Board Members
Advisory Board
Bill Battle
Advisory Board
Bill Battle
Advisory Board
Archie Manning
Advisory Board
Archie Manning
Advisory Board
Reggie Minton
Advisory Board
Reggie Minton
Advisory Board
Michael O’Neill
Advisory Board
Michael O’Neill
Advisory Board
Actor, Michael O’Neill, just completed starring on NBC’s family drama, Council of Dads (available for viewing on hulu.com and nbc.com), playing “Dad” Larry Mills. His career (to date) spans over 40 years and 120 credits on IMDB. In the past two years alone, he has worked in numerous popular television shows including Messiah (Netflix), Jack Ryan (Amazon), Scandal (ABC), and The Shooter (USA). If you have daughters, they know him as “The Shooter” in Grey’s Anatomy because as grieving husband Gary Clarke he sought revenge against the doctors that pulled the plug on his wife in the season finale of Season 6 of that show. His role as Ron Butterfield on The West Wing, which he appeared on regularly, he marks as the beginning of his most consistent work as a television actor. But he has also worked in many films. The most notable include Seabiscuit, Dallas Buyers Club, Transformers, Green Zone and recently Clemency, which won the Jury Award at Sundance in 2019 and The Stand in Paxton County, which was just released on Netflix.
Michael is from Montgomery and attended Auburn University where he majored in Economics.
He has served on the Board of Directors (Hollywood Division) for the Screen Actors Guild and is a Member of Motion Picture Academy of Arts & Sciences. This past December he gave the commencement address to his daughter Ella’s graduation class at Auburn University and last May he spoke at the University of Montevallo commencement. He and Mary also have twins, Annie & Molly who are rising juniors – Annie at Cal Poly SLO and Molly at Rhodes College. He has volunteered for Habitat for Humanity, BookPals (a reading initiative of SAG), and Teach for America. When not acting, his favorite activity is working on the garden – during COVID he has planted his own victory garden.
Ben Sutton
Advisory Board
Ben Sutton
Advisory Board
Ben C. Sutton, Jr. is founder and chairman of Teall Capital, a private equity company with investments in a portfolio of businesses including Riddle & Bloom, Tailgate Guys, Sunshine Beverages, Complex Sports & Entertainment, NICKEL, and Dyehard Fan Supply. Sutton, a graduate of Wake Forest University and law school, was previously Chairman|CEO of IMG College, which he founded as ISP Sports in 1992, essentially inventing the college media business as it’s known today. When he stepped down as CEO in 2015, IMG was the largest college sports marketing enterprise, as well as sports/entertainment sales organization in America. In addition to building the core businesses of IMG College into four national market-leading companies, he was largely responsible for the meteoric growth of IMG Worldwide, engineering the sale of the company in 2014 for $2.4 billion. IMG was the national market leader in Media, Licensing, Ticketing and Stadium Seating, working with over 225 universities, conferences, NCAA and College Football Playoff.
In addition to being named one of the most powerful sports executives in America, Sutton has received numerous awards including the North Carolina Order of the Long Leaf Pine, Wake Forest Distinguished Alumni award, NSMA Roone Arledge Award, and is an inductee of the North Carolina Sports, National Football Foundation, NACMA and Sports Business Halls of Fame. He serves on boards of Wake Forest University, White House Historical Association, Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation, National Football Foundation, The First Tee and the United States Olympic Committee foundation. The Sutton Family Foundation has invested over $50 million in philanthropic causes.
Kevin Warren
Advisory Board
Kevin Warren
Advisory Board
Kevin Warren serves as the sixth Commissioner of the Big Ten Conference and the first African American Commissioner to lead an Autonomy Five conference. Warren most recently served as the Chief Operating Officer for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League where he worked since 2005. He was the highest ranking African American executive working on the business side for a team in the NFL and was the first African American COO in NFL history.
Warren’s extensive experience in all facets of the Minnesota Vikings organization created the perfect foundation for him to lead the business operations. After being promoted to COO, Warren played a critical role in all business, financial, legal and operational aspects related to U.S. Bank Stadium and was involved in the design, construction, business, legal and operational components of the new stadium. Warren also played a key role in the design, development and planning of Twin Cities Orthopedics Performance Center, the Vikings’ headquarters in Eagan, in addition to the ancillary real estate development of Viking Lakes. Under Warren’s visionary leadership, the Vikings restructured the organization, with an emphasis on broadening the executive team and promoting women to key executive positions.
