Category: Past Speakers

Barrett B. McCall

is President/Owner of Larson & McGowin, LLC.  McCall earned a Bachelor of Arts in economics from the University of the South in 1987, and a Master of Forestry degree from Duke University in 1991.  Mr. McCall’s expertise lies in land management operations and silviculture, large-scale property transactions and negotiations, strategic planning, timberland investments and forest economics.  He started his career with Larson & McGowin in the role of Environmental Specialist helping grow the firm’s expertise in conservation, ecological restoration and environmental compliance services but over the years has been intimately involved in every aspect of a full service forest management and advisory firm.  He has considerable experience working with private (family) ownerships on governance, transition and other related business issues.

Barrett serves on Alabama advisory board for Hancock Whitney Bank.  He is President of the Forest Landowners Association and was President of the Alabama Forestry Association in 2011-2012. He is also a member of Leadership Alabama Class XXVIII. 

McCall is a member of the Association of Consulting Foresters and is a registered forester in in several southern states including Alabama.  McCall also has the Certified Forester designation from the Society of American Foresters. 

Larson & McGowin, LLC. (established in 1957) has 8 branch offices with management responsibility on more than 850,000 acres of timberland for individuals, family offices, trusts, private investment companies, university endowments, real estate investment trusts, pension funds, and conservation and forest research organizations.  Centered in the US South, the firm also provides consulting, financial modeling, forest inventory, valuation and strategic planning services with wide ranging objectives from preservation and conservation, to wealth preservation and ownership transfer to maximizing return on investment.  Services are offered nationwide but also include experience in Central America, Canada and Fiji. 

Larson & McGowin, LLC. is also invested in natural resource technology through its subsidiary Silvics Solutions, LLC, and is managing partner in a real estate planning and brokerage services company, Larson & McGowin Properties, LLC.  

Bernard H. (Bert) Eichold II, M.D., Dr.P.H., F.A.C.P.

Dr. Bert Eichold is the Health Officer for Mobile County and also serves as the Area Health Officer for the Public Health District of Mobile County for the State of Alabama Department of Public Health. He is responsible for safeguarding the public’s health and the environment for all of Mobile County. He has held this position since May 1990.

Born and raised in Mobile, Alabama. Dr. Eichold is married and the father of three children. He is a graduate of Tulane University where he obtained a Bachelor of Science Degree, Master of Public Health Degree, Doctor of Medicine Degree, and Doctorate of Public Health Degree.  He is an Alumnus of Leadership Mobile and Leadership Alabama.

He has academic appointments with the University of South Alabama as an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Medicine where he has served as the Co-Course Director of Public Health and Epidemiology.

Dr. Eichold is a member of the Alabama Public Health Association, American Public Health Association, Mobile United, Mobile Area Chamber of Commerce, The Community Foundation of South Alabama and South Alabama Workforce Development Council.  Dr. Eichold serves on the Board of the Mobile County Hospital and various other community service organizations.

Dr. Eichold is a Retired Captain of the United States Navy.

Born in Mobile, Alabama, Chief Jeremy P. Lami began his professional career as a Combat Medic in the United States Army, where he served in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom (2003-2004). A second-generation firefighter, Lami followed his father (Arther P. Lami, ret.), serving the City of Mobile and the Mobile Fire-Rescue Department since 2002. Earning a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management from Liberty University, a Master’s in Management (Global Business Management) from the University of Alabama, Chief Lami is an avid learner, striving for knowledge to grow as a competent leader.

Chief Lami started his career as a firefighter on a suppression unit and has progressed steadily through the ranks of the fire department. After completing the University of South Alabama’s Paramedic Program, Lami served as a Paramedic Firefighter on a frontline Rescue Truck, primarily providing emergency medical care to citizens in need.  Immediately following his promotion to the rank of Captain, Lami served on assignment to a suppression unit in downtown Mobile. He would later transition into the role of Training Captain with MFRD’s Training Academy. During his tenure as Training Captain, Lami would have the opportunity to leave a substantial imprint on the future of MFRD with each new firefighter recruit class under his tutelage.

Continuing his pursuit of knowledge, development, and upward mobility, Lami completed the National Fire Academy’s prestigious Executive Fire Officer Program (EFO). In 2016, he was promoted to District Chief, quickly being appointed to Chief of Staff under Fire Chief Mark Sealy in 2017.  As Chief of Staff, Chief Lami was responsible for overseeing the Department’s $40 million budget and providing leadership to the Logistics, Training, Communications, and Community Risk Reduction Divisions. 

An avid learner, Chief Lami strives for knowledge to grow as leader and adapt to the ever-changing demands on the fire service. Lami’s specialty training includes Hazardous Materials, Urban Search and Rescue (USAR), Marine Firefighter, Fire Inspector III, Fire Instructor II, Fire Officer IV, as well as being a nationally-registered Paramedic.  Although he has completed numerous certifications, he is best known for his passion, positivity, and commitment to the fire service and for building relationships with personnel.     

Chief Lami was unanimously selected by Mayor Sandy Stimpson and the Mobile City Council to serve the City of Mobile as Fire Chief, following the official retirement of his predecessor Chief Sealy. Chief Lami was sworn-in on August 29, 2020, officially appointing him as the 16^th Fire Chief for the Mobile Fire-Rescue Department.

David P. McGrath

Associate Managing Director, Wealth Management,  Mobile Office

Mr. McGrath is responsible for developing and managing wealth management relationships in South Alabama for Oakworth Capital Bank. He is also a member of Oakworth Capital’s Investment Strategy Committee. Prior to joining Oakworth Capital, Mr. McGrath has 24 years of experience in asset management, with his last 19 years spent at Regions Bank in various capacities including management of three proprietary mutual funds with assets of over $1.2 billion. David currently serves on the City of Mobile Citizens Budget & Finance Advisory Committee, and is active with Big Brothers Big Sisters of South Alabama.

