"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world."

Nelson Mandela

Dr. Nancy Surrett Gregg joined King University's School of Education faculty as of August, 2014, and will be serving students at King's Hardin Valley campus in Knoxville. She is an 8th generation East Tennessean and a lifelong native of this beautiful region. A graduate of Loudon High School, she earned her Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville and began her career as a 1st and 2nd grade teacher. During her time in the classroom, her love for working with children and youth prompted her to want to do more to counsel students. As a result, she earned a Master of Arts degree in Educational Psychology and Counseling from Tennessee Technological University in Cookeville. She served as a school counselor/teacher in grades K-8, where she blended counseling through the creative arts and teaching skills to provide a wide variety of learning experiences for her students.

Dr. Gregg’s continuing quest for new challenges within the world of education led her to leave public schools and become Project Director for Hiwassee College’s Upward Bound program, a U.S. Department of Education Title IV grant program. Her desire to improve her knowledge in administration led her to Lincoln Memorial University where she earned an Educational Specialist degree in Educational Administration and Supervision. 

In 1999, Dr. Gregg began working with a variety of U. S. Department of Education grant projects at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK). During her time at UTK, she managed multiple grant projects, wrote grant proposals, and earned her Doctor of Philosophy degree in Educational Psychology with a specialization in Collaborative Learning. She is a frequent presenter on strategies to support academic aspirations of low-income students who are potentially the first ones in their families to enter college. She has been a contributing writer to multiple publications, including Finding Funding: Grantwriting From Start to Finish (5th Edition), 2008. Dr. Gregg also serves as a peer reviewer for the U.S. Department of Education in selected grant funding competitions. Her specialty areas include multicultural education, educational partnerships, grant writing, and instructional methods.  Her training as a ropes course facilitator and experiential learning facilitator are also important components within her instructional strategies and practices at every level, from elementary to post secondary teaching.

Dr. Gregg is an avid traveler and has done short-term mission work in Costa Rica, Guatemala, Haiti, Liberia, Kingdom of Tonga, and Zimbabwe, as well as in the southeast regions of the U.S. She has also enjoyed extensive travel experiences throughout Europe, Central America, Australia, and New Zealand. At her previous faculty post, she planned and facilitated multiple mission trips for college students both in the U.S. and in Central America. She plans to work with her King University colleagues to develop additional opportunities for students to engage in service-learning and mission-related projects within educational settings, along with opportunities for study abroad experiences.

            Degree Awarded:       Doctor of Philosophy

            Major: Educational Psychology              Specialization: Collaborative Learning

            Dissertation: Utilizing Experiential Collaboration to Enhance Facilitation Skills    

            Degree Awarded:    Educational Specialist

            Major:  Educational Administration & Supervision

            Degree Awarded:    Master of Arts

            Major:  Educational Psychology and Counseling

            Degree Awarded:    Bachelor of Science in Education with Honors

            Major:  Art Education                                                  Minor:  History

• Tennessee Higher Education Commission Diversity in Teaching Program – Lead writer for grant proposal submitted May, 2013, on behalf of Tennessee Wesleyan College
• Tennessee Department of Human Services, 2007-2011 – United States Department of Agriculture Summer Food Service Program Grant Applications; funding awarded for 3 University of Tennessee Upward Bound Summer Programs each year
• U. S. Department of Education Talent Search, December, 2010 –Lead writer for proposal submitted on behalf of the University of Tennessee
• Promise Neighborhoods Grant Application, June, 2010 – Lead writer for proposal submitted on behalf of the University of Tennessee
• Encyclopedia of Online Learning, 2011 -- (Editor: Wang, Victor.); Co-Author of Chapter with Dr. Ernest W. Brewer – Adapting Adult Learning Theories for Online Learning
• Encyclopedia of Research Design – Brewer, E., & Headlee, N. (2010). In N. Salkind (Ed.), Encyclopedia of research design. (pp. 1122-1131). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications
• Finding Funding: Grantwriting From Start to Finish – Contributing author, 2008, with Dr. Ernest W. Brewer; ISBN-10: 1412960002
• U.S. Department of Labor/NJATC Grant Proposal – Lead writer, 2008; training grant proposal

• Smoky Mountain Counseling Association Workshop, Jefferson City, TN – Approved to present at conference on February 15, 2014; Presentation -- Succeeding in College: What Students REALLY Need to Know
• Appalachian College Association Summit, Knoxville, TN – October 26, 2013; What We Learned in Chicago: An Immersion into Urban Education and the Latino Culture for Preservice Teachers; presented in conjunction with Dr. Betsy Burrows, Brevard College, Brevard, NC
• International Town & Gown Association, Richmond, KY – June 4-8, 2012 at the ITGA Annual Conference; College and Community Partnerships – Keys to Success.
• University of Tennessee, Department of Counselor Education, Knoxville, TN – February, 2011; class workshop for Master’s and Doctoral students; Adventure-based Counseling: Theories and Activities for Counseling Professionals.
• Tennessee & Kentucky Associations of Special Programs, Gatlinburg, TN – October 21, 2010; Creating a Supportive Workplace Culture.
• Tennessee School Counselor and Administrator Leadership Institute, Murfreesboro, TN – February, 2010; Utilizing Experiential Learning in Group Counseling.
• 38th Annual Conference of the Southeast Association of Educational Program Personnel, Mobile, AL – February, 2010; Dealing with the Workplace Environment: Job Satisfaction, Burnout, and Organizational Climate.

Dr. Gregg's current professional efforts and research are focused on preparation of teacher candidates who will complete their program of study with the skills and training to be effective, efficient, and inspiring teachers within multiple educational settings.