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T H E C U L V E R H O U S E C O L L E G E O F C O M M E R C E
EXECUTIVEM A G A Z I N E
R E A C H I N G O U TW I T H D I V E R S I T YI N I T I A T I V E
W O M E N O F B U S I N E S S
A NA LY T I C S
Page 40
Page 4 Page 12
S T E M S T U D E N T ST A K E O N B R E A S TC A N C E R C H A L L E N G E
I N S I D E T H I S I S S U E
Powerful Women
of Culverhouse
FAL L 2 0 1 4V O L U M E 1 9 • I S S U E 1
CEO and President of Lockheed Martin Corp
and University of Alabama Alumna
Marillyn Hewson
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2 F R O M T H E D E A N
4 S T U D E N T S T A K E O N B R E A S T C A N C E RC H A L L E N G E
8 S T E M S T U D E N T F I N D S K E YTO S U C C E S S I N A D V E R T I S I N GS L O G A N
1 2 R E A C H I N G O U T W I T HD I V E R S I T Y I N I T I A T I V E
1 4 P O W E R F U L W O M E N O FC U L V E R H O U S E
1 6 F O R B E S F O U R T H M O S TP O W E R F U L W O M A N I NB U S I N E S S
2 0 W A L L S T R E E T M O M T R A D E SR O L E S A T H O M E
2 2 A L U M NA F I N D S H E R PA S S I O N I N M E R G E R S A N D
A C Q U I S I T I O N S
2 4 T H E A R T O F B A L A N C E : 1 9 8 7 C U L V E R H O U S E A L U M N A
S H A R E S H E R K E Y S T OS U C C E S S
2 7 U A I N T E R N S H I P T U R N I N GP O I N T I N C A R E E R
3 0 D R I V I N G P A S S I O N A T
M E R C E D E S - B E N Z
3 2 T H E D E A N M E A N S B U S I N E S S
3 4 B U S I N E S S S U R V I V A L 1 0 1 —P U T A W O M A N I N C H A R G E
3 6 I N N O V A T I V E A D V A N C ED I R E C T I V E S I N N U R S IH O M E S
4 0 W O M E N O F B U S I N E S S A N A L Y T I C S
4 4 S T U D E N T S S T U D Y B U S A NA L Y T I C S A B R O A D
4 6 L E A D E R O F C E N T E R F OE C O N O M I C D E V E L O P MM A K I N G S T A T E W I D E I M
5 0 M A R K E T I N G S T U D E N T B R E A T H E N E W L I F E I N
B I R M I N G H A M I C O N S
5 4 H A R R I S O N J O N E S T R AF O O T B A L L J E R S E Y F O
5 8 A M B A S S A D O R S B O O S TC U L V E R H O U S E I M A G E
6 0 A L U M N I N E W S
6 4 F A C U L T Y A N D S T A F F N
6 6 S T U D E N T N E W S
6 8 P H I L A N T H R O P Y G I V E SS T U D E N T S O P P O R T U N
7 2 C U L V E R H O U S E C O N N E CM E N T O R P A Y S I T F O R W
7 4 S O C I A L M E D I A I N T H EC L A S S R O O M
7 6 1 0 S O C I A L M E D I A T I PB O O S T Y O U R E N G A G E MO N T W I T T E R
C O N T E N T Sh t t p : / / w w w . c u l v e r h o u s e . u a . e d uDE A N
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CO NT RIBUT ING W RIT E RSB r i t t a n y D o w n e y , K y l e F o n d r e n
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CO NT RIBUT ING P H O T O GRA P H E RSJ e f f H a n s o n , B r y a n H e s t e r
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O FFICE O F DE V E LO P M E NTH i l l R o w a n
A LUM NI A ND CO RP O RA T E RE LA T IO NSK a t h y D e S h a z o , D i a n e H a r r i s o n
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T h e U n i v e r s i t y o f A l a b a m a i s a n e q u a l - o p p o r t u n i t y
e d u c a t i o n a l i n s t i t u t i o n / e m p l o y e r • M C 8 6 4 0
FA LL 2 0 1 4V O L U M E 1 9 • I S S U E 1
OUR WOMEN'S ISSUE IS IN HONOR OF BREAST CANCER AWARENES
NOTE TO OUR READERS: THE ANNUAL DONORS LIST IS MOVING TO CULVERHOUSE ANNUAL REPORT PUBLICATION COMING SOON.
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We welcomed more than 7,800
students to the Culverhouse College
of Commerce this fall, and a record
number of students have enrolled in
the University’s STEM Path to the MBA
program. The 2014 STEM class is the
largest ever with an enrollment of 306
freshmen. That brings the total number
of students enrolled in the program to
more than 650 since its inception in
2011, and our first group will graduate
with their MBAs in 2016.
This innovative program allows
students majoring in science,
technology, engineering and math to
earn an MBA in one additional year
after completing their undergraduate
degrees. It is one example of how
Culverhouse is positioning itself to
become a top 25 business school — a
business school with relevance, rigor
and innovation. By developing these
rigorous and innovative programs we
are preparing our students to meet
and exceed the challenges of global
business needs.
Our MBA program at the MandersonGraduate School of Business was
recently ranked the top over-
performing program in the nation
by Poets & Quants, and our online
master’s program is ranked 12th in the
nation by U.S. News & World Report .
The Culverhouse School of Accountancy
is ranked eighth in the nation. That
is its highest ranking in the history
of the College. And we continue to
have 100 percent placement rates with
our management and information
science program.
We are also recruiting diverse
students from all backgrounds,
in and out of state, who are ready
to become future leaders like the
women highlighted in this issue of
the Executive Magazine . We profile
some of the most successful women to
graduate from Culverhouse, including
Marillyn Hewson, CEO of Lockheed
Martin; Sharon Oswald, dean of the
business school at Mississippi State;
and Cynthia Day, president and CEO
of Atlanta-based Citizens Bancshares
Corp. and Citizens Trust Bank.
Since 2002, we have offered a
graduate-level specialization in business
analytics, and we continue to look for
innovative ways to increase our role as
a leader in this ever growing field. This
year, we will develop an undergraduate
curriculum in business analytics.At Culverhouse, we teach students
to be creative and to create value, and
we prepare them for the challenges
of a global business world. We have a
corporate recruitment program that
matches our students to key positions
at companies. The question after
they graduate becomes, “Is
Alabama ready to create opp
and hire these students?”
In the year ahead, we will c
accelerate efforts to produce
who stand ready to solve the c
of our global economy. We wil
recruiting the best and bri
achieve excellence in the busine
Creating leaders, innova
jobs — it i s the goal of Culv erh
how we build a better busines
Now we can build a better Al
hiring these students and inv
our future.
J. Michael Hardin, PhD
Dean, Culverhouse College of C
Russell Professor of Busin
Professor of Statistics
The University of Alabama
FROM THE DEAND E A R F R I E N D S A N D A L U M N I
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C U L V E R H O U S E
O ctober is Breast CancerAwareness Month, but events toine the light on fighting the disease
e prevalent throughout the year on
A’s campus, such as the Alabama
mnastics team’s annual Power of
nk. However, the gymnastics team is
t the only group on campus to join the
ht against breast cancer. In early 2014,
udents in the STEM Path to the MBA
ogram were busy developing business
ans to market new treatmentsd diagnostics for breast cancer
ring a national competition among
lected universities.
Three UA teams — all from the
ience, technology, engineering and
athematics program — gained real-
orld experience in breast cancer
search when they competed in the
2014 worldwide Avon Foundation Breast
Cancer Startup Challenge. And they
were the only undergraduate teams
— mostly freshmen and sophomores
— in the global competition of more
than 40 university teams. The Avon
Foundation for Women, the National
Institutes of Health National Cancer
Institute and the Center for Advancing
Innovation launched the challenge to
advance biomedical inventions to treat
breast cancer and bring breast cancertechnologies to market.
Student teams from universities
across the globe were presented the
opportunity to start new companies by
developing a 10-page strategic b usiness
plan for one of 10 selected diagnostic
or treatment technologies projects
and then turn their inventions into
commercially marketed products. The
students presented their business plans
to a panel of biomedical industry judges.
“The Breast Cancer Startup
Challenge is designed to accelerate and
increase the volume of breast cancer
inventions in development,” said Marc
Hurlbert, executive director of the Avon
Foundation Breast Cancer Crusade. “In
addition to improving public health,
we hope to spur economic growth
and provide universities a platformto develop their entrepreneurship-
learning portfolios.”
