College of Arts and Sciences Alumnus of the Year 2026 — Luke Duncan ('02)

Luke Duncan earned a bachelor’s degree in English from Harding and a master’s degree in English from the University of Mississippi. A creative professional, he  has applied his communication and storytelling skills across various roles, including his work at Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee, where he contributed to mission-driven initiatives. Currently, he serves as creative project manager at Huckleberry Branding in Nashville, Tennessee, where he guides clients through the design process for websites, logos and print pieces and works with a creative team to align resources and maintain timelines and quality assurance. He and his wife, Sarah Parks (’03), have two children, Callie and Lila. They are members of Woodmont Hills Church in Nashville. 

What are some of your past jobs and experiences?

The theme of my career is variety and adaptability. During grad school, my wife, Sarah and I filmed wedding videos to make ends meet. When I graduated, that videography experience helped land me at a job at Southern Growth Studio, a small marketing and strategy company in Oxford, Mississippi. That role grew into project management and account management, which helped me land my next role as communication and strategy manager at BookFool.com, a startup in the college textbook space.

As BookFool grew, so did my responsibilities, eventually becoming chief steward (COO) as we expanded our footprint into new states and markets. When BookFool was sold, I joined the Tennessee STEM Innovation Network as director of communication, coordinating among six STEM schools and six STEM learning centers across the state. In the meantime, I spent my weekends working on a specialty food product that eventually became a real business, which I ran for four years before selling.

After that, I occupied several roles at Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee but eventually landed back in project management, my first love. Now I’m three years into my role as creative project manager at Huckleberry Branding, a website and graphic design studio in Nashville.

Over the years, my ability to write clearly, think strategically and generate ideas — all skills I honed at Harding — along with my comfort with ambiguity have been an asset to clients and owners in a wide range of industries.

How have you been involved in your community?

I have volunteered with Woodmont Hills Church, Book’em — on whose board I formerly served — Root Nashville and Cumberland River Compact.

Who were your major influences during your time at Harding?

Drs. Dennis and Sherry Organ led our 1999 HUE trip and the English department with a steady hand and lots of patience.

Dr. Larry Long provided thoughtful instruction in writing and critical thinking. He was supportive and inspiring but held us to a high standard. Dr. Organ and Dr. Long also led a trip to Oxford, Mississippe for our summer class on William Faulkner that persuaded me both to study Faulkner in graduate school and to apply at Ole Miss.

Dr. John Williams served as a friendly mentor and especially helped prepare me for the world of English study beyond Harding. His Literary Criticism course was simultaneously the hardest and most fun course I took as an undergraduate student.

Dr. Terry Engel encouraged us as a sponsor of the English department’s creative writing club, Scribblers, to experiment with forms and new topics as we found our voice.

As a fellow student in the English department in the early 2000s, Jon Singleton, current department chair, showed me the serious side of scholarship and what it means to enjoy the work.

Taylor Carr, Jonathan Reinhardt and Everett Reed created the literary magazine Shook Foil, which allowed students to participate in the joy of creation from idea to finished product.

How are you living your Inspired Purpose?

Finding my fit was a long process. Training in English Language and Literature doesn’t always present a defined career path, but not because you can’t do anything with it. Quite the opposite. I enjoy synthesizing and streamlining information. I’m organized and detail-oriented. I can write and think logically. These are traits that all managers and owners find useful, but sometimes you have to help them understand that value to their bottom line.

My approach has been to find a team doing interesting work and then find a way to contribute to that work. I support the team, sharpen my skills and look for creative ways to lean into my talents. God will open doors if you make yourself available.

What makes your field rewarding?

As Hannibal from the fictional A-Team says, “I love it when a plan comes together.” Some of my projects are simple and direct. Many others are drawn-out and complicated with multiple stakeholders and dozens of moving parts. Guiding all the pieces together into a unified whole is very satisfying.

Internally, I’m often invited into the creative discussion to brainstorm ideas and contribute in other ways, including as a writer. As a former business owner myself, I know how to ask the right questions to keep the conversation moving in the right direction.

How do you get to serve God and others through the work that you do?

I believe God invites us to participate in his creative work of renewal. At first this sounds like too lofty an ideal to apply to graphic design, but design goes beyond how things look. As designer and environmentalist Robert L. Peters said, "Design creates culture. Culture shapes values. Values determine the future."

As an account manager for my clients, I give them access to the creative process so they can clarify their message and multiply their impact. For clients with a noble mission, I get to participate in moving that mission forward.

As a project manager, I work internally to clear roadblocks for my colleagues so they can exercise their creative gifts without interference. Business communication is messy with emails, meetings and endless Slack messages. The more of that minutiae I can take off my creative team’s plate, the more they can bring their own God-given talents to bear on a problem.

What else should we know about you? 

I am a certified judge in both the Kansas City Barbecue Society and the Memphis Barbecue Network.