The Culverhouse College of Commerce Executive Magazine - Fall 2014 Edition

8/9/2019 The Culverhouse College of Commerce Executive Magazine - Fall 2014 Edition

1/41

T H E C U L V E R H O U S E C O L L E G E O F C O M M E R C E

EXECUTIVEM A G A Z I N E

R E A C H I N G O U TW I T H D I V E R S I T YI N I T I A T I V E

W O M E N O F B U S I N E S S

A NA LY T I C S

Page 40

Page 4 Page 12

S T E M S T U D E N T ST A K E O N B R E A S TC A N C E R C H A L L E N G E

I N S I D E T H I S I S S U E

Powerful Women

of Culverhouse

FAL L 2 0 1 4V O L U M E 1 9 • I S S U E 1

CEO and President of Lockheed Martin Corp

and University of Alabama Alumna

Marillyn Hewson


2/41

2 F R O M T H E D E A N

4 S T U D E N T S T A K E O N B R E A S T C A N C E RC H A L L E N G E

8 S T E M S T U D E N T F I N D S K E YTO S U C C E S S I N A D V E R T I S I N GS L O G A N

1 2 R E A C H I N G O U T W I T HD I V E R S I T Y I N I T I A T I V E

1 4 P O W E R F U L W O M E N O FC U L V E R H O U S E

1 6 F O R B E S F O U R T H M O S TP O W E R F U L W O M A N I NB U S I N E S S

2 0 W A L L S T R E E T M O M T R A D E SR O L E S A T H O M E

2 2 A L U M NA F I N D S H E R PA S S I O N I N M E R G E R S A N D

A C Q U I S I T I O N S

2 4 T H E A R T O F B A L A N C E : 1 9 8 7 C U L V E R H O U S E A L U M N A

S H A R E S H E R K E Y S T OS U C C E S S

2 7 U A I N T E R N S H I P T U R N I N GP O I N T I N C A R E E R

3 0 D R I V I N G P A S S I O N A T

M E R C E D E S - B E N Z

3 2 T H E D E A N M E A N S B U S I N E S S

3 4 B U S I N E S S S U R V I V A L 1 0 1 —P U T A W O M A N I N C H A R G E

3 6 I N N O V A T I V E A D V A N C ED I R E C T I V E S I N N U R S IH O M E S

4 0 W O M E N O F B U S I N E S S A N A L Y T I C S

4 4 S T U D E N T S S T U D Y B U S A NA L Y T I C S A B R O A D

4 6 L E A D E R O F C E N T E R F OE C O N O M I C D E V E L O P MM A K I N G S T A T E W I D E I M

5 0 M A R K E T I N G S T U D E N T B R E A T H E N E W L I F E I N

B I R M I N G H A M I C O N S

5 4 H A R R I S O N J O N E S T R AF O O T B A L L J E R S E Y F O

5 8 A M B A S S A D O R S B O O S TC U L V E R H O U S E I M A G E

6 0 A L U M N I N E W S

6 4 F A C U L T Y A N D S T A F F N

6 6 S T U D E N T N E W S

6 8 P H I L A N T H R O P Y G I V E SS T U D E N T S O P P O R T U N

7 2 C U L V E R H O U S E C O N N E CM E N T O R P A Y S I T F O R W

7 4 S O C I A L M E D I A I N T H EC L A S S R O O M

7 6 1 0 S O C I A L M E D I A T I PB O O S T Y O U R E N G A G E MO N T W I T T E R

C O N T E N T Sh t t p : / / w w w . c u l v e r h o u s e . u a . e d uDE A N

J . M i c h a e l H a r d i n

E DIT O RE d i t h P a r t e n

W E B CO M M UNICA T IO NSK y l e F o n d r e n

GRA P H IC DE S IGNN a t o r i o H o w a r d

O f f i c e o f D e s i g n a n d P r o d u c t i o n

T h e U n i v e r s i t y o f A l a b a m a

CO NT RIBUT ING W RIT E RSB r i t t a n y D o w n e y , K y l e F o n d r e n

J e a n M c L e a n , E d i t h P a r t e n

C a r o l a n n e R o b e r t s

CO P Y E DIT O RB e n i t a C r e p p s

CO NT RIBUT ING P H O T O GRA P H E RSJ e f f H a n s o n , B r y a n H e s t e r

Z a c k R i g g i n s , M a t t h e w W o o d

O FFICE O F DE V E LO P M E NTH i l l R o w a n

A LUM NI A ND CO RP O RA T E RE LA T IO NSK a t h y D e S h a z o , D i a n e H a r r i s o n

D a n a M e r c h a n t , S u s a n N e w m a n

C o u r t n e y P a g e

CULV E RH O US E CO LLE GE O FCO M M E RCE

B o x 8 7 0 2 2 3

T u s c a l o o s a , A L 3 5 4 8 7 - 0 2 2 3

CO M M E NT S , S UGGE S T IO NS ,Q UE S T IO NS

2 0 5 - 3 4 8 - 8 3 1 8

e p a r t e n @ C u l v e r h o u s e . u a . e d u

T h e U n i v e r s i t y o f A l a b a m a i s a n e q u a l - o p p o r t u n i t y

e d u c a t i o n a l i n s t i t u t i o n / e m p l o y e r • M C 8 6 4 0

FA LL 2 0 1 4V O L U M E 1 9 • I S S U E 1

OUR WOMEN'S ISSUE IS IN HONOR OF BREAST CANCER AWARENES

NOTE TO OUR READERS: THE ANNUAL DONORS LIST IS MOVING TO CULVERHOUSE ANNUAL REPORT PUBLICATION COMING SOON.

mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]


3/41

We welcomed more than 7,800

students to the Culverhouse College

of Commerce this fall, and a record

number of students have enrolled in

the University’s STEM Path to the MBA

program. The 2014 STEM class is the

largest ever with an enrollment of 306

freshmen. That brings the total number

of students enrolled in the program to

more than 650 since its inception in

2011, and our first group will graduate

with their MBAs in 2016.

This innovative program allows

students majoring in science,

technology, engineering and math to

earn an MBA in one additional year

after completing their undergraduate

degrees. It is one example of how

Culverhouse is positioning itself to

become a top 25 business school — a

business school with relevance, rigor

and innovation. By developing these

rigorous and innovative programs we

are preparing our students to meet

and exceed the challenges of global

business needs.

Our MBA program at the MandersonGraduate School of Business was

recently ranked the top over-

performing program in the nation

by Poets & Quants, and our online

master’s program is ranked 12th in the

nation by U.S. News & World Report .

The Culverhouse School of Accountancy

is ranked eighth in the nation. That

is its highest ranking in the history

of the College. And we continue to

have 100 percent placement rates with

our management and information

science program.

We are also recruiting diverse

students from all backgrounds,

in and out of state, who are ready

to become future leaders like the

women highlighted in this issue of

the Executive Magazine . We profile

some of the most successful women to

graduate from Culverhouse, including

Marillyn Hewson, CEO of Lockheed

Martin; Sharon Oswald, dean of the

business school at Mississippi State;

and Cynthia Day, president and CEO

of Atlanta-based Citizens Bancshares

Corp. and Citizens Trust Bank.

Since 2002, we have offered a

graduate-level specialization in business

analytics, and we continue to look for

innovative ways to increase our role as

a leader in this ever growing field. This

year, we will develop an undergraduate

curriculum in business analytics.At Culverhouse, we teach students

to be creative and to create value, and

we prepare them for the challenges

of a global business world. We have a

corporate recruitment program that

matches our students to key positions

at companies. The question after

they graduate becomes, “Is

Alabama ready to create opp

and hire these students?”

In the year ahead, we will c

accelerate efforts to produce

who stand ready to solve the c

of our global economy. We wil

recruiting the best and bri

achieve excellence in the busine

Creating leaders, innova

jobs — it i s the goal of Culv erh

how we build a better busines

Now we can build a better Al

hiring these students and inv

our future.

J. Michael Hardin, PhD

Dean, Culverhouse College of C

Russell Professor of Busin

Professor of Statistics

The University of Alabama

FROM THE DEAND E A R F R I E N D S A N D A L U M N I


4/41

C U L V E R H O U S E

O ctober is Breast CancerAwareness Month, but events toine the light on fighting the disease

e prevalent throughout the year on

A’s campus, such as the Alabama

mnastics team’s annual Power of

nk. However, the gymnastics team is

t the only group on campus to join the

ht against breast cancer. In early 2014,

udents in the STEM Path to the MBA

ogram were busy developing business

ans to market new treatmentsd diagnostics for breast cancer

ring a national competition among

lected universities.

