Staff

B.A., University of Tennessee
M.A., University of Texas
J.D., University of Memphis School of Law

Andrew McRee serves as the Assistant Dean for Student and Career Services. He earned his Bachelor of Arts from the University of Tennessee, Masters of Higher Education Administration from the University of Texas, and his Juris Doctorate from the University of Memphis School of Law.

While in law school, McRee competed on mock trial and moot court teams and served as an associate editor of the Law Review. After completing his legal studies, McRee practiced general civil litigation at Woolf, McClane, Bright, Allen, & Carpenter, PLLC in Knoxville. McRee is an active member of the Tennessee Bar Association, a member of the Barristers organization, and chair of the Barrister’s Habitat for Humanity Committee.

B.S., Spring Hill College

M.B.A, University of Alabama at Birmingham

J.D., Samford University, Cumberland School of Law

B.S.B.A, University of West Florida

M.A., University of West Florida

J.D., Western Michigan University Thomas M. Cooley Law School

Dean Williams joined the LMU Duncan School of Law in 2022. Williams began her work in higher education and diversity over fifteen years ago. Prior to joining LMU Law School, Dean Williams ran a successful law firm specializing in Estate Planning, Dependency, and Education Law. Williams recently served as the Managing Attorney for Hillsborough County’s Office of Regional Conflict Counsel for over three years. At the Office of Regional Counsel, Williams was presented the 2021 Extracurricular Educational Activities Award. From 2018-2019, Williams served as The Florida Bar’s Assistant Director of Professionalism where she was responsible for three Florida Bar Committees and CLE trainings that included topics of professionalism, diversity, bias, and mental health and awareness.

A Pensacola native, Dean Williams holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of West Florida and her J.D. from the Western Michigan University Thomas M. Cooley Law School (WMU Cooley Law). At WMU Cooley Law, she served as the Student Bar Association’s Hughes Class Senator; President of the Black Law Students Association; and participated in a summer study abroad program at the University of Oxford in Oxford, England.

Dean Williams also has a long record of serving various legal and community organizations, including as the Chair of the American Bar Association’s YLD Social Justice Committee, as a Florida Executive Committee Member of NAACP Tallahassee, and as a founding member of the George Floyd Memorial Foundation's Board of Directors. Williams enjoys spending time with her family, traveling, visiting gardens, and has a goal of finishing her private pilot’s license.

Williams is a member of the Florida bar. She has been a presenter for Thomson Reuters, Fox Soul, and various bar associations.

Legal Foundations

B.S., Mississippi College

Kathy Baughman began working at LMU Law as a faculty assistant in October 2011. Her work experience in Knoxville includes six years at Grace Christian Academy and two years at South College. Prior to moving to Tennessee, Baughman worked at Mississippi College. While working there, she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Communication with a concentration in Journalism. She minored in graphic design.

Baughman has written several articles for local newspapers and also has experience in print and web design.

A.S., Southeast Kentucky & Technical College

B.S., Western Governors University

B.S., University of the Cumberlands 

M.A., University of the Cumberlands 

Hesper Capps began working at LMU Law as a Faculty Assistant in August 2017. Prior to this position, Hesper was the Administrative Assistant for the School of Arts, Humanities, & Social Sciences for three years. She also served as the Administrative Assistant for the Master of Public Administration and the Master of Criminal Justice programs.

Before coming to LMU, Hesper was a small business owner in Cumberland Gap, Tennessee for three years where she taught multiple variations of dance, including ballet, pointe, and tap.

B.S., Tusculum College
M.A., Tusculum College

Trish Carroll serves as the Assistant Director of Admissions for LMU Law. She joined LMU Law in September 2009 as the Assistant to the Director of Admissions and served as the Interim Director of Admissions for LMU law during the national search for a new Chief Enrollment Officer in 2011. Trish joined the University in 2003, serving in various administrator positions for the human resources office at LMU’s main campus until transitioning to the law school.

Prior to joining LMU, she worked as an On-site Supervisor and Human Resources Generalist for Manpower at Toyota Motors Manufacturing in Georgetown, Kentucky.

Trish received a Bachelor of Science in Organizational Management and a Masters of Arts in Human Resource Development from Tusculum College.

B.A., Maryville College

J.D., University of Tennessee College of Law

 A 2017 graduate of the University of Tennessee College of Law, Houser is a lifelong resident of Knoxville, Tennessee. He joins LMU Law after serving as an attorney with the Tennessee Valley Authority’s Office of the General Counsel, where his practice focused on federal procurement and commercial transactions with an emphasis on complex legal and business risk issues. Prior to his time at TVA, Houser was a real estate associate in the Knoxville office of Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz, P.C., where he served on the office’s recruiting committee.

B.A., Sam Houston Station University

Catherine Kelly began working at LMU Law as a Faculty Assistant in February 2021.  Her work experience includes over a decade of customer service experience in various fields and positions in both Tennessee and Texas, the latter of which she moved from in 2018.

Prior to joining LMU Law, Matikke worked with a local small business owner to provide project management, legal, and administrative support. She also enjoyed providing pro bono legal assistance at a local expungement clinic.

While a student at LMU Law, Matikke worked as a legal research assistant, deepening her interest in legal research while also gaining exposure to law librarianship. The Executive Symposium Editor for the LMU Law Review and a student member of the Library Committee, Matikke served in numerous leadership capacities while in law school. Additionally, she served on the Equal Justice Works National Advisory Committee and was LMU Law's first law clerk with the non-profit think tank Think Tennessee.

Matikke is currently attending the University of Tennessee and seeking Master of Science in Information Sciences degree. She anticipates graduating in fall 2026.

 

Melissa Montroy serves as the Executive Assistant to the Dean for LMU Law.  She previously worked for more than 10 years with Justice Gary R. Wade during his time with the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals and Tennessee Supreme Court, including his term as Chief Justice.  Upon Justice Wade’s retirement from the Supreme Court in 2015, he was appointed as Dean at LMU Law and Melissa continued the journey with him to the school.  While Justice Wade has since retired from the school, she has remained in her position at LMU Law.

A.A. Criminal Justice from Harford Community College

A.A.S Paralegal Studies from SUNY Jefferson

Jennifer joined LMU Law in April 2022 as a faculty assistant. Previously, Jennifer worked for a low-income housing development company called LHP Capital.