Universities often have faculty and staff come and go frequently, but this year Piedmont is without two longtime familiar faces–Danielle Percival and Jim Peeples.

Percival’s first year at Piedmont was in 2014. Over 10 tremendous years in the athletic communications department, she made a lasting impact on the lives of students and faculty.

“I’ve been in the athletic communications realm at three different institutions and no one has had a greater impact on my professional development than her,” said current athletic communications director Joseph Garwood. 

“She taught me how to approach the job in that she took it seriously but didn’t take herself too seriously. We worked very hard, but also constantly made working events as fun as they could be,”

Percival was a familiar face for student workers and maintained a positive outlook through every hectic gameday. She now works for the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference as assistant commissioner.

On the other side, Jim Peeples, the man who was behind Piedmont athletics for 23 years, departed Demorest over the summer.

“He was always the most vocal supporter and he loved being at the games and supporting the athletes like a fan,” said Garwood.

Peeples, otherwise known as Peeps, worked tirelessly to keep athletics running for the Lions. He started as assistant athletic director while also coaching the Lions’ baseball team, and in 2014 he was promoted to athletic director, the same year Percival was hired. He is now the athletic director at Wabash College. Current women’s basketball coach Jamie Purdy, fresh off a CCS championship, immediately stepped in as athletic director.

Over their time at Piedmont, Percival and Peeples formed lasting relationships, showed flawless leadership, and created a strong athletic department.