2007
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 Tim McNichol,
White Men As Full Diversity PartnersTim McNichol is a partner of White Men as Full Diversity Partners®. He brings over fifteen years experience as an OD consultant and coach helping organizations and leaders improve their effectiveness. His systems approach helps clients not only change behavior, but the underlying thinking patterns and organizational structures that drive the behavior as well. Tim has found the complex and often emotional issues related to diversity to be an ideal crucible for developing the leadership skills needed to succeed in today's changing global business environment. Many leaders lack the awareness and skills to effectively work with the cultural dynamics that can limit the initiative, productivity and innovation they are seeking from their employees. As leaders transform their thinking and actions in this arena, they can more effectively tap into and utilize the diverse perspectives that their organizations need to survive and thrive in a competitive global market. Tim is energized by the challenges and rewards inherent in the work of helping people develop their inter-cultural competence. As a heterosexual, white man he is continuing his own learning journey related to this leading edge work and is excited about the progress he and clients have made in developing rich and productive partnerships across what initially seemed like insurmountable differences. Tim received his masters in Whole Systems Design & Organization Development from Antioch University with an emphasis on collaborative learning and systems thinking. He taught for four years in the Master of Business Administration Program at Portland State University and is also a founding partner of Four Oaks Consulting, an organization development firm based in Portland, Oregon. |
 Keith Ruth,
PricewaterhouseCoopers
B. Keith Ruth is PricewaterhouseCooper’s Regional Tax Managing Partner for the West Coast Region. He is also the PwC National Tax Diversity Partner. Keith is also responsible for providing tax-planning services for corporate clients and private equity funds. In Keith’s diversity role, Keith is responsible for insuring that all of PwC’s tax professionals are provided equal opportunities in terms of hiring and retention, professional development, and serving PwC’s U.S. tax clients. Keith is a Certified Public Accountant and a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Georgia Society of Certified Public Accountants. He has served on the board of directors for the Girl Scout Council of Northwest Georgia. Keith is a member of the University of Georgia School of Accounting Advisory Board and he has periodically served as an instructor at the University of Georgia and as a regular speaker on tax related topics. |
 Karl J. Knecht,
Navistar International CorporationKarl Knecht serves as director of Diversity and Inclusion, at Navistar International Corporation (Other OTC: NAVZ), one of the world’s leading truck and diesel engine manufacturers. Knecht has more than 23 years of transportation industry business experience with expertise in human resources, engineering, marketing and sales. An accomplished human resources professional with a broad knowledge base, Knecht honed his human resources skills in various positions held over a period of more than thirteen years. He is currently accountable for leading a cross-functional, multi-cultural team that is focused on developing strategies and implementing company-wide processes designed to create an environment of enhanced diversity and inclusion at Navistar International Corporation. Knecht has a rare blend of being able to create visionary strategies, while not losing sight of the detail necessary for the successful implementation of sustainable organizational change. His successes in this area are enhancing previous diversity efforts, driving improved performance for the company and showcasing the company’s commitment to creating a workplace that celebrates the advantages of diversity and inclusion. Knecht holds a Bachelor of Science degree and a MBA, both from Lewis University, Romeoville, Ill. He is an active volunteer for the West Chicago Prairie Stewardship Group and The Conservation Foundation. He resides in Chicago metropolitan area with his wife and son. |
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Deidra was selected by Ebony Magazine as a “Top 30 under 30” Young Leader of the Future. The feature is in the February 2007 edition of Ebony Magazine. In 2006, Congressman Artur Davis selected her as one of only two delegates to attend the Emerging Leaders Conference in Washington, D.C. In 2005, Ms. Perry participated in Rotary International's Group Study Exchange program to Turkey, living in the Middle East for one month. Deidra is a member of the Alabama Leadership Initiative and Project Corporate Leadership. She is the youngest woman ever to serve on the Executive Committee for the Birmingham Regional Chamber of Commerce (in their 120 year history) and the first woman to serve as Chamber Vice Chair of Young Professional Recruitment & Retention. She is the Founding President of the Leadership Council - Birmingham Civil Rights Institute; Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Diamond Life Member and past National Executive Board Member; Executive Committee Member for the University of Alabama Alumni Association – Jefferson County Chapter; member of the Junior League of Birmingham; Urban League YPs; Friends of Literacy; Magic City Democrats Steering Committee; Nominating Council for The Summit Club, and member of the Board of Directors for the Literacy Council. She also volunteers with the Miss SWAC Pageant and Women Achieving Victory through Excellence. Honors include: 2007 Outstanding Graduate Student in Communication Studies at UAB; Gold Award Winner at The Birmingham News; recipient of the Carl Elliott Leadership Award; Roosevelt Thompson International Award for Outstanding Christian Service; Phi Eta Sigma Leadership Award & an Alabama Public Service Award. She is a member of Metropolitan A.M.E. Zion Church in Birmingham. Deidra is a Recruitment Account Executive for The Birmingham News, past Area Manager for the Newspaper In Education program and immediate past chair of the Employees' Advised Fund – housed at the Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham. |
