Howard Payne University has welcomed eight new faculty members for the 2026-27 academic year, adding educators and professionals to programs serving students at its Brownwood campus and other university locations. The appointments span business, biology, management, chemistry, English, nursing, marketing and music.
The university announced the appointments on Sept. 22, 2026, with the academic year already underway. The new faculty members are Dr. Matthew Earnhardt, dean of the School of Business and professor of business administration; Dr. Patrick Ketter, assistant professor of biology; Dr. Jennifer McNiece, associate professor of management; Dr. Lisa Mire, assistant professor of chemistry; Courtney Pearson, visiting instructor of English; Molly Perry, assistant professor of nursing; Dr. Henry Schrader, associate professor of marketing; and James Bode, artist-in-residence.
Dr. Nathan Lane, Howard Payne’s vice president for academic affairs, said the new faculty members bring both academic and professional experience to the university.
“We are grateful to welcome these accomplished educators and professionals to Howard Payne University. Each brings a unique combination of academic and professional experience and a commitment to helping their students discover God’s calling on their lives.”
The appointments add experience from higher education, public service, health care, business, secondary education and professional performance to the university’s teaching and student-support work.
Business, biology and management appointments
Earnhardt joined Howard Payne as dean of the School of Business and professor of business administration. Before coming to HPU, he served as assistant vice president of operations for the Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority.
His previous higher education experience includes more than a decade at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. There, he held leadership and teaching positions that included senior associate dean, associate professor and department chair of leadership and management. He began his higher education career as an instructor and program coordinator at Community College of Aurora.
Earnhardt holds a bachelor’s degree and a Master of Business Administration from Liberty University. He also earned a master’s degree from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and a Ph.D. from Regent University.
Ketter returned to Howard Payne as an assistant professor of biology after serving as a visiting assistant professor during the spring 2026 semester. His professional background includes public health and clinical research.
Before returning to HPU, Ketter worked as an epidemiologist with the Anchorage Health Department and as a clinical research scientist-consultant with Babson Diagnostics in Austin. His teaching experience includes work as a biology teaching assistant at the University of Texas at San Antonio and a chemistry teaching assistant at Fort Hays State University.
Ketter earned bachelor’s degrees from Fort Hays State University and the University of Kansas Medical Center. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Texas at San Antonio.
McNiece joined the faculty as associate professor of management after nearly two decades of teaching, academic leadership and student-development work at Howard Payne. She is a 2002 graduate of the university.
Most recently, McNiece served as an academic coach and Brand Chair of Free Enterprise and Public Policy. Her earlier HPU positions included director of experiential learning and professional development, associate professor and assistant professor of government, director of international study and academic travel, and assistant professor of political science and economics.
Her professional experience also includes public health preparedness and test preparation. McNiece earned a bachelor’s degree from Howard Payne, master’s degrees in arts and public administration from Texas Tech University, and a Ph.D. from Northcentral University.
Chemistry and English instructors bring school and international experience
Mire joined Howard Payne as assistant professor of chemistry after teaching science at the secondary level. Her most recent teaching position was at Mansfield High School. She previously taught at Grand Prairie Collegiate Institute and South Grand Prairie High School.
Her higher education experience includes serving as a graduate teaching assistant at the University of Texas at Arlington and as an adjunct instructor at Tarrant County College. Mire earned a bachelor’s degree from Texas A&M University and a Ph.D. from the University of Texas.
Pearson returned to Howard Payne as visiting instructor of English, continuing a connection with the university that began when she was a student. She graduated from HPU in 2010 and has served as an adjunct instructor there since 2019. She also previously taught at Howard Payne from 2014 to 2017.
Pearson’s teaching background includes work as a native English instructor at Chungdahm Institute in Bucheon, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea. She also served as an adjunct instructor and student teacher at Abilene Christian University. Pearson earned her bachelor’s degree from Howard Payne and her master’s degree from Abilene Christian University.
Nursing, marketing and music additions
Perry joined the School of Nursing as an assistant professor after holding several roles at Howard Payne since 2025. Her HPU work has included serving as an adjunct for nursing clinicals, nursing tutor and remediation specialist. She previously worked as a nursing lab assistant at the university.
Her professional experience also includes serving as a registered nurse at Hendrick Medical Center and as a teaching assistant and mentor at Ranger College. Earlier in her career, Perry taught chemistry and physics at Bangs High School.
Perry earned a bachelor’s degree from Howard Payne in 2014 and a Master of Science in Nursing from the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor in 2026.
Schrader joined HPU as associate professor of marketing. His background includes marketing, business education and media management. Most recently, he served as a consultant with Schrader Consulting.
Schrader previously taught at Lincoln Memorial University, Lynn University and Central State University. His earlier roles included assistant professor, M.B.A. media management coordinator and associate professor. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Kentucky Christian University, an M.B.A. from Abilene Christian University and a Doctor of Business Administration from Argosy University.
Bode joined Howard Payne as artist-in-residence, bringing experience as a music educator, performer and composer. He is director and drummer for the West Texas Jazz Orchestra, a 15-piece big band based in San Angelo.
He also performs with the jazz sextet Jazz Concho and serves as principal timpanist with the San Angelo Symphony Orchestra. Bode retired after a 24-year career as a band director. His most recent school position was at Irion County High School; he also taught at Fredericksburg High School, San Angelo Central High School and Angelo State University.
Bode holds degrees from the University of North Texas and the University of Texas at Austin. He is the author of The Smart Drummer, a class percussion method.
About Howard Payne University
Founded in 1889, Howard Payne University describes itself as a Christ-centered liberal arts university in Brownwood dedicated to preparing students for lives of faith, leadership and service. The university offers more than 100 majors, minors and pre-professional programs across six schools and serves students at three locations.
HPU identifies its core values as being centered on Christ, focused on community, called to service, committed to excellence and dedicated to stewardship. The university says its programs combine academic study with student life, competitive athletics and service opportunities.
Information about Howard Payne University and its application process is available at hputx.edu/apply.