Three UA teams — all from the

ience, technology, engineering and

athematics program — gained real-

orld experience in breast cancer

search when they competed in the

2014 worldwide Avon Foundation Breast

Cancer Startup Challenge. And they

were the only undergraduate teams

— mostly freshmen and sophomores

— in the global competition of more

than 40 university teams. The Avon

Foundation for Women, the National

Institutes of Health National Cancer

Institute and the Center for Advancing

Innovation launched the challenge to

advance biomedical inventions to treat

breast cancer and bring breast cancertechnologies to market.

Student teams from universities

across the globe were presented the

opportunity to start new companies by

developing a 10-page strategic b usiness

plan for one of 10 selected diagnostic

or treatment technologies projects

and then turn their inventions into

commercially marketed products. The

students presented their business plans

to a panel of biomedical industry judges.

“The Breast Cancer Startup

Challenge is designed to accelerate and

increase the volume of breast cancer

inventions in development,” said Marc

Hurlbert, executive director of the Avon

Foundation Breast Cancer Crusade. “In

addition to improving public health,

we hope to spur economic growth

and provide universities a platformto develop their entrepreneurship-

learning portfolios.”

Sophomore and STEM student Megan

Torman served as the CEO of team one.

Although none of the UA teams made

it to the final round of the competition,

Torman said her team was perfectly

happy with the outcome.

STEM STUDENTS TAKE ON

BREAST CANCER

CH LLENGEB Y E D I T H P A R T E N


5/41


“It definitely opened our eyes

another whole side; we never

ought any of us would be working in

armaceuticals or anything like that,”

rman said. “It was interesting to see a

ferent perspective and be working in

mething that had actual potential to

ange people’s lives.”

As part of the STEM program,

udents are required to work in teams

develop business plans and solutions

r real-world problems over a course

several five-week projects. The Avon

east Cancer Startup Challenge was

e of those projects.

“It added a complete new perspective

our five-week projects because

ost of us complain about the petty

ngs like having to do this project

d present, but this project took less

an five weeks and we came out with

many results,” Torman said. “It was

entire new level of work that we had

ne. It made us see that we are capable

so much more than we think we

e sometimes.”

Each of the UA teams was made up

three to four students as well as a

asoned biomedical entrepreneur, an

perienced biomedical researcher and

attorney experienced in patent law.

ost of the students said they saw the

mpetition as an opportunity to get

volved and gain experience, but for

hers it hit close to home.

“I have had relatives die of cancer,”

phomore Christian Shannon said.

ve always shared a passion for thettle against cancer. Mine was not

ecifically breast cancer, but there is

history of colon cancer in my family.”

During the summers, Shannon

orks at a camp with children who

e battling cancer. He said his dream

b is to be an oncologi st at St. Jude

ildren’s Research Hospital.

“They are some of the most

inspirational, humble and bold kids on

the face of the earth,” he said. “A lot of

the kids at the camp are told they will

not be alive next year, and so any chance

I can get to fight cancer is something I

want to be a part of.”

For freshman Sheela Kailasam, the

timing of the project made her even

more interested in joining a team.

“My great aunt died right before

we were offered the project,” she said.

“I also was involved in a breast cancer

project my senior year in high school.

After that, I became really interestedin breast cancer research and started

researching treatments on my own.

For freshman Michael Royko, his

mother is a nurse, and one of his

relatives had a jaw removed because

of cancer. Royko started work this past

summer with a chemistry professor to

begin research on colon cancer.

Each of the students had different

reasons for getting involved in the

challenge, but all of them said they

now have a deeper understanding and

appreciation for medical research.

Sophomore Rachel Ramey said she

learned just how much time is involved

in making a product readily available.

“I was surprised at how much

goes into taking a drug from the point

of research until it’s commercially

available,” Ramey said. “It can take 8-10

years. Realistically, it’s not going to be

that one day somebody discovers a cure

for cancer in the lab, and that’s the cure

for cancer. There’s a whole lot more that

goes into it.”

“Dreaming big, looking big but

having the humility to accept failure

when you know that you’ve gone too

far with something” is what Shannon

said he learned from the experience.

“All these teams here today were the

Davids in the David and Goliath story.

We were the only undergrad teams in

the competition versus graduate teams.

We set our aspirations high, and we had

a lot of energy compared to the other

teams, but at the end of the day it was a

great learning experience.”

“This was probably one of the most

meaningful experiences that we’ve had

in STEM,” he added.

Although the UA teams did not

advance to the final round, one team has

an investor interested in its technology,

and a second team has been encouraged

by a Pacific Northwest company todevelop and market their product..

UA’S AVON BREAST CAN

CHALLENGE TEAMS AND

THEIR HOMETOWNS

TEAM 1 IMMUNOTHERAPY USINGRANULYSIN ACTIVATED• JAKE GREEN, SOPHOMORE,

SPARTANBURG, SOUTH CAROLINA

• RACH EL RAMEY, SOPHOMORE, DAYTON, OH

• M EGAN TORMAN, SOPHOMORE, UMATILLA,

• J IMMY WITT, SOPHOMORE, BIRMINGHAM, A

TEAM 2 IMMUNOTHERAPY USINMODIFIED SELFTUMOR CELLS

• SHEE LA KAILASAM, FRESHMAN,

COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO

• WIL L MACGAVIN, FRESHMAN,

TEMECULA, CALIFORNIA

• MICHAEL ROYKO, FRESHMAN,

CROSSVILLE, TENNESSEE

• CH RISTIAN SHANNON, SOPHOMORE, DALLA

TEAM 3 DIAGNOSTIC FROM BIOWITH SOFTWARE ANALYSIS• JIM KRAFCIK, JUNIOR, ST. LOUIS, MISSOUR

• ANDREW TALBERT, SOPHOMORE, ORLANDO

• A BBY WHITE, SOPHOMORE, DALLAS, TEXAS

• M IA MCCLINTIC, FRESHMAN, OSWEGO, ILLI

MENTORS AND ADVISERS

• DR. NADEEM ANWER, EGEN INC.,

HUNTSVILLE, ALABAMA HUDSONALPHA I

• BOB CRUTCHFIELD, HARBERT VENTURE PA

BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA

• LOYE BUCK, FORMER FDA COUNSEL,

HUNTSVILLE, ALABAMA

• TO D OPICHKA, ENTREPRENEUR, HOUSTON,

• NICK CONTI, VICE PRESIDENT OF RESEARC

DEVELOPMENT FOR QUEST DIAGNOSTICS,

NEW JERSEY

• DAN DALEY, ALABAMA INNOVATION AND M

OF ENTREPRENEURS, UNIVERSITY OF ALAB

• RICK SWATLOSKI, OFFICE FOR TECHNOLOG

TRANSFER, UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA

• ROB MORGAN, CULVERHOUSE COLLEGE OF

COMMERCE, UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA

“IT DEFINITELY OPENED

OUR EYES TO ANOTHER

WHOLE SIDE; WE NEVER

THOUGHT ANY OF U S

WOULD BE WORKING IN

PHARMACEUTICALS OR

ANYTHING LIKE THAT. IT

WAS INTERESTING TO SEE

A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE

AND BE WORKING IN

SOMETHING THAT HAD

ACTUAL POTENTIAL TO

CHANGE PEOPLE’S LIVES.”—Megan Torman

Left to right: Megan Torman, Jimmy Witt and Rachel Ramey. Notpictured: Jake Green

Left to right: Michael Royko, Sheela Kailasam, Christian Shannon andWill MacGavin

Left to right: Andrew Talbert, Jim Krafcik, Abby White andMia McClintic


6/41

STEM STUDENT FINDS HER KEY TO SUCCESSIN A POPULAR ADVERTISING SLOGAN

B Y E D I T H P A R T E N


For sophomore Megan Torman,

one of the most successful

marketing slogans in the world

contains three simple words she lives

by, words that have led to her unbridled

success in academics, in life and at The

University of Alabama.

Her decisions and outlook on life

and her education follow just three

simple words — three simple words

that have propelled her to a National

Merit Scholarship and a 4.0 GPA in

chemical engineering. Torman is in the

STEM Path to the MBA program at the

Culverhouse College of Commerce’s

Manderson Graduate School of

Business. The science, technology,

engineering and mathematics program

and the National Merit Scholarship are

what attracted this inspirational student

to the University.

