Meet Our Team
 Kate Hanbery Title IX Coordinator
Director of Prevention, Education, and Response
Kate is a two-time UNA alumna with a Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice, Political Science, and Legal Studies and a Master’s degree in Professional Studies. She has worked at UNA since 2011 and served as a judicial aid for three years at the Lauderdale County Courthouse. Contact Kate:
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John Gurley joined UNA in December 2019 and quickly became part of the Title IX team, assisting with investigations in several cases. In December 2021, John joined the Office of Title as a University Investigator and Deputy Title IX Coordinator. John serves as the lead investigator in most Title IX matters.
Prior to joining UNA, John was employed with the federal government and taught as an adjunct instructor at several colleges. John's educational background includes an M.A. in Rehabilitation Counseling and a Ph.D. in Counselor Education. John has a passion for helping others and enjoys working with college students. John is a native of the Shoals area where he resides with his wife and two children.
Contact John:
jgurley3@una.edu
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Patty Apkarian joined UNA in 2020 as the Senior Administrative Assistant for the Offices of Student Conduct, Title IX, and the University Case Manager. Patty serves as the first point of contact for those who call or visit the Office of Title IX.
Grievance Process Pool
The Formal Grievance Process relies on a pool of administrators (“the Pool”) to carry out the process. The pool can be made up of internal or external trained third-party neutral professionals.
Members of the Pool are trained annually, and can serve in in the following roles, at the direction of the Title IX Coordinator:
The current members of the Pool, in addition to full time staff within the Office of Title IX, include the following individuals:
| Dr. Doug Barrett | Dr. Lee Renfroe |
| Dr. Jeff Bibbee | Todd Vardaman |
| Jose Figueroa-Cifuentes | Anna Leigh Vaccaro |
| Dr. Nick Gordon | Christian Walker |
| Dr. Felecia Harris | Dr. Rachel Winston |
| Dr. Ansley Quiros | Catherine White |
Employees who are interested in serving in the Pool are encouraged to contact the Title IX
Coordinator. All interested parties, even those who have previously served in similar roles, are subject to an application process. This process is designed to ensure no member of the pool is biased toward or against Respondents or Complainants generally. A bias toward or against Respondents or Complainants generally can be grounds for removal from the Pool.
If selected for any role other than an advisor, it is required pursuant to federal regulations that the employee receive extensive training. If an employee is interested in serving in a role as an advisor, the employee is still encouraged to contact the Title IX Coordinator in order to receive training on University policy and procedures.
Advisors
The following University employees have been trained on the UNA Title IX Grievance Process and the role of an Advisor. Any party (Complainant or Respondent) is able to reach out to these individuals and inquire about their availability to serve as an advisor in a pending Title IX matter.| Daryl Brown; Professor, English | 256-765-4494 | dwbrown@una.edu |
| Chris James; Associate Professor, Instructional Leadership; Director, Educator Preparation, College of Education & Human Sciences | 256-765-4852 | cljames@una.edu |
| Pamela Kingsbury; Senior Lecturer, English | 256-765-4890 | pjkingsbury@una.edu |
| Stephanie Montgomery; Senior Lecturer, Communications | 256-765-5094 | slmontgomery@una.edu |
| Suzanna Taylor; Senior Lecturer, Criminal Justice | 256-765-5742 | staylor@una.edu |