Blackburn Institute

Victoria Barnes Graduated magna cum laude from the University of Alabama with a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Finance. She is in her third year of graduate school at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. While attending the University of Alabama, Victoria was a member of the Commerce Associates, which is the Culverhouse School of Commerce and Business Administration ambassador program. She was a scholar in the UA Ronald McNair Program in 2000. Victoria’s teaching experience includes teaching microeconomics and macroeconomics labs at UA, serving as a graduate teaching assistant for Financial Management (FI 301), and instructor of International Strategic Management (BA 351) and Investment (FI 425) courses at UT. Her areas of research include corporate governance, executive compensation, banking, and behavioral finance.

Rebecca Brand Redmond Graduated from UA law school and lives in Birmingham, Alabama. Rebecca practices labor and employment law with the firm of Carr Allison.

Joshua Burcham Accepted a position on the Blackburn Alumni Involvement Network, an extension of the Institute’s advisory board, in 2007. Graduated in 2004 with a B.S. in Marketing. He lives and works in Franklin, Tennessee. Joshua manages marketing and e-commerce for Windsor & Neil, LLC, a group of companies dealing in rare antique prints and real estate.

Stephanie Leigh Cory A second-year law student at LSU and lives in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. She recently completed a summer clerkship with Chief Judge Helen G. Berrigan of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana. She also worked for the Department of Justice in the US Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Louisiana. She plans to get married in May 2005.

Kristin Gilmer Lives in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

Jason Goggins Currently serves as a Republican Counsel to the House Committee on Financial Services in Washington, DC. Graduated from the Cumberland School of Law in May of 2008 and is an active member of the Alabama bar. Former press secretary to Congressman Spencer Bachus (R-AL) from 2003-2005.

Jessica Najjar Works as a traveling consultant for the Pi Beta Phi sorority. She will attend law school this fall at the University of Georgia.

Alan Johnson

Kerri Keith Graduated with a MBA from UA and lives in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

Chad Kendrick Lives in Birmingham.

Jeffery Lees Jeffrey Lees received his B.S. in Accounting from The University of Alabama in 1998, and graduated from The University of Alabama School of Law in 2001. A brief career practicing transactional law after joining the bar led him to the title insurance industry, and he is now the Alabama Sales & Agency Manager for First American Title Insurance Company. Jeff is a frequent lecturer on real property issues to attorneys, real estate agents, and mortgage lenders, He is also a director of Dixie Land Title Association, Inc, an industry group designed to foster strong relationships and best practices among title insurance professionals. In addition to professional work, Jeff serves a Captain in the United States Army Reserve, working as Assistant Staff Judge Advocate to the Regional Support Group-East. Jeff is an active UA alumnus, serving as an officer and executive committee member of the Jefferson County Chapter of the Alabama Alumni Association; he is also a member of the alumni advisory committee for the Alpha Beta Chapter of the Kappa Alpha Order at The University. An active supporter of the Alabama Literacy Council, Jeff is a member of St. Paul's Cathedral Catholic Church. He and his wife, Meredith, also a UA grad and an attorney at Haskell, Slaughter, Young, & Rediker, live in Birmingham.

Melissa Limbaugh Lives in Nashville.

Emily Smith Llinas Emily graduated summa cum laude from UA, and served as a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar to Caracas, Venezuela. She represented Rotary International, speaking at local clubs and participating in service projects while pursuing a master's in International Relations at La Universidad Central de Venezuela. Emily was the first international student in the graduate program. During the summer of 2006, she published her first book, "Don't Call Me Gringa," that is based upon her experiences in Venezuela. Emily currently works for the University of Texas Medical Branch and serves as Assistant Director for Bioterrorism and Public Health Preparedness in Montgomery County, north of Houston, Texas.

Jonathan Macklem Graduated in May 2005 from the University of Alabama Law School. Upon passing the bar exam, he will be working for the law firm of Christian Small in Birmingham, Alabama. Jonathan and his wife Erin live in Birmingham.

Mark Martin Mark is the founding elementary principal of Langston Hughes Academy, an open-enrollment public charter school in New Orleans, Louisiana. LHA opened in the fall of 2007 with 110 fourth and fifth grade students and has grown to include grades pre-Kdg - 8, serving over 600 students. Mark has recently been named School Director, leading all academic and operational functions of the school. Mark began his career in education as a first grade teacher in Atlanta Public Schools through the Teach For America program, and he has earned a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree focusing on Social Entrepreneurship from the University of Georgia’s Terry College of Business.

Matthew Phillips Working for SIRSI Corporation in Huntsville. Married Annie Lee, a UA alum, in May of 2004.

Kellee Renee' Ransom Accepted a position on the Blackburn Alumni Involvement Network, an extension of the Institute’s advisory board, in 2007. Lives in Huntsville and works as the Regional Recruiting Supervisor for North Alabama Enterprise Rent A Car.