“Alabama offers one of the best

National Merit packages that I have

found,” Torman said. “I narrowed my

choices down to chemical engineering,

so the STEM program was very

appealing to me,” she added. “I saw

the STEM brochure and that helped me

make my decision. It’s a great program

and I thought, wow, that’s awesome, I

can get my chemical engineering degreeat the same time and get a completely

different experience.”

Although Torman started the STEM

program with 133 other classmates,

she moved ahead of the other students

to start her online MBA courses earlier

this year. Dr. Rob Morgan, executive

director for innovation initiatives at

the Culverhouse College of Commerce

and the STEM program, is Torman’s

academic adviser. Morgan said he is in

awe of Torman’s accomplishments.

“Megan is entering the MBA portion

of the STEM program a year early,”

Morgan said. “Most people have a

really difficult time finishing chemical

engineering in four years, and she’s

finishing it in three. I would even guess

the average is closer to five.”

The STEM program and the words she

lives by have also led Torman to become

a co-inventor on a hybrid mechanization

device that’s designed to provide for

better fuel efficiency for vehicles. She

has a provisional patent pending in the

District of Columbia on the invention

she co-created with STEM partner

Josh Stoddard. That makes them the

youngest students at The University of

Alabama to receive a provisional patent.

The first concept started with an

engineering professor who came up

with the idea of creating a push-dinghy

device to pull behind semitrucks. The

device would use the energy collected

to kinetically power the semitruck.

Torman and Stoddard expanded on

the idea after Torman got some advice

from her dad, a mail carrier in her

hometown of Umatilla, Florida. Theinitial idea was to hybridize 18-wheelers,

but now they have incorporated the idea

into an air-assisted, hybridizing device

for smaller vocational vehicles like mail

and garbage trucks.

Morgan suggested to Torman and

Stoddard that they pursue a patent on

their device.

“Josh and I looked at each

thought, why not?”

The University of Alabama

the patent pursuit, and it is

forward. The STEM duo is now

business partners to help

prototype and investors to pro

market the device.

And, by the way, Torman acco

this during her freshman year.

“It all makes my head spi

exciting, and I never anticip

happening, especially not du

freshman year,” Torman said.

Torman also loves music.

the drum major in her hig

band, and she plays the piano

saxophone. She said it was a n

to major in chemical engineer

“Well, you know they say m

math go hand in hand. I c

agree with that. I have alwa

math. It’s always been on

favorite subjects.”

She added that she wanted

in a subject that would chall

and provide career opportun

job se curity .

Then she heard about UA

program and knew it would a

perfect fit.“I realized at a STEM co

talking to different people in

industries, trying to get a feel

I wanted to do and realized tha

didn’t want to be a mathematic

knew I wanted to use math, so

to go the engineering route.

science, but I didn’t have a lot o

or chemistry. I only had one c


7/41

C U L V E R H O U S E 0

and watch little kids walking around in

diapers. And I thought what a fun job

that would be. And you get to be around

kids all day. Maybe something kind of

interesting like that.”

What advice would Torman offer

future UA students trying to decide

whether to take the STEM Path to the

MBA program?

“Definitely do it. It is the most

amazing thing. Once you get in, learning

is so much fun. It’s real-life stuff. You

are thinking things through in a d ifferent

way. It really broadens your perspective.

It makes you get outside your box.

“That’s one of the things I love most

about the STEM program, is being able

to build relationships with students.

They’re not just classmates when you

graduate. They are going to be other

people in industries. You will keep the

connections you make. It’s unique that

you get to stay with the same group of

students throughout the program and

connect on a deeper level.”

Torman had the opportunity to meet

Dr. Vijay Govindarajan, nationally known

Tuck School of Business professor at

Dartmouth College, when he visited

University of Alabama STEM students in

the fall of 2013.

Govindarajan said of his visit to UA,

“Of all the keynotes I gave this year, the

one I gave to The University of Alabama

STEM students is the highlight.”

“The networking is a

Torman said. “Where else are

to get to talk to the world-r

author of reverse innovation,

Govindarajan? There are s

amazing opportunities. Ther

many opportunities and r

available for you.”

Torman said the STEM pro

place to challenge yourself an

people who change your life.

and professors genuinely ca

you, your success and your life

Torman is an inspiration

around her and the epitom

ambassador for the STEM Pa

MBA program. It makes one

how three simple words can h

a great impact, but they haves

made an impact on Torman’s l

“I was talking to my dad on

and told him I have pretty muc

out the secret to college and

I stole it from Nike, ‘Just Do

just b e amaze d at what co mes

she said with a smile.

“IT MADE US SEE THAT

WE ARE CAPABLE OF SO

MUCH MORE THAN WE

THINK WE ARE SOMETIMES.

THE ENTIRE COLLEG E

EXPERIENCE SO FAR HAS

JUST BEEN PROVING THAT

OVER AND OVER.”—M e ga n To rma n,

ass in high school prior to coming to

abama, and I was hoping that I would

joy it once I got here. I absolutely

ve it.”

Before Torman arrived on campus,

e said she was worried and didn’t

ow what to expect, especially since

e came from a small town.

“That first semester was really

ugh for me. Being away from home,

ing away from friends and family.

was completely new, difficult and

allenging. But once spring rolled

ound it got a little bit better, and the

xt thing you know you’re done with

e first year and you’ve made friends.”

Although her time on campus was

t easy at first, she said her faith

lped her through her first year.

“It's always really nice knowing

matter what you go through it’s all

ing to be OK. It doesn’t matter if you

cceed or not.”

She is now well-settled in life on

mpus, and she does not seem to be

ssing up any opportunities that come

r way.

“I know once I start doing something

njoy it. I just have to do it. I just have

get there.”

As part of the STEM Business Honors

ass, students work on a business

novation project every five weeks.

ey are given a theme and are charged

vising an idea for a new product

business.

“Megan came to me and said, ‘Dr.

organ, if you told me a year agoat I would spend all of my free time

eaming up ideas for new products and

sinesses, I would have told you that

u are crazy, but now I’ll be walking

ound campus thinking about what new

oduct or business I can come up with

solve problems,’” Morgan said.

“It’s stuff like that, that really makes

you feel blessed about what you’re doing

as a teacher,” he added with a smile.

Those first-year jitters are long

gone. Torman has not looked back, and

she has not been busier. She also seems

to find time to volunteer for projects

outside of her class projects. She

volunteered for the Avon Foundation

Breast Cancer Startup Challenge earlier

this year. The worldwide challenge was

open to university students and offered

the opportunity for teams to develop

business plans for breast cancer

inventions. Torman’s team nominated

her to serve as CEO.

“I am one of those people who goes

after every little opportunity I see.

I have no experience whatsoever in

breast cancer research or that kind of

science, pharmacy science, other than

chemistry. So I texted a few friends

from class whom I had worked with on

previous projects and got them together

to talk about it. We decided, hey we’re

gonna do this thing. Why not?”

The team had a month of crunchtime

to prepare for the challenge for which

they had to create a 10-page business

report and present via phone to

executives from the Avon Foundation

and National Institutes of Health.

“We hunkered down and divided up

the tasks, researched and researched

and researched. We spent every single

moment of free time the last two weeks

making final preparations. We were

working on it literally up to 2 minutesbefore the deadline for submission.

Once we turned it in and pushed the

button to submit, it was such a relief.

We felt so accomplished,” she said.

Her enthusiasm and positive outlook

shined through during the entire

interview.

“It didn’t even matter if we won or

placed. It was such a great experience

getting to know each other that much

better and seeing each other g row along

the way and having that contact with

our advisers.”

Three teams from UA participated in

the challenge. All three teams, including

Torman’s, were the only undergraduate

teams in the competition. The other

40-plus teams were composed of

graduate students.

“It made us see that we are capable

of so much more than we think we

are sometimes,” she said. “The entire

college experience so far has just been

proving that over and over. I look at

myself from when I just came in and

now what I’m doing, and I would not

have seen myself doing these things. It

definitely surprises me whenever I try

something new. That’s why I like trying

something new, because you push

yourself and get out from behind the

wall and experience new things.”

If that’s not enough, Torman also

volunteered for the Target wellness

competition. Her team members

came up with a business model for

“Live Healthy, Live Happy,” where

they created a display at Super Target

stores. The in-store display included

recipes and the food items for creating

healthy meals. Target was impressed

with the presentation. The four-member

UA team won first place and received

$4,000.

When asked about the future andcareer opportunities Torman is taking

a wait-and-see-where-the-road-leads-

her mindset, but she did hint at what

she finds interesting.

