Category: Past Speakers

Shernita Taylor is the Workforce Development Manager at Austal USA, serving as the organizational lead for workforce development strategy, labor planning, and skilled trades initiatives supporting advanced manufacturing and shipbuilding operations. She leads the company’s registered apprenticeship and talent pipeline programs. In this role, she works closely with internal stakeholders, workforce partners, and educational institutions to recruit, assess, and prepare talent for long-term careers at Austal.

With more than a decade of experience in workforce development, program design, and partnership engagement, Shernita has built and managed large-scale training and career pathway programs in high-wage, high-demand industries. She previously led the development and expansion of the MAEF Workforce Center, securing grant funding, developing skilled trades pipelines, and supporting youth and young adult learners in earning industry-recognized credentials and employment. She is known for her strategic, employer-driven approach to talent development and her commitment to aligning education with workforce needs to create sustainable career opportunities.

Executive Director, Alabama Wildlife Federation
3050 Lanark Road, Millbrook, Alabama 36054
(334)285-4550
Education
1990-1993
1983-1985
Honors:
Employment
10/98 – Present
1996 – 1998
1991 – 1996
1988 – 1991
1985
Auburn University; B.S., Forest Management – Honors Program
Patrick Henry State Junior College; A.A.S., Forest Technology
PHI THETA KAPPA Honor Society – 1985
B.E. Lee Award Nominee for Outstanding Academic/Civic/Social Achievement – 1985
MacMillan Bloedel Forest Economics Award – 1991
U.S. Forest Service Forest Science Award – 1993
AU Forestry Alumni Assoc. Outstanding Senior Academics Award – 1993
PHI KAPPA PHI – Auburn University’s highest Honor Society – 1993
Executive Director, Alabama Wildlife Federation
Forest Management Chief, Alabama Forestry Commission
Reforestation/Threatened and Endangered Species Specialist, Alabama Forestry Commission
Forest Pest Management Specialist, Alabama Forestry Commission
Forest Technician, F&W Forestry Services; Albany, GA
Affiliations/Service
Leadership Alabama Class XXVII
Alabama Sportsmen’s Foundation, President
Alabama Forest Resources Center, Board of Directors
Alabama Clean Water Partnership, Vice Chair
Alabama Forestry Council, Past Chair
Alabama Forestry Association
Alabama Agriculture and Forestry LEADERS Class VI
Alabama Natural Resources Coordinating Council
Alabama Wildlife Federation
AWF Managing Wildlife Author Selection Committee
AWF Managing Wildlife Technical Review Committee
Southeastern Forestry and Wildlife Farm Bill Working Group
Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program, Program Development Committee
U.S. Forest Service, State and Private Forestry, Threatened and Endangered Species Working Group

Dr. Krista Williams is the Founder and CEO of Floretta P. Carson Visual and Performing Arts Academy—ranked among the highest-performing secondary schools (6-12) in the State of Alabama. The Academy has also been recognized as the “Top Performing Arts Academy of 2025” in the nation. Dr. Williams’ professional success is rooted in her extensive background in education — encompassing both practice and leadership. Her experience as a K–12 teacher, school leader, and college professor has informed her work across instructional leadership, school operations, and transformative organizational management. In addition to her background in leadership, Dr. Williams has performed with notable orchestras such as the New Orleans Philharmonic, New Orleans Symphony, Mobile Symphony, and others. Williams has won numerous piano competitions during her career as a classical concert pianist, including the New Orleans Concerto Competition and MMTA Sonata Competition. She has performed for over 100 recitals and professional concerts during her career as a concert pianist with notable orchestras and universities across the country. Williams specialized in solo piano performance under the tutelage of Floretta P. Carson. As an advocate for arts education, Williams has presented numerous research papers and practitioner workshops at state, national, and international conferences, including the International Symposium on the Sociology of Music Education (ISSME) in Oslo, Norway and the Music Education and Social Inclusion (MESI) Symposium in San Juan, Puerto Rico. As a 2023 and 2024 Grammy Nominated Music Educator, 2023 4.0 Schools Fellow, 2023 New Schools for Alabama Founders Fellow, and 2021 Boston University SOM Award winner, Dr. Williams has earned the respect and admiration of mentors, colleagues, students, and the community through her dedication and commitment to arts education.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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.

John Sledge retired from the Mobile Historic Development Commission in 2024 after 38 years of service. He currently serves as maritime historian-in-residence at the National Maritime Museum of the Gulf. He and his wife Lynn live in Fairhope.

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.

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.