Dennis Souther is Assistant Professor for Criminal Justice and the academic advisor and coordinator for the online Criminal Justice program. Mr. Souther has been teaching online with Lindsey Wilson College since 2009 and has served in full-time faculty positions with various colleges since 1999. Prior to his career in education, Mr. Souther worked eighteen years with the North Carolina Department of Correction at various prison facilities and in several positions, including correctional officer, unit manager, and program director.

Mr. Souther has worked extensively in online course development, has completed numerous textbook supplement projects, and has served appointments as chairman and on the board of directors with several local agencies and associations. Outside of Criminal Justice, in addition to his family time, Mr. Souther enjoys working with faith-based organizations on short-term international trips to Congo, Rwanda, and Honduras.

Casey Hardy McGowan, Esq., the 2022 Outstanding Young Alumna of Lindsey Wilson, has served as an assistant professor of criminal justice since January 2025. A 2017 graduate of Emory University School of Law, Dr. Hardy McGowan brings extensive legal and practical knowledge to the Criminal Justice Program, having practiced law in Kentucky, Georgia, and Florida in various capacities: as a law clerk to federal and state court judges, an associate at a national law firm, a corporate counsel at Amazon.com, a public defender, and a solo practitioner. Dr. Hardy McGowan teaches across disciplines and has taught classes in Criminal Justice as well as Women's & Gender Studies and Business.

Dr. Hardy McGowan, who worked at the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights during both the Obama and Trump administrations, also serves as the University's Title IX Coordinator and compliance director. She has authored a publication in the Emory Law Journal concerning the rights of the accused in Title IX proceedings and has defended children in school disciplinary proceedings.

Dr. Hardy McGowan's research interests lie at the intersection of the law and gender, race, class, and rural communities.

Along with her service to Lindsey Wilson, Dr. Hardy McGowan continues to practice law as a solo practitioner in Columbia and surrounding communities. A native of Appalachia's Russell County, Kentucky, Dr. Hardy McGowan is dedicated to helping students from rural areas succeed in their higher education and professional callings. She resides in Jamestown with her wife, Brooke; her dog, Charley; and her three cats, Toffee, Kate, and Georgie.