Henderson, Tennessee – (April 22, 2024) – Freed-Hardeman University has announced the appointments of Kyle Batte, of Aubrey, Texas, and Jana Rucker, of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, as the newest members of the FHU Board of Trustees.
“We are excited to welcome both Kyle Batte and Jana Rucker into this hard-working group of men and women who serve as our school’s trustees,” FHU President David R. Shannon said. “The individual experiences and perspective they each bring will strengthen the board’s goal to ensure the university’s continued spiritual, academic and financial success.”
Batte is a 2009 summa cum laude graduate of FHU with a Bachelor of Science degree in biology and biblical studies. He is an experienced commercial executive that has served in various sales, marketing and business development capacities within the medical devices market. Skilled in building relationships, identifying growth strategies and managing enterprise divestitures, he currently serves as vice president of sales within Enovis, a medical technology company with a focus in orthopedics.
Batte, his wife Katie (formerly Schlemmer, FHU ’12) and their two children, Preston and Elizabeth, reside in Aubrey, Texas. He and his family currently worship at the Lewisville Church of Christ where he has been involved in high school and adult education.
“I am honored to be selected to serve amongst fellow trustees that have achieved success across a variety of industries and am excited to contribute towards the university’s continued academic success,” Batte said. “My time at FHU was personally transformative and foundational to subsequent professional development. The university’s mission and vision to facilitate that experience for others today and tomorrow is a virtuous endeavor.”
Rucker is a graduate of Oklahoma Christian University and completed the NAPSLO executive leadership school at the University of Virginia Darden School of Business. She currently serves as vice president of marketing communications and brand for SmartSky, a recently launched air-to-ground inflight connectivity provider that powers the connected aircraft ecosystem for business aviation. There, she leads strategic marketing, internal and external communications and reputation management.
She and her husband, Barry, have been married for 34 years. They have three adult children: son Jamie (wife Lauren and daughter Zoey) of Oklahoma City; daughter Soffia (husband Ryan, son Ollie and daughter Genevieve) of Livermore, California; and son John of Mt. Dora, Florida. The Ruckers attend the North MacArthur Church of Christ where Barry is a deacon and they host a weekly home Bible study.
“It is a great joy and honor to join the Board of Trustees for Freed-Hardeman University,” Rucker said. “I deeply appreciate their commitment to growing the Kingdom of God and staying true to that mission for more than 150 years. I look forward to helping Freed-Hardeman further the mission through its providing students with a Christ-centered education that equips them to serve the church and their communities.”
Scott E. Latham, chairman of the FHU Board of Trustees, is eager to begin work with both new members. “We are delighted with the addition of Kyle and Jana to our board. Their valuable expertise and dedication, along with their enthusiasm for Christian education, will serve our existing board and university community very well,” Latham said.
The mission of Freed-Hardeman University is to help students develop their God-given talents for His glory by empowering them with an education that integrates Christian faith, scholarship and service. With locations in Henderson and Memphis, FHU offers associate, bachelor’s, master’s, specialist and doctoral degrees.