Sophomore and STEM student Megan
Torman served as the CEO of team one.
Although none of the UA teams made
it to the final round of the competition,
Torman said her team was perfectly
happy with the outcome.
STEM STUDENTS TAKE ON
BREAST CANCER
CH LLENGEB Y E D I T H P A R T E N
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C U L V E R H O U S E
“It definitely opened our eyes
another whole side; we never
ought any of us would be working in
armaceuticals or anything like that,”
rman said. “It was interesting to see a
ferent perspective and be working in
mething that had actual potential to
ange people’s lives.”
As part of the STEM program,
udents are required to work in teams
develop business plans and solutions
r real-world problems over a course
several five-week projects. The Avon
east Cancer Startup Challenge was
e of those projects.
“It added a complete new perspective
our five-week projects because
ost of us complain about the petty
ngs like having to do this project
d present, but this project took less
an five weeks and we came out with
many results,” Torman said. “It was
entire new level of work that we had
ne. It made us see that we are capable
so much more than we think we
e sometimes.”
Each of the UA teams was made up
three to four students as well as a
asoned biomedical entrepreneur, an
perienced biomedical researcher and
attorney experienced in patent law.
ost of the students said they saw the
mpetition as an opportunity to get
volved and gain experience, but for
hers it hit close to home.
“I have had relatives die of cancer,”
phomore Christian Shannon said.
ve always shared a passion for thettle against cancer. Mine was not
ecifically breast cancer, but there is
history of colon cancer in my family.”
During the summers, Shannon
orks at a camp with children who
e battling cancer. He said his dream
b is to be an oncologi st at St. Jude
ildren’s Research Hospital.
“They are some of the most
inspirational, humble and bold kids on
the face of the earth,” he said. “A lot of
the kids at the camp are told they will
not be alive next year, and so any chance
I can get to fight cancer is something I
want to be a part of.”
For freshman Sheela Kailasam, the
timing of the project made her even
more interested in joining a team.
“My great aunt died right before
we were offered the project,” she said.
“I also was involved in a breast cancer
project my senior year in high school.
After that, I became really interestedin breast cancer research and started
researching treatments on my own.
For freshman Michael Royko, his
mother is a nurse, and one of his
relatives had a jaw removed because
of cancer. Royko started work this past
summer with a chemistry professor to
begin research on colon cancer.
Each of the students had different
reasons for getting involved in the
challenge, but all of them said they
now have a deeper understanding and
appreciation for medical research.
Sophomore Rachel Ramey said she
learned just how much time is involved
in making a product readily available.
“I was surprised at how much
goes into taking a drug from the point
of research until it’s commercially
available,” Ramey said. “It can take 8-10
years. Realistically, it’s not going to be
that one day somebody discovers a cure
for cancer in the lab, and that’s the cure
for cancer. There’s a whole lot more that
goes into it.”
“Dreaming big, looking big but
having the humility to accept failure
when you know that you’ve gone too
far with something” is what Shannon
said he learned from the experience.
“All these teams here today were the
Davids in the David and Goliath story.
We were the only undergrad teams in
the competition versus graduate teams.
We set our aspirations high, and we had
a lot of energy compared to the other
teams, but at the end of the day it was a
great learning experience.”
“This was probably one of the most
meaningful experiences that we’ve had
in STEM,” he added.
Although the UA teams did not
advance to the final round, one team has
an investor interested in its technology,
and a second team has been encouraged
by a Pacific Northwest company todevelop and market their product..
UA’S AVON BREAST CAN
CHALLENGE TEAMS AND
THEIR HOMETOWNS
TEAM 1 IMMUNOTHERAPY USINGRANULYSIN ACTIVATED• JAKE GREEN, SOPHOMORE,
SPARTANBURG, SOUTH CAROLINA
• RACH EL RAMEY, SOPHOMORE, DAYTON, OH
• M EGAN TORMAN, SOPHOMORE, UMATILLA,
• J IMMY WITT, SOPHOMORE, BIRMINGHAM, A
TEAM 2 IMMUNOTHERAPY USINMODIFIED SELFTUMOR CELLS
• SHEE LA KAILASAM, FRESHMAN,
COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO
• WIL L MACGAVIN, FRESHMAN,
TEMECULA, CALIFORNIA
• MICHAEL ROYKO, FRESHMAN,
CROSSVILLE, TENNESSEE
• CH RISTIAN SHANNON, SOPHOMORE, DALLA
TEAM 3 DIAGNOSTIC FROM BIOWITH SOFTWARE ANALYSIS• JIM KRAFCIK, JUNIOR, ST. LOUIS, MISSOUR
• ANDREW TALBERT, SOPHOMORE, ORLANDO
• A BBY WHITE, SOPHOMORE, DALLAS, TEXAS
• M IA MCCLINTIC, FRESHMAN, OSWEGO, ILLI
MENTORS AND ADVISERS
• DR. NADEEM ANWER, EGEN INC.,
HUNTSVILLE, ALABAMA HUDSONALPHA I
• BOB CRUTCHFIELD, HARBERT VENTURE PA
BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA
• LOYE BUCK, FORMER FDA COUNSEL,
HUNTSVILLE, ALABAMA
• TO D OPICHKA, ENTREPRENEUR, HOUSTON,
• NICK CONTI, VICE PRESIDENT OF RESEARC
DEVELOPMENT FOR QUEST DIAGNOSTICS,
NEW JERSEY
• DAN DALEY, ALABAMA INNOVATION AND M
OF ENTREPRENEURS, UNIVERSITY OF ALAB
• RICK SWATLOSKI, OFFICE FOR TECHNOLOG
TRANSFER, UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA
• ROB MORGAN, CULVERHOUSE COLLEGE OF
COMMERCE, UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA
“IT DEFINITELY OPENED
OUR EYES TO ANOTHER
WHOLE SIDE; WE NEVER
THOUGHT ANY OF U S
WOULD BE WORKING IN
PHARMACEUTICALS OR
ANYTHING LIKE THAT. IT
WAS INTERESTING TO SEE
A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE
AND BE WORKING IN
SOMETHING THAT HAD
ACTUAL POTENTIAL TO
CHANGE PEOPLE’S LIVES.”—Megan Torman
Left to right: Megan Torman, Jimmy Witt and Rachel Ramey. Notpictured: Jake Green
Left to right: Michael Royko, Sheela Kailasam, Christian Shannon andWill MacGavin
Left to right: Andrew Talbert, Jim Krafcik, Abby White andMia McClintic
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STEM STUDENT FINDS HER KEY TO SUCCESSIN A POPULAR ADVERTISING SLOGAN
B Y E D I T H P A R T E N
C U L V E R H O U S E
For sophomore Megan Torman,
one of the most successful
marketing slogans in the world
contains three simple words she lives
by, words that have led to her unbridled
success in academics, in life and at The
University of Alabama.
Her decisions and outlook on life
and her education follow just three
simple words — three simple words
that have propelled her to a National
Merit Scholarship and a 4.0 GPA in
chemical engineering. Torman is in the
STEM Path to the MBA program at the
Culverhouse College of Commerce’s
Manderson Graduate School of
Business. The science, technology,
engineering and mathematics program
and the National Merit Scholarship are
what attracted this inspirational student
to the University.
“Alabama offers one of the best
National Merit packages that I have
found,” Torman said. “I narrowed my
choices down to chemical engineering,
so the STEM program was very
appealing to me,” she added. “I saw
the STEM brochure and that helped me
make my decision. It’s a great program
and I thought, wow, that’s awesome, I
can get my chemical engineering degreeat the same time and get a completely
different experience.”
Although Torman started the STEM
program with 133 other classmates,
she moved ahead of the other students
to start her online MBA courses earlier
this year. Dr. Rob Morgan, executive
director for innovation initiatives at
the Culverhouse College of Commerce
and the STEM program, is Torman’s
academic adviser. Morgan said he is in
awe of Torman’s accomplishments.
“Megan is entering the MBA portion
of the STEM program a year early,”
Morgan said. “Most people have a
really difficult time finishing chemical
engineering in four years, and she’s
finishing it in three. I would even guess
the average is closer to five.”
The STEM program and the words she
lives by have also led Torman to become
a co-inventor on a hybrid mechanization
device that’s designed to provide for
better fuel efficiency for vehicles. She
has a provisional patent pending in the
District of Columbia on the invention
she co-created with STEM partner
Josh Stoddard. That makes them the
youngest students at The University of
Alabama to receive a provisional patent.
