As part of a fellowship 60,000-strong, these alumni are advocates for our programs and help shepherd future students our way. They serve as mentors and sounding boards. And they challenge convention and urge on change.
Each of our alumni has charted a unique course on their way to success. Some are in the early stages of their careers or have made an imprint over the course of many decades. The common bond is a deep level of respect from their colleagues and fellow alumni that has been earned through demonstrated hard work, devotion to the things that matter, and commitment to their alma mater.
And they are also ours. Let us share in celebrating these exceptional alumni of the Culverhouse College of Business.
Jill Deer is executive vice president for Brasfield & Gorrie, one of the nation’s largest privately held construction firms with over $6 billion in 2024 revenues. Deer joined Brasfield & Gorrie in 2014 as vice president of development and planning and was promoted in 2017 to chief administrative officer. Deer served on the firm’s executive committee until her retirement in December 2024. She now serves as executive vice president on special projects and is a trustee for the Gorrie Legacy Trust.
Prior to her association with Brasfield & Gorrie, she was a principal at Bayer Properties, LLC, and was a partner in the law firm of Burr & Forman LLP. Deer earned her juris doctor degree from The University of Alabama School of Law and a Bachelor of Science in accounting from UA’s Culverhouse College of Business.
Deer was the first woman to join Renasant Corporation’s Board of Directors in 2010 and has served on the boards of numerous business- and community-focused organizations. Deer was co-chair of the Bell Center for Early Intervention Programs’ Capital Campaign and was the first female chair of United Way’s Pacesetter Committee. She is a member of the Culverhouse College of Business Board of Visitors.
She was honored in 2024 with the “Women Who Shape the State” award. She was chosen as a member of Leadership Alabama’s Class XXVIII (2017-2018), Leadership Birmingham’s Class of 2016-2017, and has been honored as one of the Birmingham Business Journal’s “Top 40 under 40” and as one of “Birmingham’s Top Women.” She has also acted as an adjunct professor at The University of Alabama School of Law.
She is married to Alan Deer, also a graduate of The University of Alabama School of Law. They have two sons and three grandchildren.
Matthew Dent is president and chief executive officer of the Buffalo Rock Company and is responsible for the company’s overall operations in Alabama, western Georgia, and the panhandle of Florida. Buffalo Rock Company is the largest single family privately held Pepsi bottler in the nation with over 2,300 employees serving a population base of nearly eight million.
Dent began his career with Buffalo Rock as an intern during his junior year at The University of Alabama, where he received his degree in marketing from the Culverhouse College of Business. That proposed three-month internship developed into a now 30-year career in the beverage industry, all at Buffalo Rock.
Dent is a board member of numerous organizations, which include the President’s Cabinet of the University of Alabama, UAB O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center, Alabama State Parks Foundation, Business Council of Alabama, and Birmingham Business Alliance. He served as chairman of the USGA’s 2018 U.S. Women’s Open Championship, was a finalist in Birmingham’s 2012 Top CEO Awards, and in 2007 was named one of Birmingham’s Top 40 under 40 by the Birmingham Business Journal.
Dent enjoys spending time with his wife and their two young children. They reside in Birmingham, are active members at Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church, and enjoy traveling together, snow skiing, boating, water sports, and playing golf.
Wendy Evesque is executive vice president and chief human resources officer for Protective Life Corporation. She leads Protective’s focus on people and culture, including efforts that support talent acquisition, leadership development, engagement, and total rewards. In addition, she oversees the Protective Life Foundation, community engagement, and sustainability teams, which help shape the company’s culture.
Evesque joined Protective in March 2005 and was named to her current role in 2017. