Blackburn Institute

Summer Networking Events

June 30, 2011

The Blackburn Institute recently hosted the first of its summer networking events. Advisory Board member Dr. Cheree Causey and her husband, Mr. Jim Causey, hosted several students at their lakeside home in Tuscaloosa. Pictures from this event can be viewed in the newest gallery on the home page.

Community Member Spotlight: Bradley Davidson

April 20, 2011

Blackburn Fellow from the 2002-2003 class and current Advisory Board Member Bradley Davidson personifies the four overarching values of the Blackburn Institute. A native of Selma, Bradley’s varying interests set him on an unexpected path. Earning a bachelor’s degree in finance from The University of Alabama and a master’s in development economics from Vanderbilt University, Bradley never expected to work in his current field. He currently serves as the Executive Director of the Alabama Democratic Party.  He was also the co-founder of Empower Alabama, a grassroots non-profit organization aimed at increasing the civic engagement of youth in the policymaking and political processes in Alabama.

Bradley credits the Blackburn Institute with allowing him to travel the state and explore how policy issues affect different communities within Alabama. When speaking of his current position as Executive Director of the Alabama Democratic Party, Davidson said, “It’s an interesting time for Alabama Democrats. Where some see challenges, I see an opportunity to lead and do things in a different way.”  At 29 years old he is one of the youngest people to hold the position as a major political party Executive Director. Bradley believes youth organizing is imperative in the growth and success of the Alabama Democratic Party. Bringing programs like College Democrats together for its first statewide convention in years and focusing on programs giving youth an actual role in the political process are just a couple ways in which Bradley is targeting Alabama’s young people.

A piece of advice Davidson would give to current and future Blackburn Fellows is to utilize the Blackburn network. He says, “There were definitely members of the Blackburn Institute among the links of the chain that is responsible for my current level of accomplishment. When utilizing the network, take the initiative to introduce yourself to unfamiliar faces at events.” Bradley remains humble considering all he has accomplished at a young age. When asked about his successful career thus far, Bradley responded, “I still don’t know what I want to do when I grow up!”

2011 Winter Symposium Overview

April 20, 2011

On the weekend of February 25-26, Blackburn Students, Fellows, Advisory Board Members, and guests gathered at the Renaissance Ross Bridge Resort in Hoover, Alabama, for the 17th annual Winter Symposium.  Along with serving as a time of reunion, attendees heard a lineup of relevant speakers and participated in breakout sessions. The event served as the capstone of the Institute’s academic year and saw the pinning of a newly minted group of graduating Fellows.

Friday evening began with a reception which allowed Advisory Board Members, Fellows, Students, and guests to catch up with old acquaintances and make new connections. Immediately following the reception attendees moved into the adjoining hall and were both informed and inspired by the keynote address given by Admiral Thad Allen. Allen’s speech detailed his experience handling the Deepwater Horizon oil spill disaster and also contained many of the retired admiral’s insights on leadership. Friday evening concluded with dinner and an Institute Update, featuring words from this year’s student officers and Advisory Board Members Bobbie Siegal and John Saxon regarding the Institute’s renewed vision and refined curriculum.

Saturday morning featured an address by Mr. Jason Fredrick, a Senior Economist at BBVA Compass. His presentation articulated the current state of the economy in Alabama, the United States, and the broader world. Following Mr. Frederick’s address was a talk by Mr. Bill O’Connor, the chair of the Advisory Board, on the current state of Alabama’s political, social, and economic climates. As expected, his talk wove together the constitutional structure of Alabama’s state government and its political history, describing their effects on the functioning of Alabama’s economy and culture.

After lunch, the symposium ended with a variety of concurrent sessions from which guests could choose to attend. Offerings included:

- Crafting Policy in the United States Congress: Mr. Mike House
-What the New Ethics Bills Mean for Alabama: Senator Greg Reed
-The Impact of the Republican Takeover on Alabama: Dr. Bill Stewart
-Community Engagement: Ms. Cathy Crenshaw
-Running a Successful Non-Profit: Mr. Stephen Black
-Public Speaking: Mr. John Saxon

Community Member Spotlight: Dr. Sandral Hullett

April 13, 2011

Currently the CEO of Cooper Green Mercy Hospital, Dr. Sandral Hullett is recognized as a leader in the healthcare industry in the State of Alabama. Her accomplishments are many, her success is evident, and her heart is huge. 

Inspired by the work of her grandfather and motivated by desperate needs in rural areas, Dr. Hullett has dedicated her life to serving rural Alabama. Cooper Green has now become a national model in public hospitals, despite particular economic hardships in Jefferson County over the last several years. Patients have increased and funding has decreased, but in 2009 the hospital led all area hospitals in patient satisfaction scores. Because of Dr. Hullett’s leadership, Alabama’s only public hospital is not only surviving but thriving. 

Sandral Hullett grew up in what is now known as the Inglenook neighborhood of Birmingham and received her undergraduate biology degree from Alabama A&M University. After working at Columbia University’s Institute of Cancer Research, she graduated from the all-women’s Medical College of Pennsylvania, where she became confident in her ability to “be a professional, have a family, [and] enjoy work.” She returned to rural Alabama as part of the National Health Services Corps, earned her Master’s degree, and subsequently opened a family practice in Greene County. 

Dr. Hullett has served on the Alabama Board of Trustees for 20 years and was honored with the national Distinguished Service Award in Trusteeship. She was honored with two honorary doctorates, named as one of America’s leading black doctors by Black Enterprise magazine, recognized as the Birmingham Business Journal’s Businessperson of the Year, and received the National Rural Health Association’s “Rural Practitioner of the Year” award in 1988.

Adm. Thad Allen at Winter Symposium

February 25, 2011

Just days before he came to Alabama, Admiral Thad Allen was in the midst of a crisis. He was at a conference discussing crisis management in New Zealand when a deadly earthquake struck Christ Church. However, this was not a first for the admiral. While he was serving as the commander of the Coast Guard Atlantic Area, he led the Coast Guard’s Atlantic Area response forces following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. When Hurricane Katrina struck in 2005, Allen was chosen as the principal federal official for the crisis. Most recently, President Barack Obama selected him to serve as the National Incident Commander for the unified response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. In this position, Allen was charged with oversight of all ongoing response efforts to cease the flow of oil and mitigate the effects of the worst oil disaster in U.S. history. Working closely with several federal on-scene organizations, he sought to bring a globally unified effort to all response endeavors. As the government’s accountable party, Allen was also in charge of coordinating with various federal, state and local organizations and directing the efforts of BP, the responsible party in the spill.

Being a leader in such times is something that Adm. Allen is very familiar with. So, on February 25, 2011, he served as the keynote speaker for the Blackburn Institute’s 2011 Winter Symposium at Ross Bridge Resort in Birmingham, Alabama. The topic of Allen’s address was suitably, “Leadership in Times of Crisis.” “When dealing with such a complex crisis,” he explained, “there must be confidence in both the process of recovery and the leadership behind it.” He discussed ways to stand strong in the face of such a crisis as a leader.

The most important characteristics that Adm. Allen highlighted are at the very core of the Blackburn Institute’s values. He stressed the importance of humility and empathy as the keys to successful, relational leadership. In his four decades of service, he saw a dire need for leaders that could properly handle situations of crisis. As members of the Blackburn Institute, we must strive to build ourselves as these types of leaders in the lifelong learning process that is leadership development. One of the overarching values of the Institute is a lifetime commitment to integrating these ideas in our daily lives. Adm. Allen’s address only reaffirmed the need for that commitment to be spread throughout our communities.