The first concept started with an
engineering professor who came up
with the idea of creating a push-dinghy
device to pull behind semitrucks. The
device would use the energy collected
to kinetically power the semitruck.
Torman and Stoddard expanded on
the idea after Torman got some advice
from her dad, a mail carrier in her
hometown of Umatilla, Florida. Theinitial idea was to hybridize 18-wheelers,
but now they have incorporated the idea
into an air-assisted, hybridizing device
for smaller vocational vehicles like mail
and garbage trucks.
Morgan suggested to Torman and
Stoddard that they pursue a patent on
their device.
“Josh and I looked at each
thought, why not?”
The University of Alabama
the patent pursuit, and it is
forward. The STEM duo is now
business partners to help
prototype and investors to pro
market the device.
And, by the way, Torman acco
this during her freshman year.
“It all makes my head spi
exciting, and I never anticip
happening, especially not du
freshman year,” Torman said.
Torman also loves music.
the drum major in her hig
band, and she plays the piano
saxophone. She said it was a n
to major in chemical engineer
“Well, you know they say m
math go hand in hand. I c
agree with that. I have alwa
math. It’s always been on
favorite subjects.”
She added that she wanted
in a subject that would chall
and provide career opportun
job se curity .
Then she heard about UA
program and knew it would a
perfect fit.“I realized at a STEM co
talking to different people in
industries, trying to get a feel
I wanted to do and realized tha
didn’t want to be a mathematic
knew I wanted to use math, so
to go the engineering route.
science, but I didn’t have a lot o
or chemistry. I only had one c
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C U L V E R H O U S E 0
and watch little kids walking around in
diapers. And I thought what a fun job
that would be. And you get to be around
kids all day. Maybe something kind of
interesting like that.”
What advice would Torman offer
future UA students trying to decide
whether to take the STEM Path to the
MBA program?
“Definitely do it. It is the most
amazing thing. Once you get in, learning
is so much fun. It’s real-life stuff. You
are thinking things through in a d ifferent
way. It really broadens your perspective.
It makes you get outside your box.
“That’s one of the things I love most
about the STEM program, is being able
to build relationships with students.
They’re not just classmates when you
graduate. They are going to be other
people in industries. You will keep the
connections you make. It’s unique that
you get to stay with the same group of
students throughout the program and
connect on a deeper level.”
Torman had the opportunity to meet
Dr. Vijay Govindarajan, nationally known
Tuck School of Business professor at
Dartmouth College, when he visited
University of Alabama STEM students in
the fall of 2013.
Govindarajan said of his visit to UA,
“Of all the keynotes I gave this year, the
one I gave to The University of Alabama
STEM students is the highlight.”
“The networking is a
Torman said. “Where else are
to get to talk to the world-r
author of reverse innovation,
Govindarajan? There are s
amazing opportunities. Ther
many opportunities and r
available for you.”
Torman said the STEM pro
place to challenge yourself an
people who change your life.
and professors genuinely ca
you, your success and your life
Torman is an inspiration
around her and the epitom
ambassador for the STEM Pa
MBA program. It makes one
how three simple words can h
a great impact, but they haves
made an impact on Torman’s l
“I was talking to my dad on
and told him I have pretty muc
out the secret to college and
I stole it from Nike, ‘Just Do
just b e amaze d at what co mes
she said with a smile.
“IT MADE US SEE THAT
WE ARE CAPABLE OF SO
MUCH MORE THAN WE
THINK WE ARE SOMETIMES.
THE ENTIRE COLLEG E
EXPERIENCE SO FAR HAS
JUST BEEN PROVING THAT
OVER AND OVER.”—M e ga n To rma n,
ass in high school prior to coming to
abama, and I was hoping that I would
joy it once I got here. I absolutely
ve it.”
Before Torman arrived on campus,
e said she was worried and didn’t
ow what to expect, especially since
e came from a small town.
“That first semester was really
ugh for me. Being away from home,
ing away from friends and family.
was completely new, difficult and
allenging. But once spring rolled
ound it got a little bit better, and the
xt thing you know you’re done with
e first year and you’ve made friends.”
Although her time on campus was
t easy at first, she said her faith
lped her through her first year.
“It's always really nice knowing
matter what you go through it’s all
ing to be OK. It doesn’t matter if you
cceed or not.”
She is now well-settled in life on
mpus, and she does not seem to be
ssing up any opportunities that come
r way.
“I know once I start doing something
njoy it. I just have to do it. I just have
get there.”
As part of the STEM Business Honors
ass, students work on a business
novation project every five weeks.
ey are given a theme and are charged
vising an idea for a new product
business.
“Megan came to me and said, ‘Dr.
organ, if you told me a year agoat I would spend all of my free time
eaming up ideas for new products and
sinesses, I would have told you that
u are crazy, but now I’ll be walking
ound campus thinking about what new
oduct or business I can come up with
solve problems,’” Morgan said.
“It’s stuff like that, that really makes
you feel blessed about what you’re doing
as a teacher,” he added with a smile.
Those first-year jitters are long
gone. Torman has not looked back, and
she has not been busier. She also seems
to find time to volunteer for projects
outside of her class projects. She
volunteered for the Avon Foundation
Breast Cancer Startup Challenge earlier
this year. The worldwide challenge was
open to university students and offered
the opportunity for teams to develop
business plans for breast cancer
inventions. Torman’s team nominated
her to serve as CEO.
“I am one of those people who goes
after every little opportunity I see.
I have no experience whatsoever in
breast cancer research or that kind of
science, pharmacy science, other than
chemistry. So I texted a few friends
from class whom I had worked with on
previous projects and got them together
to talk about it. We decided, hey we’re
gonna do this thing. Why not?”
The team had a month of crunchtime
to prepare for the challenge for which
they had to create a 10-page business
report and present via phone to
executives from the Avon Foundation
and National Institutes of Health.
“We hunkered down and divided up
the tasks, researched and researched
and researched. We spent every single
moment of free time the last two weeks
making final preparations. We were
working on it literally up to 2 minutesbefore the deadline for submission.
Once we turned it in and pushed the
button to submit, it was such a relief.
We felt so accomplished,” she said.
Her enthusiasm and positive outlook
shined through during the entire
interview.
“It didn’t even matter if we won or
placed. It was such a great experience
getting to know each other that much
better and seeing each other g row along
the way and having that contact with
our advisers.”
Three teams from UA participated in
the challenge. All three teams, including
Torman’s, were the only undergraduate
teams in the competition. The other
40-plus teams were composed of
graduate students.
“It made us see that we are capable
of so much more than we think we
are sometimes,” she said. “The entire
college experience so far has just been
proving that over and over. I look at
myself from when I just came in and
now what I’m doing, and I would not
have seen myself doing these things. It
definitely surprises me whenever I try
something new. That’s why I like trying
something new, because you push
yourself and get out from behind the
wall and experience new things.”
If that’s not enough, Torman also
volunteered for the Target wellness
competition. Her team members
came up with a business model for
“Live Healthy, Live Happy,” where
they created a display at Super Target
stores. The in-store display included
recipes and the food items for creating
healthy meals. Target was impressed
with the presentation. The four-member
UA team won first place and received
$4,000.
When asked about the future andcareer opportunities Torman is taking
a wait-and-see-where-the-road-leads-
her mindset, but she did hint at what
she finds interesting.
“I just read an article about
Proctor & Gamble. They have a baby
department in the diaper segment of
the company where they sit and observe
STEM FACTS
The STEM Path to the MBA program
focuses on attracting high-achieving
undergraduate students majoring in the
science, technology, engineering and
mathematics disciplines. The program
is an innovative approach to engage
students early on as undergraduatesand employs nontraditional classroom
methods that allow top students to
complete the MBA in one additional
calendar year.
The Culverhouse College of
Commerce welcomed its first group
of STEM students for the Manderson
Graduate School of Business MBA
in 2011. The first class will graduate
with MBAs in 2016. As of fall 2014,
more than 800 students have enrolled
in the STEM Path to the MBA program
at The University of Alabama since its
inception.
To enroll, STEM path applicantsmust hold a minimum high school
GPA of 3.5 and a minimum ACT score
of 28 for early admission to the MBA
program. During their junior years,
students will apply for admission to
the Manderson Graduate School of
Business for the MBA program.
