Apr. 21, 22–John Sledge / Author & Historian

Education

 

Middle Tennessee State University

Murfreesboro, Tennessee

Fall 1980-Spring 1982

Master of Arts in History with emphasis in Historic Preservation

Thesis: “Summerfield, Alabama: Historic Preservation in a Rural Context”

 

Auburn University

Auburn, Alabama

Fall 1977-Spring 1980

Bachelor of Arts in History and Spanish

 

Work History

 

Mobile Historic Development Commission

Architectural Historian 1985 to present for this city agency.  Responsibilities include coordination of easement program, historic building marker program, tax credit work, environmental review, and frequent public speaking on local history and historic preservation topics.

 

Mobile Historic Development Commission

Acting Director March 1997 to September 1998.  Responsibilities included supervision of MHDC staff and volunteers, coordination of the Commission’s committees (properties, finance, awards, education), management of the city’s two architectural review boards, and working with the mayor, city council, other city departments and the citizens of Mobile on historic preservation issues.

 

Mobile Register

Books Editor, August 1996 to 2012.  Responsibilities included writing a weekly book review column, “Southern Bound,” and coordinating and editing local reviewers.

 

Main Street Pulaski, Inc.

Project manager during 1984 for downtown revitalization project in this Tennessee community.

 

Middle Flint Planning Commission

Historic Preservation Planner from May 1982 to January 1984 for an eight county area of Georgia.

 

Professional Affiliations and Awards

 

President Historic Mobile Preservation Society, 1995-1997

Founder Church Street Graveyard Preservation Foundation, Inc.

Board, Friends of Magnolia Cemetery

Elizabeth B. Gould Research Award 1988, 2001, 2009

Robert Bell Writing Award, 2004

Distinguished Service Award, Alabama Historical Commission, 2002, 2010

Virginia Moran Writing Award, 2009 (first awarded)

Alabama Library Association Award for Best Nonfiction Book, 2009

Clinton Jackson Coley Award for best local history book in Alabama, 2016

NSDAR Historic Preservation Award, 2016

Apr. 14, 22–Cam Marston / Author, Radio Host

Cam Marston

Expert on Workplace and Marketplace Trends

 

 

CAM MARSTON is an author, advisor, and top-rated keynote speaker on the trends shaping the workplace and marketplace. His presentations are informative, engaging, humorous, and full of concrete research that is tailored to his audience. Cam enlivens the data with anecdotes, tales from the real business world, attention-grabbing visuals, and quips that make the messages and actionable strategies memorable.

 

His original focus was on generational differences and their impact on the workplace and marketplace. Cam and his firm, Generational Insights, have provided research and consultation to hundreds of organizations, ranging from small businesses to multinational corporations, as well as to major professional associations. Cam’s four books and countless articles describe and analyze the major generations of our time, explaining how generational workplace and marketplace preferences affect every aspect of business, including recruiting and retention, management and motivation, and sales and marketing.

 

In 2018, Cam began a podcast that was soon picked up as an FM radio show titled What’s Working with Cam Marston. Cam interviews a wide range of expert guests to learn about the trends influencing their workplace, workforce, and marketplace, and how they are successfully reacting to them. He has now broadcast over 200 episodes and released his fifth book, What’s Working with Cam Marston: The Ten Best Ideas from the First 200 Episodes.

 

Cam also records commentaries for Alabama Public Radio called Keepin’ It Real. They’re his humorous and inspirational observations of the world around him and have won both statewide and national awards. You can find both his radio show and his commentaries on your favorite podcast app.

 

Cam’s expertise and acumen are the products of over 25 years of research and consultation across a wide range of industries. He has provided insight and advice to leadership at the some of the world’s most prominent corporations, including Kaiser Permanente, Charles Schwab, BASF, Nestle, Schlumberger, Fidelity, Warner Brothers, ESPN, Qualcomm, RE/MAX and Eli Lilly. He has also offered presentations and consultations for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Internal Revenue Service, NASA and the U.S. Army, as well as for major professional associations such as the American Bankers Association, the Health Care Compliance Association, FMI/The Food Industry Association, the Financial Services Roundtable, and the Million Dollar Round Table.