“I just read an article about

Proctor & Gamble. They have a baby

department in the diaper segment of

the company where they sit and observe

STEM FACTS

The STEM Path to the MBA program

focuses on attracting high-achieving

undergraduate students majoring in the

science, technology, engineering and

mathematics disciplines. The program

is an innovative approach to engage

students early on as undergraduatesand employs nontraditional classroom

methods that allow top students to

complete the MBA in one additional

calendar year.

The Culverhouse College of

Commerce welcomed its first group

of STEM students for the Manderson

Graduate School of Business MBA

in 2011. The first class will graduate

with MBAs in 2016. As of fall 2014,

more than 800 students have enrolled

in the STEM Path to the MBA program

at The University of Alabama since its

inception.

To enroll, STEM path applicantsmust hold a minimum high school

GPA of 3.5 and a minimum ACT score

of 28 for early admission to the MBA

program. During their junior years,

students will apply for admission to

the Manderson Graduate School of

Business for the MBA program.

Recruiters continue seek

MBA graduates as manu

software engineering,

science, alternative energ

tech steel production, infra

replacement, commercial con

health care and evolving communication create dem

engineers, technicians and

from a variety of fields. Th

substantial demand for prof

in these fields who also

communication, leadership,

making and business-analyti


8/41

but also to leaders of successful

businesses, faculty and the UA campus.

The goal of the camp is to provide the

students with a better understanding of

business and how Culverhouse can helpthem on their paths to success.

Participants interact with professors

and working professionals in a variety of

presentations and experiences. Each of

the business disciplines — accounting,

finance, economics, marketing,

management, management science and

information systems — are explored in

interactive formats. Students will also

explore such specializations as sales

and entrepreneurship.

The camp is not all work. Students

enjoy nights of fun and entertainment,including a pool party, scavenger hunt

and campus tour.

Students in the initial camp had to

apply and must have been seniors in the

fall of 2014 with 3.2 GPAs.

Another diversity program that

complements CMAP, the Accounting

Career Awareness Program, is in its fifth

year and also took place in Ju

is a program of the National As

of Black Accountants’ Ce

Advancement of Minority Accou

ACAP’s primary objectivincrease the number of hig

students from underrepresent

groups who attend college a

in accounting. Through ACAP’

students receive educational en

experiences and the practi

needed for college preparati

career in accounting.

A new initiative at the

Culverhouse College of

Commerce aims to recruit

and reach out to rising high school

seniors from diverse backgrounds

who are enrolled in magnet and

accelerated programs.

The Culverhouse Majors

Awareness Program, headed

by lecturer Lisa McKinney, is a

residential summer institute for

exceptional students who are

typically underrepresented in the

ever-growing Culverhouse College of

Commerce. This can include students

with disabilities, different ethnic

backgrounds or different cultures.

“We had been recruiting andconducting outreach for 10 years,

but this year we decided to focus our

efforts on students with a wide variety

of backgrounds,” said Dr. J. Michael

Hardin, dean of the Culverhouse

College of Commerce. “We feel

like this is what is most important:

bringing in talented students with

different backgrounds to increase

the diversity of the University and

Culverhouse. In future efforts, we

will also focus on recruiting military

veterans,” Hardin added.

The inaugural CMAP camp was

held in June and included 30 rising

high school seniors from Alabama and

Georgia. Some 25 faculty and business

professionals presented at the

weeklong camp.

“We traveled to schools across

Alabama and Georgia, seeking the

best and brightest diverse students

to encourage them to attend this

camp so they could learn more about

the benefits of obtaining a business

degree and specifically a degreefrom UA’s Culverhouse,” McKinney

said. “The camp is an exploratory

opportunity to find out what we have

to offer so the students can make

an informed decision about their

future.”

CMAP exposes the rising high

school seniors not only to Culverhouse

CULVERHOUSE REACHES OUTWITH NEW DIVERSITY INITIATIVE:

MAJORSAWARENESSPROGRAM

B Y E D I T H P A R T E N

“WE TRAVELED TO SCHOOLS ACROSS ALABAMA AND GEORGIA, SEEKING THE BEST

BRIGHTEST DIVERSE STUDENTS.”—Li

C U L V E R H O U S E2

ACAP students enjoy lunch outside Alston Hall.


9/41

of They have moved beyond the glass ceiling. Fromthe CEO of Lockheed Martin and one of Forbestop 50 most powerful women in business to anSEC business-school dean and a Wells Fargo executive,

Culverhouse is the alma mater to some top-level execut ives

who have broken the glass ceiling.

Although there are dozens of alumnae who have made

it to the top of the corporate ladder, the following pages of

the Executive Magazine profile seven of some of the mostpowerful women to have graduated from the Culverhouse

College of Commerce.

P O W E R F U L W O M E N

P R O F I L E S



10/41


1. What was your reaction to finding out that you were named

by Forbes as one of the world’s most powerful women?

Well, it’s certainly exciting to be named to that very

prestigious list and humbling to be in the company of so

many brilliant, successful women. One of the primary

reasons I’m on the list is because I lead a world-class

company. Lockheed Martin is a $45 billion global enterprise

that’s performing very well for our customers and our

stockholders. That’s a credit to the 113,000 talented

men and women of Lockheed Martin, who are delivering

outstanding work. I’m simply a reflection of all of their good

work, and I’m very proud to represent them.

2. What advice would you give to female business students?

My advice for women — or, in fact, for anyone who aspires

to have a successful business career — is don’t set

limits on yourself. Sometimes it’s hard to see the growthopportunity in a potential new assignment if it’s not what

you had envisioned, so you may dismiss the assignment

before you fully explore it. So my advice is, as you go

after what you want in your career, remain open-minded

to the opportunities that will push you out of your comfort

zone, challenge you and give you a new set of experiences

that will strengthen your expertise. I’ve found that it’s

often the unexpected opportunities that provide the most

valuable experiences.

3. What is the biggest lesson learned, to da

your career?

The most important lesson I’ve learned in my

that you must always stay grounded in your va

that means the company you work for should sh

values. Strong values are where leadership real

One of the many reasons I have loved working at L

Martin all these years is because our values as a

align with my personal values. They’re very si

what’s right, respect others and per form with exc

These are the values that guide every on

decisions. You’ll face many turning points a

decisions throughout your career, and I can tell

experience that, for the really tough decisions, yo

be standing on a solid foundation of values.

4. Do you feel the way has been paved for women tothe leadership ranks of the business world?

Absolutely. I’m encouraged to see a growing n

remarkable female leaders take their place in bu

well as politics, the military, academia and every p

I’m especially proud of my industr y, which has bee

doors for women for decades. In fact, the aeros

defense industry was one of the first to hire wo

nontraditional professional roles. During World Wa

women went to work hammering, riveting and we

Marillyn HewsonCEO and President of Lockheed Martin Corp.

of P O W E R F U L W O M E N

ONE OF THE

MOST POWERFULWOMEN IN BUSINESS

IS CULVERHOUSE ALUMNAB Y E D I T H P A R T E N

One of the most powerful women in business today is UA Culverhouse alumna Marillyn Hewson, CEO and pre

Lockheed Martin Corp.

In 2013 Hewson was making headlines and headway. It was a year that included her being named t

position at Lockheed Martin and being ranked No. 4 on Fortune magazine’s list of 50 most powerful women in busin

was also named to Forbes’ list of the world’s 100 most powerful women. She was also appointed by President Barac

to the President’s Export Council, the principal national advisory committee on international trade.

Hewson received her bachelor’s degree in business administration and master’s degree in economics from UA’s Cu

College of Commerce. She is also a current member of the Culverhouse College of Commerce Board of Visitors.

Executive Magazine had the opportunity for a Q&A with Hewson, we took the oppor tunity to find out more about her c

and path to the top.


11/41

NEW $3.9 BILLION

CONTRACT A BOOS

FOR LOCKHEED

MARTIN FACILITIE

IN ALABAMA

Lockheed Martin has

awarded a $3.9 billion con

for THAAD Weapon System

the U.S. Army and United

Emirates.

Lockheed Martin will pr

parts of the Terminal

Altitude Defense Wea

System — known as THAA

under the term of a new

billion contract for the U.S.

and United Arab Emirates.

The contract includes

manufacture and deliver

up to 110 interceptors tha

be used by the Army at

Hood, Texas. It also inc

interceptors and other hard

for UAE.

The contract is a boos

continuing missile wor

Alabama. THAAD interce

are produced at Lock

Martin’s Pike County facil

Troy and the Missile De

Agency’s THAAD program

is in Huntsville.