Executive Committee
Tommy Brigham
Executive Committee
Tommy Brigham
Executive Committee
Thomas H. Brigham, Jr. (Tommy) is the Chairman and Founding Partner of ARC Realty and also serves as CEO of ARK Real Estate Strategies and the ARK Real Estate Opportunity Fund I. He founded Brigham-Williams in 1982 and it quickly grew to be the third largest real estate company in Alabama. He merged Brigham-Williams with Johnson-Rast & Hays in 1998 to form Alabama’s largest real estate services company (including RealtySouth, TitleSouth, MortgageSouth and InsuranceSouth) and served as President and COO from 1998 to 2002. RealtySouth was sold in 2002 to HomeServices of America, Inc., a Berkshire Hathaway affiliate, and Tommy served as Chairman and CEO of RealtySouth from 2002 to 2007.
Brigham was recognized by the Birmingham Business Journal’s List of 2018 as one of the Top Birmingham’s Most Influential Executives, and by AL.com’s The Birmingham News as part of the Gang of 7 as the 7th most influential group in the State of Alabama in sports in 2017. He currently serves as Vice President of the UAB Athletic Foundation and is a member of the Foundation’s Executive Committee. He also serves on the Board of Directors of Cornerstone Schools of Alabama and serves as a member of the Executive Committee. Additionally, he serves on the Board of Directors of the Addiction Prevention Coalition and The Center for Executive Leadership and is closely involved with The Early Childhood Learning Center in Woodlawn and the Woodlawn Foundation. Tommy is an active member of Mountain Brook Community Church. He is married to Cecile and has 3 children and 7 grandchildren.
Frank Brocato
Executive Committee
Frank Brocato
Executive Committee
Lee Edwards
Executive Committee
Lee Edwards
Executive Committee
Ed Meyerson
Executive Committee
Ed Meyerson
Executive Committee
Sam Miller
Executive Committee
Sam Miller
Executive Committee
Charlie Perry
Executive Committee
Charlie Perry
Executive Committee
Board of Directors
Harry Bayer
Board of Directors
Harry Bayer
Advisory Board
Jason Biddy
Board of Directors
Jason Biddy
Executive Committee
Christopher Burrell
Board of Directors
Christopher Burrell
Advisory Board
Michelle Clemon
Board of Directors
Michelle Clemon
Advisory Board
Michelle Clemon brings fifteen years of experience in employment law and human resources management as a licensed attorney and executive human resources professional. A product of the Birmingham City Schools, Michelle received her Bachelor of Arts degree in History from Yale University and her law degree from Columbia Law School. Michelle has previously served as the Chief Operating Officer of United Cerebral Palsy of Greater Birmingham (UCP), and the Director of Sponsored Programs at Miles College. A licensed attorney, she practiced labor and employment law for a number of years with the Birmingham office of Maynard, Cooper & Gale. Michelle served as Vice President of Human Resources and Community Affairs for McWane, Inc, and more recently, as President/CEO of The Clemon Consulting Group, a human resources consulting firm with an emphasis on compliance/governance and organizational development.
Michelle is an active community volunteer, having served as the Chairman of the Board of the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute and as a Board member with The Women’s Fund, Impact Alabama, Vulcan Park and Museum and the Legal Aid Society. She is especially interested in health issues that impact minority communities, and has worked with organizations such as the Sickle Cell Foundation of Central Alabama, the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, the American Diabetes Association and UAB’s Minority and Health Disparities Research Center.
Howard Goldberg
Board of Directors
Howard Goldberg
Advisory Board
Judd Harwood
Board of Directors
Judd Harwood
Advisory Board
Charles Herman
Board of Directors
Charles Herman
Advisory Board
Kermit L. Kendrick
Board of Directors
Kermit L. Kendrick
Board of Directors
Kermit’s background molded a competitive spirit and commitment to excellence that guides his handling and resolution of complex litigation matters across the Southeast. As an All-American football player at the University of Alabama, Kermit learned the values of hard work, preparation, perseverance, teamwork, and courage.Kermit has successfully tried a number of cases in Federal and State courts and has also handled a number of arbitration matters. Additionally, Kermit serves as the City Attorney for the City of Meridian, Mississippi. In his capacity as City Attorney, Kermit manages the City’s outside counsel at multiple law firms and serves as chief legal adviser to the executive branch of the local government.
While at the University of Alabama, Kermit was a 4-year starter on the football team, was an All-SEC performer in 1987 and, in 1988, was selected as an All-American. Kermit is especially thankful for having been the first winner of the Sylvester Croom Commitment to Excellence Award while at Alabama. Kermit later attended the University of Alabama School of Law. During law school, Kermit received the Jerome Hoffman Leadership Award and was a member of the Farrah Law Society. In addition, he was selected for membership in the Bench & Bar Legal Honor Society.