 Karen Farmer, Alliance
Partnership GroupKaren Farmer serves as President for Alliance partnership Group. Most recently, Karen served as vice president for Lee Hecht Harrison supporting Talent Solutions / Talent Management across the Southeast. She previously owned an HR consulting company in Jacksonville, FL, when she became an Alliance Partner with Mastery Works, Inc., international leader in Career Development and Talent Management. She has worked closely with the co-authors of the ground breaking book, “Designing Career Development Systems”, by Dr. Caela Farren and Dr. Beverly Kaye. Karen has worked as a management consultant and professional trainer with over fifteen years of corporate experience specializing in leadership development, career planning, workforce development, and team facilitation. She is master certified in career development and has conducted over 1,200 workshops and presented seminars in career planning, retention, leadership development, customer service, influence and negotiation skills, team building, and mentoring. Karen created, designed and directed a corporate Career Resource Center for a major Florida Healthcare company and redesigned and implemented their new employee orientation program. Karen has presented corporate-wide programs on workforce development and retention strategies. She has individually counseled and consulted with high level executives and managers throughout the downsizing and restructuring process. In addition, she has been a featured speaker at many SHRM, ASTD, ISPI and HR state conferences throughout the Southeast, and at the International Quality & Productivity Center on the topic of Career Development and Employee Retention. Her specific areas of expertise include; Career Management, Talent Development, Adult Learning Theory, Myers Briggs, and the DISC Profile Assessments. She has been an instructor at Florida Community College in Jacksonville, Florida. Some of the companies for which she has worked include: AT&T, American Express, CISCO Systems, Prudential Insurance, Daimler-Chrysler, Kraft Foods, Nortel Networks, CIA Federal Government, Chicago Board of Trade, NationsBank, Johnson & Johnson, Lucent Technologies, Bank of America, Burger King Corporate and Vistakon Johnson & Johnson, First USA, Lockheed Martin, Cingular Wireless, Intel, and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida. Karen holds a Bachelor of Science in Special Education with an emphasis in Learning Theory from Bowling Green State University, Ohio. She also holds a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of North Florida. She is an alumni of Alpha Chi Omega Sorority. Her professional memberships include the American Society for Training & Development, the Society for Human Resource Management, and Organizational Development Management. Karen’s passion for and commitment to community involvement has lead her to design and develop a job training program for the Jacksonville City Rescue Mission. She also consults with the Coalition for the Homeless on organizational and related job training programs and is on the Steering Committee of Friends for the Hubbard House for Women. |
 Dana Law, Ph.D., MBA, Sankora Executive Solutions, Inc.Dana Law, Ph.D., M.B.A., is the President of Sankora Executive Solutions, Inc. She is an executive coach, consultant, researcher, and trainer who has extensive experience in the area of organizational development. Dr. Law has a diverse background with over 13 years of experience in management consulting. She has served as a Program Manager at Dell Corporation in Round Rock, Texas, and also has experience as an internal Organizational Development Consultant with Chevron Corporation in San Francisco, California. Dr. Law has conducted extensive research in the areas of change management and diversity. She has been interviewed and cited as an expert by Wall Street Journal, Fortune, New York Times, and the Bureau of National Affairs. Additionally, she has served an adjunct professor at the University of Alabama, Birmingham, in the Department of Management, Marketing, and Industrial Distribution. Dr. Law received her Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from the University of Montevallo. She received her Master of Science and Master of Business Administration degrees from Auburn University. She also obtained her Doctorate degree in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from Auburn University. She is a member of the Society for Industrial/Organizational Psychology, the American Society for Training and Development, and the American Psychological Association. Dr. Law is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. and has served as an advisor for a high school public service sorority for the past twelve years. |
 Janice Bowman, Association