Recruiters continue seek
MBA graduates as manu
software engineering,
science, alternative energ
tech steel production, infra
replacement, commercial con
health care and evolving communication create dem
engineers, technicians and
from a variety of fields. Th
substantial demand for prof
in these fields who also
communication, leadership,
making and business-analyti
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but also to leaders of successful
businesses, faculty and the UA campus.
The goal of the camp is to provide the
students with a better understanding of
business and how Culverhouse can helpthem on their paths to success.
Participants interact with professors
and working professionals in a variety of
presentations and experiences. Each of
the business disciplines — accounting,
finance, economics, marketing,
management, management science and
information systems — are explored in
interactive formats. Students will also
explore such specializations as sales
and entrepreneurship.
The camp is not all work. Students
enjoy nights of fun and entertainment,including a pool party, scavenger hunt
and campus tour.
Students in the initial camp had to
apply and must have been seniors in the
fall of 2014 with 3.2 GPAs.
Another diversity program that
complements CMAP, the Accounting
Career Awareness Program, is in its fifth
year and also took place in Ju
is a program of the National As
of Black Accountants’ Ce
Advancement of Minority Accou
ACAP’s primary objectivincrease the number of hig
students from underrepresent
groups who attend college a
in accounting. Through ACAP’
students receive educational en
experiences and the practi
needed for college preparati
career in accounting.
A new initiative at the
Culverhouse College of
Commerce aims to recruit
and reach out to rising high school
seniors from diverse backgrounds
who are enrolled in magnet and
accelerated programs.
The Culverhouse Majors
Awareness Program, headed
by lecturer Lisa McKinney, is a
residential summer institute for
exceptional students who are
typically underrepresented in the
ever-growing Culverhouse College of
Commerce. This can include students
with disabilities, different ethnic
backgrounds or different cultures.
“We had been recruiting andconducting outreach for 10 years,
but this year we decided to focus our
efforts on students with a wide variety
of backgrounds,” said Dr. J. Michael
Hardin, dean of the Culverhouse
College of Commerce. “We feel
like this is what is most important:
bringing in talented students with
different backgrounds to increase
the diversity of the University and
Culverhouse. In future efforts, we
will also focus on recruiting military
veterans,” Hardin added.
The inaugural CMAP camp was
held in June and included 30 rising
high school seniors from Alabama and
Georgia. Some 25 faculty and business
professionals presented at the
weeklong camp.
“We traveled to schools across
Alabama and Georgia, seeking the
best and brightest diverse students
to encourage them to attend this
camp so they could learn more about
the benefits of obtaining a business
degree and specifically a degreefrom UA’s Culverhouse,” McKinney
said. “The camp is an exploratory
opportunity to find out what we have
to offer so the students can make
an informed decision about their
future.”
CMAP exposes the rising high
school seniors not only to Culverhouse
CULVERHOUSE REACHES OUTWITH NEW DIVERSITY INITIATIVE:
MAJORSAWARENESSPROGRAM
B Y E D I T H P A R T E N
“WE TRAVELED TO SCHOOLS ACROSS ALABAMA AND GEORGIA, SEEKING THE BEST
BRIGHTEST DIVERSE STUDENTS.”—Li
C U L V E R H O U S E2
ACAP students enjoy lunch outside Alston Hall.
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of They have moved beyond the glass ceiling. Fromthe CEO of Lockheed Martin and one of Forbestop 50 most powerful women in business to anSEC business-school dean and a Wells Fargo executive,
Culverhouse is the alma mater to some top-level execut ives
who have broken the glass ceiling.
Although there are dozens of alumnae who have made
it to the top of the corporate ladder, the following pages of
the Executive Magazine profile seven of some of the mostpowerful women to have graduated from the Culverhouse
College of Commerce.
P O W E R F U L W O M E N
P R O F I L E S
C U L V E R H O U S E4
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C U L V E R H O U S E 6
1. What was your reaction to finding out that you were named
by Forbes as one of the world’s most powerful women?
Well, it’s certainly exciting to be named to that very
prestigious list and humbling to be in the company of so
many brilliant, successful women. One of the primary
reasons I’m on the list is because I lead a world-class
company. Lockheed Martin is a $45 billion global enterprise
that’s performing very well for our customers and our
stockholders. That’s a credit to the 113,000 talented
men and women of Lockheed Martin, who are delivering
outstanding work. I’m simply a reflection of all of their good
work, and I’m very proud to represent them.
2. What advice would you give to female business students?
My advice for women — or, in fact, for anyone who aspires
to have a successful business career — is don’t set
limits on yourself. Sometimes it’s hard to see the growthopportunity in a potential new assignment if it’s not what
you had envisioned, so you may dismiss the assignment
before you fully explore it. So my advice is, as you go
after what you want in your career, remain open-minded
to the opportunities that will push you out of your comfort
zone, challenge you and give you a new set of experiences
that will strengthen your expertise. I’ve found that it’s
often the unexpected opportunities that provide the most
valuable experiences.
3. What is the biggest lesson learned, to da
your career?
The most important lesson I’ve learned in my
that you must always stay grounded in your va
that means the company you work for should sh
values. Strong values are where leadership real
One of the many reasons I have loved working at L
Martin all these years is because our values as a
align with my personal values. They’re very si
what’s right, respect others and per form with exc
These are the values that guide every on
decisions. You’ll face many turning points a
decisions throughout your career, and I can tell
experience that, for the really tough decisions, yo
be standing on a solid foundation of values.
4. Do you feel the way has been paved for women tothe leadership ranks of the business world?
Absolutely. I’m encouraged to see a growing n
remarkable female leaders take their place in bu
well as politics, the military, academia and every p
I’m especially proud of my industr y, which has bee
doors for women for decades. In fact, the aeros
defense industry was one of the first to hire wo
nontraditional professional roles. During World Wa
women went to work hammering, riveting and we
Marillyn HewsonCEO and President of Lockheed Martin Corp.
of P O W E R F U L W O M E N
ONE OF THE
MOST POWERFULWOMEN IN BUSINESS
IS CULVERHOUSE ALUMNAB Y E D I T H P A R T E N
One of the most powerful women in business today is UA Culverhouse alumna Marillyn Hewson, CEO and pre
Lockheed Martin Corp.
In 2013 Hewson was making headlines and headway. It was a year that included her being named t
position at Lockheed Martin and being ranked No. 4 on Fortune magazine’s list of 50 most powerful women in busin
was also named to Forbes’ list of the world’s 100 most powerful women. She was also appointed by President Barac
to the President’s Export Council, the principal national advisory committee on international trade.
Hewson received her bachelor’s degree in business administration and master’s degree in economics from UA’s Cu
College of Commerce. She is also a current member of the Culverhouse College of Commerce Board of Visitors.
Executive Magazine had the opportunity for a Q&A with Hewson, we took the oppor tunity to find out more about her c
and path to the top.
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NEW $3.9 BILLION
CONTRACT A BOOS
FOR LOCKHEED
MARTIN FACILITIE
IN ALABAMA
Lockheed Martin has
awarded a $3.9 billion con
for THAAD Weapon System
the U.S. Army and United
Emirates.
Lockheed Martin will pr
parts of the Terminal
Altitude Defense Wea
System — known as THAA
under the term of a new
billion contract for the U.S.
and United Arab Emirates.
The contract includes
manufacture and deliver
up to 110 interceptors tha
be used by the Army at
Hood, Texas. It also inc
interceptors and other hard
for UAE.
The contract is a boos
continuing missile wor
Alabama. THAAD interce
are produced at Lock
Martin’s Pike County facil
Troy and the Missile De
Agency’s THAAD program
is in Huntsville.
Excerpt from Al.com artic
Leada Gore, Sept. 23, 2013
father worked as a civilian in the Department of the Army, and my mother served
in the Women’s Army Corps during World War II. They were both drawn by a call
to serve our nation, and they instilled that same love of country into me and my
brothers and sisters. The work we do at Lockheed Martin in support of our men
and women in uniform is my way of serving our nation and ensuring they have
the best equipment and technology to protect our peace and freedoms. One of
my favorite quotes, which is engraved in the wall at the Korean War Veterans
Memorial, says, “Freedom Is Not Free.”
It’s a reminder that we must be grateful for and always remember the
sacrifices that our men and women in uniform have made while protecting our
personal freedoms.
13. Do you see any future partnership opportunities with the University
of Alabama?