After receiving his Accounting degree, and before going to Law School, Kermit joined Merrill Lynch, where he secured a Series 7 license and worked as a financial consultant. In addition, Kermit served as a compliance officer for approximately two years for the University of Alabama’s Athletic Department before attending Law School.
Kermit’s leadership and his desire to provide support to charities in the Southeast are demonstrated by his involvement in a number of organizations. Kermit’s litigation skills were recognized in connection with being selected as a future lead litigator for CSX Transportation, Inc.
Charles Latham
Board of Directors
Charles Latham
Advisory Board
Charles Latham is a retired Quality Assurance Manager for the Department of Defense (U.S. Navy) with 25 years of honorable service. He is a member of Grenada High School’s graduating class of 1971. In 1973 he joined the United States Marine Corps, where he received two meritorious promotions before being honorably discharged in 1976. He attended San Diego City College earning a degree in Business Management and a Certificate of Completion in Shipbuilding and Blueprint Reading.
During his 25 years of service with the Department of Defense, Charles received numerous Sustained Superior Performance Awards and Excellence Performance Awards. In 1996, he was promoted to Supervisory Quality Assurance Specialist and was assigned to head the Repair Division for Southwest Regional Maintenance Center in San Diego, Ca. The first African American to hold the position. There he was responsible for the quality assurance oversight for every U.S. Navy vessel that required ship repair or overhaul from San Diego, Ca. to Long Beach, Ca. area. In 1999 he became a Certified Quality Manager and a Certified Lead Auditor. He has participated on numerous NAVSEA Inspector General Audit Teams as a Quality Systems Expert and Lead Auditor conducting compliance audits on U.S. Naval activities. and their contractors providing contract required services. After his retirement in December of 2004, he returned to his hometown Grenada, Ms. and began volunteering his service to his community. Some of his volunteer efforts include the following;
- Past member of the Advisory Board for the Boys and Girls Club Grenada Unit
- Past Chairman of the Grenada Historic Preservation Commission
- Member of the Chamber of Commerce Education Committee
- Past Chairman of the Chamber of Commerce Unity Committee
- Past member of the Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors
- Past Chairman of Central Mississippi Inc. Board of Dircectors
- Founding member and current President of the 100 Black Men of Grenada, Inc.
Charles has spoken at all local schools in Grenada county, Piney Woods Academy, and has been the keynote speaker for Fench-Henry Job Corps Center on numerous ocassions. For his contributions to his community, Charles was recognized as one of Grenada’s Good Neighbors of 2008 in a special edition of the Grenada Star Newspaper. In 2008 he was awarded the Magnolia Bar Association and Magnolia Bar Foundation’s Harriet Tubman Award. In February 2010 he received the Chamber of Commerce James “Coach” Edmond Award. In March of 2017 he awarded Man of the Year by Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. Pi Sigma Lambda Chapter, and in June 2017 he received the 100 Black Men of America, Inc. James T. Black Award.
Charles has been married to Dorothy Latham for 34 years and is the proud father of Charles II, Naomi and Daa’iyah.
Jimmy Lee
Board of Directors
Jimmy Lee
Advisory Board
James C. Lee, III, “Jimmy,” currently serves as Chairman of the Board & CEO of Buffalo Rock Company, one of the largest privately held, family owned Pepsi franchises in the United States. Jimmy is the fourth generation Lee to manage the business.
Jimmy began his career with Buffalo Rock Company, working summers, at the age of 12. After graduating from Auburn University in 1970, he spent one year working with Pepsi-Cola Company. He then came to work for Buffalo Rock Company on a full-time basis in 1971.
As a Birmingham resident, Jimmy concentrates his efforts toward community involvement. With his encouragement and support, Buffalo Rock makes significant contributions to the community through sponsorship of charitable events, including donations of time, services and product. In addition, a civic project with which Jimmy has had a passion for is Bent Brook Golf Course. The 27-hole facility was the first privately-owned public course in Birmingham that offers residents an upscale alternative for public golf.
In 2015, Jimmy was inducted into the Alabama Business Hall of Fame and received Auburn University’s Jefferson County Distinguished Alumnus of the Year. Jimmy was also the recipient of the 2013 Alabama Newcomen Award and was named the 2011 March of Dimes Citizen of the Year.
