University Leadership

L. Gregory Jones is President of Belmont University. Prior to his appointment at Belmont in June of 2021, he was Dean of Duke Divinity School, a position he held for an earlier term from 1997-2010. Between 2010 and 2018, he served in a variety of roles, including vice president and vice provost for global strategy at Duke University and as provost and executive vice president of Baylor University. In addition, he has served in advisory and strategic roles with several foundations and educational institutions in the United States as well as in Armenia. Greg is a dynamic administrative leader, a gifted speaker, a noted writer, and a trusted advisor who helps leaders imagine new possibilities and shape cultures for organizational success and productivity. Greg currently serves on the boards of the John Templeton Foundation, the McDonald Agape Foundation, the Lilly Family Board of Philanthropy at Indiana University, and the India Collective.

Greg is a leader and strategist whose creative engagement has helped institutions across the world create transformational resource models. Greg’s global imagination has guided business, education and religious leaders in Africa, Asia, Eurasia, Europe, and the United States. Greg has a particular gift for incubating talent, ideas, and networks. He is passionate about re-shaping cultures within and across organizations and has coined the term “traditioned innovation” to capture how he re-frames complex challenges to seize significant opportunities. 

Known for his entrepreneurial leadership and fund-raising ability, Greg’s first tenure as dean was marked by significant growth in Duke Divinity School. More than $102 million was raised under Greg’s leadership in The Campaign for Duke (1998-2003). Major new initiatives during his tenure included Leadership Education at Duke Divinity, the Center for Reconciliation, the Thriving Rural Communities Program, the Duke Youth Academy for Christian Formation, the Clergy Health Initiative, the Reynolds Program in Church Leadership and international partnerships, especially with the Methodist Church of Southern Africa, the United Methodist Church in Cote d’Ivoire and the Center for Reconciliation’s Great Lakes Initiative which embraces the central-east African region. As Duke’s Global Strategist, he led initiatives in China and India as well as helped to engage work in Singapore. In Greg’s tenure as Dean of Duke Divinity School, he strengthened the financial trajectoryl, diversified the faculty and staff and led a strategic planning process that has garnered great enthusiasm for the future of the school.

Greg is the author or editor of 19 books, including the recently released co-authored Navigating the Future: Traditioned Innovation for Wilder Seas (with Andrew P. Hogue), Christian Social Innovation, the co-authored Forgiving As We've Been Forgiven: Community Practices for Making Peace (with Celestin Musekura), the co-authored Resurrecting Excellence (with Kevin R. Armstrong), and the widely acclaimed Embodying Forgiveness. Jones, an ordained United Methodist minister, has published more than 200 articles in a variety of publications.

Greg is married to the Rev. Dr. Susan Pendleton Jones, who has served as a campus minister, a local church pastor, and as a senior administrator at Duke Divinity School and as a consultant to the bishop’s office of the United Methodist Church in NC. Greg and Susan are the parents of three children: Nathan, Ben, and Sarah, and are grateful for their two daughters-in-law, Amy Little Jones and Allison Jones, their son-in-law Joey Fala, and their granddaughters: Clara, Audrey, and Sophie.

Dr. Susan H. West currently serves as Chief of Staff and Vice President in the Office of the President at Belmont University.  During her 29 years at Belmont, she has worked in Admissions, Special Academic Programs, and the University College.  Dr. West is a member of the Peer Learning Network of Belmont University, Nashville Chamber of Commerce Education Committee, and Women in Higher Education of Tennessee (WHET).  She was a member of the 2006 class of Leadership Middle Tennessee and the 2014-15 Leadership Nashville class. Currently she serves on the boards of Habitat for Humanity, St. Thomas Health and the Middle Tennessee State University Friends of the College of Liberal Arts.

In 2006, she was awarded the Outstanding African American Alumni Award at Middle Tennessee State University, in 2007 was an Athena Award nominee and in 2017 was awarded the Minority Access, Inc. Administrator Award for Exemplary Achievements in Expanding Opportunities for Others. Dr. West received her Doctor of Education degree from the George Peabody College of Vanderbilt University and is a graduate the Harvard Institute for Educational Management.