of Diversity CouncilsJanice is the President of the Association of Diversity Councils, (a division of PRISM International, Inc.) a North American member-based, peer-to-peer network of organizational diversity councils dedicated to increasing the impact, effectiveness and recognition of diversity councils while providing resources to educate, develop and inspire each diversity council and member. With over 18 plus years of organizational leadership in workforce diversity/inclusion, EEO/harassment, compliance, staffing and customer services, Janice leads the division’s business and content development. Under her leadership, the Association of Diversity Councils has grown rapidly to include such firms as MetLife, Health Care Services Corp., Wells Fargo, Medtronic, General Dynamics Land Systems and Siemens Corporation. Considered to be one of the country’s leading diversity council experts, Janice is a sought after writer, contributor and speaker. Her most recent article "Winning the Race for Diverse Talent: the Role of the Diversity Councils" appeared in "Diversity Best Practices Winning the Race for Diverse Talent: A Major Report". One of her presentations was reported on and featured by the Society of Human Resources in a published Workplace Diversity Library Case/Studies/Best Practices. Janice’s recent presentations include the Blue Cross Blue Shield National Diversity Conference, the annual Linkage Summit on Leading Diversity, the Workforce Diversity Network Conference and the Texas Diversity Council and Leadership Conference. In her prior role, Janice served as the Manager of Workforce Diversity for We Energies, a Wisconsin Fortune 500 utility, and provided guidance to leadership and management on discrimination, harassment, and diversity in hiring. She implemented and facilitated education and training programs on diversity, Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) and harassment prevention. Janice managed restructuring the organization’s tactical diversity process, which had been in place for ten years, to a strategic approach linked to business objectives. She was instrumental in the implementation of Employee Network Groups, and development of the company’s first diversity scorecard. She was appointed by the CEO and served as co-leader of the Milwaukee County Diversity Advancement, Retention, and Recruitment Task Force- Best Practices Committee. The Task Force was commissioned to address Milwaukee County diversity in hiring issues and its work laid the foundation for the Institute of Diversity Education and Leadership–IDEAL-Milwaukee. Active in her community, Janice serves as President of the Board of Directors for the Racine Vocational Program, a non-profit organization established to bridge the needs of displaced workers and employers in Racine County, Wisconsin. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music from Tougaloo College, Jackson, MS, and a Masters in Human Resource Management from DeVry University/Keller Graduate School of Management, Milwaukee. |
 Elaine Jackson, Birmingham
Urban LeagueElaine S. Jackson is a native of Birmingham and attended public schools. She completed her undergraduate studies at Alabama A&M University, in Normal, AL, where she earned a B. S. Degree in 1978. She is a graduate of the Masters of Public and Private Management (MPPM) program at Birmingham Southern College, where her concentration was Public Sector Management. Since joining the Urban League, Ms. Jackson has completed continuing education and leadership courses at the Whitney M. Young, Jr. Center for Urban Leadership, New York, NY; the Texaco Management Institute for Leadership Training, White Plains, NY; and the Whitney M. Young School of Social Work at Clark Atlanta University, Atlanta, GA. She is also a graduate of Leadership Birmingham. Prior to joining the Birmingham Urban League in March of 1998, Ms. Jackson was employed with AmSouth Bank from 1978-1997 where she held various positions in Corporate Marketing and prior to her departure the position of Vice President and Community Services Manager in Corporate Contributions. Ms. Jackson currently serves on the boards of the Birmingham Broadway Series, American Cancer Society and was recently elected to the Members Council for Leadership Birmingham. She is a former regional officer and member of the Association of Executives of the National Urban League and was appointed by Governor Riley, in 2003, to the Alabama Workforce Investment Board. Ms. Jackson is an active member of Sixth Avenue Baptist Church, where she is a former trustee and secretary of her Sunday School Class. Elaine is married to Nathaniel and has two adult children. |
 André Natta, The Terminal
André Natta is originally from Bronx, NY and holds a Bachelors of Fine Arts degree in architectural history with a minor in architecture from the Savannah College of Art and Design in Savannah, Georgia. He is scheduled to complete Certification in Main Street Management in spring 2008, having served as senior Main Street Coordinator for Main Street Birmingham from September 2004 until March 2007. He started The Terminal in April 2007 to serve as a hub for information about Birmingham and its immediate surrounding area, providing an online town hall to talk about issues affecting the region. His philosophy on involvement is best summed up by Donald McGannon's quote, “Leadership is action, not position.” He is active in the community, serving as Vice President for Community Development, Birmingham Jaycees; Vice President, Ruffner Mountain Nature Center; Executive Committee member, PARCA Roundtable; Board Member, Catalyst 4 Birmingham; Administrative Board member, First United Methodist Church, Birmingham. |
