Category: Past Speakers

Bradley Byrne has been named the next president and chief executive
officer of the Mobile Chamber. He has more than 30 years of experience
as an attorney in private practice and more than two decades of public
service. He is widely regarded as a thought and action leader who gets
things done.
Bradley spent four terms in the U.S. House of Representatives serving on
the Armed Services Committee and the Education and Labor Committee,
where he chaired the Workforce Protections Subcommittee. He was
appointed by two Speakers to the prestigious Rules Committee.
In Congress, Bradley was known as a fierce supporter of business and
industry, often leading on important issues where his experience in labor
law, workforce training, and education policy gave him a unique
perspective. Bradley has led initiatives that have increased access to
education and job training, benefiting Alabama’s workforce and
businesses alike.
Education Honors
Prior to serving in Congress, Bradley was an elected member of the Alabama State Board of Education and the
Alabama State Senate and was appointed as the Chancellor of Alabama’s two-year college system. He also chaired
Alabama’s Workforce Planning Council.
As a lawyer, Bradley has represented numerous clients before the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), the Equal
Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). As a
member of Congress, he frequently dealt with these agencies and with the Department of Labor, including its Wage
and Hour Division.
Bradley is married to Rebecca Byrne, who is the president and CEO of the Community Foundation of South Alabama,
and together they have four adult children.

Charles Wu Biography

Dr. Charles Wu is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science and Criminal Justice at South. His primary research interests fall into the intersection between International Relations and American Politics, and his research agenda focuses on the factors that influence public opinion on military operations overseas. Dr Wu’s academic and policy work have been published in Social Politics, Scientific Data, Journal of East Asian Studies, Journal of Asian and African Studies, International Relations of the Asia-Pacific, The National Interest, The Diplomat, and The Pacific Forum. His latest coauthored book is Presidentialism, Violence, and the Prospect of Democracy (Lexington Book, 2021).

Candace is a seasoned message management and communications professional for government agencies, political campaigns, elected officials, and corporations. Candace has managed or worked with over 70 political campaigns, including leading Mayor Stimpson’s two successful mayoral campaigns and building a strategy and winning team for his 3^rd successful campaign in 2021.

 

Through the campaign consulting company she co-founded, Alexander Cooksey, she has run successful local, statewide and federal elections in all branches of government.

 

With 15 years of public opinion experience, she is battle-tested in crisis communications, campaign management, strategic communications, and political strategy. Candace has a strong track record of managing dynamic teams through complex and high-pressure operations.

 

Through the work of her company, Candace ushered in an era of data-driven campaigning to the South Alabama area. Using data from surveys, voter files, predictive modeling, and raw data sources has allowed her to develop successful micro-targeted communication strategies that can be emulated in many competitive market industries.

 

In August 2020, she accepted the position of Director of Communications for Mayor Sandy Stimpson and the City of Mobile. At the city, Candace oversees an award-winning communications team of talented professionals who are dedicated to serving the citizens. Since taking this role, Candace has implemented a new texting service for citizens to communicate with city government and instituted the “No Wrong Door” philosophy, allowing citizens multiple avenues for communicating with their city government.

Candace is a member of the Rotary Club of Mobile. She and her husband (Will Cooksey) attend Covenant Presbyterian Church in Mobile.

 

Bronner Bio

David George Bronner was born in Cresco, Iowa, on January 22, 1945. He obtained his B.A. and M.A. degrees at Mankato State University, now Minnesota State University. From 1967 to 1969 David Bronner was an instructor in the School of Business and Finance at Mankato State University.

In 1973, Dr. Bronner was invited to accept the CEO position with the Retirement Systems of Alabama where today he is Chief Executive Officer. It is his responsibility to invest the funds of that organization. Under his direction, these funds have increased from over $500 million to over 25 billion dollars, making the RSA the largest financial organization in Alabama. Dr. Bronner’s expertise in the field of finance is recognized throughout America.

For many years, Bronner has encouraged Alabama to increase tax revenue to provide adequate service for mental health, prisons, public safety, Medicaid, education, and seniors. He has urged the state to reform its 1901 Constitution, which is widely considered to be the longest in the world. Bronner constantly defends RSA from frequent efforts by politicians and interest groups who seek to gain access to RSA’s funds, reduce contributions, reduce benefits, and change the plan from a defined benefit to a defined contribution fund.

Bronner was named the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame Distinguished Alabama Sportsman in 1994 (for developing Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail) and Citizen of the Year by the Alabama Broadcasters Association in 1999.

 

Chandra Brown is Executive Director of Lifelines Counseling Services, a United Way multi-service, nonprofit organization since 1958.  Lifelines Counseling Services provides crisis, emotional, financial and housing counseling and education to community members in southwest Alabama.  She became Executive Director in 2005.

 

A graduate of McGill-Toolen High School and an inductee into the McGill-Toolen Hall of Fame, Chandra majored as a dual major in pre-medicine and psychology at Xavier University in New Orleans. She has a Masters in community counseling from the University of South Alabama, where she was honored with the Lisa Bethea Kavanaugh, 40 Under 40 Award, along with Mobile Bay Monthly. She was recognized as a Gulf Coast Leader to Watch, a “Soul of Mobile” in November 2019 and FOCUS WC, 40 Over 40, in 2021..

