Category: Past Speakers

Francisco (Cisco) Codina emigrated to the United States from Cuba in 1965. The family moved to Tuscaloosa where his father practice medicine and where he attended school including the University of Alabama. While at the University, he met his wife Pam (from Mobile). They have to two grown children – Katherine and Pierce. Cisco first job out of college was with BLP Mobile Paints in Mobile and New Orleans. He joined Ford Motor Company in 1977 answering the phones in Customer Service in New Orleans. He built a successful 30 years career with Ford which included President of Ford Argentina, President and Corporate VP of Ford Parts and Service Division, and retiring as Group Vice President of Marketing, Sales and Service. Following his retirement from Ford, Cisco moved to Mobile but also went on to become a Senior Advisor and subsequently a partner to the 2nd largest tire and parts distributor in the country. Cisco has served in numerous boards and currently enjoys being part of the Distinguished Young Women Executive Board. He is fully retired and enjoys many hobbies.

Julia Starr (Jules) is the Executive Director of The CORE Project, Inc. a program serving children on the Autism Spectrum as well as other developmental and intellectual disabilities. Ms. Starr has worked in this field for 16 years. She also enjoys consulting with families to create comprehensive programs that can be beneficial in a home and school environment. In 2005, Ms. Starr obtained a Bachelor’s of Arts Degree in Psychology and Criminology from Auburn University. She completed her graduate studies and earned a Master’s Degree in Applied Behavior Analysis in 2006, also from Auburn University. In addition, Ms. Starr has her teacher certification in Special Education K-6 and 6-12. Ms. Starr is from Trussville, AL and is a proud parent of 4 children, 2 of which have special needs.

Sean P. Powers, Ph.D.
spowers@disl.org
Senior Marine Scientist III
Professor and Chair, Department of Marine Sciences University of South Alabama
BIO
Dr. Sean Powers currently serves as Chair of the Marine Sciences department at the University of South Alabama and is a Senior Marine Scientist at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab. Dr. Powers research lab, personnel, and graduate student are located in the Shelby Center for Ecosystem-Based Fisheries Management at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab. Dr. Powers grew up in New Orleans and received his Bachelors of Science at Loyola University and a Master of Science degree from the University of New Orleans. He then moved to Texas to pursue his Ph.D. in biology and oceanography from Texas A&M University. Dr. Powers joined the faculty at the University of South Alabama and the Dauphin Island Sea Lab in 2003.
Dr. Powers’s research focuses on the ecology of marine fish and invertebrates, particularly those that support commercial and recreational fisheries. The ultimate goal of his research program is to provide scientifically sound information to direct conservation and restoration efforts of marine fisheries and habitats. He has published over 100 peer-reviewed scientific articles, many in leading journals in the field (Science, Ecology, Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Science, PLOS One); Served as PI or Co-PI on over 28 million dollars in extramural grant funding; advised 14 graduate students (7 PhD. And 7 MS); and engaged a variety of groups including national non-governmental organization (NGOs), regional conservation and sportsman groups in an effort to develop sustainable management practices for marine resources.

Dr. Alinda Guynes McGowin, MD, Vision Partners
Rotary Club of Downtown Mobile
Thursday, June 17, 2021, at noon
June is Cataract Awareness Month
Program: “Cataracts—Everyone Has Them!”
Dr. Alinda Guynes McGowin is a board-certified ophthalmologist with Vision
Partners. She is originally from Greenwood, MS. She attended college at the
University of Mississippi and completed medical school at the University of
Alabama School of Medicine in Birmingham. She underwent her medical
internship at Georgetown University/Washington Hospital Center in Washington,
DC and completed her ophthalmology residency and surgical training at the
Hamilton Eye Institute, at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in
Memphis, TN.
Following her training, Dr. McGowin joined the faculty of the Hamilton Eye
Institute for three years as a comprehensive ophthalmologist and assistant
professor at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis
before moving to Mobile with her family in 2015, when she joined the team at
Vision Partners.
Dr. McGowin is a member of the Medical Society of Mobile, the American
Academy of Ophthalmology and the American Society of Cataract and Refractive
Surgeons.
Her practice includes diagnosing and treating all aspects of eye disorders and
diseases. She serves patients at Vision Partners in both Mobile and Baldwin
County.
Dr. McGowin and her husband, Sumpter, have four children.

Jill Chenoweth – President and CEO, United Way of Southwest Alabama
Ms. Chenoweth graduated Magna cum Laude from Spring Hill College with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English. Chenoweth has a long history of philanthropic service, having held leadership positions in local nonprofit organizations and academic institutions in our community. She began her work with the United Way of Southwest Alabama as Vice President of Resource Development in 2017. She was promoted to President / CEO in April 2018. Prior to her move to United Way, she was the director of development for St. Mary’s Home, a residential treatment program for abused, abandoned and neglected children.
Chenoweth is co-founder of the South Alabama Coalition of Nonprofits, a group of nonprofit organizations sharing a common purpose based on increasing effectiveness, advocacy for those who receive the services and for the nonprofit sector, and public awareness and support of the nonprofit sector in the community. She previously received the Active of the Year Award from the Junior League of Mobile and the Ignatian Award from Spring Hill College.
Currently, she serves as a member of Mobile United, the Junior League of Mobile, and South Alabama Coalition of Nonprofits.
She has participated in and provided leadership and development to numerous boards of directors.

Joe Gottfried, a native of Crestline, Ohio, became a member of the South Alabama Department of Athletics in 1981 when he was named Assistant Athletic Director. In 1984, Gottfried was named Director of Athletics at USA. During his tenure, Jaguar teams have won 82 conference championships. Gottfried has guided South Alabama to 10 of the last 17 Sun Belt Conference Commissioner’s Cups, while the program has placed no lower than seventh in the annual Sun Belt competition, signifying overall athletic excellence. Under his reign, the academic support program became the model of the Sun Belt Conference. Jaguar athletic facilities also grew at USA, such as upgrades to the South Alabama Field House, USA Track Facility the Bruce David Lubel tennis courts and most recently Stanky Field. In 1999 , the 10,000-seat Mitchell Center Complex was completed. Under his tutelage, USA has hosted 23 Sun Belt Conference Championship events.