Past Speakers

Bryan Billy is an enrolled member of the Hopland Band of Pomo Indians. He moved with his wife, Amanda, from the Central Valley of California

RICK CLARK Deputy Director & Chief Operating Officer Richard “Rick” Clark is the Alabama Port Authority’s deputy director. Joining the APA in 2019, he is

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OLIVIER CHARLES Mr. Olivier Charles serves as the President of Bishop State Community College in Mobile, Alabama. A strong advocate of making education

Albert Watkins Key, Jr., publishing under the name Watt Key, is an American fiction author who is known for writing young-adult survival fiction. A resident of Alabama, his debut novel Alabama

Bud McCrory has nearly three decades of water and wastewater experience and is currently the Director for the Mobile Area Water and Sewer System.  He

Dr. Meg McCrummen Fowler is the director of the History Museum of Mobile. She holds a Ph.D. in Art History & Society from Tulane University,

Dr. John Hoyle is the President of the Alabama School of Mathematics and Science (ASMS), Alabama’s only fully residential and public high school for highly

Cartledge Weeden Blackwell, III   Cartledge Weeden Blackwell, III, is an architectural historian and the curator of the Mobile Carnival Museum. Blackwell is a six-generation

Derek Boulware-Bio Derek Boulware is the Chief Executive Officer for Housing First, Inc., Established in Mobile in 1993, Housing First is the designated HUD-Continuum of

Anitra Belle Henderson joined SCHOOLS, an ed tech test prep company, in August 2022 as CEO. Henderson also collaborated with the founder of SCHOOLS to

William T. Ratliff, III Biography Will Ratliff recently stepped down after serving 34 years as CEO of Collateral Holdings, a company founded by his grandfather.

Gia Wiggins is a career Human Resources Professional. A native of Mobile AL, she received a BA in Psychology and Sociology from Grambling State University.

Kane Wommack was named the head football coach at the University of South Alabama on Dec. 12, 2020. At 34 years old, he became the third

With two decades of on-the-ground work in a wide variety of organizations, Todd Greer joined the Innovation Portal team with a background as an experienced

Stephanie Dragotta, P.E. , Project Manager Alabama Department of Transportation   Stephanie Dragotta is a professional civil engineer for the Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT).

Bio: Chef Jim Smith   Chef Jim Smith is the Executive Chef and Owner of The Hummingbird Way Oyster Bar in Mobile, AL.  The Hummingbird

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

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

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

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,

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

Dr. John Valentine, Executive Director Dauphin Island Sea Lab Biographical Information     Dr. John Valentine is the Executive Director of the Dauphin Island Sea

Bio – Cade grew up on Guntersville Lake in north Alabama. He got his degree in environmental science from Auburn and has worked for the