Yes, in fact, Lockheed Martin is working in partnership with the University on a
new data analytics laboratory.
The lab will focus on using data-driven models to make better decisions in
areas such as program management and supply chain management. And most
importantly, it will give students a great op portunity to meet with our engineers
and develop skills in a technology area that is critical to our future.
We’re excited about this partnership opportunity, and I hope that it
will help develop the next generation of University of Alabama alumni at
Lockheed Martin.
products that would help defend our
nation and advance freedom around
the world. Such empowerment of
women built momentum for the kind of
nclusion we have tod ay. It’s rewarding
to see so many women carrying on the
legacy of those women who helped
build the modern workplace. Today,
women represent more than half of
the professional workforce, and the
number of women leaders continues
to rise. I’m proud of how far we’ve
come and confident that there’s even
more opportunity ahead.
Who was your mentor?
When I began my career at Lockheed
Martin more than 31 years ago,
mentoring and talent development
played a huge role in getting my
career on the right track. When I was
a relatively new supervisor, the vice
president of operations nominated
me for the Lockheed General
Management Development Program,
which was a very selective program
with only four employees of 21,000
applicants accepted.
It required the vice president to
do more than just put forward my
nomination. He had to commit to
having a job for me when I graduated
from the program. It was clear that he
genuinely wanted me to be successful
at Lockheed, and he went out of
his way to support me. When I was
accepted into the program, he mapped
out where I should go and how long Ishould stay in each rotation to ensure
my experiences were diverse and
that I would be prepared for my next
role. At the end of the two years, he
promoted me into my first department
manager role and I felt prepared to
be successful.
That experience turned out to
be one of many turning points in my
career. And it was all because a vice
president in my company recognized
my potential and was willing to get
involved.
6. What led to your decision to attend
The University of Alabama?
My family lived nearby the school,
so I was aware that The University of
Alabama had an exceptional business
program. It aligned with my academic
strengths and career aspirations, and
I was working full time in Tuscaloosa
to pay for my college education, so it
was a natural fit.
7. What is the biggest lesson you
learned from your time at the
Culverhouse College of Commerce?
I enjoyed my time at the Culverhouse
College of Commerce and learned
many important lessons that I’ve
carried with me throughout my
career. I couldn’t point to just one
lesson; however, the diverse and
interesting people I met and their
willingness to share their knowledge
and experiences so openly was
a highlight.
8. What is the best piece of advice given
to you by a teacher?
There wasn’t only one. The faculty
was top notch, and they consistently
challenged me to remain intellectually
curious and to perform my best onevery project and assignment. Also,
they showed me that great leaders
never stop learning.
9. What do you enjoy doing in your
spare time?
While my role at Lockheed Martin
doesn’t leave me with a lot of spare
time, my husband I and do love to
play golf, so we try to work that
in regularly.
I enjoy traveling with my family.
My husband and two sons and I take
a family vacation every year. It’s an
opportunity to spend time together
and explore a new part of the world.
10. What would you do differently?
Because I feel very fortunate to have
a supportive, loving family and a
rewarding and fulfilling career, there
isn’t anything I would do differently.
The breadth of experiences I’ve had
personally and professionally have
allowed me to continuously learn
and to grow as a wife, mother and
business leader. I believe strongly
that if you stay true to your values
and surround yourself with others
who share those values, you will
rarely have regrets.
11. What are the latest boo ks you’ve
read?
I recently enjoyed Malcolm Gladwell’s
“David and Goliath.” It’s all about
ordinary people who have taken
on huge, oversized challenges,
some driven by emotion or passion,
others just by circumstance. What
you learn from these stories is that
the outcome is not always what you
might expect, and, sometimes, one
person’s adversity or suffering can
be a catalyst for positive change in
the world. I gave copies of it to myentire senior leadership team as
a reminder that challenges can be
a good thing, and when we work
together, we can overcome them.
12. What is your favorite quote?
I grew up in a very patriotic family,
and I consider myself a patriot. My
C U L V E R H O U S E8
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C U L V E R H O U S E0
of P O W E R F U L W O M E N
Behind every highly successful
woman is a good business
school — and, in the case of
cole Black, also a husband to tend the
me fires and the offspring while she
hieves in the workplace.
Black, managing director of fixed-
come research at Wells Fargo
ecurities LLC, in Charlotte, North
arolina, has been a master juggler
nce the day she entered The University
Alabama as a student majoring
engineering. It took about one
mester and the encouragement of
e Culverhouse College of Commerce’s
gendary Dr. Billy Helms to entice her
to the business curriculum. He also
fered her a pioneering role in a unique
ogram he had designed. “It was a
antitative finance degree, and I was a
lling guinea pig,” she explained of the
ix of corporate finance with graduate-
vel statistics and math courses.
Her generous scholarship offered
me to be a college student, in all
nses, so Black (known then as Nikki
ack) embraced campus life. In addition
her demanding Culverhouse program,
e was president of Alpha Chi Omegarority, played six intramural sports
d served as a teaching assistant in
onomics for five semesters.
“Thanks to Billy Helms, I got to take
0-level economics early, so I was able
be a teaching assistant for five of my
ght semesters at Alabama, starting
as a sophomore. There weren’t many
undergraduate teaching assistants.”
In her “spare” time, Black provided
play-by-play radio commentary for
the UA women’s basketball team.
“I had a very robust four
years on campus,” she said.
The National Merit scholar from
Decatur, Alabama, was also a member
of the Computer-Based Honors
Program. At graduation, the University’s
National Alumni Association named
her the Outstanding Female Graduateof the 1995 class. She also received
the Amanda Taylor Watson Outstanding
Quantitative Finance Student Award
from the department of economics,
finance and legal studies. Black proudly
cited her MBA from Harvard, which
followed several years later, as yet
another academic achievement. “I’m
proud of that,” she said. “You can’t just
mail that one in.”
Looking back, one of the traits Black
cited as a guiding force — in addition
to her firm academic foundation in
the Culverhouse program — is self-
confidence. That said, after graduation
and all its accolades, she recalled
having no idea which direction to turn.
Despite a 98th percentile score on the
GMAT, she knew she needed a job —
preferably two to three years of solid
experience — before she could apply to
an advanced business program.
“I did what every other student does:
I dropped off my résumé at the Career
Development Center and had a very
successful interview with a bank I wasn’t
familiar with,” she said. But in First
Union Bank’s materials, Black noticed
a small paragraph about its investment
program. “They needed a blend of
quantitative and communication skills,”
she recalled. “Within a week, I was on
a plane to Charlotte, where I made the
cut in their investment-banking-analyst
program.”
It was the beginning. After two years
in Charlotte, Black went to HarvardBusiness School, then on to New York
City.
“I had my heart set on trying sports
marketing, so I worked at the NBA,
which was a dream job on paper.” She
found her brain underused and that she
sorely missed finance. A move to Bear
Stearns in equity research did not help.
WALL STREET MOM TRADES ROLES AT HOMEB Y C A R O L A N N E R O B E R T S
The fact was, she hated New York. “I’m not a New Yorker, but
I’m glad I tried it,” she said. “If I hadn’t moved there, I always
would’ve wondered. …”
Her time back in Charlotte, where she continued her
path, has been a journey within a journey. In 2004, she joined
Banc of America Securities’ investment-banking division,
shifting from writing reports about stocks to reports about
bonds. Then Black returned to First Union Capital Markets,
which had become Wachovia by that time; in 2008, Wachovia
was acquired by Wells Fargo. Now, as she marches up the
corporate ladder, the analyst travels about a third of the year.
When she is home, her days start with a 7:15 a.m. meeting
before moving onto the trading floor.
“I’m on the floor; the activity is constant; and no two days
are alike, which I love,” Black said. “But I joke that I live only
two songs from work. I could never do a commute.”
Her husband, Drew Skinner, keeps the home humming
for their sons, Baylor, 5, and Beckett, 3. Black describes her
husband — an Indiana native who proposed to her on the 20-
yard line of Bryant Denny Stadium after a Bama win — as a
“low-ego male” displaced from his advertising job in the 2008
economic downturn.
“I went back to work from maternity leave, and we didn’t
bat an eyelash,” she said. “The game plan was that he’d stay
home until the ad market came back, but when we found
out we were pregnant again in 2010, he had already gotten
quite good at the baby-rearing duties. So we evolved into this
arrangement; it was not our expected path, but here we are.”