Lori Baker serves as Belmont's Executive Vice President for Aspirational Excellence. In this role, she leads in connecting daily operational efforts of the University to the strategic visioning work of the Office of the President. Prior to joining Belmont in January of 2023, Dr. Baker was a professor of anthropology in Baylor’s College of Arts and Sciences with a specialization in molecular and forensic analysis of skeletal remains. She also served in several leadership capacities at Baylor, including Vice Provost, VP for Strategic Initiatives, Collaborations, and Leadership Development, VP for Faculty Development and Diversity, Chair of Faculty Senate, and Faculty Regent. She holds a B.A. and an M.A. from Baylor and a Ph.D. from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

Dr. Baker is a fellow of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences and is the founder and executive director of Reuniting Families, a program that aids in the recovery, identification and repatriation of deceased migrants who perish in the United States border region. She was a finalist for “Texan of the Year” in 2014 in recognition of her leadership in this humanitarian effort. Lori has also acted as an advisor to numerous government officials and agencies both for the U.S. and abroad as well as contributed work and education for several Latin American Truth Commissions. She has been an invited speaker in many national and international venues such as the Peace Palace in the The Hague, as part of the International Commission on Missing Persons Conference and Amnesty International. Published in national and international journals, her work has been featured by such media as National Geographic, Scientific American, Discover Magazine, the Washington Post, USA Today, the Wall Street Journal, NPR, BBC and MSNBC, among others.  

Dr. David Gregory was named Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Excellence in September of 2022. Dr. Gregory joined Belmont in 2018 as Dean of the College of Pharmacy. Prior to his time at Belmont, he served as an associate dean at the University of Mississippi’s School of Pharmacy. At Ole Miss, Dr. Gregory’s responsibilities included leadership of approximately 800 students in both the pre-professional and professional degree programs along with strategic and visionary planning in the ongoing development of policies, programs, curriculum and clinical practice that align with the educational mission of the School.

Dr. Gregory earned a bachelor’s of science and a Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of Mississippi. Prior to joining Ole Miss in 2013, he spent a significant portion of his career in Nashville with positions of increasing responsibility with Vanderbilt University Medical Center. From 2008-2013, he served as VUMC’s director of pharmacy for education, drug policy, research and clinical pharmacy services within the Department of Pharmaceutical Services. During his time in Nashville, Dr. Gregory also contributed time to the Belmont College of Pharmacy External Advisory Committee.

In addition to his professional duties, Dr. Gregory also currently serves as an accreditation surveyor for the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) and is a member of the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) Workforce and Education Council. He received the 2009 University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy’s Distinguished Alumnus Award, the 2011 Belmont University College of Pharmacy Professional Stewardship Award and the 1997 Vanderbilt Hospital Pharmacist of the Year Award, among other accolades.

Jason B. Rogers serves as Vice President for Administration and University Counsel at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee. In this capacity, he is responsible for Belmont's legal affairs as well as its government and community relations, risk management, insurance, campus security and Title IX compliance functions. Jason joined Belmont University in 1998 after 10 years of practicing law in Nashville. While in private practice, he advised and represented nonprofit corporations including numerous colleges and universities. Jason has earned academic degrees from Baylor University (B.A., with honors), Vanderbilt University (J.D.) and the University of Pennsylvania (Ed.D. with distinction). While at Vanderbilt, Jason was a member of the National Moot Court team and earned the American Jurisprudence Award for Excellence in First Amendment Law. At the University of Pennsylvania, his research focused on the impact of religious mission on the civic engagement initiatives of urban universities in the northeastern United States.

Dr. Rogers is admitted to practice law in Tennessee (active) and Texas (inactive) as well as before the United States District Courts for the Middle District of Tennessee, Northern District of Georgia and the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. He is a fellow in the Nashville Bar Foundation, active in service to the National Association of College and University Attorneys, and a former member of the Legal Advisory Committee of United Educators’ Risk Retention Group.

A 32 year resident of Nashville, Jason is committed to the local community and charitable activities including current and past service on the board of directors of The Sycamore Institute, The Next Door,  The Healing Trust, and Nashville Family Shelter as well as service to Leadership Nashville, the Parent Advisory Council of Metro Nashville Public Schools and Nashville’s First Baptist Church.

Scott Corley serves as Belmont's Vice President, Director of Athletics. Corley joined Belmont as the Director of Athletics in 2016 after a stint as a senior vice president of corporate banking at FirstBank.

A 1990 Belmont graduate and one of the most decorated student-athletes in program history, Corley has helped the Bruin athletic program enjoy overwhelming success.

Belmont has won 43 conference championships (16 team, 27 individual) and earned 15 NCAA Tournament invitations during Corley's tenure, including women's basketball's victory over Gonzaga in the 2021 NCAA Women's Basketball Championship.

This past year, 10 of Belmont's 15 participating athletic teams (men's and women's indoor track & field did not compete) placed first or second in conference standings or had an NCAA postseason qualifier.

Furthermore, Belmont University claimed a conference academic achievement award for the 18th time in the last 20 years, with a league-high seven teams earning team academic achievement awards.

Corley also navigated Belmont's transition into the Crockett Center for Athletic Excellence this past May, and serves on the Division I-AAA Athletics Directors Association (ADA) leadership team.

