Message from the Dean

The Mitchell College of Business Executive Advisory Council provides advice and support to advance the mission of the Mitchell College and to help guide the school to continue to improve the quality of its business education programs. The Council participates in strategic planning, curriculum development, experiential learning initiatives, and other activities important to our mission.  Each spring we welcome new members to the Council while bidding others goodbye and thanking them for their service.

This spring, we recognize Ms. Lori Harper for her service to the Council.  Ms. Harper is Vice President, Supply Chain Management at Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, Mississippi.  She has been active in the development process of many of our new initiatives and will continue to be a part of the development of our Supply Chain Management major.  I want to thank Ms. Harper for all that she has done during her term.

This spring we welcome 10 new members to the Council.  Mr. Clarence Ball is the owner and President/CEO of Ball HealthCare Services, Inc. in Mobile. Through his leadership the company has grown to 10 skilled nursing and rehabilitation facilities operating in the state of Alabama.  The facilities provide short-term rehabilitation, skilled nursing, specialty and cognitive care.

Mr. Allen Carroll is a partner with Wilkins Miller LLC, the largest accounting and advisory firm in the Mobile Bay area.  Mr. Carroll graduated from South with a B.S. in Accounting.  His primary experience concentration is litigation services and consulting including business valuations, tax, multiple, state wholesale distributors, multiple state manufacturers, maritime, real estate developers and income tax and estate planning.

Ms. Holly Chapman is the Senior Vice President and CFO of American Equity Underwriters.  The American Equity Underwriters, Inc. is the program administrator of the American Longshore Mutual Association Ltd. (ALMA), a group self-insurance fund authorized by the U.S. Department of Labor to provide USL&H coverage for the liabilities of its members under the United States Longshore & Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act. She holds a B.S. in Accounting from South.

Mr. Walne Donald is President of Mobile Fixture & Equipment Company, a multi-location, full-service kitchen and restaurant supply company with offices in Mobile and Tuscaloosa, Alabama; Nashville and Knoxville, Tennessee; Destin and Panama City, Florida; and Columbus Georgia. Mr. Donald is a former Jaguar baseball player.

Ms. Theresa Howarth, a native of Mobile, earned her accounting degree at South.  Following positions with a Big Eight public accounting firm in New Orleans and a global oilfield services firm in Dallas, she joined EDS, ultimately rising to Director of Finance and Treasury Operations for the Asia Pacific Region.  Following her retirement, she resides in Sydney, Australia.

Mr. Tommy Howie, an alumnus of South, is currently Principal for T Howie Consulting. His career in information technology has included positions with IBM Satyam Computer Systems, OAO Technology Solutions, KAnalytics and Mainline Information Systems.  Before starting T Howie Consulting, he was Senior Vice President for Professional Services for Blue Ally.

Mr. Jerry Lathan graduated from South with a degree in Marketing. He is founder and CEO of The Lathan Company, a historical restoration company with offices in Mobile, Washington, D.C. and New Orleans.  He is also a partner in Big Easy Studios in New Orleans and has recently founded Roofing Corporation of America.

Mr. Michael Sanders is President and Cofounder of Sanders Hyland Corporation, a full-service company specializing in complex commercial, industrial flooring, and marine decking projects.  The company has completed more than 4,000 projects with offices in Birmingham and Mobile, Alabama, and Gulfport, Mississippi.  He is an alumnus of South. 

Mr. Tom Stiehle is Vice President of Business Management, CFO and CIO at Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, Mississippi. Before joining Ingalls, he was with Northrop Grumman in Florida and New York. He holds a M.S. in Acquisitions and Government Contracting from Florida Institute of Technology, an MBA from Adelphi University, and a B.S. from Hofstra University.

Mr. Tommy Zoghby is the recently retired Senior Vice President and CFO of Volkert, Inc.  He was instrumental in the establishment of the company’s ESOP and was integrally involved in strategic planning and corporate acquisitions and mergers efforts.  He serves on the board of the University of South Alabama Foundation as well as on committees with the Business Council of Alabama, Mobile Area Chamber of Commerce and various ESOP associations. He has a B.S. degree in Accounting and an MBA from South.