 Alison Black Cornelius, BlackBOARD
Board Member Training Article Allison's work includes a professional speaking and training tour that numbers over 100 public appearances each year to nonprofits, students, physicians, law enforcement, counselors, churches, legal professionals, government groups, and business groups nationwide. She helped organize Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) Programs in three states and has trained and recruited families for state therapeutic foster care programs; she also lecturers for counseling, leadership, women’s issues, and special education classes at some of America’s most prestigious colleges. Allison is also well known for her work on public policy relating to families and is regularly called upon to assist community groups in their efforts to establish effective and creative private-public partnerships. She trains non-profit, faith-based, and government groups on board development and private/public economic development initiatives. She has extensive experience and a special interest in working with and training faith-based groups. To date she has trained more than 1,700 Boards of nonprofit corporations. She assisted with the writing, organization and passage of Megan's Law in six states (including the original legislation in New Jersey), Alabama's Constitutional Amendment for Victim's Rights, and the legislation that created the Alabama Department of Children’s Affairs. In 1998 she worked with AFRA to help them develop fair "move-away/relocation" legislation to protect parents. She also completed a collaboration between Children's Trust Fund and the Supreme Court Center for Dispute Resolution to design and implement Truce Talks - - a mediation program for embattled divorcing or never-married parents. Allison received recognition from HHS Secretary Dr. Wade Horn for this program and was invited to present the program at two national Health & Human Services conferences in Washington D.C. She has assisted sixteen state Governors with policy and office design related to community service and Faith & Community Based Initiatives. Ms. Black Cornelius has received awards and recognition from groups including: National Crime Victim's Commission, the Adolescent Psychiatric Nurse's Association, National Chamber of Commerce, National Association of Professional Speakers, Civitan, Rotary, Kiwanis, United Way, Parents Anonymous, NOW, and the President's Commission on Families and Children. In 1998 she was one of ten leaders selected by the National Junior Chamber of Commerce for their 72nd Annual Ten Outstanding Young American's Awa General Colin Powell. She has also appeared on several national talk shows including Phil Donahue and Larry King Live. In February 2001 she was honored by being invited to speak to the First Lady and all 50 Governor’s wives and husbands of the United States at the Kennedy Center in Washington. In 1996 she was selected to run the Olympic Torch by the Atlanta/Birmingham Committee for the Olympic Games. She is the youngest person to ever win the Mervyn H. Sterne Award which is presented annually by the Board of Directors of the United Way of Central Alabama to the individual having the most significant impact on the financial success of a United Way Campaign (presented to her in 1997 for a campaign that raised over 23 million dollars in the Birmingham and five-county area surrounding it). Allison began her advocacy career as a volunteer working with abused children in 1988 at an Exchange Club Family Skills Center She was one of the first graduates of United Way of America’s PROJECT BLUEPRINT – Board Development for women and minorities. She was Director of Development for Prescott House (a child advocacy center) and served 6 years as Director of Development and Community Relations for Family and Child Services (now Gateway). In 1998 after completing a two-year national speaking tour she relocated her family to Montgomery, Alabama to work for the Children's Trust Fund where she was appointed by the Governor as Deputy Director. This included organizing several special events for the First Lady and General Colin Powell’s Alabama’s Promise event in Birmingham, Alabama. In 2001 she started her own consulting company BlackBOARD - - specializing in training government, community based, and faith based organizations in governance, charitable choice, board development, strategic thinking, fund development, leadership, and social marketing. Allison continues to advocate on behalf of Alabama’s most underserved children. She currently mentors more than 30 adolescents and their families one-on-one. Allison and her husband Jeff live in Vestavia. Together they have five children: Lauren, Robin, Anne Campbell, Ross, and Roman. |
 Stephen Black, IMPACT