Nathan Reamey Continues to serve on the Blackburn Alumni Involvement Network, an extension of the Institute’s advisory board. Serves as Vice President for Vulcan Pipe & Steel Coating, Inc. in Bessemer, AL, a specialty painting contractor. He serves on the Capstone Engineering Society Board of Directors at UA. He is an active member of Trinity United Methodist Church in Tuscaloosa. Nathan and Becky live in Tuscaloosa with their four-legged child, Izzy.

David Richardson Works with Steve Richardson & Company, PC, and his wife Nikki is the Executive Director of Big Brothers, Big Sisters of West Alabama. David’s current memberships include: Board treasurer for CAPS (Child Abuse Prevention Services), The Rotary Club, The Tuscaloosa Quarterback Club, Business Network International, and Pi Kappa Phi Alumni Advisory Board; he is also a graduate of Leadership Tuscaloosa. David, Nikki, and their son Hartley live in Tuscaloosa, AL and attend Cavalry Baptist Church. The Richardsons are also expecting a baby girl in August 2008.

Adam Russell Adam now works as a Senior Industrial Engineer for Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida.

Raman Seghal Received his degree in Computer Engineering and German from he University of Alabama in 2001, after which he obtained his Masters of Business Administration . Raman now works at the Procter & Gamble company, where he manages interactive marketing and internet strategy for North America. Raman lives in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Marc H. Shook Graduated from The University of Alabama School of Law in 2001 and is currently the Assistant Dean of Students at The University of Texas at Austin.

Britt Strong Employed by US Steel and lives in Birmingham.

Kristy Thomas Lives in Alabaster, Alabama.

Brandon Tubbs

Keisha Turner Abrahams A 2002 honors graduate from UA. She is a 2005 graduate of Howard University School of Law in Washington, D.C. .

Faythe Smith VanPelt Currently works as the Director of Volunteer Services for Volunteer Jacksonville. She and her husband, Bahati VanPelt, live in Jacksonville, Florida where they are active members of Betherl Baptist Church. Bahati works for the NFL's Jacksonville Jaguars.

Shunta V. McBride is an associate in the Commercial Real Estate practice group in DLA Piper's Atlanta office. Her practice focuses on representing commercial real estate developers in their acquisition, development, financing, and disposition of real property for office, hotel, retail, residential and mixed use projects. In addition to representing developers, Ms. McBride also represents corporate clients in the negotiation and documentation of commercial leases. Ms. McBride's experience at DLA Piper also includes conducting a non-judicial foreclosure sale of distressed commercial property on behalf of a commercial lender. She has also supported the Litigation group in Atlanta by performing legal research and advising lenders on post-foreclosure real estate litigation and leasing matters. Ms. McBride also routinely contributes to pro bono, recruiting and diversity initiatives within DLA Piper's Atlanta office.

Before joining DLA Piper, Ms. McBride's legal experience included representing developers in the acquisition, leasing and disposition of commercial property, including tax-deferred exchanges. She also represented commercial lenders in the negotiation and documentation of loan transactions, including the financing and refinancing of construction loans for hotel development projects, as well as loans secured by multi-family housing developments.

Ms. McBride's pro bono work has included representing a 501(c)(3) nonprofit food bank negotiate industrial and warehouse leases, letters of intent and confidentiality agreements, all in connection with documenting commercial leases and a proposed gift transaction involving environmentally impacted real property. Ms. McBride has also represented Mississippi residents as part of DLA Piper’s national signature pro bono project, Rebuilding Foundations of Home Ownership, which helps victims of Hurricane Katrina clear title to land and implement estate planning solutions. Ms. McBride's volunteer work also involves her legal research, writing and speaking contributions to the Georgia Appleseed Heir Property Project. In addition to her real estate-related pro bono work, Ms. McBride has also served as pro bono counsel to victims of domestic violence, advocating to help them obtain 12-month temporary restraining orders, as part of the Atlanta office's participation in the Atlanta Volunteer Lawyers' Partnership Against Domestic Violence program.

Joshua Wallace Finished his MA in history from UA in 2004. Josh is currently pursuing a Master of Library and Information Studies (MLIS) degree here at Alabama. He expects to finish that degree in May 2007. After that, he hopes to find employment at an academic or government library or archive. Josh is also currently an adjunct faculty member at the University of Montevallo where he teaches history.

Victoria Starks Ward After graduating from the University, Victoria attended Thomas M. Cooley law school in Lansing, Michigan. Victoria is currently an Associate Attorney at Bryan P. Hilton, P.C. in Douglasville, GA where she practices real estate litigation, civil litigation, wills and estates, as well as family law and criminal law . Victoria was married to Ronald Ward on October 7, 2006, and they live in Atlanta, GA. Ronald is a fitness trainer in the Atlanta area. Victoria attends the Cornerstone Baptist Church where she is a member of the choir. Victoria is also a regular volunteer in her community through her membership in Junior League of Atlanta.

Brooke West Lives in Birmingham and serves as Executive Director for the David Toms Invitational.