Christina Talerico, M.D., graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of South Alabama with a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry. She continued her studies at the USA College of Medicine, and graduated with her medical degree in 2012. She completed her residency training and fellowship in child and adolescent psychiatry from USA as well. Talerico began working at AltaPointe Health during her fellowship training and has officially joined the medical team full-time in summer 2018. She is board-certified in general psychiatry from the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology.

Meg McCrummen Fowler is director of the History Museum of Mobile. She is also a doctoral candidate at Tulane University, completing a PhD in Art History & Society. Meg came to the Museum from the University of South Alabama, where she served as a Visiting Scholar in the Center for the Study of War and Memory and as an instructor in Department of Art and Art History.  She holds a BA in History and French from The University of Alabama and an MA in History of Art from Tulane University. Her museum experience includes a fellowship in 2018 at the Musée d’Orsay in Paris. Meg grew up in Mobile and now lives in midtown with her husband, James.

Bio: Kayley Robinson, Flight Works Alabama’s Marketing and Communications Manager, is a Mobile native. In May of this year, she graduated from Spring Hill College with a Bachelor’s Degree in Communication Arts with a concentration in Digital Video Production. During her time in college, she was a member of the golf team, and interned with Airbus Americas, the SSI Group, and Flight Works Alabama in Mobile.

Topic of Presentation: Flight Works Alabama — Mobile, Alabama is becoming a hotspot for aerospace innovation and beyond. Located next to the Airbus Mobile Manufacturing Facility at Mobile Aeroplex at Brookley, Flight Works Alabama, a new 501(c)(3) nonprofit aerospace education center, offers visitors insight into the unique aviation industry that is revolutionizing the Gulf Coast. At Flight Works Alabama, visitors can learn about the science of flight, the production of aircraft, career opportunities, and more. Flight Works Alabama’s 15,000 square foot facility houses the Airbus Foundation Discovery Space, containing over 40 hands-on activities, as well as a fabrication room, workshop, classroom, multipurpose room, and drone aviary. When COVID-19 regulations permit, Flight Works Alabama will be the starting point for tours of the Airbus A320 Final Assembly Line.

Dr. Fletcher is an expert in finding meaning and purpose through pain and suffering. He’s a Doctor in Physical Therapy specializing in the treatment of chronic pain, Assistant Professor at the University of South Alabama’s Doctor of Physical Therapy program, Army Reservist (Major) awarded the Bronze Star, and an organizational consultant responsible for raising nearly $1M for nonprofit organizations seeking to address barriers to health and wellbeing. He is a father of three, a husband, and the son to Karen, a chronic pain sufferer who died by suicide.

Thomas “Chris” Curry was hired as the Executive Director of the Mobile Airport Authority in October 2017, and was recently promoted to the position of President in September 2018. Upon his appointment to the position, he placed airline recruitment, evaluating the roles of Mobile Regional and Downtown Airports, and expanding business opportunities on the Brookley Aeroplex at the top of his priorities. His overall objective is to provide premium air service to the community and manage the assets of the Authority to achieve the greatest economic benefit to the customers of the region.

Since Mr. Curry’s arrival in Mobile, he has provided professionalism and expertise in representing MAA with the overall needs of its largest tenants, such as Airbus, VTMAE, and Continental Motors. During this past year, Airbus announced a partnership with Bombardier to build the A220 aircraft and Flight Works aviation experience center at the Mobile Aeroplex at Brookley. In addition, he spearheaded the complex negotiations of a new agreement with Continental Motors, where they are investing $75 million in a new state of the art facility scheduled to open in 2019. Further to his achievements, Mr. Curry also created a new organizational structure with high caliber talent designed to meet the challenges required to lead MAA into the future.

Because of Mr. Curry’s wealth of experience in the Airline industry, he was able to recruit Via Airlines to provide non-stop service to Orlando/Sanford; Mobile’s first new airline since 2003. Working with the FAA, he also managed the Metropolitan Airport Systems Study to determine the feasibility of moving commercial service from the Regional to Downtown Airport. Under his guidance, the MAA is moving into the Masterplan process for the Mobile Downtown Airport.  This is a brief snapshot of a few items on a long list of his many accomplishments in under a year as Executive Director.    

Prior to his current position with MAA, Mr. Curry was the Director of Aviation for the City of Tallahassee from December 2013 to September 2014.  During his tenure at TLH, he guided the transition of the Airport from a regional to International facility.  He was responsible for the $15M modernization project that significantly improved the terminal aesthetics and writing legislation that resulted in $1M state contribution toward improving air service to the Capital City.  In addition, Chris lead the airport effort to increase the use of green technology by utilizing more than 375 acres of Airport property to build two solar farms.

Before his employment in Tallahassee he served as Executive Director of the Collier County Airport Authority, Gary Chicago International Airport and Project Manager of Airspace and Procedure Design for the Boeing Company.

Mr. Curry began his military career in the United States Air Force in 1982 as an air traffic controller and retired in 2001. During his tenure, he served as manager of air traffic control radar, tower and airfield management.

A native of Savannah, Georgia, Mr. Curry earned his associate’s degree in airway science from the Community College of the Air Force, Montgomery, AL. He also earned a bachelor’s degree from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University in professional aeronautics. He was recently selected as “Aviation Professional of the Year” by the Florida Department of Transportation in 2016.