"Athletics – the staff, the coaches and the student athletes – have helped write Belmont's history up until now, are a significant part of who we are today, and will play an important role in shaping our future," Jones said of Corley. "As such I can think of no more appropriate action than to have Scott's exceptional voice and vision represented in leading the University from this point forward."

Recent coaching hires have also thrived early on at Belmont, most notably with women's basketball head coach Bart Brooks being named 2018 WBCA Maggie Dixon Coach of the Year and becoming one of the fastest head coaches to 100 career wins in college basketball history.

Moreover, Corley has spearheaded new athletic department initiatives, including a program-wide deal with Under Armour as the official outfitter of the Bruins and a rebrand of the Bruin Club, the athletic department fundraising arm.

Corley brings over 25 years of business experience within the Nashville community. Most recently, Corley spent four-plus years in senior leadership at FirstBank, engaging in business development with some of the most successful companies in middle Tennessee.

Prior to his time at FirstBank, Corley served as managing director for corporate banking at Regions Bank for five years. He held a similar capacity at SunTrust Bank from 1991-2007, overseeing middle Tennessee, east Tennessee, and sparking the company’s foothold in Kentucky markets, such as Louisville and Lexington.

Corley has served as the head of corporate membership on the executive committee of the Nashville Sports Council since 2014 and is Belmont University’s representative on the Ohio Valley Conference Alumni Board. He also contributed to the Belmont University Alumni Board from 2009-14 and the Nashville Health Care Council from 2013-14.

In 1986, Corley was the first men’s basketball signee for head coach Rick Byrd. The shooting guard went on to lead Belmont to 90 victories over four seasons and the program’s first-ever NAIA National Tournament berth in 1989. The then-Rebels won the 1988 Tennessee Collegiate Athletic Conference (TCAC) title and the 1989 NAIA District 24 championship.

Corley is one of only eight players in the history of Belmont Basketball to score over 2,000 career points, ranking sixth all-time (2,062). While former Belmont All-American and NBA Champion Ian Clark (’13) holds the Bruins’ NCAA Division I era record for career three-point field goals (340), Corley’s astonishing mark of 420 made three-pointers may never be broken.

The southpaw also took part in one of the most iconic games in the history of Nashville sports, when on Feb. 17, 1990 Belmont and Lipscomb played before an overflow crowd of 16,000 at Vanderbilt University’s Memorial Gymnasium.

Corley, a two-time NAIA Academic-All American (1989, 1990) and Belmont Athletic Hall of Fame Class of 2000 inductee, earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration from Belmont before receiving his master’s degree in business administration from Samford University.

A native of Brentwood, Tennessee, Corley is married to the former Keely Gourley. The couple has two children, Karson and Kennedy.

Dr. Amy Crook serves as Vice President for Transformative Innovation, Character and Purpose, working closely with the President while collaborating with other Senior Leaders, college Deans and faculty/staff. In this position, she focuses on internal relationship building and transformative interdisciplinary collaborations while fostering an entrepreneurial mindset across the campus to integrate student learning, scholarship and opportunities for social innovation. Responsibilities include facilitating curricular and co-curricular efforts to enhance students’ sense of purpose and character formation and removing barriers that tend to stifle worthy but nontraditional projects/partnerships within academic institutions. Additionally, she continues to teach one course per year to stay connected to the faculty and student experiences in the classroom.

Crook, who completed a term as president of Belmont’s Faculty Senate in May 2021, has been a faculty member in the Massey College of Business since 2012 teaching courses in Management and Organization Behavior as well as in Study Abroad programs. She is believed to be the first Asian American to join Belmont’s Senior Leadership team. She is a frequent author, speaker and consultant on organizational culture and behavior, team dynamics and student learning.

The faculty advisor for the campus’ Asian American Association, HOPE Council and Korean Music Business Society, Crook is highly regarded among peers and students, receiving the Most Inspirational Professor Award three times (Massey Graduate School of Business) and Student Organization Advisor of the Year award in 2021 as well as being a finalist for the 2021 Presidential Faculty Achievement Award. After receiving her A.B. in Psychology at Duke University, Crook obtained both her Master’s and Ph.D. in Psychology from Rice University.

Josh Yates is Executive Director of the Transformational Innovation Hub at Belmont University and Founder and CEO of the national nonprofit, Thriving Cities Group. Trained as a cultural and community sociologist, Dr. Yates weaves together two decades of academic research and socially-based practice in an on-going investigation of what it means and takes to thrive in contemporary community contexts.

