Samford University’s School of the Arts will welcome five new faculty members this fall, effective August 19, 2024.
Julia Higgins will join School of the Arts as an assistant professor of Christian Ministry. A native of Florence, Alabama, Higgins graduated from the University of North Alabama, then proceeded to obtain a Master of Divinity in Christian Education from Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary. She completed her PhD in Leadership and Christian Higher Education in 2011. After serving in the Memphis area for 18 years, she moved to North Carolina in 2018 to serve as assistant professor of Ministry to Women at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. With a passion for equipping women to serve their local church and be on mission, she serves as a doctrinal reader for Missions Mosaic, a monthly magazine for women that provides stories and ideas to help women live a life on mission. She also co-edited and contributed to several publications and taught at various events. She and her husband Tony enjoy cooking, traveling and watching college football. Their recent travels included a trip to Cyprus and Turkey to serve missionaries and tour the seven churches of Revelation. You can find them on a fall Saturday cheering on the Auburn Tigers and the Georgia Bulldogs, alongside their loveable Shih-tzu, Charlie.
Haelim Allen will join the Department of Art & Design as an associate professor of Art & Design. She immigrated to the United States with her parents and two younger sisters and grew up in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. She is a three-time alumna of the University of Maryland at College Park, where she received her Master of Fine Arts in painting and sculpture. She also holds a Master of Arts in Art History from the University of Memphis and a Master of Religious Education from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. She has taught studio art and Art History for more than 20 years. Her body of work represents very broad answers to complex questions of identity. She has shown in such places as Washington D.C., New York, Baltimore, Milwaukee, Austin, Memphis and Ulsan, South Korea. Allen loves to travel with her family both in the United States and abroad and she has enjoyed places such as South Korea, England, Italy, France and Switzerland, among others. She is married to Henry, and they have a son, Matthew.
Theo Metz is joining the Music Division as assistant professor of Commercial Music. Metz, based in Birmingham, Alabama, is a skilled audio specialist and educator with a Master of Music in Studio Composition from State University of New York Purchase College and a Bachelor of Music in Percussion Performance from William Paterson University. He has taught at several universities and currently serves the Samford community. As a live audio engineer, Metz has worked in prestigious venues and events across the United States, mixing for artists like the Kronos Quartet and David Phelps, as well as for films and museum exhibits. He has extensive experience in theatrical sound design and recording, with credits including Pulitzer Prize-winning opera compositions and albums by Slow Six and Wires Under Tension. He has also toured as a musician in many countries. Additionally, Metz is an award-winning composer in sound design and electro-acoustic music.
Callan Childs will be moving from adjunct professor to the full time faculty as an assistant professor of Architecture. Childs is a notable professional in Architecture, Urban Planning and Design. She studied architecture at Washington University and later obtained her master’s from the Southern California Institute of Architecture where she received the Merit Scholarship. She began her career at HOSKINS Architecture, working on projects like the Inglenook Library Renovation and Regions Field stadium. She later founded studioYorke, a design firm, and worked as a director at Barrett Studio Architects and Sloss Real Estate. Throughout her career, she has contributed to city development and landscape transformation through various projects including the Pepper Place Entertainment District and the Sloss Connectivity project.
Joel Kerner will join the Department of Architecture and Interior Design as an assistant professor of Architecture. Kerner is a seasoned architect, educator and design leader. He holds a BAAS (cum laude) from Judson University and a Master of Architecture II from the Southern California Institute of Architecture. An Illinois licensed architect, Kerner is affiliated with multiple professional bodies including the American Institute of Architects. His academic contributions include serving as an assistant teaching professor at Syracuse University since 2018 and teaching at University of California, Los Angeles and The University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Professionally, Kerner is the Founding Principal of Maketa and had previously founded Studio Joel Kerner. He has also worked at Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture and MORPHOSIS Architects among others.