 

Chandra serves as a board trustee on the University of South Alabama; serves on the regional advisory board for BB&T Bank; serves as the past board president for the Alabama Coalition Against Rape; served as the 2019 Class Dean for Leadership Mobile; is a graduate of Leadership Alabama XXX; served as JLM President in 2014-2015; and serves on the Alabama Contemporary Art Center Board of Directors along with the Alabama Humanities Alliance. She is married to Leonard Stewart, Jr., a native of Mississippi and is the proud “puppy” mom to Red, a lab-hound mix.

 

Dr. John Valentine, Executive Director

Dauphin Island Sea Lab

Biographical Information

 

 

Dr. John Valentine is the Executive Director of the Dauphin Island Sea Lab (DISL). Before that, he served as Chair of the Sea Lab’s University Programs. Since arriving at DISL, he has written or co-authored over 90 grant proposals for research. Support for his research has come from both federal and state agencies including the National Science Foundation, National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Environmental Protection Agency, the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, the Mobile Bay National Estuary Program (MBNEP) and The Nature Conservancy. Some 75 students, technicians and post-doctoral students were supported by these efforts. He has been lead or second author on over 70 scientific articles. In addition, Dr. Valentine serves as an academic editor for the scientific journals Marine Ecology Progress Series and PLoSOne. He has also served as a panelist for U.S. National Science Foundation, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Geological Survey, and NOAA’s National Undersea Research Program. He currently serves on the Executive Boards of the Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium, the MBNEP, and Alabama’s Forever Wild Program. Dr. Valentine is also a graduate of Leadership Alabama.

Bio – Cade grew up on Guntersville Lake in north Alabama. He got his degree in environmental science from Auburn and has worked for the U.S. Forest Service and at the former BAE shipyard in environmental compliance before coming to Mobile Baykeeper. In his spare time, Cade likes to kayak and bike, and snow-ski whenever he can. Cade, who served as Mobile Baykeeper’s Program Director for six years, now fills the Baykeeper role previously held by Casi Callaway. Cade is married and has two children, ages 5 and 2.

Presentation Title:

NAVIGATING THE CHALLENGES OF BREAST CANCER TREATMENT

 

As a breast surgical oncologist at the USA Health Mitchell Cancer Institute (MCI), Dr. Hunter treats cases from benign breast disease to aggressive breast cancer. Focusing on breast oncology at an academic cancer research center, Dr. Hunter uses cutting-edge technology and participates in leading-edge research for breast cancer care.

 

From a young age, Dr. Hunter knew she wanted to be a doctor, and breast surgical oncology allows her to combine her passions for women’s health and surgery. Connecting with her patients on a personal level, she empowers them to make informed decisions about their cancer care and its impact on their lifestyles, focusing not only on their physical health but also on their mental health. When a new breast cancer patient comes to MCI, her goal is that they leave with an understanding of their diagnosis and prognosis, a plan in hand and all of their questions and concerns answered.

 

Dr. Hunter carefully considers her patients’ outcomes when planning surgery and extends patient care beyond routine procedures to improve their survivorship journey. She strives to give her patients the best aesthetic results using the hidden scar technique whenever possible. Dr. Hunter also provides a pectoral nerve block for patients undergoing a mastectomy,  and this technique allows patients to have better pain control during and after surgery, which also helps patients use fewer narcotics.

 

Treating patients undergoing breast cancer care, Dr. Hunter works extensively with MCI’s multidisciplinary team of medical and radiation oncologists and plastic surgeons to create an individualized plan for patients. She is dedicated to providing the most-advanced treatments and remaining at the forefront of breast cancer clinical trials and research.

 

Dr. Hunter lives in Mobile with her husband, Dr. John Hunter, a colorectal surgeon at USA Health; their dog, Remi; and their new baby. In her spare time, Dr. Hunter enjoys working out, reading, attending concerts, being outdoors and traveling.

Born and raised in London, Ontario, Colleen moved to Mobile in 2005 to attend
the University of South Alabama, where she got a degree in Exercise Physiology.
Colleen played volleyball for the Jags for four years then married Jason Smith of
Mobile, and they have two children, Adeline (7) and Cohen (5). Crazy ideas
aren’t new for the Smith’s, as they decided to build their own log cabin in
Lucedale, MS and live on 30 acres of land when they first got married. They lived
there for 5 years and this is really where the love for firewood began. Jason, a full
time firefighter for the City of Mobile, started cutting down trees, and splitting
firewood by hand in 2010. After experiencing all the painstaking problems that
come with doing firewood the “old school” way, the Smith’s knew there had to be
a better, more efficient way to supply firewood locally. Fast forward to 2018, they
began doing market research, including flying to a few other large scale firewood
operations around the country, as well as talking to potential local customers, and
they knew there was indeed a gap in the market for kiln-dried firewood with
reliable customer service. They made their first sale as “Mobile Bay Firewood” in
June 2019, and have grown exponentially since, including a recent move from a
5,500 square foot building to a 47,000 square foot space, which is rapidly filling
up with inventory! Named the Mobile Area Chambers Small Business of the
Month in October 2021, the Smith’s and their team know that none of this is
possible without the support of the people of Mobile and Baldwin Counties and
their continued encouragement. Despite many, many challenges, they have
managed to stumble in a forward direction and continue to grow their business
year over year!