So the boys go to bed a little later than their peers so
they can visit with their mom when she gets home. Dad takes
them to play dates and does the preschool drop-off. “In this
day and age, I don’t even wait until the end of the day to be
part of what’s going on,” she said. “I get photos of lessons
at school, a text message after pickup, and maybe an email
or a video of the kids playing. I know there’s a loving parentwith our children, which helps me concentrate on my job until
I’m home with them. And Drew says that even his worst day
with the kids is better t han the mediocre days when he was in
the workforce.”
The family plans a trip to Tuscaloosa in the coming months
to introduce Baylor to the Bama football tradition. Although
Black’s career will no doubt keep her in Charlotte, her
memories and allegiance trace to the University. Dr. Cathy
Randall’s influence is still very much alive. Randall
the director of the Computer-Based Honors Progra
University of Alabama and earned a bachelor’s, two
and two doctoral degrees from the University.
“She held many positions at the University, all
raising three really outstanding people,” Black sai
that she will forever be grateful to Helms for his influ
to Dr. Lonnie Strickland, professor of strategic man
who “demonstrated that you can be hard-nosed and i
but still have fun.”
The years in t he Culverhouse College of Commer
strong building blocks in Black’s success. “I have nabout my decision to come to Alabama,” she said.
“I have attended two institutions, Alabama and
and I give money each year only to Bama becaus
foundation and the financial assistance I received th
Carolanne Roberts is a freelance writer based in Bir
Alabama, and is a former travel editor of Southe
magazine.
“I HAVE ATTENDED TWOINSTITUTIONS, ALABAMA AND
HARVARD, AND I GIVE MONEY
EACH YEAR ONLY TO BAMA
BECAUSE OF THE FOUNDATION
AND THE FINANCIAL
ASSISTANCE I RECEIVED
THERE.”
—Nico le B la ck
Nicole BManaging Director of Fixed-Income R
Wells Fargo Securi
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Cathy Leonhardt’s conversation
is warm, confident and infused
with moments of joyous
ughter. The 1990 Culverhouse finance
aduate has plenty on her plate:
aveling to the West Coast and Europe
r retail mergers and acquisitions; co-
ading Peter J. Solomon Co.’s Global
tail Group in New York; and, even
ore importantly, enjoying a rich family
e that includes two young daughters.
t she is easy, engaged, even relaxed
she reminisces about her days at the
lverhouse College of Commerce.
“It ended up being a really good
ace for me,” she said of her choice
study in the Culverhouse program.
When I went into my career, I wasn’t
aying catch-up. I had good skills.
u go to these big firms, and they put
u through a training program — and
was easy. I was very well-prepared.
e business school really gave me the
undation to do good work right out of
e gate.”
The first stop out of that gate was
achovia Bank’s corporate training
ogram in Winston-Salem, North
rolina, and a subsequent moveAtlanta to join Wachovia’s large
rporate-lending group. From
ere she went to the Kellogg School
Management at Northwestern
niversity for an MBA and on to
organ Stanley in New York. “I liked
nking, but I wanted something more
gorous,” she said. “Morgan Stanley
was the No. 1 mergers and acquisitions
bank in the world, so I joined that group
for seven years and M and A became
my career.”
She started as a generalist —
working on transactions in oil and
gas, paper and forest products,
pharmaceuticals, retail and apparel —
but one area stood out. “I really liked
the retail sector,” she said. “Then,
when I represented Sears in acquiring
Lands End, Peter J. Solomon and
his team were representing Lands
End.” That transaction resulted in yet
another merger: Leonhardt and thePeter J. Solomon Co. With its large
focus on retail, the move has proved
a perfect fit for Leonhardt these past
10 years. In addition to being a partner
and managing director, she co-heads
the firm’s retail group.
Her résumé in the retail space reads
like a who’s who of brands meeting
brands. The career score card at Peter
J. Solomon includes TA Associates’
acquisition of Dutch, which is the holding
company of contemporary brands Joie
and Equipment; several transactions
for French luxury conglomerate Kering;
PVH’s acquisitions of Tommy Hilfiger
and Warnaco; Deckers, the parent
company of UGG, in its acquisition
of Sanuk; the sale of Athleta to The
Gap; and the sale of Kate Spade to Liz
Claiborne Inc. Leonhardt appears in
the media, particularly in Bloomberg
TV interviews, on subjects ranging
from Internet shopping to fashion
business trends. The sector suits her.
“I love M and A, the tactics and the
strategic aspect of thinking through
strategic situations,” Leonhardt said.
“I love positioning companies for sale,
finding the highlights to get the deal
done, what to bring out when you’re
selling a business and when you’re
buying a business, and thinking through
how this is going to be a winner. I do
a lot of retail apparel, footwear and
accessories work. To be successful in
this business you have to have a sector
focus. You have to know everybody; youhave to own it.”
This specialty direction had not
come into focus during the days
at The University of Alabama, but
the coed from Nauvoo, Alabama, in
Walker County knew she wanted both
a career and success. On campus,
she was a member of the Capstone
CULVERHOUSE ALUMNA FINDS HER PASSION INMERGERS AND ACQUISITIONS
B Y C A R O L A N N E R O B E R T S
of P O W E R F U L W O M E N
Honors Program, directed at the time by Dr. John Conroy
and Culverhouse’s Dr. Dave Heggem. As a member of the
prestigious Avanti Team, Leonhardt welcomed new students
to campus in orientation programs while also serving as
counselor for the summer Capstone Honors Programs.
“I was heavily involved with Avanti; it was a tremendous
experience,” she said. “It captured you and made you love the
University.”
All the while, her future prospects were growing and
expanding in the business school. “For such a large university,
you could develop personal relationships and ask questions
in this program, getting assistance as you navigated both your
academic curriculum and what to do after that.” It was Dr.
Robert Brooks who helped guide Leonhardt forward. Beyond
taking such advanced courses as Brooks’ options, futures
and derivative securities class, Leonhardt gained advice and
direction.
“He brought a real-world perspective to the academic
experience because he was on boards, advising banks and
doing other things. He became an important professional in
what ultimately happened in my career.”
Leonhardt graduated summa cum laude. Brooks named
her Finance Student of the Year, an award “I was really proud
of, but I think my parents were even prouder.”
Tuscaloosa remains important to Leonhardt, who will
return soon to the fall meeting of the Culverhouse College of
Commerce Board of Visitors as a member. It is also the city
where, 10 years ago, Leonhardt married Michael Urness, a
native of Seattle and a Kellogg business-school classmate.
She and Urness, a brand manager with his own Connecticut-
based consulting business, are parents to Carson, 7, and
Jemma, 4.
How does Leonhardt strike the balance between family
and career?
“Someone once told me, ‘If you want something importantdone, ask a working mother. They do the most and have the
capacity to do the most,’” Leonhardt said. “We live pretty
full lives. We have a big community with our daughters and
their school and our church. We ski; we exercise; we travel to
our place on the Gulf Coast as often as we can. We definitely
spend time in Alabama at the holidays, and my husband is
now a Bama fan.”
Leonhardt offers advice based on principles
learned along the way.
“I think women, especially now, must be aggr
their career search. You have to seek out opportun
aren’t so obvious. And you have t o focus on being pe
You can be proficient and analytical and all the oth
that your job requires to fulfill the obligations, but a
of the day, people like working with people t hey like
to be personable and likable and influential.”
Perhaps this explains that gentle laugh, whic
at just the right times, accompanying her aut
commentary. Which brings Leonhardt to another
praise for her alma mater.
“I have gratitude for my experience business program, the education and the fo
Alabama gave me,” she said. “You can do a
that platform.”
We would say she already has.
Carolanne Roberts is a freelance writer based in Birm
Alabama, and is a former travel editor of Southe
magazine .
Cathy LeonhManaging Director and C
Peter J. Solomon Co.’s Global Reta“I THINK W OMEN, ESPECIALLY
NOW, MUST BE AGGRESSIVE
IN THEIR CAREER SEARCH.
YOU HAVE TO SEEK OUT
OPPORTUNITIES THAT AREN’T
SO OBVIOUS.”
—Ca thy Le o nha rdt
C U L V E R H O U S E2
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C U L V E R H O U S E4
C ynthia N. Day’s multitaskingaptitudes were evident in the80s when she was a Culverhouse
llege of Commerce student majoring
accounting. She balanced her classes,
rority commitments and work-study
hedules as adroitly as she balanced
baton during halftime performances
th the Million Dollar Band.
