Campus Ministries > Meet The Staff

Dr. Gregory A. Thornbury
Vice President for Spiritual Life &
Dean of the School of Theology & Missions

• Phone: 731.661.5082
• Email: gthornbu@uu.edu
• Education: B.A., Messiah College; M.Div. & Ph.D., Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

Dr. Taylor Worley
Associate Dean for Spiritual Life &
Assistant Professor of Christian Thought & Tradition

• Phone: 731.661.5971
• Email: tworley@uu.edu
• Education: B.A., Union University; M.Div., The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary; Ph.D, University of St. Andrews

Joanna Sparks
Administrative Assistant

• Phone: 731.661.5062
• Email: jsparks@uu.edu
• Education: B.A., Union University
• After graduating in December 2009 with a degree in Spanish, Joanna began working as the Administrative Assistant to Campus Ministries. During her time at Union, Joanna was involved in Klemata, studied abroad in Guanajuato, Mexico, and worked in the Hundley Center as a Spanish tutor. She is a member of Cornerstone Community Church. She is passionate about the church, sharing the gospel, and ministering to those around her. She is excited to be a part of campus ministries and enjoys serving the faculty, staff, and students of Union. Joanna is married to Bob who teaches 7th grade language arts and reading at West Middle School.

Julie Bradfield
Director of Student Mobilization

• Phone: 731.661.5242
• Email: jbradfield@uu.edu
• Education: B.S., Union University
• Julie came to Union in the spring of 2005 to serve as the Director of Student Outreach. Prior to coming on staff at Union, she served as a Journeyman with the International Mission Board in Germany. In Germany, Julie was on a team ministering to German university students in a key college town in the former East Germany. Using her previous experience working with university students and volunteer teams in an international setting, Julie directs Union's short term missions endeavors. She provides direction for the Global Outreach Program and coordinates about 20 short-term missions projects (GO Trips) each year. Her heart for college students and mobilization play a key role as she also serves as a resource for students who are interested in local ministry opportunities as well as domestic and international missions. Since coming to Union, Julie has led five teams of Union students to minister alongside the university ministry with which she served in Germany.

Lee Wilson
Director of Spiritual Formation and Discipleship

• Phone: 731.661.5165
• Email: lwilson@uu.edu
• Education: B.A., Texas A&M University; M.Div., The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (December 2009)
• Lee serves as the Director of Spiritual Formation and Discipleship at Union University. Prior to joining the staff in January of 2008, Lee graduated with a BA in English Literature at Texas A&M and began working on his Masters of Divinity at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. While an undergraduate, Lee actively involved himself in ministry to freshmen college students, teaching Upstream Bible study and serving as director of Impact, an orientation retreat for incoming freshmen. Prior to coming on staff at Union, Lee also provided leadership to the College Ministry at Hunsinger Lane Baptist Church in Louisville, Kentucky. Lee will be overseeing programs that minister to students at Union. Lee is thrilled to be married to his lovely wife Beth and is a proud dad to daughter Abbey who was born in February 2009.

Rachel Ware
Coordinator of Church Relations Programs

• Phone: 731.661.6598
• Email: rware@uu.edu
• Education: B.A., Union University
• Rachel is a 2009 graduate of Union University, where she majored in Christian Studies and Church History. During her time at Union, she served in Residence Life for three years, the last as Resident Staff Advisor, and worked with Klemata and LIFE Groups in Campus Ministries. She also participated in several GO trips and is excited to continue supporting Campus Ministries as a staff member. Rachel currently serves as the Coordinator of Church Relations Programs in the Office of Church Relations, which seeks to cultivate relationships with local churches and those in the Tennessee Baptist Convention and Southern Baptist Convention.

David Carothers
Assistant Director of Student Mobilization

• Phone: 731.661.5571
• Email: dcarothers@uu.edu
• Education: B.S.W., Union University; M.C.S., Union University
• David Carothers, a 2003 Union graduate, joined the Campus Ministries team in August 2009. David grew up in Guatemala where his parents still serve with the International Mission Board. For the past four years, he worked at the University of Memphis where he taught Spanish and served as the office manager for Conference Planning & Operations. Having grown up on the mission field, David's involvement in missions began at an early age and he has continued to seek how God would use him to reach the nations. His experience growing up on the mission field, missions experience since then, and his desire to mobilize and equip others to reach the nations will be a huge asset to the Global Outreach program at Union. David is married to the former Nekayeh Pennington, a 2004 graduate of Union, and is the proud father of Norah Kate who was born in March 2009.