As a scholar, he has pursued both the moral and cultural evolution of the ideal of human thriving and the changing social and institutional realities that make thriving more or less possible in the contemporary world. He has sought out its origins in the great moral and theological traditions from which we have inherited our modern preoccupations with human happiness, dignity, and rights. He has pursued it in the context of American history by charting how our cultural understandings of thriving have been evolving from the Puritans down to the present. He has studied how Western ideals of human thriving have been brought to every corner of the earth through the missions of international humanitarian and human rights organizations, and how a technocratic vision of human thriving is today being propagated through the rise of "smart," technologically-enhanced cities globally. 

As a social practitioner, he has endeavored to translate the insights of this research into practical frameworks and tools that equip leaders and organizations to understand their contexts and cultivate thriving civic ecosystems. This includes the development of the Human Ecology Framework, a holistic lens for identifying the critical community endowments upon which thriving depends; Community Craft, a curriculum series designed to train community leaders in the art of building thriving communities; and a series of civic software tools, including The Indicator Explorer, a web-based tool for discerning how to measure community thriving, and RoundTable, a data platform that builds intelligence for community building and problem solving. Most recently, he is the co-author of the Field Guide for Urban University-Community Partnerships, the first ever national survey of how American universities and colleges are engaging their local communities and trying to reestablish their social value to a questioning public.

Dr. Adam Pace currently serves as Director of Be Well BU, the comprehensive wellness initiative of Belmont University. He also serves as pathway catalyst for Integrative Health and Well-Being in the Office of the President. In these roles, he coordinates health and wellness promotion for all students, faculty, and staff. Be Well BU is the Quality Enhancement Project for the university's SACSCOC accreditation, and Dr. Pace's role is to ensure excellence in the execution of this program. This involves collaboration with many different campus departments and leadership of the interdisciplinary Well Board. 

Prior to serving in these roles, Dr. Pace served as a faculty member in the Belmont University College of Pharmacy for ten years. He taught various topics related to community pharmacy. During that time, he also served as a pharmacy manager. In this role, he hosted pharmacy students as an Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience site. He also served as a mentor to numerous work study and job shadow students. In his faculty work, Dr. Pace was extensively involved in the College of Pharmacy, serving in leadership roles in multiple faculty committees over the years. His scholarly work in the area of self-stigma of depression has yielded insights that serve well in fostering a culture of mental health on campus.

View Dr. Pace's Curriculum Vitae

Dr. Susan H. West currently serves as Chief of Staff and Vice President in the Office of the President at Belmont University.  During her 29 years at Belmont, she has worked in Admissions, Special Academic Programs, and the University College.  Dr. West is a member of the Peer Learning Network of Belmont University, Nashville Chamber of Commerce Education Committee, and Women in Higher Education of Tennessee (WHET).  She was a member of the 2006 class of Leadership Middle Tennessee and the 2014-15 Leadership Nashville class. Currently she serves on the boards of Habitat for Humanity, St. Thomas Health and the Middle Tennessee State University Friends of the College of Liberal Arts.

In 2006, she was awarded the Outstanding African American Alumni Award at Middle Tennessee State University, in 2007 was an Athena Award nominee and in 2017 was awarded the Minority Access, Inc. Administrator Award for Exemplary Achievements in Expanding Opportunities for Others. Dr. West received her Doctor of Education degree from the George Peabody College of Vanderbilt University and is a graduate the Harvard Institute for Educational Management.

As Vice President for Special Projects and Strategic Partnerships, Sarah Cates works closely with the President and Senior Leadership team to identify high-impact opportunities that set the university apart and serve students in unique ways while bringing the institution local, national and global brand attention. In this role she articulates Belmont’s vision, mission and values with internal and external stakeholders; proactively identifies growth areas and partnerships; and serves as an external representative of the President as needed locally and beyond, among other responsibilities. Cates draws on her extensive relationships in the music industry and the arts to cultivate relationships that can help highlight Belmont’s commitment to beauty as well as goodness and truth.

In her previous roles at Belmont, Cates’ impact was felt in a number of areas as highlighted accomplishments included playing a key role in the We Believe campaign raising philanthropic support for the University and delivering high impact events that connected Belmont more deeply to the community, particularly the music industry. Prior to her work in Development, Cates worked within the Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business since its inception in 2003, most recently as senior director overseeing all elements of external relationships, student enrichment, extension programs and partnerships.

Beyond her work on campus, Cates is an active volunteer in Nashville, giving her time to numerous nonprofit organizations. She currently serves as chair of the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame Board and is a Board member of The Store. A Leadership Music graduate, she was recognized three-times in the Nashville Business Journal’s Women in Music City coverage and is a winner of Belmont’s Herbert C. Gabhart Award, the highest campus recognition of staff excellence. Cates received a B.B.A in Music Business and a Master’s in Organizational Leadership and Communication, both from Belmont.