Jimmy is currently a member of the Alabama Beverage Association, Board Member of the Mike Slive Foundation, Board Member of the Coach Safely Foundation, Board Member of the UAB School of Medicine’s Board of Visitors, and Board Member of the Lord Wedgwood Charity. Jimmy is also the Past Director of the Birmingham Business Alliance, Past President of Children’s Hospital Foundation Board, Past Chairman of the Board of Children’s Hospital of Alabama, Past President of the Alabama Beverage Association, Past Board Member of the American Beverage Association, Past President of the Vestavia Park Foundation, and Past President of the Auburn University Athletic Development Council.
Robert Marks
Board of Directors
Robert Marks
Advisory Board
Robert D. Marks, joined Gastro Health in June 1996 and practices at our Grandview and Alabaster locations. Prior to this date, Dr. Marks was an assistant professor of medicine in the division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Dr. Marks obtained his undergraduate degree from Mississippi State University and his medical degree from Meharry Medical College (Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society). He performed his internship at St. Mary’s Hospital (Yale School of Medicine Affiliate) and his Internal Medicine residency and GI Fellowship at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He is board certified in both Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology.
In 1996, Dr. Marks completed his MPH at Yale University School of Public Health with an emphasis on the epidemiology of chronic diseases (colon cancer screening and clinical outcomes). He also completed a post-graduate fellowship at Yale as a Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholar. While on faculty at UAB, Dr. Marks’ clinical research initiatives involving gastroesophageal reflux disease were published in the scientific journal “Gastroenterology” and featured on CNN. Dr. Marks also serves as medical director of the Alabama Digestive Research Center.
Dr. Marks is a Fellow in the American College of Physicians and a member of the State Medical Association, American College of Gastroenterology, American Gastroenterological Association, American Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy and the Alabama Gastroenterological Society.
He and his wife Frances have two adult children. They worship at the Sixth Avenue Baptist Church where they are actively involved as Sunday School teachers and in mission work.
Danny Markstein
Board of Directors
Danny Markstein
Advisory Board
Emmett McLean
Board of Directors
Emmett McLean
Advisory Board
Emmett McLean is a Founder, Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer and Secretary of Medical Properties Trust, a publicly traded healthcare real estate investment trust. Previously, Emmett worked in the healthcare services industry at senior financial positions, and prior to that he worked in investment banking and corporate finance with Dean Witter Reynolds (now Morgan Stanley), Smith Barney (now Citigroup) and Trust Company Bank (now Truist Bank).
He is member of the Board of Directors of the Alabama Symphony Orchestra, Ronald McDonald House Charities of Alabama, Smile-A-Mile, Greater Alabama Council-Boy Scouts of America, UAB Athletics Foundation, United Way of Central Alabama, The World Games 2022, Rotary Club of Birmingham Foundation and The Mike Slive Foundation. He is also a member of the Rotary Club of Birmingham and has chaired many fundraising events throughout Birmingham.
Emmett earned his M.B.A. at the University of Virginia, and a B.A. in Economics from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
He and his wife Catherine have three children and two grandchildren.
Kendyl Moss
Board of Directors
Kendyl Moss
Board of Directors
With over 20 years of experience in building relationships across the Atlanta civic, business and philanthropic communities, Kendyl brings an extensive background which includes growing non-profit community initiatives, special events, youth programming, event marketing as well as sponsorship and donations.
Kendyl has worked in collegiate and professional athletics, respectively. She has served as the Assistant Director of the Men’s Basketball Championship and Final Four for the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) and most recently as the Vice-President of Community Relations for the Atlanta Falcons.
She earned a Bachelor of Science in Speech Communications from the University of Texas (USA) as a Division I collegiate track and field student-athlete and a Master of Arts in Corporate Communications from DePaul University (USA).
Tom Robertshaw
Board of Directors
Tom Robertshaw
Advisory Board
Joel Rotenstreich
Board of Directors
Joel Rotenstreich
Board of Directors
Lisa Roth
Board of Directors
Lisa Roth
Advisory Board
Bart Starr Jr.
Board of Directors
Bart Starr Jr.
Board of Directors
He and his wife Elaena cherish the values and unselfishness that make Alabama such a wonderful place to live.
Clete Walker
Board of Directors
Clete Walker
Advisory Board
Joel Welker
Board of Directors
Joel Welker
Advisory Board
Medical Advisory Board
Donald M Miller, M.D., Ph.D.
Medical Advisory Board
Donald M Miller, M.D., Ph.D.