 

Apr. 7, 22–Rusty Murdaugh / President & CFO, Austal USA

Rusty Murdaugh
President and CFO
Rusty Murdaugh is president and CFO of Austal USA. He leads an
organization of nearly 3,200 shipbuilding professionals headquartered
in Mobile, Alabama, with operations in Washington, D.C., San Diego
and Singapore and is responsible for all aspects of Austal USA’s ship
manufacturing, service and support operations worldwide.
Murdaugh brings over 33 years of strong financial and business
management experience from within the defense contracting industry.
Before joining Austal, he served as vice president of finance for a
business segment of Esterline Corporation. Prior to Esterline, he was
with Avnet, Inc., where he held the positions of group financial officer followed by vice president of financial
planning and analysis. Earlier in his career, Murdaugh held financial
and business management positions with United Technologies (formerly Goodrich) and Honeywell.
Murdaugh holds a bachelor’s degree in finance and management from Saint Leo University and a master’s
degree in government contracting from the Florida Institute of Technology. His vast global finance and
management experience includes operations, government contracting, and strategic planning. He has a
proven record of leadership in complex business environments with strong financial performance.
Murdaugh is a Six Sigma green belt and a certified Lean Practitioner Trainer. He is a member of the Propeller
Club of the United States: Port of Mobile.
About Austal USA
Austal USA is an advanced shipbuilder headquartered in Mobile, Ala. with service centers in San Diego and
Singapore. The company’s modern ship manufacturing facility is designed to maximize efficiency through
the use of moving assembly lines for module construction and adherence to lean manufacturing principles.
Austal USA joined the U.S. defense market in 2004 and quickly rose to become the fifth largest shipbuilder
in the U.S. Today, Austal USA supports both steel and aluminum ship construction as well as services and
support worldwide. The company is under contract with the U.S. Navy to build the small surface combatant
Independence-variant Littoral Combat Ship, the auxiliary ship Expeditionary Fast Transport, and the Towing,
Salvage and Rescue ships. Earning safety excellence awards the last six consecutive years, Austal USA
continues to be one of the safest shipyards in America.

Mar. 31, 22–Abe Harper / President, Harper Technologies, LLC & Chairman, Board of Directors, Prichard Prep

Abe L. Harper Jr.
Harper Technologies, LLC
Abe Harper is the President and CEO of Harper Technologies, LLC – a “Concierge Culture” IT
Service Provider based in Mobile, AL. Harper Technologies specializes in Managed IT,
Infrastructure Services, and Data Services. As a business in a fast-paced industry, Harper
Technologies, employs the latest industry tools, knowledge, and methodologies to solve
clients’ problems. Every procedure and tool are consistently evaluated to ensure that they
embody the company slogan, “Today’s Company, Tomorrow’s Technology”
Abe, a native of Daphne, AL, is an alumnus of the Alabama School of Math and Science. He also
attended Florida A&M University and the University of South Alabama where he met his wife
Audra. They have been married for just over 15 years, and have two princesses (Natalie and
Erin),one prince (Abe Harper III) , and one puppy (AJ Harper).
Aside from being an entrepreneur, husband, and a father, Abe has a specific passion for the
local and regional community. His desire is to help create better future opportunities for the
generations to follow. Abe is very active in the regional community serving in several
organizations, including the following:
Merchants and Marine Bank – Board of Directors
Alabama Innovation Corporation –Corporation Member
Prichard Preparatory School – Chairman, Board of Directors
CityHope Church – Elder
Alabama Small Business Development Center Network – Advisory Director
Aside from work and community activities, Abe also has a few hobbies and tries to indulge
when things are quiet. He loves travelling and is also private pilot. Additionally, he enjoys
fishing, photography, and saltwater aquariums.

Mar. 24, 22–Courtney McBride / Pilots for Christ

Courtney McBride is from Brewton and has recently joined the PFC team as the public speaking coordinator.  She visits churches, venues, and civic groups speaking about this life giving ministry.  But the main goal is to point lost souls to the cross and grow the kingdom.  She has also been sharing the life altering message of Jesus to churches, ladies groups and youth groups for the last several years.

She is the principal at Flomaton Elem and has been in education for 23 years. She has been married and  has three boys.