Now this president and CEO of
lanta-based Citizens Bancshares
rp. and Citizens Trust Bank balances
ore complex responsibilities. Day is a
fe and mother serving on the boards
Primerica Inc. and Aaron’s Inc. She
a board member for the National
nker’s Association and the Atlanta
usiness League. She is a member of
th the Georgia Society of CPAs and the
tary Club of Atlanta.
In each role, Day is praised for the
me cheerful excellence that won her
plause while twirling in front of more
an 70,000 Bryant-Denny fans.
“We are thrilled to have Cynthia joinr board,” said D. Richard Williams,
airman of the board and co-CEO of
imerica. “As a result of her many
ars with Citizens Bancshares, she
derstands the needs of middle-income
useholds and the financial challenges
ced by these families. Primerica is
cused on helping these households
succeed, and Cynthia’s experience and
expertise will be invaluable to us as we
fulfill that mission.”
“When somebody asks about the
keys to success, I tell them it’s nothing
glamorous, Day said. There’s not a
secret formula. Success is just about
hard work, consistency and always doing
your best because somebody is always
watching. A lot of people will tell you
that getting a mentor is a key to success.
And that’s OK. I have mentors, even to
this day. But setting and maintaining
a standard of excellence is what reallyopens doors.”
"Consistency is compelling, Day said.
Excellence opens doors. Successful
people focus on skill mastery rather
than vocational shortcuts."
“I tell people just do the best at the
job you ’re in. Foc us your attent ion the re.
It’s good to have goals to move forward,
but first you must be good where
you are.”
Day also encourages students to
focus on their own gifts rather than
whatever is temporarily trending, the
pursuit of what she calls the “major
flavor of the day.” She equates career
balance to someone consistently
traveling in one direction rather than
being sidetracked by offramps.
“I think we’re most successful when
we’re operating in our own lanes,
where we can be most successful. I tell
others to find where your strengths and
talents lie and play to those. Play to
your passions. You’ll be very successful
because you’re in the right lane.”
Balance and commitment
Upon entering the University as a pre-
medical student, Day did not imagine
finding her career path in the financial
services industry. Third of six siblings,
she realized as a sophomore that she
needed to finish college in four years.Since medicine would require another
eight years, she reconsidered her
major and redirected her analytical
skills to accounting. Her senior
year interview with KPMG snagged
her first postgraduation job. It also
turned out to be her last job interview.
One employment lane seemed to
THE ART OF BALANCE: 1987 CULVERHOUSE ALUMNA CYNTHIA DAY
SHARES HER KEYS TO SUCCESS
B Y J E A N M . M C L E A N
merge smoothly into another. Again,
her pursuit of excellence was the
catalyst that would ignite a future of
smooth transitions.
Mastering her skills as a CPA and
hard work at KPMG led Day to a p osition
as an audit manager. One of her clients
was Citizens Federal Savings Bank of
Birmingham. Impressed by her skills, the
bank’s CEO offered Day an opportunity
to join the firm. Day accepted the offer,
motivated “to move that company to a
level where I knew it could perform.”
She later became the executive vice
president and chief operating officer.
The balance she achieved led to her
appointment as executive vice president
and chief operating officer. She would
retain the title when the institution was
acquired by Georgia’s Citizens Trust
Bank in 2003.
Nine years and an Atlanta
relocation later, Day became the first
permanent female president and CEO
in Citizens Trust’s 90-year history. That
accomplishment led to others asking
how to maintain a balance among work,
life and philanthropy.
“The success and balance of work-
life responsibilities require the same
focus as developing and sustaining
a strong work ethic,” she said. “I’m
just like every other mom and every
other wife who is challenged every day
with balancing career and personalobligations. Building and sustaining
great relationships with my husband,
my daughter and family are extreme
priorities. I achieve balance by not only
recognizing but also demonstrating
that my personal relationships remain
paramount and are among my most
important responsibilities.”
Balance and
community
Committed to
sharing her
experience and
expertise with
youth and future
e n t r e p r e n e u r s ,
Day is a seasoned
parent-volunteer.
She also serves
The University
of Alabama as
a member of
the Alabama
Entrepreneurship
Institute Board.
In both roles,
her mentorship
and dedication
to sharing her
business and
life experiences
produce a steady
stream of requests for career and
business advice. She is an enthusiastic
supporter of AEI because she believes
in nurturing small businesses.
“That’s the lifeblood of the community
bank and the fabric of our country,” said
Day of the small-business-community
link. She wants to help AEI participants
understand how they can get working
capital not only to create a company butalso grow it to benefit the surrounding
community.
There is another reason Day
is involved with the Culverhouse-
sponsored AEI program. She wants to
give back to the University. She is proud
to be a Culverhouse alumna.
“Alabama’s business scho
of the best business schoo
country. It prepared me for m
the start of my career. They ca
you everything in four years, b
me a great foundation. I was
when I came out of college. The
on me.”
Those who meet this Atlanta
often assume her expertise
from Ivy League-level preparais quick to correct them, e
what she learned in the c
as well as on the practi
Balance and learning
Day intentionally teaches th
half-full perspective: “With a
CynthiaPresident a
Citizens Bancshares Corp., Citizens Tru
of P O W E R F U L W O M E N
“IT’S GOOD TO HAVE GOALS TO
MOVE FORWARD, BUT FIRST
YOU MUST BE GOOD WHERE
YOU ARE.”
—Cynthia N . Da y
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C U L V E R H O U S E 6
n-do attitude you can do a lot of things. A negative attitude
esn’t produce long-term results.”
She said such optimism for women — including her
ughter — is justified, as corporate climates are changing.
Although Day believes family-friendly balance will always
a challenge, she sees “tremendous strides” across
l industries.
“I work with accounting firms and law firms, which have
aditionally been very conservative. But even they are
coming extremely flexible because they don’t want to lose
lent. One of the firms we work with has done a women’s
wer project, hiring coaches for women t o see how they can
ansition to the next level and still have a balanced life.”
Day believes corporations are also seeking different
nder and ethic perspectives on their boards.
"Companies seeking better balance in both their workforce
d in their advisory boards can better meet competitive
allenges,"she said.
As she reflected on her 1988 graduation from the
niversity, she remembered not only what she learned in
the classroom but also what she learned from her entire
college experience: juggling work, studies, sorority and those
Crimsonette practice sessions.
“I’m extremely proud to be a graduate of The University
of Alabama and Culverhouse. Crimson forever runs through
my veins. My educational and life experiences gained while
attending the University helped build a strong foundation for
a successful life and career.
“That taught me how to do things now,” she said. “Being
academically off the charts is great, but what happens when
you have to balance life? I always tell people that you want to
be able to do a lot of different things. You’ve got to have not
only the intellect but the people skills when you’re running a
company.
“You’ve got to learn to balance.”
Jean McLean is a freelance writer based in Montevallo,
Alabama.
A s Karen Russell Miller outlined
the professional journey that
led to her becoming a tax
partner at the Birmingham, Alabama,
office of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLC,
she frequently used the word “blessed.”
That is because this 1996 Culverhouse
graduate is grateful not only for the
insights provided by her father, who
majored in accounting, but also for all
the other role models who provided
career guidance along the way.
“I was always one that loved
numbers,” Miller said of her early
interests. “Math was my favorite high
school subject. My father had gotten
his accounting degree from Alabama
in 1970. Although he never practiced in
public accounting, I knew how versatile
an accounting degree was and how it
had helped his career.”
“Once I arrived at the University, I was
blessed with a lot of faculty members
who gave me advice and taught courses
that confirmed my interest.”
Miller credited her senior-year
internship as a turning point. That was
when she was able to sample real lifeduring busy season of tax preparation in
a public accounting firm and to narrow
her professional focus to tax practice.
“I was blessed in that when I came
through, ours was only the second
accounting class to be eligible for the
spring internship program. Before then,
the accounting students didn’t have
an opportunity to intern during busy
season. I know it took a lot of time by
Dr. Tom Howard and Sandy Davidson
to put that program together. It has
provided an excellent foundation for all
the students who came in after me.”
Miller’s internship attention was
soon riveted on corporate tax, especially
as it related to insurance and financial
services firms. Such a specialty not only
provided the highly analytical work she
enjoyed but also allowed her to offer
what she calls “value-added” assistance
to clients. After graduate work at the
University of Virginia, she pursued her
current specialization: providing tax
planning and compliance services to
property, casualty and life insurancecompanies and other entities connected
to the insurance industry. Her work
includes evaluating federal consolidated
tax return issues and conducting due
diligence reviews for large insurance
company acquisitions.