Medical Advisory Board, Co-Chair
Edward E. Partridge, MD
Medical Advisory Board
Edward E. Partridge, MD
Medical Advisory Board, Co-Chair
Dr. Patridge is Director Emeritus and Distinguished Professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham Comprehensive Cancer Center. He served as Director of the UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center and holder of the Evalina B. Spencer Chair in Oncology from 2007 to 2017. He was Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology from 1996 to 2017 and former Director of the Division of Gynecologic Oncology. His clinical interests are cancer control and prevention; cervical cancer; community based participatory research; gynecologic oncology; and minority health disparities.
In 2010-2011 Dr. Partridge served as President of the National Board of the American Cancer Society. He was Chairman of the Commission on Cancer for the American College of Surgeons and currently serves as Chairman of the Cervical Cancer Screening Guidelines Committee of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network. He is on the Board of Directors of the Mid-South Division of the American Cancer Society having served as Chairman of that board. His long-time volunteer work with the American Cancer Society included a major role in the establishment of the Joe Lee Griffin Hope Lodge, which provides housing in Birmingham for out-of-town patients receiving cancer treatment.
Dr. Partridge has received numerous awards and honors throughout his career, including the UAB Distinguished Alumni Award, UAB President’s Excellence in Teaching Award from the School of Medicine, the Distinguished Faculty Award from the Comprehensive Cancer Center and the Academic Health Center and UAB’s highest honor – the Distinguished Faculty Lecturer Award. Outside of UAB, he has been honored with the National Excellence in Teaching Award from the Association of Professors in Gynecology and Obstetrics, the St. George’s Medal for Contributions to Cancer Control from the American Cancer Society, the Birmingham Business Journal’s 2009 Health Care Heroes physician provider award, and many more. Most recently, he was honored with the American Cancer Society’s prestigious 2013 national Humanitarian Award.
Young Advisory Board
Jodi Cherry
Young Advisory Board
Jodi Cherry
Young Advisory Board
Jodi’s background is in IT Audit, Technology, Law, Business Operations, and Product Management. Jodi is currently employed by Regions Bank as Chief of Staff to the Chief Operations & Technology Officer. Previously, at Regions, she was a Manager in Operational Excellence in Risk Management. Prior to joining Regions Bank, Jodi started her career at Ernst & Young in IT Audit. She spent several years in the utility industry serving as Director of Software Product Lines at Landis+Gyr and held several leadership positions at Southern Company over 7 years. At Southern Company, Jodi was an Enterprise Application Portfolio Manager, Chief of Staff to the CIO, and led a $364MM divestiture. Jodi holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Management Information Systems with a minor in Computer Software Systems from The University of Alabama and a Juris Doctorate from Birmingham School of Law. Jodi is an active member of the Alabama State Bar Association and holds a Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA) certification. She is also a certified SAFe Agilist and Scrum Master.
Nicole Hardekopf
Young Advisory Board
Nicole Hardekopf
Young Advisory Board
Nicole Hardekopf is a licensed realtor at ARC Realty, and was voted Vestavia Hills’ Best Realtor in 2019 by Vestavia Hills Magazine. Nicole graduated from Auburn University in 2011 with a degree in Public Relations, concentration in Marketing, and minor in Spanish. While at Auburn, Nicole was a member of the Student Government Association, Mortar Board, Omicron Delta Kappa, Lobby Board, ADPi, and served as Vice President of the prestigious Cater Society, an organization comprised of the top 10 most influential women at Auburn University.
Nicole’s volunteer experience in Birmingham includes serving on the Junior League of Birmingham and UAB Womens Club. She has served as two-time President for the Birmingham Fashion Week Junior Board, Publicity and New Member Chair for the American Cancer Society Junior Executive Board, and instructor at Steeple Arts Academy of Dance.
Morgan Trotter Copes
Young Advisory Board
Morgan Trotter Copes
Young Advisory Board
Morgan Trotter Copes currently works as the VP of Business Operations at Birmingham Legion FC. Morgan has been around soccer his entire life and holds a United States Soccer Federation B-License. He played in college at the University of Mobile and earned his bachelor’s degree in management as well as his MBA. After being accepted into Regions Bank’s Management Associate program, he moved to Birmingham in 2012. While working there, he co-founded the amateur soccer team, called the Birmingham Hammers, whose main goal was to help bring professional soccer to the Magic City. During his time as the club’s President and General Manager, he was able to help build it to a successful organization and his efforts earned him the honor of being Legion FC’s first employee as well as a spot in Birmingham Business Journal’s Top 40 Under 40 in 2016. Outside of work, Morgan enjoys spending time with his wife, Emily, checking out local breweries, playing live music, wood working and taking his ’84 Jeep CJ 7 for a spin.
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