Excerpt from Al.com artic

Leada Gore, Sept. 23, 2013

father worked as a civilian in the Department of the Army, and my mother served

in the Women’s Army Corps during World War II. They were both drawn by a call

to serve our nation, and they instilled that same love of country into me and my

brothers and sisters. The work we do at Lockheed Martin in support of our men

and women in uniform is my way of serving our nation and ensuring they have

the best equipment and technology to protect our peace and freedoms. One of

my favorite quotes, which is engraved in the wall at the Korean War Veterans

Memorial, says, “Freedom Is Not Free.”

It’s a reminder that we must be grateful for and always remember the

sacrifices that our men and women in uniform have made while protecting our

personal freedoms.

13. Do you see any future partnership opportunities with the University

of Alabama?

Yes, in fact, Lockheed Martin is working in partnership with the University on a

new data analytics laboratory.

The lab will focus on using data-driven models to make better decisions in

areas such as program management and supply chain management. And most

importantly, it will give students a great op portunity to meet with our engineers

and develop skills in a technology area that is critical to our future.

We’re excited about this partnership opportunity, and I hope that it

will help develop the next generation of University of Alabama alumni at

Lockheed Martin.

products that would help defend our

nation and advance freedom around

the world. Such empowerment of

women built momentum for the kind of

nclusion we have tod ay. It’s rewarding

to see so many women carrying on the

legacy of those women who helped

build the modern workplace. Today,

women represent more than half of

the professional workforce, and the

number of women leaders continues

to rise. I’m proud of how far we’ve

come and confident that there’s even

more opportunity ahead.

Who was your mentor?

When I began my career at Lockheed

Martin more than 31 years ago,

mentoring and talent development

played a huge role in getting my

career on the right track. When I was

a relatively new supervisor, the vice

president of operations nominated

me for the Lockheed General

Management Development Program,

which was a very selective program

with only four employees of 21,000

applicants accepted.

It required the vice president to

do more than just put forward my

nomination. He had to commit to

having a job for me when I graduated

from the program. It was clear that he

genuinely wanted me to be successful

at Lockheed, and he went out of

his way to support me. When I was

accepted into the program, he mapped

out where I should go and how long Ishould stay in each rotation to ensure

my experiences were diverse and

that I would be prepared for my next

role. At the end of the two years, he

promoted me into my first department

manager role and I felt prepared to

be successful.

That experience turned out to

be one of many turning points in my

career. And it was all because a vice

president in my company recognized

my potential and was willing to get

involved.

6. What led to your decision to attend

The University of Alabama?

My family lived nearby the school,

so I was aware that The University of

Alabama had an exceptional business

program. It aligned with my academic

strengths and career aspirations, and

I was working full time in Tuscaloosa

to pay for my college education, so it

was a natural fit.

7. What is the biggest lesson you

learned from your time at the

Culverhouse College of Commerce?

I enjoyed my time at the Culverhouse

College of Commerce and learned

many important lessons that I’ve

carried with me throughout my

career. I couldn’t point to just one

lesson; however, the diverse and

interesting people I met and their

willingness to share their knowledge

and experiences so openly was

a highlight.

8. What is the best piece of advice given

to you by a teacher?

There wasn’t only one. The faculty

was top notch, and they consistently

challenged me to remain intellectually

curious and to perform my best onevery project and assignment. Also,

they showed me that great leaders

never stop learning.

9. What do you enjoy doing in your

spare time?

While my role at Lockheed Martin

doesn’t leave me with a lot of spare

time, my husband I and do love to

play golf, so we try to work that

in regularly.

I enjoy traveling with my family.

My husband and two sons and I take

a family vacation every year. It’s an

opportunity to spend time together

and explore a new part of the world.

10. What would you do differently?

Because I feel very fortunate to have

a supportive, loving family and a

rewarding and fulfilling career, there

isn’t anything I would do differently.

The breadth of experiences I’ve had

personally and professionally have

allowed me to continuously learn

and to grow as a wife, mother and

business leader. I believe strongly

that if you stay true to your values

and surround yourself with others

who share those values, you will

rarely have regrets.

11. What are the latest boo ks you’ve

read?

I recently enjoyed Malcolm Gladwell’s

“David and Goliath.” It’s all about

ordinary people who have taken

on huge, oversized challenges,

some driven by emotion or passion,

others just by circumstance. What

you learn from these stories is that

the outcome is not always what you

might expect, and, sometimes, one

person’s adversity or suffering can

be a catalyst for positive change in

the world. I gave copies of it to myentire senior leadership team as

a reminder that challenges can be

a good thing, and when we work

together, we can overcome them.

12. What is your favorite quote?

I grew up in a very patriotic family,

and I consider myself a patriot. My



12/41



Behind every highly successful

woman is a good business

school — and, in the case of

cole Black, also a husband to tend the

me fires and the offspring while she

hieves in the workplace.

Black, managing director of fixed-

come research at Wells Fargo

ecurities LLC, in Charlotte, North

arolina, has been a master juggler

nce the day she entered The University

Alabama as a student majoring

engineering. It took about one

mester and the encouragement of

e Culverhouse College of Commerce’s

gendary Dr. Billy Helms to entice her

to the business curriculum. He also

fered her a pioneering role in a unique

ogram he had designed. “It was a

antitative finance degree, and I was a

lling guinea pig,” she explained of the

ix of corporate finance with graduate-

vel statistics and math courses.

Her generous scholarship offered

me to be a college student, in all

nses, so Black (known then as Nikki

ack) embraced campus life. In addition

her demanding Culverhouse program,

e was president of Alpha Chi Omegarority, played six intramural sports

d served as a teaching assistant in

onomics for five semesters.

“Thanks to Billy Helms, I got to take

0-level economics early, so I was able

be a teaching assistant for five of my

ght semesters at Alabama, starting

as a sophomore. There weren’t many

undergraduate teaching assistants.”

In her “spare” time, Black provided

play-by-play radio commentary for

the UA women’s basketball team.

“I had a very robust four

years on campus,” she said.

The National Merit scholar from

Decatur, Alabama, was also a member

of the Computer-Based Honors

Program. At graduation, the University’s

National Alumni Association named

her the Outstanding Female Graduateof the 1995 class. She also received

the Amanda Taylor Watson Outstanding

Quantitative Finance Student Award

from the department of economics,

finance and legal studies. Black proudly

cited her MBA from Harvard, which

followed several years later, as yet

another academic achievement. “I’m

proud of that,” she said. “You can’t just

mail that one in.”

Looking back, one of the traits Black

cited as a guiding force — in addition

to her firm academic foundation in

the Culverhouse program — is self-

confidence. That said, after graduation

and all its accolades, she recalled

having no idea which direction to turn.

Despite a 98th percentile score on the

GMAT, she knew she needed a job —

preferably two to three years of solid

experience — before she could apply to

an advanced business program.

“I did what every other student does:

I dropped off my résumé at the Career

Development Center and had a very

successful interview with a bank I wasn’t

familiar with,” she said. But in First

Union Bank’s materials, Black noticed

a small paragraph about its investment

program. “They needed a blend of

quantitative and communication skills,”

she recalled. “Within a week, I was on

a plane to Charlotte, where I made the

cut in their investment-banking-analyst

program.”

It was the beginning. After two years

in Charlotte, Black went to HarvardBusiness School, then on to New York

City.

“I had my heart set on trying sports

marketing, so I worked at the NBA,

which was a dream job on paper.” She

found her brain underused and that she

sorely missed finance. A move to Bear

Stearns in equity research did not help.

WALL STREET MOM TRADES ROLES AT HOMEB Y C A R O L A N N E R O B E R T S

The fact was, she hated New York. “I’m not a New Yorker, but

I’m glad I tried it,” she said. “If I hadn’t moved there, I always

would’ve wondered. …”

Her time back in Charlotte, where she continued her

path, has been a journey within a journey. In 2004, she joined

Banc of America Securities’ investment-banking division,

shifting from writing reports about stocks to reports about

bonds. Then Black returned to First Union Capital Markets,

which had become Wachovia by that time; in 2008, Wachovia

was acquired by Wells Fargo. Now, as she marches up the

corporate ladder, the analyst travels about a third of the year.

When she is home, her days start with a 7:15 a.m. meeting

before moving onto the trading floor.

“I’m on the floor; the activity is constant; and no two days

are alike, which I love,” Black said. “But I joke that I live only

two songs from work. I could never do a commute.”

