 22 mins
This week on College Town Talk, Jonathan and Shan sit down with Rachel Smalling, a 2014 Tennessee Tech graduate and classically trained cellist who went on to become a successful local entrepreneur. Today, Rachel performs with the Orfeo String Quartet and owns two local hotels and a popular cocktail lounge. She is also helping protect and enhance Cookeville’s vibrant downtown as president of the Cookeville Downtown Deve...
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College Town Talk, Episode 73 - Dr. Colin Hill

March 9, 2026 • 23 mins
This week on College Town Talk, Jonathan and Shan catch up with Dr. Colin Hill, director of the School of Music at Tennessee Tech. Dr. Hill is a sought-after percussionist who has presented concerts and events throughout the United States, Europe, Africa and Asia. Here in Cookeville, he is also a musician and board member with the Bryan Symphony Orchestra. In our interview, Dr. Hill tells us about the unique path that led him to T...
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College Town Talk, Episode 72 - Braxton Westbrook

February 23, 2026 • 23 mins
This week on College Town Talk, Jonathan and Shan sit down with Braxton Westbrook, a Tennessee Tech student pursuing a master’s degree in computer science after graduating magna cum laude in May 2024. Braxton also serves as the student trustee on Tech’s Board of Trustees, representing nearly 11,000 students on the university’s governing body. He shares insights from his experience working alongside fellow trustees...
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College Town Talk, Episode 71- Emily Thomas

February 16, 2026 • 23 mins
This week on College Town Talk, Jonathan and Shan visit with Emily Thomas, a senior in Tennessee Tech's College of Business, Cookeville native, and third-generation Golden Eagle. Emily tells us about her busy schedule on and off-campus - including an internship at the Upper Cumberland Tourism Association and her role on the College of Business social media team. Plus, she explains how she is pursuing her master's degree even as she...
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College Town Talk, Episode 70- Dr. Susan Miranda

February 10, 2026 • 23 mins
This week on College Town Talk, we’re joined by Dr. Susan Miranda, executive director of the Bryan Symphony Orchestra - the Upper Cumberland’s professional symphony, which is celebrating its 62nd season in partnership with the Tennessee Tech School of Music.  Susan shares about her background as a renowned oboist, her recent move to Tennessee after many years in the Midwest, and her efforts to visit all of our nat...
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