Blackburn Institute

Jenna McCammon Bedsole Graduated from the University of Alabama in 1993 with Bachelors of Arts in English and a minor in History. In 1997, Jenna graduated from the University of Alabama School of Law. She is a partner with Lloyd, Gray & Whitehead, P.C. and practices in the areas of education and employment law. In 2005, she served as the President of the Young Lawyer’s Section of the Birmingham Bar. She was selected as a member of the inaugural class of the Alabama State Bar Leadership Forum. Jenna also currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Birmingham Bar Foundation, the charitable arm of the Birmingham Bar Association. In 2007, Jenna was elected onto the advisory board of the Blakburn Institute. She is married to Chess Bedsole and they have one child, Helen Bedsole.

Jonathan Bindnow Deceased.

Brannon Buck Brannon is a founding partner of Badham & Buck, LLC. Before starting his own firm, Brannon was a partner at Maynard, Cooper & Gale, P.C. Brannon has a civil litigation and trial practice. He is a past president of the Young Lawyers Section of the Alabama State Bar Association and currently chairs committees of both the Alabama Bar and the Birmingham Bar Associations. Brannon also serves on the Boards of the Alabama Apppleseed, Center for Law and Justice, the Alabama Civil Justice Foundation, and Canterbury United Methodist Church.

Andrew Carpenter Passed away following an automobile accident in July of 2007. Received his undergrad from UA in 1996 and his Master's in History in 1998. He then attended law school at Washington & Lee University in Lexington, Virginia. Andrew practiced law in Tuscumbia, Alabama, where he was a member of the Shoals Chamber of Commerce Legislative Affairs Committee and the Colbert County Democratic Executive Committee.

Lee Garrison Graduated from the University of Alabama in 1997 with a BS degree in Commerce and Business Administration. In August of 1997, while still an undergraduate at UA, Lee ran a successful bid for City Council, District 4. Councilman Garrison also works as a salesman for Duckworth-Morris Insurance. In August of 2001, Councilman Garrison ran unopposed for the District 4 council seat. Councilman Garrison is chair of the Finance Committee, Vice Chair of the Intergovernmental Relations Committee, and a member of Public Project Committee. On, January 24, 2004, Lee was voted into the Blackburn Institute's Advisory Board. Lee is married to Jessica who was University of Alabama SGA President (1996) and is a practicing attorney at the firm Phelps, Jenkins, Gibson, and Fowler in Tuscaloosa. Lee also serves the Boys and Girls Club of West Alabama, Chairman of the Board; Tuscaloosa Riverfront Development Steering Committee, Vice-Chairman; Chairman of the Community & Economic Development Committee; and the Downtown Urban Renewal Committee.

Eule Glenn

Bill Hankins Deputy Attorney General and Special Assistant US Attorney in Birmingham.

Jacob Hogan

Deidra Perry Lloyd Deidra is a Senior Marketing Consultant for WBHK/Cox Radio in Birmingham, AL. She is the 2008 President-Elect of the Jefferson County Alumni Chapter for UA and a graduate of the Alabama Leadership Initiative & Project Corporate Leadership. Deidra holds a BA in Speech Communication from UA and a Master’s degree in Communication Management from UAB. In addition to traveling as a motivational speaker, she is active with the Birmingham Chamber, Delta Sigma Theta & the Junior League.

Arma Marquez Lives in Jackson, Mississippi. Currently splitting time between two non-profit organizations: Mississippi Nurses' Association, where she coordinates all publications and marketing materials; The Eudora Welty Foundation, where she is managing the organization of the entity's first capital campaign and membership drive, as well as producing its first newsletter.

April McKenzie Mason Currently working as an attorney in the General Corporate practice group at Burr & Forman in Birmingham, Alabama where she specializes in mergers and acquisitions, business planning and antitrust regulation. April is currently the president of the Rotaract Club of Birmingham. Her husband, Jono, works for Grassroots Wine Wholesalers.

Kim Houghton Memmesheimer Lives in Lee, New Hampshire with her husband and son. Kim is an attorney working at J. Kirk Trombley, P.A. in Barrington. Her litigation practice focuses on subrogation work and commercial litigation.

Nada Memon

Amy Mitchell

Jonathan Owens Currently pursuing a MBA at the Kenan-Flagler School of Business at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Formerly resided in Lagos, Nigeria. Former drilling engineer for Exxon-Mobil. Married to Anna Kate, family nurse practicioner.

Eric Pruitt Eric is a member of the Institute's Advisory Board and previously served as Chairman of the Fellow Involvement Network in 2007. In addition to practicing law as a shareholder in the Birmingham, AL office of Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell, & Berkowitz, P.C., Eric serves as the advisor to the firm's business associates in Atlanta, Chattanooga, and Birmingham, in addition to working with the firm's Professional Development Department to train and mentor young lawyers. Eric received his undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Alabama. Eric and his wife Aimee, who both received their L.L.M. degrees from New York University, currently reside in Vestavia Hills, AL.

Stephanie Smith

George D. Thomas

Tracie Sempier

Wonita Williams

Jaime Wright