Her husband, Drew Skinner, keeps the home humming

for their sons, Baylor, 5, and Beckett, 3. Black describes her

husband — an Indiana native who proposed to her on the 20-

yard line of Bryant Denny Stadium after a Bama win — as a

“low-ego male” displaced from his advertising job in the 2008

economic downturn.

“I went back to work from maternity leave, and we didn’t

bat an eyelash,” she said. “The game plan was that he’d stay

home until the ad market came back, but when we found

out we were pregnant again in 2010, he had already gotten

quite good at the baby-rearing duties. So we evolved into this

arrangement; it was not our expected path, but here we are.”

So the boys go to bed a little later than their peers so

they can visit with their mom when she gets home. Dad takes

them to play dates and does the preschool drop-off. “In this

day and age, I don’t even wait until the end of the day to be

part of what’s going on,” she said. “I get photos of lessons

at school, a text message after pickup, and maybe an email

or a video of the kids playing. I know there’s a loving parentwith our children, which helps me concentrate on my job until

I’m home with them. And Drew says that even his worst day

with the kids is better t han the mediocre days when he was in

the workforce.”

The family plans a trip to Tuscaloosa in the coming months

to introduce Baylor to the Bama football tradition. Although

Black’s career will no doubt keep her in Charlotte, her

memories and allegiance trace to the University. Dr. Cathy

Randall’s influence is still very much alive. Randall

the director of the Computer-Based Honors Progra

University of Alabama and earned a bachelor’s, two

and two doctoral degrees from the University.

“She held many positions at the University, all

raising three really outstanding people,” Black sai

that she will forever be grateful to Helms for his influ

to Dr. Lonnie Strickland, professor of strategic man

who “demonstrated that you can be hard-nosed and i

but still have fun.”

The years in t he Culverhouse College of Commer

strong building blocks in Black’s success. “I have nabout my decision to come to Alabama,” she said.

“I have attended two institutions, Alabama and

and I give money each year only to Bama becaus

foundation and the financial assistance I received th

Carolanne Roberts is a freelance writer based in Bir

Alabama, and is a former travel editor of Southe

magazine.

“I HAVE ATTENDED TWOINSTITUTIONS, ALABAMA AND

HARVARD, AND I GIVE MONEY

EACH YEAR ONLY TO BAMA

BECAUSE OF THE FOUNDATION

AND THE FINANCIAL

ASSISTANCE I RECEIVED

THERE.”

—Nico le B la ck

Nicole BManaging Director of Fixed-Income R

Wells Fargo Securi


13/41

Cathy Leonhardt’s conversation

is warm, confident and infused

with moments of joyous

ughter. The 1990 Culverhouse finance

aduate has plenty on her plate:

aveling to the West Coast and Europe

r retail mergers and acquisitions; co-

ading Peter J. Solomon Co.’s Global

tail Group in New York; and, even

ore importantly, enjoying a rich family

e that includes two young daughters.

t she is easy, engaged, even relaxed

she reminisces about her days at the

lverhouse College of Commerce.

“It ended up being a really good

ace for me,” she said of her choice

study in the Culverhouse program.

When I went into my career, I wasn’t

aying catch-up. I had good skills.

u go to these big firms, and they put

u through a training program — and

was easy. I was very well-prepared.

e business school really gave me the

undation to do good work right out of

e gate.”

The first stop out of that gate was

achovia Bank’s corporate training

ogram in Winston-Salem, North

rolina, and a subsequent moveAtlanta to join Wachovia’s large

rporate-lending group. From

ere she went to the Kellogg School

Management at Northwestern

niversity for an MBA and on to

organ Stanley in New York. “I liked

nking, but I wanted something more

gorous,” she said. “Morgan Stanley

was the No. 1 mergers and acquisitions

bank in the world, so I joined that group

for seven years and M and A became

my career.”

She started as a generalist —

working on transactions in oil and

gas, paper and forest products,

pharmaceuticals, retail and apparel —

but one area stood out. “I really liked

the retail sector,” she said. “Then,

when I represented Sears in acquiring

Lands End, Peter J. Solomon and

his team were representing Lands

End.” That transaction resulted in yet

another merger: Leonhardt and thePeter J. Solomon Co. With its large

focus on retail, the move has proved

a perfect fit for Leonhardt these past

10 years. In addition to being a partner

and managing director, she co-heads

the firm’s retail group.

Her résumé in the retail space reads

like a who’s who of brands meeting

brands. The career score card at Peter

J. Solomon includes TA Associates’

acquisition of Dutch, which is the holding

company of contemporary brands Joie

and Equipment; several transactions

for French luxury conglomerate Kering;

PVH’s acquisitions of Tommy Hilfiger

and Warnaco; Deckers, the parent

company of UGG, in its acquisition

of Sanuk; the sale of Athleta to The

Gap; and the sale of Kate Spade to Liz

Claiborne Inc. Leonhardt appears in

the media, particularly in Bloomberg

TV interviews, on subjects ranging

from Internet shopping to fashion

business trends. The sector suits her.

“I love M and A, the tactics and the

strategic aspect of thinking through

strategic situations,” Leonhardt said.

“I love positioning companies for sale,

finding the highlights to get the deal

done, what to bring out when you’re

selling a business and when you’re

buying a business, and thinking through

how this is going to be a winner. I do

a lot of retail apparel, footwear and

accessories work. To be successful in

this business you have to have a sector

focus. You have to know everybody; youhave to own it.”

This specialty direction had not

come into focus during the days

at The University of Alabama, but

the coed from Nauvoo, Alabama, in

Walker County knew she wanted both

a career and success. On campus,

she was a member of the Capstone

CULVERHOUSE ALUMNA FINDS HER PASSION INMERGERS AND ACQUISITIONS

B Y C A R O L A N N E R O B E R T S


Honors Program, directed at the time by Dr. John Conroy

and Culverhouse’s Dr. Dave Heggem. As a member of the

prestigious Avanti Team, Leonhardt welcomed new students

to campus in orientation programs while also serving as

counselor for the summer Capstone Honors Programs.

“I was heavily involved with Avanti; it was a tremendous

experience,” she said. “It captured you and made you love the

University.”

All the while, her future prospects were growing and

expanding in the business school. “For such a large university,

you could develop personal relationships and ask questions

in this program, getting assistance as you navigated both your

academic curriculum and what to do after that.” It was Dr.

Robert Brooks who helped guide Leonhardt forward. Beyond

taking such advanced courses as Brooks’ options, futures

and derivative securities class, Leonhardt gained advice and

direction.

“He brought a real-world perspective to the academic

experience because he was on boards, advising banks and

doing other things. He became an important professional in

what ultimately happened in my career.”

Leonhardt graduated summa cum laude. Brooks named

her Finance Student of the Year, an award “I was really proud

of, but I think my parents were even prouder.”

Tuscaloosa remains important to Leonhardt, who will

return soon to the fall meeting of the Culverhouse College of

Commerce Board of Visitors as a member. It is also the city

where, 10 years ago, Leonhardt married Michael Urness, a

native of Seattle and a Kellogg business-school classmate.

She and Urness, a brand manager with his own Connecticut-

based consulting business, are parents to Carson, 7, and

Jemma, 4.

How does Leonhardt strike the balance between family

and career?

“Someone once told me, ‘If you want something importantdone, ask a working mother. They do the most and have the

capacity to do the most,’” Leonhardt said. “We live pretty

full lives. We have a big community with our daughters and

their school and our church. We ski; we exercise; we travel to

our place on the Gulf Coast as often as we can. We definitely

spend time in Alabama at the holidays, and my husband is

now a Bama fan.”

Leonhardt offers advice based on principles

learned along the way.

“I think women, especially now, must be aggr

their career search. You have to seek out opportun

aren’t so obvious. And you have t o focus on being pe

You can be proficient and analytical and all the oth

that your job requires to fulfill the obligations, but a

of the day, people like working with people t hey like

to be personable and likable and influential.”

Perhaps this explains that gentle laugh, whic

at just the right times, accompanying her aut

commentary. Which brings Leonhardt to another

praise for her alma mater.

“I have gratitude for my experience business program, the education and the fo

Alabama gave me,” she said. “You can do a

that platform.”

We would say she already has.

Carolanne Roberts is a freelance writer based in Birm

Alabama, and is a former travel editor of Southe

magazine .

Cathy LeonhManaging Director and C

Peter J. Solomon Co.’s Global Reta“I THINK W OMEN, ESPECIALLY

NOW, MUST BE AGGRESSIVE

IN THEIR CAREER SEARCH.

