Category: Past Speakers

BIO – JANET L. COBB, MG (USA Retired)
Executive Director, USS Alabama Battleship Commission and Battleship Memorial Park, Mobile, Alabama
Janet Cobb became the eighth executive director of the USS ALABAMA Battleship Commission and Battleship Memorial Park on December 14, 2015.
She enlisted in the U.S. Army Reserve in May 1974 and served until August 1976. She was commissioned a Second Lieutenant, Signal Corps in May 1978 from the University of Alabama ROTC program, where she was named a Distinguished Military Graduate. MG (Ret.) Cobb was the fifty-fourth general officer and first female general officer to graduate from the University of Alabama. In April 2017, MG (Ret.) Cobb was one of seven selectees for the inaugural University of Alabama ROTC Hall of Fame.
She commanded at the detachment, battalion, brigade, directorate/brigadier general and major general levels. Her deployments include post-Desert Storm operations at the Ports of Al Jubayl and Ab Dammam, Saudi Arabia; Operation Iraqi Freedom port operations, Port of Ash Shuyabah, Kuwait (2002-2003).
MG (Ret.) Cobb’s additional deployments were joint assignments, where she served as Commander, 598th Transportation Group (Terminal)(2007), Rotterdam, the Netherlands, with oversight of military ports in Europe and North Africa; and Director, Central Command Deployment & Distribution Operations Center (Camp Arifjan, Kuwait)(2011), which directed all intra-theater airlift for Iraq and Afghanistan.
MG (Ret.) Cobb was assigned to the Department of the Army Staff as the Assistant Deputy Chief of Staff, G-4, (Mobilization and Training) from 2011-2014. She was mobilized and served in the Pentagon on the Army Staff as Deputy G-4 in 2012. In October 2013, then-Secretary of the Army John Marsh appointed MG (Ret.) Cobb to the Army Reserve Forces Policy Committee for a two-year term.
Her last assignment was Commanding General, 81st Regional Support Command, Fort Jackson, South Carolina and Senior Commander, U.S. Army Garrison Fort Buchanan, Puerto Rico. On August 8, 2016 she was retired from the Army of the United States after 42 years in uniform.
Her decorations include the Distinguished Service Medal, Legion of Merit, Bronze Star Medal, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal (3), and various campaign and service awards.
She holds a J.D. from Cumberland School of Law, Samford University; an M.S.S. from the United States Army War College and a B.A. from the University of Alabama.
MG (Ret.) Cobb is a past USS ALABAMA Battleship Commissioner. She serves on the boards of the Historic Naval Ships Association, The Lee Foundation and the Equine Therapy Group for Veterans. She is member of the Mobile Bay Area Veterans Day Commission Board of Trustees and serves on the Veterans Initiative Advisory Council of the Community Foundation of South Alabama. MG (Ret.) Cobb holds a real estate license with the State of Alabama. She is a member of VFW Post 5658, American Legion Post 99 and other professional and civic organizations.
She is a resident of the Barnwell community in Baldwin County.

Monde Donaldson is vice president of the Better Business Bureau Educational Foundation of Central and
South Alabama. In this position, her goal is to expand awareness of the BBB by creating relationships
with business leaders, community partners and the general public. Since coming to the BBB last year,
she has focused her attention on educating the public in South Alabama on consumer issues, scam alerts
and fraud schemes. She recently completed intensive fraud training as a national scholarship recipient
for a FINRA-sponsored workshop.
The Mobile native came to the BBB after spending 27 years at Spring Hill College in the advancement
division as a senior major gifts officer and director of alumni relations. In 2006, she was named
fundraiser of the year by the Mobile chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals. She also
worked as director of development at McGill-Toolen Catholic High School for 10 years. Before coming to
Spring Hill, she worked at the University of Alabama, The Anniston Star and The Pensacola New Journal.
She is a 1975 graduate of the University of Alabama where she served as editor of the student
newspaper, The Crimson White.
Her civic involvement includes the Rotary Club of Mobile, Mobile Area Chamber of Commerce Small
Business Council, vice president of the Diocese of Mobile Catholic Foundation Board, and a founding
member of the Blessed Francis Seelos Catholic Church in Spanish Fort.

Darron Patterson was the first African American sportswriter at the Mobile Press Register, and is a three-time Alabama Press Association award winner for “Best Story of the Year.”
He later worked for The Detroit News, covering the National Football League’s Detroit Lions, Detroit Pistons of the NBA, Detroit Tigers baseball team and the Detroit Red Wings hockey club.
He was also the first African American to cover NASCAR and Indy Car racing circuits for a major daily newspaper, and later spent three years as Director of Communications for the City of Detroit’s Resource Management System.
The Africatown native also serves on the board of directors of the Mobile Sports Hall of Fame, is co-leader of the men’s ministry at Mt. Hebron Church Ministries, is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity, a graduate of the University of Texas-at El Paso and is president of the slave-ship Clotilda Descendants Association.
He is married to the former Sandy Grimes.

Dr. Eric G. Mackey currently serves as the State Superintendent of Education. Prior to serving as State Superintendent of Education, he served as the Executive Director of the School Superintendents of Alabama, superintendent of Jacksonville City School System, assistant principal, and principal. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Jacksonville State University and Master’s, Education Specialist, and Doctoral degrees from The University of Alabama.
Throughout his career, Dr. Mackey has been an advocate for increased rigor and advanced high school courses as well as challenging elementary and middle school courses that prepare students for high school. He believes schools must transform from an industrial model to one more attuned to the information age. A model that is both challenging and highly interesting for students.
Dr. Mackey is also engaged in his community. Among his many civic commitments, he serves on the Executive Committee of the Tukabatchee Area Council, BSA. He is president of the Montgomery Rotary Club and teaches high school youth at Woodland United Methodist Church.
He and his wife, Robin, have three sons.