STEM STUDENTS REACHING OUT WOMEN OF BUSINESS TAKE ON BREAST WITH DIVERSITY ANALYTICS CANCER CHALLENGE INITIATIVE Page 40 Page 4 Page 12 THE CULVERHOUSE COLLEGE OF COMMERCE EXECUTIVE MAGAZINE FALL 2014 VOLUME 19 • ISSUE 1 INSIDE THIS ISSUE Powerful Women of Culverhouse CEO and President of Lockheed Martin Corp. and University of Alabama Alumna, Marillyn Hewson FALL 2014 VOLUME 19 • ISSUE 1 http://www.culverhouse.ua.edu DEAN CONTENTS J. Michael Hardin EDITOR OUR WOMEN'S ISSUE IS IN HONOR OF BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MONTH. Edith Parten WEB COMMUNICATIONS 2 FROM THE DEAN 36 INNOVATIVE ADVANCE Kyle Fondren DIRECTIVES IN NURSING 4 STUDENTS TAKE ON HOMES GRAPHIC DESIGN BREAST CANCER Natorio Howard CHALLENGE 40 WOMEN OF BUSINESS Office of Design and Production ANALYTICS The University of Alabama STEM STUDENT FINDS KEY 8 TO SUCCESS IN ADVERTISING 44 STUDENTS STUDY BUSINESS CONTRIBUTING WRITERS SLOGAN ANALYTICS ABROAD Brittany Downey, Kyle Fondren Jean McLean, Edith Parten 12 REACHING OUT WITH 46 LEADER OF CENTER FOR Carolanne Roberts DIVERSITY INITIATIVE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT MAKING STATEWIDE IMPACT COPY EDITOR 14 POWERFUL WOMEN OF Benita Crepps CULVERHOUSE 50 MARKETING STUDENTS BREATHE NEW LIFE INTO CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS 16 FORBES FOURTH MOST BIRMINGHAM ICONS Jeff Hanson, Bryan Hester POWERFUL WOMAN IN Zack Riggins, Matthew Wood BUSINESS 54 HARRISON JONES TRADES FOOTBALL JERSEY FOR MBA OFFICE OF DEVELOPMENT 20 WALL STREET MOM TRADES Hill Rowan ROLES AT HOME 58 AMBASSADORS BOOST CULVERHOUSE IMAGE ALUMNI AND CORPORATE RELATIONS 22 ALUMNA FINDS HER PASSION Kathy DeShazo, Diane Harrison IN MERGERS AND 60 ALUMNI NEWS Dana Merchant, Susan Newman ACQUISITIONS Courtney Page 64 FACULTY AND STAFF NEWS 24 THE ART OF BALANCE: 1987 CULVERHOUSE COLLEGE OF CULVERHOUSE ALUMNA 66 STUDENT NEWS COMMERCE SHARES HER KEYS TO Box 870223 SUCCESS 68 PHILANTHROPY GIVES Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0223 STUDENTS OPPORTUNITY 27 UA INTERNSHIP TURNING COMMENTS, SUGGESTIONS, POINT IN CAREER 72 CULVERHOUSE CONNECTIONS QUESTIONS MENTOR PAYS IT FORWARD 205-348-8318 30 DRIVING PASSION AT 74 SOCIAL MEDIA IN THE [email protected] MERCEDES-BENZ CLASSROOM The University of Alabama is an equal-opportunity 32 THE DEAN MEANS BUSINESS educational institution/employer • MC8640 76 10 SOCIAL MEDIA TIPS TO 34 BUSINESS SURVIVAL 101 — BOOST YOUR ENGAGEMENT PUT A WOMAN IN CHARGE ON TWITTER NOTE TO OUR READERS: THE ANNUAL DONORS LIST IS MOVING TO THE NEW CULVERHOUSE ANNUAL REPORT PUBLICATION COMING SOON. 3 FROM THE DEAN DEAR FRIENDS AND ALUMNI We welcomed more than 7,800 is ranked eighth in the nation. That they graduate becomes, “Is corporate students to the Culverhouse College is its highest ranking in the history Alabama ready to create opportunities of Commerce this fall, and a record of the College. And we continue to and hire these students?” number of students have enrolled in have 100 percent placement rates with In the year ahead, we will continue to the University’s STEM Path to the MBA our management and information accelerate efforts to produce graduates program. The 2014 STEM class is the science program. who stand ready to solve the challenges largest ever with an enrollment of 306 We are also recruiting diverse of our global economy. We will continue freshmen. That brings the total number students from all backgrounds, recruiting the best and brightest to of students enrolled in the program to in and out of state, who are ready achieve excellence in the business world. more than 650 since its inception in to become future leaders like the Creating leaders, innovators and 2011, and our first group will graduate women highlighted in this issue of jobs — it is the goal of Culverhouse and with their MBAs in 2016. the Executive Magazine. We profile how we build a better business school. This innovative program allows some of the most successful women to Now we can build a better Alabama by students majoring in science, graduate from Culverhouse, including hiring these students and investing in technology, engineering and math to Marillyn Hewson, CEO of Lockheed our future. earn an MBA in one additional year Martin; Sharon Oswald, dean of the after completing their undergraduate business school at Mississippi State; degrees. It is one example of how and Cynthia Day, president and CEO Culverhouse is positioning itself to of Atlanta-based Citizens Bancshares become a top 25 business school — a Corp. and Citizens Trust Bank. business school with relevance, rigor Since 2002, we have offered a and innovation. By developing these graduate-level specialization in business J. Michael Hardin, PhD rigorous and innovative programs we analytics, and we continue to look for Dean, Culverhouse College of Commerce are preparing our