YOU HAVE TO SEEK OUT

OPPORTUNITIES THAT AREN’T

SO OBVIOUS.”

—Ca thy Le o nha rdt



14/41


C ynthia N. Day’s multitaskingaptitudes were evident in the80s when she was a Culverhouse

llege of Commerce student majoring

accounting. She balanced her classes,

rority commitments and work-study

hedules as adroitly as she balanced

baton during halftime performances

th the Million Dollar Band.

Now this president and CEO of

lanta-based Citizens Bancshares

rp. and Citizens Trust Bank balances

ore complex responsibilities. Day is a

fe and mother serving on the boards

Primerica Inc. and Aaron’s Inc. She

a board member for the National

nker’s Association and the Atlanta

usiness League. She is a member of

th the Georgia Society of CPAs and the

tary Club of Atlanta.

In each role, Day is praised for the

me cheerful excellence that won her

plause while twirling in front of more

an 70,000 Bryant-Denny fans.

“We are thrilled to have Cynthia joinr board,” said D. Richard Williams,

airman of the board and co-CEO of

imerica. “As a result of her many

ars with Citizens Bancshares, she

derstands the needs of middle-income

useholds and the financial challenges

ced by these families. Primerica is

cused on helping these households

succeed, and Cynthia’s experience and

expertise will be invaluable to us as we

fulfill that mission.”

“When somebody asks about the

keys to success, I tell them it’s nothing

glamorous, Day said. There’s not a

secret formula. Success is just about

hard work, consistency and always doing

your best because somebody is always

watching. A lot of people will tell you

that getting a mentor is a key to success.

And that’s OK. I have mentors, even to

this day. But setting and maintaining

a standard of excellence is what reallyopens doors.”

"Consistency is compelling, Day said.

Excellence opens doors. Successful

people focus on skill mastery rather

than vocational shortcuts."

“I tell people just do the best at the

job you ’re in. Foc us your attent ion the re.

It’s good to have goals to move forward,

but first you must be good where

you are.”

Day also encourages students to

focus on their own gifts rather than

whatever is temporarily trending, the

pursuit of what she calls the “major

flavor of the day.” She equates career

balance to someone consistently

traveling in one direction rather than

being sidetracked by offramps.

“I think we’re most successful when

we’re operating in our own lanes,

where we can be most successful. I tell

others to find where your strengths and

talents lie and play to those. Play to

your passions. You’ll be very successful

because you’re in the right lane.”

Balance and commitment

Upon entering the University as a pre-

medical student, Day did not imagine

finding her career path in the financial

services industry. Third of six siblings,

she realized as a sophomore that she

needed to finish college in four years.Since medicine would require another

eight years, she reconsidered her

major and redirected her analytical

skills to accounting. Her senior

year interview with KPMG snagged

her first postgraduation job. It also

turned out to be her last job interview.

One employment lane seemed to

THE ART OF BALANCE: 1987 CULVERHOUSE ALUMNA CYNTHIA DAY

SHARES HER KEYS TO SUCCESS

B Y J E A N M . M C L E A N

merge smoothly into another. Again,

her pursuit of excellence was the

catalyst that would ignite a future of

smooth transitions.

Mastering her skills as a CPA and

hard work at KPMG led Day to a p osition

as an audit manager. One of her clients

was Citizens Federal Savings Bank of

Birmingham. Impressed by her skills, the

bank’s CEO offered Day an opportunity

to join the firm. Day accepted the offer,

motivated “to move that company to a

level where I knew it could perform.”

She later became the executive vice

president and chief operating officer.

The balance she achieved led to her

appointment as executive vice president

and chief operating officer. She would

retain the title when the institution was

acquired by Georgia’s Citizens Trust

Bank in 2003.

Nine years and an Atlanta

relocation later, Day became the first

permanent female president and CEO

in Citizens Trust’s 90-year history. That

accomplishment led to others asking

how to maintain a balance among work,

life and philanthropy.

“The success and balance of work-

life responsibilities require the same

focus as developing and sustaining

a strong work ethic,” she said. “I’m

just like every other mom and every

other wife who is challenged every day

with balancing career and personalobligations. Building and sustaining

great relationships with my husband,

my daughter and family are extreme

priorities. I achieve balance by not only

recognizing but also demonstrating

that my personal relationships remain

paramount and are among my most

important responsibilities.”

Balance and

community

Committed to

sharing her

experience and

expertise with

youth and future

e n t r e p r e n e u r s ,

Day is a seasoned

parent-volunteer.

She also serves

The University

of Alabama as

a member of

the Alabama

Entrepreneurship

Institute Board.

In both roles,

her mentorship

and dedication

to sharing her

business and

life experiences

produce a steady

stream of requests for career and

business advice. She is an enthusiastic

supporter of AEI because she believes

in nurturing small businesses.

“That’s the lifeblood of the community

bank and the fabric of our country,” said

Day of the small-business-community

link. She wants to help AEI participants

understand how they can get working

capital not only to create a company butalso grow it to benefit the surrounding

community.

There is another reason Day

is involved with the Culverhouse-

sponsored AEI program. She wants to

give back to the University. She is proud

to be a Culverhouse alumna.

“Alabama’s business scho

of the best business schoo

country. It prepared me for m

the start of my career. They ca

you everything in four years, b

me a great foundation. I was

when I came out of college. The

on me.”

Those who meet this Atlanta

often assume her expertise

from Ivy League-level preparais quick to correct them, e

what she learned in the c

as well as on the practi

Balance and learning

Day intentionally teaches th

half-full perspective: “With a

CynthiaPresident a

Citizens Bancshares Corp., Citizens Tru


“IT’S GOOD TO HAVE GOALS TO

MOVE FORWARD, BUT FIRST

YOU MUST BE GOOD WHERE

YOU ARE.”

—Cynthia N . Da y


15/41


n-do attitude you can do a lot of things. A negative attitude

esn’t produce long-term results.”

She said such optimism for women — including her

ughter — is justified, as corporate climates are changing.

Although Day believes family-friendly balance will always

a challenge, she sees “tremendous strides” across

l industries.

“I work with accounting firms and law firms, which have

aditionally been very conservative. But even they are

coming extremely flexible because they don’t want to lose

lent. One of the firms we work with has done a women’s

wer project, hiring coaches for women t o see how they can

ansition to the next level and still have a balanced life.”

Day believes corporations are also seeking different

nder and ethic perspectives on their boards.

"Companies seeking better balance in both their workforce

d in their advisory boards can better meet competitive

allenges,"she said.

As she reflected on her 1988 graduation from the

niversity, she remembered not only what she learned in

the classroom but also what she learned from her entire

college experience: juggling work, studies, sorority and those

Crimsonette practice sessions.

“I’m extremely proud to be a graduate of The University

of Alabama and Culverhouse. Crimson forever runs through

my veins. My educational and life experiences gained while

attending the University helped build a strong foundation for

a successful life and career.

“That taught me how to do things now,” she said. “Being

academically off the charts is great, but what happens when

you have to balance life? I always tell people that you want to

be able to do a lot of different things. You’ve got to have not

only the intellect but the people skills when you’re running a

company.

“You’ve got to learn to balance.”

Jean McLean is a freelance writer based in Montevallo,

Alabama.

A s Karen Russell Miller outlined

the professional journey that

led to her becoming a tax

partner at the Birmingham, Alabama,

office of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLC,

she frequently used the word “blessed.”

That is because this 1996 Culverhouse

graduate is grateful not only for the

insights provided by her father, who

majored in accounting, but also for all

the other role models who provided

career guidance along the way.

“I was always one that loved

numbers,” Miller said of her early

interests. “Math was my favorite high

school subject. My father had gotten

his accounting degree from Alabama

in 1970. Although he never practiced in

public accounting, I knew how versatile

an accounting degree was and how it

had helped his career.”

“Once I arrived at the University, I was

blessed with a lot of faculty members

who gave me advice and taught courses

that confirmed my interest.”

Miller credited her senior-year

internship as a turning point. That was

when she was able to sample real lifeduring busy season of tax preparation in

a public accounting firm and to narrow

her professional focus to tax practice.

“I was blessed in that when I came

through, ours was only the second

accounting class to be eligible for the

spring internship program. Before then,

the accounting students didn’t have

an opportunity to intern during busy

season. I know it took a lot of time by

Dr. Tom Howard and Sandy Davidson

to put that program together. It has

provided an excellent foundation for all

the students who came in after me.”

