Exercise and Nutrition Science (EXNS) Faculty and Staff
Dr. Greg Ryan
Department Chair of Nursing and Health Sciences
(205) 626-7840
Dr. Ryan holds undergraduate (Georgia Southwestern State University) and master’s (Indiana University of Pennsylvania) degrees in Exercise and Sports Science. He earned his Doctorate in Human Performance from the University of Alabama, where his dissertation focused on thermoregulation of soft body armor worn by law enforcement officers. Additionally, Dr. Ryan also has several certifications, including the Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist with Distinction, and Tactical Strength and Conditioning Specialist through the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA). Dr. Ryan has over a decade of experience in the field of strength and conditioning, working with collegiate, professional, and tactical athletes in a variety of capacities. Dr. Ryan has over 30 peer-reviewed articles and 200 state, regional, and national presentations in various aspects of Exercise Science.
gryan1@orkexpo.net
Dr. Stacy Bishop
Professor of Exercise and Nutrition Science
(205) 665-6588
Dr. Bishop serves as Professor for Exercise and Nutrition Science. His specific research interests are thermoregulation in sports, specificity of training in combat sports and non-traditional exercise modalities, high-intensity interval training for aerobic and anaerobic applications, and research and adjustment of kinesiology curriculum in higher education and standardization of personal training certifications.
sbishop2@orkexpo.net
Dr. Kelley Devane-Hart
Assistant Professor of Exercise and Nutrition Science
(205) 665-6389
Dr. DeVane-Hart is an Assistant Professor of Exercise and Nutrition Science. She instructs students in Introduction to Food Science, Introduction to Nutrition, Sports Nutrition, Life Cycle and Community Nutrition and Foodservice Management. She also has experience with school-based health promotion programs and pediatric nutrition.
kdevaneh@orkexpo.net
Dr. Curt Fennell
Associate Professor of Exercise and Nutrition Science
(205) 665-6595
Dr. Fennell is an Associate Professor of Exercise and Nutrition Science. His certifications and credentials include National Strength and Conditioning Association Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (NSCA-CSCS), American College of Sports Medicine Certified Personal Trainer (ACSM-CPT), American College of Sports Medicine Exercise is Medicine Credential (EIM), and CrossFit Level 1 Certificate (CF-L1). He teaches Biomechanics, Foundations of Exercise Science, Motor Development, Clinical Testing and Interpretation, and Environmental Exercise Physiology. His research interests include smartphone use on physical activity and sedentary behavior, CrossFit training on health and fitness parameters, and community health and fitness interventions.
cfennell@orkexpo.net
Dr. Robert L. Herron
Assistant Professor of Exercise and Nutrition Science
(205) 665-6118
Robert L. Herron is an Assistant Professor in the Exercise and Nutrition Science Program at the University of Montevallo. Dr. Herron is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist® with distinction from the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA-CSCS*D®) and a Clinical Exercise Physiologist through the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM-CEP®). Robert’s areas of research interest include acute interventions that improve sport performance, recovery, or occupational safety, exploring cardiovascular responses to stressors, and measurement and evaluation challenges in research within sport-, health-, and/or high-performance settings.
rherron@orkexpo.net
Dr. Shawn Mitchell
Associate Professor of Exercise and Nutrition Science
(205) 665-6591
Dr. Mitchell is an Associate Professor of Exercise and Nutrition Science. His research interests include various dynamics associated with recovery from high intensity intermittent exercise, and concurrent training as it relates to human performance. They also include the effects of high intensity intermittent training on human performance, and training modalities specific to non-mainstream sports. His prior research experiences include serving as a research associate in the medical physiology lab at the University of South Alabama’s medical school, where animal models were used to examine endothelial cell function in response to oxidative stress, as well as a laboratory research assistant in UCLA’s neuroscience laboratory with studies using both human and animal subjects.
smitche7@orkexpo.net
Ms. Patricia Petitt
Director of the Coordinated Program in Dietetics
(205) 665-6390
Ms. Petitt is a Clinical Instructor for Exercise and Nutrition Science. She also serves as the Director of the Coordinated Program in Dietetics. She has experience in the area of clinical nutrition with a specific interest in childhood obesity. In addition, her graduate work is in the area of nutrition science and health education.
petittph@orkexpo.net
EXNS Staff
Alyssa Drawhorn
HHS Administrative Assistant II
Myrick Hall
(205) 665-6590
adrawhor@orkexpo.net