students to meet innovative ways to increase our role as Russell Professor of Business and and exceed the challenges of global a leader in this ever growing field. This Professor of Statistics business needs. year, we will develop an undergraduate The University of Alabama Our MBA program at the Manderson curriculum in business analytics. Graduate School of Business was At Culverhouse, we teach students recently ranked the top over- to be creative and to create value, and performing program in the nation we prepare them for the challenges by Poets & Quants, and our online of a global business world. We have a master’s program is ranked 12th in the corporate recruitment program that nation by U.S. News & World Report. matches our students to key positions The Culverhouse School of Accountancy at companies. The question after 4 CULVERHOUSE 5 STEM STUDENTS TAKE ON BREAST CANCER CH LLENGE BY EDITH PARTEN ctober is Breast Cancer 2014 worldwide Avon Foundation Breast commercially marketed products. The O Awareness Month, but events to Cancer Startup Challenge. And they students presented their business plans shine the light on fighting the disease were the only undergraduate teams to a panel of biomedical industry judges. are prevalent throughout the year on — mostly freshmen and sophomores “The Breast Cancer Startup UA’s campus, such as the Alabama — in the global competition of more Challenge is designed to accelerate and gymnastics team’s annual Power of than 40 university teams. The Avon increase the volume of breast cancer Pink. However, the gymnastics team is Foundation for Women, the National inventions in development,” said Marc not the only group on campus to join the Institutes of Health National Cancer Hurlbert, executive director of the Avon fight against breast cancer. In early 2014, Institute and the Center for Advancing Foundation Breast Cancer Crusade. “In students in the STEM Path to the MBA Innovation launched the challenge to addition to improving public health, program were busy developing business advance biomedical inventions to treat we hope to spur economic growth plans to market new treatments breast cancer and bring breast cancer and provide universities a platform and diagnostics for breast cancer technologies to market. to develop their entrepreneurship- during a national competition among Student teams from universities learning portfolios.” selected universities. across the globe were presented the Sophomore and STEM student Megan Three UA teams — all from the opportunity to start new companies by Torman served as the CEO of team one. science, technology, engineering and developing a 10-page strategic business Although none of the UA teams made mathematics program — gained real- plan for one of 10 selected diagnostic it to the final round of the competition, world experience in breast cancer or treatment technologies projects Torman said her team was perfectly research when they competed in the and then turn their inventions into happy with the outcome. 6 CULVERHOUSE 7 “It definitely opened our eyes “They are some of the most Each of the students had different UA’S AVON BREAST CANCER to another whole side; we never inspirational, humble and bold kids on reasons for getting involved in the thought any of us would be working in the face of the earth,” he said. “A lot of challenge, but all of them said they CHALLENGE TEAMS AND pharmaceuticals or anything like that,” the kids at the camp are told they will now have a deeper understanding and THEIR HOMETOWNS Torman said. “It was interesting to see a not be alive next year, and so any chance appreciation for medical research. TEAM 1 — IMMUNOTHERAPY USING different perspective and be working in I can get to fight cancer is something I Sophomore Rachel Ramey said she GRANULYSIN ACTIVATED something that had actual potential to want to be a part of.” learned just how much time is involved • JAKE GREEN, SOPHOMORE, change people’s lives.” For freshman Sheela Kailasam, the in making a product readily available. SPARTANBURG, SOUTH CAROLINA As part of the STEM program, timing of the project made her even “I was surprised at how much • RACHEL RAMEY, SOPHOMORE, DAYTON, OHIO students are required to work in teams more interested in joining a team. goes into taking a drug from the point • MEGAN TORMAN, SOPHOMORE, UMATILLA, FLORIDA to develop business plans and solutions of research until it’s commercially • JIMMY WITT, SOPHOMORE, BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA for real-world problems over a course “IT DEFINITELY OPENED available,” Ramey said. “It can take 8-10 of several five-week projects. The Avon years. Realistically, it’s not going to be TEAM 2 — IMMUNOTHERAPY USING Breast Cancer Startup Challenge was OUR EYES TO ANOTHER that one day somebody discovers a cure Left to right: Megan Torman, Jimmy Witt and