Miller’s internship attention was

soon riveted on corporate tax, especially

as it related to insurance and financial

services firms. Such a specialty not only

provided the highly analytical work she

enjoyed but also allowed her to offer

what she calls “value-added” assistance

to clients. After graduate work at the

University of Virginia, she pursued her

current specialization: providing tax

planning and compliance services to

property, casualty and life insurancecompanies and other entities connected

to the insurance industry. Her work

includes evaluating federal consolidated

tax return issues and conducting due

diligence reviews for large insurance

company acquisitions.

Miller advises corporate leaders

on complicated tax matters, and she

also makes time to advis

professionals, both those

and outside her firm, on w

should know if they want to p

accounting career.

“As I look back over th

between starting at PwC an

partner in 2011, the highl

me are the interactions I’ve

leaders, particularly the stron

mentors and role models I’ve

Miller, who also serves with Cu

Connections, a mentoring

that started as a women’s m

initiative at the College.

“Those mentors helped

focused and encouraged along

They advised me on how to

family and work. I’ve had a n

people I’ve interacted with who

encouragement.”

Such encouragement

particularly welcomed in 20

was the year Miller’s son wa

was also the year she was acc

PwC’s partner-candidate prog

program included an extende

in New York City. For severaMiller and her husband coordi

weekly commute between Bir

and PwC’s New York office.

"During that time, I affi

importance of family and foun

be flexible and creative with sc

Miller brings that flexib

creativity to the table as a m

CULVERHOUSE GRADUATE CREDITS UA

INTERNSHIP AS TURNING POINT IN HER CAREE


“LOOK FOR T HOSE

OPPORTUNITIES TO NETWORK

AND LOOK FOR THOSE

MENTORING RELATIONSHIPS.”

—K a re n Russe l l M i l l e r


16/41

e Culverhouse College of Commerce’s Board of Visitors,

which she provides her corporate perspective on how to

epare a new generation of leaders for today’s business

mate. In her interactions with Culverhouse students, PwC

erns and current employees, she emphasizes how her

dustry is evolving to meet the needs of a new generation.

“The former ‘up-and-out’ accounting workplace demands

that propelled many talented workers out of public practice

are changing,” she said.

“My advice to new graduates coming out of the accounting

program is to keep your mind open and to not shut the door

too early. The best thing that’s happened in the accounting


Karen R. MTax

PricewaterhouseCoop

profession is we’ve opened the dialogue. We’ve realized the

value of flexible work arrangements and sabbaticals, so we

can retain the top talent in our field.

“Too many young female accountants came to believe they

could not combine a satisfying personal life with a challenging

career,” Miller said. That is why she encourages students to

think ahead as they pursue internships, advanced degrees

and first jobs.

“Female accountants now have more advocates than

before. One of the blessings of my position right now is that

I’m heavily involved in a lot of women’s initiatives through

PwC. It’s encouraging to see that.”

Since the largest national public accounting firms —

known in the industry as the Big Four — compete for top

talent, they also tend to set the benefits bar for regional and

local employers. Those leading companies are now more

attuned to female employees’ concerns, Miller said.

As she talks with young professionals about their career

paths and life goals, she also urges each individual to think

ahead, evaluating not only which specialty paths to take

but also which firms are most likely to make those paths

more accessible.

“A lot of my friends in accounting had children at about

the same time. One thing they said they wished they had

done was to think ahead. When they started work, they were

focused on the best opportunity for them at that time, but t hey

didn’t think about what their lives would be like in three to

five years. For example, a lot of them wound up in situations

where they didn’t have good maternity benefits. When they

accepted their first jobs, they didn’t stop to think, ‘Where do I

want to be five years from now?’”

As public accounting firms initiate policies aimed at

retaining female talent, the benefits of those policies extend

far beyond their targeted market.“Across the industry, what you’re seeing is a willingness

to allow not only variances in the 9-to-5 schedules for

both males and females but to dial back with yearlong

sabbaticals and a lot of part-time arrangements that allow

people to work during busy season and then take summers

off to be with their children. I think those arrangements

are taking a number of forms. Some are tailoring

their schedules to allow care for their elderly parents.

“That sort of thinking ahead on the part of the firms to keep

their best and brightest employees is changing the a

profession for the better,” Miller said.

As leaders like Miller think ahead to better the

she suggested that Culverhouse students, purs

opportunity the College provides.

“Look for those opportunities to network and

those mentoring relationships,” Miller tells business

within every interest area. “Start early in your Colle

to look for someone who can teach you the business

answer the questions you don’t yet know to ask. Findwho can be both a sounding board and someone who

constructive feedback.”

Miller said she was blessed by others willing

their perspective from her professors to her PwC

Now this executive is sharing that same blessing

her partnering perspective to the next generation of

leaders at Culverhouse.



17/41


CULVERHOUSE ALUMNAFINDS HER PASSION AT MERCEDES-BENZ



A lthough Tonja Cochran has

witnessed dramatic industry

changes since she earned her

gree in 1996 from The University of

abama’s Manderson Graduate School

Business at the Culverhouse College

Commerce, she believes basic

siness principles have not changed.

"Today’s managers are still

eking the same character qualities

millennials that served previous

nerations so well,” said this vice

esident of purchasing and logistics for

ercedes-Benz U.S. International.

When asked for career advice,

ochran listed respect, integrity

d hard work as keys for opening

portunities at every level.

artnering for success

ochran’s latest opportunity focuses

managing a team responsible for an

panding automotive manufacturing

pply chain. That team ensures each

BUSI vehicle part is where it needs to be

hen it needs to be there, from supplier

warehouse, assembly to delivery. The

am plays a role in the production of

ch of the M-Class, R-Class and GL-

ass sport utility vehicles MBUSI ships

om Vance, Alabama, to more than

6 countries.The team’s responsibilities are

owing. MBUSI begins building the

Class this year, while preparing to add

fifth model in 2015.

Cochran is equally proud of the

ople she works and the products they

ake. Although she and her team have

come quite skilled at doing whatever

it takes to keep the parts flowing, this is

not the sort of job she imagined during

her MBA studies.

“I had gotten my undergraduate

degree in accounting from Evangel

University in Springfield, Missouri, and

worked for about five years. But I wasn’t

totally where I wanted to be,” said this

Tuscaloosa native about the beginnings

of an unexpected career path.

“By the time I went back to school, I

was a little bit older. I think that helped

me explore my options a bit. And since

the MBA itself is very diverse, for me

it offered a more balanced approach. I

took courses in production operations,

business law, human resources and, of

course, finance and accounting.”

Cochran’s MBA concentration was

in finance. That study, combined with

her accounting background, led her

to assume her subsequent specialty

would involve corporate mergers

and acquisitions.

“But Mercedes-Benz offered me a

job in logisti cs, and I chose to go this

route because the job and this company

seemed more exciting. After my first

years in logistics, I was able to take

advantage of the opportunity to do job

rotations within the company.”

Pursuing the career cross-training

circuit

Cochran then pursued MBUSI’s cross-

training process, working in various

roles with varied teams. In retrospect,

her MBA studies paved the way for

developing those assorted skill sets.

“I think that diverse course of study

prepared me for coming into a company

like Mercedes, a company that offers

so many opportunities to build your

portfolio of skills.”

Cochran’s specialized training in

Vance included logistics and supply

chain management as well as finance

and corporate controlling. She then

moved into one of her favorite job

assignments: leading a production floor

project team that used time studies and

improvement trials to reduce waste and

cost on a station-by-station basis. She

spent 18 months as a logistics manager

before being promoted to senior

manager of supply chain management.

Her team’s responsibilities were

complex but included supply chain

optimization for current and future

products, critical supplier management,

a parts consolidation center and foreign

trade zone operations.

“Then I took a two-year assignment

with our truck division in the Carolinas,

leading a team responsible for freight

planning and procurement for all

Daimler entities in the NAFTA region.

We purchased the freight services

used to bring parts from suppliers to

the production plant and to deliver

finished products from the plant tothe customer.”

After establishing that first North

American Free Trade Agreement region

function for Daimler’s cars, trucks, vans

and buses, she was asked to return to

Vance. In December 2013, she assumed

new duties as a vice president.

Preparing for jobs that do not exist yet

Since Culverhouse faculty work closely with leaders in tech-

driven corporations like MBUSI, they know workforce needs

may change dramatically during any student’s course of study.

With new specializations seeming to emerge as regula

The Culverhouse College of Commerce Executive Magazine - Fall 2014 Edition

Documents

Transcript of The Culverhouse College of Commerce Executive Magazine - Fall 2014 Edition