Miller advises corporate leaders
on complicated tax matters, and she
also makes time to advis
professionals, both those
and outside her firm, on w
should know if they want to p
accounting career.
“As I look back over th
between starting at PwC an
partner in 2011, the highl
me are the interactions I’ve
leaders, particularly the stron
mentors and role models I’ve
Miller, who also serves with Cu
Connections, a mentoring
that started as a women’s m
initiative at the College.
“Those mentors helped
focused and encouraged along
They advised me on how to
family and work. I’ve had a n
people I’ve interacted with who
encouragement.”
Such encouragement
particularly welcomed in 20
was the year Miller’s son wa
was also the year she was acc
PwC’s partner-candidate prog
program included an extende
in New York City. For severaMiller and her husband coordi
weekly commute between Bir
and PwC’s New York office.
"During that time, I affi
importance of family and foun
be flexible and creative with sc
Miller brings that flexib
creativity to the table as a m
CULVERHOUSE GRADUATE CREDITS UA
INTERNSHIP AS TURNING POINT IN HER CAREE
B Y J E A N M . M C L E A N
“LOOK FOR T HOSE
OPPORTUNITIES TO NETWORK
AND LOOK FOR THOSE
MENTORING RELATIONSHIPS.”
—K a re n Russe l l M i l l e r
8/9/2019 The Culverhouse College of Commerce Executive Magazine - Fall 2014 Edition
16/41
e Culverhouse College of Commerce’s Board of Visitors,
which she provides her corporate perspective on how to
epare a new generation of leaders for today’s business
mate. In her interactions with Culverhouse students, PwC
erns and current employees, she emphasizes how her
dustry is evolving to meet the needs of a new generation.
“The former ‘up-and-out’ accounting workplace demands
that propelled many talented workers out of public practice
are changing,” she said.
“My advice to new graduates coming out of the accounting
program is to keep your mind open and to not shut the door
too early. The best thing that’s happened in the accounting
of P O W E R F U L W O M E N
Karen R. MTax
PricewaterhouseCoop
profession is we’ve opened the dialogue. We’ve realized the
value of flexible work arrangements and sabbaticals, so we
can retain the top talent in our field.
“Too many young female accountants came to believe they
could not combine a satisfying personal life with a challenging
career,” Miller said. That is why she encourages students to
think ahead as they pursue internships, advanced degrees
and first jobs.
“Female accountants now have more advocates than
before. One of the blessings of my position right now is that
I’m heavily involved in a lot of women’s initiatives through
PwC. It’s encouraging to see that.”
Since the largest national public accounting firms —
known in the industry as the Big Four — compete for top
talent, they also tend to set the benefits bar for regional and
local employers. Those leading companies are now more
attuned to female employees’ concerns, Miller said.
As she talks with young professionals about their career
paths and life goals, she also urges each individual to think
ahead, evaluating not only which specialty paths to take
but also which firms are most likely to make those paths
more accessible.
“A lot of my friends in accounting had children at about
the same time. One thing they said they wished they had
done was to think ahead. When they started work, they were
focused on the best opportunity for them at that time, but t hey
didn’t think about what their lives would be like in three to
five years. For example, a lot of them wound up in situations
where they didn’t have good maternity benefits. When they
accepted their first jobs, they didn’t stop to think, ‘Where do I
want to be five years from now?’”
As public accounting firms initiate policies aimed at
retaining female talent, the benefits of those policies extend
far beyond their targeted market.“Across the industry, what you’re seeing is a willingness
to allow not only variances in the 9-to-5 schedules for
both males and females but to dial back with yearlong
sabbaticals and a lot of part-time arrangements that allow
people to work during busy season and then take summers
off to be with their children. I think those arrangements
are taking a number of forms. Some are tailoring
their schedules to allow care for their elderly parents.
“That sort of thinking ahead on the part of the firms to keep
their best and brightest employees is changing the a
profession for the better,” Miller said.
As leaders like Miller think ahead to better the
she suggested that Culverhouse students, purs
opportunity the College provides.
“Look for those opportunities to network and
those mentoring relationships,” Miller tells business
within every interest area. “Start early in your Colle
to look for someone who can teach you the business
answer the questions you don’t yet know to ask. Findwho can be both a sounding board and someone who
constructive feedback.”
Miller said she was blessed by others willing
their perspective from her professors to her PwC
Now this executive is sharing that same blessing
her partnering perspective to the next generation of
leaders at Culverhouse.
C U L V E R H O U S E8
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C U L V E R H O U S E0
CULVERHOUSE ALUMNAFINDS HER PASSION AT MERCEDES-BENZ
B Y J E A N M . M C L E A N
of P O W E R F U L W O M E N
A lthough Tonja Cochran has
witnessed dramatic industry
changes since she earned her
gree in 1996 from The University of
abama’s Manderson Graduate School
Business at the Culverhouse College
Commerce, she believes basic
siness principles have not changed.
"Today’s managers are still
eking the same character qualities
millennials that served previous
nerations so well,” said this vice
esident of purchasing and logistics for
ercedes-Benz U.S. International.
When asked for career advice,
ochran listed respect, integrity
d hard work as keys for opening
portunities at every level.
artnering for success
ochran’s latest opportunity focuses
managing a team responsible for an
panding automotive manufacturing
pply chain. That team ensures each
BUSI vehicle part is where it needs to be
hen it needs to be there, from supplier
warehouse, assembly to delivery. The
am plays a role in the production of
ch of the M-Class, R-Class and GL-
ass sport utility vehicles MBUSI ships
om Vance, Alabama, to more than
6 countries.The team’s responsibilities are
owing. MBUSI begins building the
Class this year, while preparing to add
fifth model in 2015.
Cochran is equally proud of the
ople she works and the products they
ake. Although she and her team have
come quite skilled at doing whatever
it takes to keep the parts flowing, this is
not the sort of job she imagined during
her MBA studies.
“I had gotten my undergraduate
degree in accounting from Evangel
University in Springfield, Missouri, and
worked for about five years. But I wasn’t
totally where I wanted to be,” said this
Tuscaloosa native about the beginnings
of an unexpected career path.
“By the time I went back to school, I
was a little bit older. I think that helped
me explore my options a bit. And since
the MBA itself is very diverse, for me
it offered a more balanced approach. I
took courses in production operations,
business law, human resources and, of
course, finance and accounting.”
Cochran’s MBA concentration was
in finance. That study, combined with
her accounting background, led her
to assume her subsequent specialty
would involve corporate mergers
and acquisitions.
“But Mercedes-Benz offered me a
job in logisti cs, and I chose to go this
route because the job and this company
seemed more exciting. After my first
years in logistics, I was able to take
advantage of the opportunity to do job
rotations within the company.”
Pursuing the career cross-training
circuit
Cochran then pursued MBUSI’s cross-
training process, working in various
roles with varied teams. In retrospect,
her MBA studies paved the way for
developing those assorted skill sets.
“I think that diverse course of study
prepared me for coming into a company
like Mercedes, a company that offers
so many opportunities to build your
portfolio of skills.”
Cochran’s specialized training in
Vance included logistics and supply
chain management as well as finance
and corporate controlling. She then
moved into one of her favorite job
assignments: leading a production floor
project team that used time studies and
improvement trials to reduce waste and
cost on a station-by-station basis. She
spent 18 months as a logistics manager
before being promoted to senior
manager of supply chain management.
Her team’s responsibilities were
complex but included supply chain
optimization for current and future
products, critical supplier management,
a parts consolidation center and foreign
trade zone operations.
“Then I took a two-year assignment
with our truck division in the Carolinas,
leading a team responsible for freight
planning and procurement for all
Daimler entities in the NAFTA region.
We purchased the freight services
used to bring parts from suppliers to
the production plant and to deliver
finished products from the plant tothe customer.”
After establishing that first North
American Free Trade Agreement region
function for Daimler’s cars, trucks, vans
and buses, she was asked to return to
Vance. In December 2013, she assumed
new duties as a vice president.
Preparing for jobs that do not exist yet
Since Culverhouse faculty work closely with leaders in tech-
driven corporations like MBUSI, they know workforce needs
may change dramatically during any student’s course of study.
With new specializations seeming to emerge as regula