Category: Past Speakers

Dr. Joél Lewis Billingsley received a Bachelor of Science in Human Resource Management from the University of South Alabama (USA) and an Associate of Arts degree in Culinary Arts from Bishop State Community College. She later returned to her alma mater to pursue a Master of Science and Ph.D. in Instructional Design and Development.  Since 2005, she has been educating students, conducting research, and facilitating community conversations. As an educator, instructional designer, and facilitator, her administrative role focuses on supporting faculty, staff, and students in inclusive excellence. Building on her leadership development and community-building experience,  she facilitates campus-wide initiatives to fulfill the mission of USA. She serves as Vice President for Diversity and Community Engagement at the University of South Alabama.

Dr. Lauren Lambrecht is a Tennessee native who has lived in Mobile since 2011. She attended Harding University for her undergraduate studies, graduating magna cum laude with a B.S. in Chemistry. While at Harding, she held a two-year research grant with NASA, and was presented the Physical Science Student of the Year Award by the faculty and administration. Following graduation, Dr. Lambrecht obtained her medical degree from the University of Tennessee School of Medicine. She then completed her OBGYN internship and residency training at the University of Tennessee in Memphis. While in residency, Dr. Lambrecht served as Chief Administrative Resident to the 40 physicians in her program. During that time, she received awards for Best Resident in Gynecology and Best Resident in Urogynecology and Pelvic Surgery. Dr. Lambrecht has had the privilege of working with several research mentors throughout her undergraduate, medical, and residency studies. During that time, she presented and published several papers in peer-reviewed journals. She was also awarded “Best Resident Research Paper” by the University of Tennessee. She is a fellow of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology and is board certified by the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology. She is currently attending Auburn University Graduate School obtaining a Physician Executive Master of Business Administration degree.

As an OBGYN, she feels privileged to be a part of a woman’s care through every season of life. She enjoys the practice of Gynecology & Obstetrics because of the wonderful opportunity that it offers – playing a crucial role in promoting and maintaining women’s health throughout their lives, from adolescence through pregnancy and into menopause. She takes pleasure in educating patients about their health and their bodies and helping them to understand the normal stages of their lives, as well as the problems that can arise. Dr. Lambrecht has developed a particular interest in minimally invasive procedures and vaginal surgery. She has been a preceptor for ACOM, teaching medical students in the office and in the operating room.

She and her husband, Zac, have been married since 2002, and in 2013, they welcomed twin boys, James and Joshua. She enjoys time with her family, reading a great book, or golfing.

 

Jeff Molby (pronounced Mole-bee) is a Rotarian from Caro, Michigan (pronounced Care-oh) where he’s been volunteering for the American Cancer Society through Relay For Life for the last few years. On October 10th, 2023, he added his love of traveling and cycling to his fight against cancer as he set off on a multi-year bike tour around the country in order to help people get to their chemo appointments.

 

After becoming treasurer of his son’s boy scout troop, Jeff went to visit the troop’s sponsor: the Rotary Club of Caro, Michigan. He was blown away by the warm welcome and the values embodied in the four-way test, so a couple weeks later he had his red badge.

Around the same time, Jeff attended his first Relay For Life. He loved the way they fight the global scourge of cancer in a profoundly local way. He started small and eventually took on an outsized role to help restart things after covid.

He recently turned his attention to the American Cancer Society’s Road to Recovery program. They too need a post-pandemic boost, so Jeff combined his love of traveling and cycling to his fight against cancer, setting off on a multi-year bike tour around the country in order to raise money and recruit drivers to get patients to their lifesaving treatments.

Sydnee Cantley is a native of Fairhope, AL and a current student at the University of South
Alabama. She is the reigning Miss Tuscaloosa 2024 and will compete for the job of Miss
Alabama in June. She competed last year at Miss Alabama as Miss Gulf Coast 2023, where she
placed in the Top 13 and won the People’s Choice Award. Sydnee is one of the Feature Twirlers
in the Jaguar Marching Band at USA and is a State and National Champion Baton Twirler. She
is a member of the First Year Council, Chi Omega, and the Honors College at South. Sydnee
works with Children’s of Alabama, Alabama Department of Mental Health, Alabama Chapter –
American Academy of Pediatrics, and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. Sydnee
is also the founder of Adolescent Wellness Checkups and the author of Bee Healthy: A
Children’s Coloring Book Encouraging Healthy Habits. Sydnee is currently studying Nursing and
plans to be a Pediatric ICU Nurse.

 

Dr. Stephen Loyd is an Internal Medicine/Addiction Medicine physician who graduated medical school and residency from the James H. Quillen College of Medicine at East Tennessee State University. He currently serves as the Vice-President of the Tennessee Board of Medical Examiners. Dr. Loyd was the Assistant Commissioner (Opioid Czar) for Substance Abuse Services in the Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services in Governor Bill Haslam’s administration. He has served as an expert witness in more than twenty federal and state cases against physicians who were improperly prescribing controlled substances. Dr. Loyd was named an Advocate for Action by the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), an office of the President of the United States. He has delivered over five hundred educational lectures on addiction and treatment of opioid use disorder and proper prescribing of controlled substances.

