Award-winning power couple and alumni to speak at Oakland City University

OAKLAND – On Wednesday, November 16, Oakland City University will host award-winning, multi-platinum singer/songwriter and producer Jamie Teachenor, and his spouse, author, novelist, educator, and school administrator Jen Teachenor.

Jamie Teachenor

Jamie and Jen are Oakland City University graduates. Jamie graduated in 1999 and returned to earn his Bachelor of Business Administration degree with a minor in Music in 2015, while Jen earned a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education in 2002.

Jen Teachenor

Jamie will perform at OCU’s weekly service for students and employees at Provance Memorial Chapel. He will then spend an hour at the OCU School of Business speaking to OCU business and high school students interested in a business career.

Jen will speak with the OCU School of Education and area high school students exploring a career in education.

As a military veteran, Jamie Teachenor found his place in American military history when he composed Semper Supra, the official anthem for the sixth and newest branch of the United States Armed Forces, the United States Space Force (adopted September 2022).

Jamie has written songs for and recorded with major artists such as Luke Bryan, Blake Shelton, Trace Adkins, Montgomery Gentry, Collin Raye, Trisha Yearwood, Vince Gill, and rock-n-roll legend Jerry Lee Lewis to name a few. As a singer, his first appearance on the charts was Blake Shelton’s 2003 hit single, Playboys of the Southwestern World, and as a songwriter, Blaine Larsen’s 2005 debut hit single, How Do You Get That Lonely—a song addressing teenage suicide. Recently, he appeared on the charts with Rory Feek’s 2021 co-written release, Met Him in a Motel Room, featuring Trisha Yearwood. In 2018 Jamie and his band Wild Blue Country performed on the stage at the Grand Ole Opry.

A veteran of the U.S. Air Force, Jamie was awarded the Air Force Commendation Medal for his “Act of Courage” in saving the life of a fellow airman during the fifth week of his military career. Jamie worked with the Air Force Academy, Space Command, North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), U.S. Northern Command, and the Pentagon to establish and maintain relationships with NASA, the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, MLS, PBR, PRCA, Grand Prix, and the NCAA. His efforts helped increase the branch’s annual audience by 45 million. In addition, Jamie helped strengthen and improve America’s relationship with 27 allied nations–the entire Western Hemisphere: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, Venezuela, the United Kingdom, Denmark, Greenland, Australia, France, Germany, and Japan–meeting one-on-one with the Japanese Parliament.

Jen Teachenor has been awarded the National Outstanding American Teacher Award, recognized by the Autism Society of Middle Tennessee for her impact on the lives of students with Asperger’s Syndrome and Autism Spectrum Disorder debuted as an Amazon Best-Seller in both paperback and Kindle with her novel, Beautiful Life, and was recognized with the Heart of the Family award by the 21st Space Wing at Peterson Air Force Base (now Peterson Space Force Base) for the work she has performed for the armed forces community as a military spouse.

Over the last 20 years, Jen has served students and their families in many capacities, first as a teacher, then as a military spouse and school administrator. She served in the United States Army as a Civilian Assistant Director of Child and Youth Services at Ft. Carson, Colorado, the largest military post in North America. Jen was commissioned as the opening Data and Assessment, Training, and Mentoring Coordinator for the New Summit Charter Academy. The academy is a K-12 public charter academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado. She currently serves as an Assistant Principal at Merrol Hyde Magnet
School in Hendersonville, Tennessee. Merrol Hyde is a K-12 magnet school in Sumner County, Tennessee, and a nationally accredited Paideia School for Creative and Critical Thinking. It is a 2-time National Blue Ribbon School and a 6-time Tennessee Reward School, and in 2021 U.S. News and World Report ranked Merrol Hyde as the #1 Best School in Tennessee and the #7 Best School in the Nation.

Aside from finding her in classrooms or at her computer—writing fiction, Jen has appeared in multiple television shows and music videos, including ABC’s hit television series, Nashville. In 2018, she appeared in unique film production for the Colorado General Assembly and U.S. Congress, advocating for greater accountability in public education.

Oakland City University provides students with a Christian learning environment giving students a hand- up and supporting them financially and academically as they pursue fulfilling careers and purposeful lives. OCU is ranked 7th Nationally by U.S. World Report for social mobility and 4th by OnlineU for Online

The Forensic Science Degreed program in the U.S. OCU is blessed with 38% student diversity and 29% first-generation college students, awarding over $13M in financial aid awards. In addition, OCU’s student-athlete success rate is 88%, with a 12:1 student-to-faculty class rate in over 50 career-focused concentrations. Enter to Learn – Go Forth to Serve. OCU is located at 138 North Lucretia Street, Oakland City, IN 47660, and can be found online at www.oak.edu. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, TikTok, and YouTube.