Category: Past Speakers

Tonie Ann Coumanis Torrans
Tonie Ann served in the United States Peace Corps in Kingston, Jamaica where she helped set up a Social Work Department in the Bustamante Hospital for Children (the only children-specific hospital in the Caribbean)- 1989-1991
Tonie Ann worked as a Medical Social Worker for nearly 15 years at Providence Hospital before coming to Penelope House in March 2007
Tonie Ann received her Masters in Social Work at the University of Southern Mississippi and her undergraduate degree in Sociology with a Social Work Emphasis at the University of Southern Mississippi where she played Varsity Volleyball for four years and was a member of the Delta Delta Delta Sorority
Currently, Tonie Ann is the Executive Director of Penelope House, attends the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church, and is a member of the Junior League of Mobile and NASW (National Association of Social Workers)
Tonie Ann is the proud mother of two sons: ages 15 and 13

Special Agent Steve Sorrells currently serves as the Senior Team Leader on the FBI’s Evidence Response Team in the Mobile Office. SA Sorrells has served as an agent for 20 years in New York and Mobile. SA Sorrells currently is a member of the FBI’s Adjunct Faculty teaching crime scene courses to local and state officers, other FBI agents, and police officers in foreign countries.
Rachel Byrd Bio – Rachel Byrd currently serves as the Assistant Special Agent in Charge (ASAC) for the FBI Office in Mobile. She has been with the FBI for 15 years. After initially being assigned to the Honolulu Division, she served in the FBI Laboratory before moving to serve as a Supervisory Special Resident Agent in the Jackson Division. ASAC Byrd returned to Mobile (her hometown) in October of 2017

John F. Kilpatrick, Founder & Executive Director, Veterans Recovery Resources
LTC John Kilpatrick is the Founder and Executive Director of Veterans Recovery Resources, a “by Veteran, for Veteran” non-profit serving Veterans, families, caregivers and survivors in southwest Alabama. He was appointed to serve on the Alabama Task Force on Veterans and Opioids in August 2018. John has over 33 years’ reserve military service including 12 years as an intelligence analyst in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve and over 21 years as a Medical Service Corps Officer in the U.S. Army Reserve. He is a combat Veteran of Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm, Kosovo, and Kuwait in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and served an 18-month tour at the Pentagon in the Office of the Surgeon General. John earned a B.A. from Spring Hill College in 1994 and his master’s in social work at the University of Alabama, School of Social Work in May 2018. He lives in Mobile with his wife Laurie and their three children, Owen, Henry and Kate.

William Bryant, Jr.
Scout Executive/CEO
Mobile Area Council, Boy Scouts of America
William Bryant, Jr. is the Scout Executive/CEO Mobile Area Council, Boy Scouts of America. He is the immediate past Revenue and Membership Growth Coach for the National Office of the Boy Scouts of America. William is a Subject Matter Expert in Fund Development. William has served as a District Executive, Senior District Executive, District Director, Field Director, ScoutReach Director, Summer Camp Director, Woodbadge Staff Advisor, Finance Director and Senior Development Director. In his over 15 years of experience, William has raised funds through annual giving, in-kind donations, special events and endowment.
William is the immediate past President of the Atlanta Nonprofit Professionals, past President of the Atlanta Urban League Young Professionals and past Co-Chair of Programs for the Association of Fundraising Professionals- Atlanta Chapter. William served as the Chair of National Philanthropy Day Luncheon in 2018 for the AFP Chapter in Dallas, TX and National Co-Chair, 2018 African American Development Officers Network National Conference.
William is a graduate of LEAD Atlanta, a leadership program of selected executives from across the state of Georgia. William is very engaged with the National Urban League, and is a very active member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc.
William has received the Atlanta Urban League’s Rising Star Award, Kappa Alpha Psi, Fraternity, Inc. Man of the Year Award, Distinguished Alumnus Award of Grambling State University and is the recipient of the coveted National President’s Award through the Boy Scouts. William is an alumnus of Grambling State University and holds an MBA in Nonprofit Administration from Oglethorpe University.
In his spare time, he enjoys traveling, playing the saxophone, playing basketball and reading.

Will Collins, a resident of Enterprise Al., is regional VP of development for Liberty Learning Foundation. He’s leading the charge to form Community Alliances that sustain the organization’s mission of teaching civics, character, careers and financial literacy in K-12 schools. Before joining the foundation, Mr. Collins was working in Charlotte NC for Aramark as a Business Development Manager. His passion for education and desire to impact the youth in Alabama brought him to Liberty Learning Foundation which has been implementing the Super Citizen Program in area schools for the past years. Will is going to be relocating to the Mobile area in the next few months.
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