Faculty Spotlights
Professional Counseling Educator for 20 Years and Counting
Dr. Jeff CraneDean of the School of Professional Counseling/Associate Professor
Jeff Crane is the Dean of the School of Professional Counseling. Before serving as the Dean, Jeff was the director of the Counseling and Human Development master's program. He is a native of San Antonio, Texas, and joined Lindsey Wilson College in 1999. Jeff lives in Glasgow, Kentucky, with his wife, a trained Play Therapist on the faculty at LWC. Together, they have two children, Meredith and Miles.
Jeff received his doctorate in Human Development and Family Studies at Iowa State University, his M.A. in Counseling from St. Mary's University, his M.Div. from Oblate School of Theology, and his BBA from the University of Texas at San Antonio. Dr. Crane is a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor in Kentucky and serves on the Kentucky Mental Health Counseling Association Board.
God Pursued Him
Dr. Curt LeeAssociate Professor and Dean of the School of Professional Studies
Curt Lee (officially Curtis Lee, Jr.) was born into a Wesleyan preacher's family. Saved as a child and called to full-time Christian service at youth camp, he graduated from Southern Wesleyan University and pastored for several years. He then spent too many years living like Jonah but God pursued him, pointing him back towards his calling. Curt earned a Master of Divinity degree from Asbury Seminary, a Graduate Diploma from the University of St Andrews, and a PhD from London School of Theology. He has taught classes in Christian Ministry and Philosophy for over twenty years and currently serves as Associate Professor and Dean of the School of Professional Studies at Lindsey Wilson in Kentucky. Curt has a book under contract with Lexington Books, a Rowman & Littlefield imprint, The Symbolism of Holiness: Holy Being and Holy Living Interpreted through Paul Ricoeur's Philosophical Anthropology, which is scheduled for publication in 2024.
Publishing Research
Helen MacLennan, Ph.D.Dean for the School of Graduate Business & Technology
Dr. MacLennan currently serves as the inaugural Dean of the School of Graduate Business and Technology (SGBT) and recently developed the M.S. Data Science and M.S. Cybersecurity programs with the help of the SGBT faculty. She also teaches a variety of business management and leadership courses and recently earned the Transformative Educator Certification. She is a native of Tampa, Florida and joined the Lindsey Wilson College family in January, 2023. She currently lives in Bowling Green, KY with her best friend, Jerry Lee, a poodle-mix that she claims is a great listener. Her daughter, Lauren, who is completing her M.S. in Accounting, and her grandchildren live in central Florida.
Prior to entering academia, Helen served 12 years as an asset manager, responsible for a multi-state portfolio of industrial properties. She earned her MBA in Real Estate studies from Marylhurst University and her Ph.D. in Management from Sullivan University in Louisville, KY. Her dissertation research was titled "The Power of Status: An Exploration of Power and Civility Climate in a Sample of Residential Property Managers." She continues to research and publish on the topics of remote management and organizational civility and inclusion. She will be presenting her paper on Leveraging DEI as a Defensive Strategy in Cyber Intelligence and Security at the National Conference on Creativity, Innovation and Technology next month.
As an avid researcher, Dr. MacLennan also serves on the editorial review board for the Journal of Conflict Management and as a reviewer for the International Journal of Doctoral Studies and the Journal of Values-Based Business. She has published her research in the Journal of Conflict Management, International Journal of Doctoral Studies, Journal of Excellence in Business Education, Southeast Case Research Journal, and the Journal of Transportation Management.
A Recipient of the 2004 President's Award
Dr. Benson T. SextonAssociate Professor of Communication, Dean of the School of Business and Communication
Dr. Sexton is a nomadic native of South Central Kentucky having lived in Monticello, Burkesville, Russell Springs, Columbia, Campbellsville, and Albany, with the greatest amount of time rooted in the latter. He now resides in Greensburg, KY, with his wife Leah and three children, Kate Elisabeth, Max Thomas, and Hayes David. He earned a bachelor's degree from Lindsey Wilson College in Columbia, KY, with a double major in Communication and Christian Ministries, and was the recipient of the 2004 President's Award. While at Lindsey Wilson College, Dr. Sexton was a member of the LWC Singers, Student Ambassadors, and Students Interested in Government. Additionally, he received a scholarship to study abroad at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. Dr. Sexton received his master's degree at Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green, with a research focus in interpersonal and organizational communication. In May 2017, Dr. Sexton completed his Ph.D. at the University of Kentucky in Lexington, where his dissertation was titled "Exploring the Influence of Students' Perceptions of Instructional Message Content Relevance and Experienced Cognitive Load on Students' Cognitive Learning." His research is concentrated at the intersection of instructional communication, interpersonal communication, educational psychology, and leadership. Dr. Sexton has presented scholarly research locally, regionally, and nationally and is a published author in several well respected academic journals.
Dr. Sexton currently serves as the Dean of the School of Business and Communication and has previously served as Freshman Advisor, Director of Freshman Year Experience, Instructor of Communication, and Assistant Professor of Communication. He was awarded the LWC Student Government Association Teacher of the Year award in 2014 and 2016. He is a member of the National Communication Association, Eastern States Communication Association, National Coalition for Dialogue and Deliberation, Lambda Pi Et (National Communication Association Honor Society), and Sigma Tau Delta (International English Honor Society).
Outside of the classroom, Dr. Sexton's interests include coaching his kids sports teams, traveling, farming, Disney, living a missional life, and empowering the powerless.