 

Dr. Loyd was an original member (still active) of the Treatment of Chronic Pain Guidelines Committee which defined pain treatment for providers in the state of Tennessee. He has worked as an Addiction Medicine Physician in both the inpatient and outpatient settings, specializing in the treatment of opioid dependent pregnant women. Dr. Loyd has served on multiple drug courts in Tennessee and remains an active participant in drug court in the 4th Judicial District under Judge Duane Slone. He has worked with multiple community level anti-drug coalitions from Johnson County to Shelby County and has worked with all levels of state law enforcement, mainly the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. He currently serves as Chief Medical Officer for Cedar Recovery in Tennessee and is the current Chair of the Tennessee Opioid Abatement Council appointed by current Tennessee Governor Bill Lee.

 

Dr. Loyd has been in recovery from opioid and benzodiazepine addiction since July 8, 2004.

Arturo Castro-Guerra, a native of Lima – Peru, is a Piano Concertist, dedicated in his professional life to mastering different skills, such as playing various instruments and musical genres, and carrying out various tasks linked to art: teaching, promoter artistic, and talent development.

PIANO CONCERTS and MUSICAL AMBASSADOR

Arturo serves as the official Musical Ambassador of Peru. His service has given him the satisfaction of contributing to the promotion of the Peruvian musical and traditional repertoire in organized concert tours to Canada, the United States, Latin America, the Caribbean, Central America, the European Community , Switzerland, the United Kingdom and South East Asia, sponsored by the Embassies and Diplomatic and Consular Representations of Peru and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Arturo Castro-Guerra, also recognized for his humanistic character and his unfailing capacity for contribution, has led him to offer numerous charity concerts in various settings. Among those that stand out is the Concert at UNESCO headquarters in Paris, to benefit those affected by Hurricane Mitch in Central America; the Gala organized in the city of North Miami Beach at the Julius Littman Performing Arts Theater, to benefit those affected by the earthquake that devastated southern Peru; as well as the Concert organized by the Embassy of Peru in Washington DC at the Shriners Temple, to benefit burned children; and likewise the Concert offered at the National Museum of Archeology, Anthropology and History of Peru, to benefit those affected by the coastal Niño phenomenon.

ARTURO CASTRO-GUERRA FOUNDATION

A concrete projection of the support that pianist Arturo Castro-Guerra is committed to is carrying out activities to promote the talent of young talents, through the Foundation that bears his name. With the same vitality since its creation, it has developed presentations with international artists, such as the Polish pianist Katarzyna Borek, the Dutch Peruvian soprano Margarita Catalina Holguín, the national folklorist César Villalobos, the impulse of the young French accordionist Eva Martineau, the virtuoso soprano by coloratura Hatun Killa, the Choral and Instrumental Ensemble of the José de Oregon y Aparicio Peruvian School, and the revelation of the young Peruvian American singer Nicole Uceda.

ROTARY INTERNATIONAL

Arturo Castro-Guerra, is a Paul Harris Fellow. He served as President of the District 4455 Rotary Pro-Peace Scholarship Committee and President of the Rotary Friendship Exchange Committee, in the period 2021–2022. He promoted and concluded the Twinning Agreements with the Jackson Heights Rotary Club of New York – District 7255, the Rotary Club Asunción Palma de Paraguay – District 4845, the Rotary Club of Fairhope – District 6880, the Rotary Club of Mobile – District 6880, the Rotary Club of Rio Branco New Generations of Brazil – District 4270, all of them with the Rotary Club of San Isidro. He is Advisor to the Rotary Youth Exchange Program in Peru.

Arturo Castro-Guerra, President of the Rotary Club of San Isidro-District 4455, for the period 2022-2023, qualified with the Excellence level by the District, and continues his presidency in the current period 2023-2024. Arturo declares: “I feel very honored to receive this important responsibility, which inspires us to cultivate the solid principles of friendship, to develop and achieve the noble tasks in our mission of service.”

Today Arturo is a candidate for District Governor for the period 2026-2027.

PASSION FOR CLASSIC CARS

Within his hobbies, Arturo Castro-Guerra has a great passion for collecting beautiful classic American automobiles, and maintains a private collection of extraordinary models of the Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme brand.

 

 

Deborah Browning
Deborah Browning joined USA Health as chief nursing officer for Children’s & Women’s Hospital in March 2021.
In June 2022, she added interim administrator responsibilities and focused her leadership on evaluating and
driving quality health outcomes. In October 2023, Browning was appointed CEO of USA Health Children’s &
Women’s Hospital. She is dedicated to fostering a culture of safety and accountability, employee engagement,
and developing and maintaining effective partnerships with members of USA Health’s interprofessional teams to
achieve excellent patient and family experiences. Browning is an energetic and patient-centered
transformational leader with extensive experience in pediatrics and women’s health having served in leadership
roles at Oklahoma Children’s Hospital, Cape Fear Valley Medical Center, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical
Center, and MUSC Children’s Hospital of South Carolina, to name a few. Her innovative and collaborative
leadership style facilitates teamwork and fosters relationship-building to achieve mutual goals. Under her
leadership at USA Health Children’s & Women’s Hospital, South will soon be opening a new state-of-the-art
Pediatric Emergency Center, our region’s only emergency room centered around the specific needs of pediatric
patients

Ellie Watson grew up on a row-crop farm in Colbert County where her love for agriculture began. She graduated from Auburn University with a degree in agricultural communications. When Sweet Grown Alabama began in 2019, Ellie was hired as the first director of the program. She currently lives in Autauga County with her husband Dalton and daughter Charlotte