Dec. 18, 2025–Tom McGehee / Museum Director, Bellingrath Gardens & Home “A Forgotten Disaster at Sea – The Tragedy of the S.S. Morro Castle”

Tom McGehee

Tom has served as Museum Director for Bellingrath Gardens and Home for 31 years.  In his capacity as curator over the collections there, he has participated in numerous study courses dealing with decorative arts and garden estates in the United States, Great Britain, France and Germany.

In addition he has been researching the history of Mobile and south west Alabama for more than 35 years and has appeared weekly on NBC’s Gulf Coast Today with his series “Lost Mobile” while his Ask McGehee column has been a regular feature in Mobile Bay Magazine for more than 20 years.

He is a past president of the Rotary Club of Mobile where he is a Paul Harris Fellow and was named Rotarian of the Year in 2012.  He is the author of “A Century of Service Above Self:  A History of the Rotary Club of Mobile, 1914-2014.”

Tom serves on the board of the Rotary Children’s Foundation, the Friends of Magnolia Cemetery, the Historic Restoration Society and the Friends of the Alabama Governor’s Mansion.

Tom is married to the former Ceil Smith of Monroeville and he has a daughter, Megan, currently residing in Athens, Greece.

Dec. 4, 2025–Matthew Capps / Director, Alabama State Parks

Matthew Capps bio

Matthew Capps leads the Alabama State Parks, a division of the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. The Alabama State Parks System manages 21 state parks, encompassing more than 50,000 acres of land and water. The parks provide opportunities and facilities from basic day-use activities to resort convention lodging, restaurants and golfing areas.

He became the Director of Alabama State Parks in 2024 after serving as its deputy director for three years. Matthew is a graduate of Auburn University and began his professional career with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant program in Mobile. He previously served as director of the Dauphin Island Parks and Beach Board and worked for the City of Mobile Parks and Recreation Department. Matthew also worked in the private sector for several years before joining the Alabama State Parks Department.

Nov. 20, 2025–Cindy Chiribao / Associate Vice President, Admissions Columbia Southern University

Cindy P. Chiribao

Associate Vice President of Admissions, Columbia Southern University

Cindy Chiribao serves as the Associate Vice President of Admissions at Columbia Southern University, where she leads a multi-campus admissions division dedicated to helping students nationwide and internationally achieve their educational goals. With nearly a decade of leadership in higher education, she focuses on expanding access, improving student outcomes, and integrating technology to enhance the admissions experience.

Before transitioning to higher education, Cindy worked in federal government contracting, supporting the Department of Justice’s DEA Special Operations Division (SOD) on intelligence and analytical initiatives, as well as projects with the Department of Transportation, the Department of State, and the Social Security Administration.

Originally from Arlington, Virginia, Cindy has called the Gulf Coast home for the past ten years and loves the sense of community, hospitality, and purpose the area represents. She and her husband, Carlos, recently founded C&C on the Gulf, a family business offering short, mid, and long-term rentals along the Alabama coast. The business was created as part of their family legacy for their daughter, Claire, to one day manage in support of her brother, Noah, who has special needs.

Cindy holds a Master of Science in Organizational Leadership from Columbia Southern University and a Bachelor of Science in Spanish and Political Science from the University of Mary Washington. She is passionate about education, leadership, and service—values that guide her work and her life.

 

Nov. 13, 2025–Sheriff Paul Burch / Mobile County Sheriff’s Office

A Mobile native, Paul graduated from B.C. Rain High School, and attained his associate degree in criminal justice and his Bachelor of Science Degree in homeland security from Columbia Southern University.

From 1983 to 1988, he served as a United States Navy Seabee. In 1989, Paul began his law enforcement career as an officer with the Montgomery Police Department. He returned home to Mobile in 1990 to join the Mobile Police Department, and in 1999, Paul became a deputy at the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office. In 2014, Paul graduated from the FBI National Academy Session #258. Then, after rising to the rank of Captain, Paul was appointed commander of MCSO’s Criminal Investigations Division in 2015.

With three decades in law enforcement, he has served in several roles including uniformed patrol, general investigation, homicide investigation, and narcotics/VICE investigation. These accomplishments highlight Paul’s dedication to serving the citizens of Mobile in a professional, respectful, and trustworthy manner.

Paul was elected as the Sheriff of Mobile County in November 2022, and he was formally sworn in as Sheriff in January 2023.