Alabama Stephen Black studied American history at The University of Pennsylvania, where he completed his bachelors degree Magna Cum Laude in 1993, before attending Yale Law School where he graduated in 1997. Following law school, Black moved to Birmingham to become involved in public affairs and to practice law at the firm Maynard, Cooper and Gale. After three years in private practice, he spent a year serving as an assistant to the Governor, where he researched policy issues and worked on economic development projects. After leaving the Governor’s office in 2001, he returned to Maynard, Cooper and Gale and began his campaign for Alabama State Treasurer. After coming up 3% short of victory in the 2002 general election, Stephen returned to practice law. In 2004, he created Impact: An Alabama Student Service Initiative - the state’s first nonprofit organization dedicated to developing and implementing substantive service-learning projects in coordination with universities and junior colleges throughout the state. For example, since the launch of the FocusFirst program in November 2004, more than 600 FocusFirst student volunteers from fifteen campuses have screened over 21,000 children in 55 different counties across the state of Alabama. A potential vision problem was detected in approximately 10.6% of those children, all of whom received, or are receiving, subsidized follow-up care as necessary In June, 2005, Black was appointed to the UA faculty as a Senior Lecturer in Communicative Ethics and asked to create and then direct a new Center for Ethics and Social Responsibility. |
 Alison Howell, Birmingham
Regional Chamber of Commerce Alison Howell is currently the Manager of Community Development for the Birmingham Regional Chamber of Commerce. After a year with the Chamber, she has successfully brought the Chamber’s young professional initiatives to fruition by creating YPNOW.org – “Birmingham’s One Stop Portal for Everything YP,” implemented the Cool School program designed to teach HR and recruiting professionals what’s cool about Birmingham to better attract young talent, aided in creating the YP Roundtable made up of all the active young professional organizations and Jr. Boards in the region, organized the first ever YP Expo where over 500 young professionals attended and manages several other programs for the Chamber. Howell also brings five years of Capitol Hill experience after working as professional staff for U.S. Senator Richard Shelby in Washington, D.C. Her institutional knowledge of Capitol Hill also allows her to aid the Division of Public Policy at the Chamber. Howell is a native of Hoover, Alabama and attended Hoover High School. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Telecommunication and Film (Communications) from the University of Alabama and plans to pursue her Masters in the near future. Howell is currently a member of several young professional organizations including the Rotaract Club of Birmingham, Catalyst, YP Birmingham, and United Way Young Leaders. Other involvement includes an active membership with the Jefferson County Alabama Alumni Association and the USTA. |
 James McCrary, Nonprofit
Resource Center of AlabamaJames McCrary serves as Associate Director of the Nonprofit Resource Center of Alabama (NRCA). His primary duties involve the coordination of educational programming and information/referral services. He routinely advises nonprofit executives and volunteer leaders on issues relevant to governance, agency management, and resource development. James came to NRCA from the Alabama Kidney Foundation, where he served as Program Administrator from February 1993 to September 1997 and Executive Director from September 1997 through November 2000. He has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Human Services Management from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and a Master of Business Administration Degree from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. James' community service includes five years on the Board of Directors of Hand-in-Paw, an animal-assisted therapy program based in Birmingham. This included two years as Board President and four years on the Executive Committee. James currently serves on the Board of the American Society of Training Directors-Birmingham Chapter. |
 Mike
Mahon, FHL Capital Corporation Mike is a Birmingham native. He is an Eagle Scout and was named a Presidential Scholar by the US Department of Education. For this he was honored by President Clinton at the White House. Mike graduated from the University of Virginia in 2002 with a major in Commerce. He worked his way through college selling Cutco knives each summer. Along the way he broke national records, was consistently one of the top reps in the country, and became one of the company’s top 100 all-time sales reps out of 2 million trained since 1949. While in school he studied finance in Sydney, Australia, and after college traveled extensively throughout Southern Africa. His home base was Cape Town, South Africa where he took a particular interest in the country’s leadership. Soon after returning home, in 2004 he co-founded the Rotaract Club of Birmingham, a junior Rotary club designed to be a premier organization to develop informed, connected, and skilled young leaders. That club quickly became the largest community Rotaract club in the United States. He is currently leading development for the Rotaract Club of Birmingham Foundation, a private foundation designed to fund the service works of the Rotaract Club. He is also involved with development for Red Mountain Park, the newly created 1,108 acre public park within Birmingham city limits. He is an incorporator of the Friends of Red Mountain Park, Inc., for which he helped build a grassroots network of over 7,000 supporters. The Friends of Red Mountain Park are dedicated to promoting, developing, and enjoying Red Mountain Park. Professionally he works as a Mergers & Acquisitions Associate at FHL Capital Corporation, a Birmingham-based boutique investment bank, where he advises clients who would like to sell or buy privately held companies. During his career Mike has worked closely with top executives and entrepreneurs, advising companies ranging from startup ventures to $500+ Million conglomerates. |
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