Mar. 17, 22–Jo Bonner / President, University of South Alabama

President Jo Bonner

Jo Bonner is the fourth president of the University of South Alabama.

Previously, he served as chief of staff to Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey. He joined the Ivey Administration in December 2018, as the governor’s senior advisor. Before joining the governor’s office, he served as Vice Chancellor for Economic Development at The University of Alabama System from 2013 to 2018. During his final year at UAS, he was an executive on loan, serving as Interim Executive Director of the Tuscaloosa County Industrial Development Authority.

For more than a decade, he represented Alabama’s First District in the U.S. House of Representatives. He was first elected to the 108th Congress in November 2002 and was reelected to five additional terms. As a student at The University of Alabama, he worked on Capitol Hill as an intern for Congressman Jack Edwards. After graduation, he returned to Washington as press secretary and later chief of staff to Congressman Sonny Callahan.

In Congress, he earned a reputation as a respected and influential voice of reason in both Alabama and Washington. He was a member of the House Appropriations Committee, where he served on three key subcommittees, as well as the House Ethics Committee. Widely respected on both sides of the aisle, he was selected by House Speaker John Boehner to serve as chairman of Ethics during the 112th Congress. His crowning Congressional accomplishment came in 2012 when Airbus announced plans to build their first U.S. Final Assembly Line in Mobile. Over the years, Congressman Bonner developed friendships and strategic partnerships with the top corporate leaders at Airbus, one of the world’s largest aerospace and defense companies. The Airbus project has resulted in more than $1 billion being invested in Alabama, creating thousands of new jobs in the aerospace industry and putting Mobile on track to become the fourth largest commercial aviation city in the world.

President Bonner has received numerous awards and honors, including a 2020 induction into the Alabama Academy of Honor; the Academy is the state’s premiere recognition of 100 living Alabamians for their outstanding accomplishments and service. In 2016, the Business Council of Alabama (BCA) created the inaugural “Congressman Jo Bonner Spirit of Leadership Award” and honored Bonner as its first recipient. In 2013, he received the Distinguished Public Service Award, the highest honor the U.S. Navy bestows on a civilian. He also received the 2012 “Governor Bob Riley Building a Better Alabama Award” by the BCA.

Bonner earned a B.A. degree in Journalism from The University of Alabama in 1982. He is married to the former Janée Lambert, of Mobile, and they are the parents of a daughter, Lee, and a son, Robins.

Mar. 10, 22–Garrett Williamson / President, Personal Edge Fitness “The Lie of Food”

Born in Mobile, Garrett is a graduate of UMS Preparatory School where he was a 2014 athletic hall of fame inductee. Garrett earned a bachelors degree from the University of Georgia where he was a pole-vaulter on the varsity track team. Upon graduation Garrett went on to complete his Master’s Degree in Fitness Management (M.S.S) at United States Sports Academy. During his studies at the Academy, Garrett interned at the Siegfried health center at St. Johns Medical facility in Tulsa, Oklahoma and the Cooper Institute in Dallas Texas.

 

After personal training for eight years in different facilities in Georgia, Oklahoma and Alabama, Garrett opened Personal Edge Fitness, Inc. in 2000. With the most qualified staff in the southeast, Personal Edge offers s personal training in all facets of fitness and sport including weight loss, rehabilitation, senior training, balance, and athletic development.  Garrett can be heard weekly as the Host of the “Personal Edge Fitness” podcast, dispelling myths about health, fitness and wellness.

 

In 2010 Garrett re-entered the competitive athletic field in Sprint Triathlon. In August of that year Garrett, qualified for TEAM USA and his first World Championships in Beijing, China. In Beijing Garrett finished 15th in the world and was the top American finisher in his division. Since 2011 he has competed for Team USA in 8 world championships in Sprint Triathlon, Aquabike and Aquathlon. Garrett has just qualified for his ninth time to represent TEAM USA, in November, at the Aquabike world championships in Abu Dhabi, UAE .

 

He is married to Stephanie Jane Eads from Jasper, Alabama. They are both very active with Save-a-Stray and their K-9 foster and adoption programs. They are the proud parents of five dogs and provide a temporary home to many fosters.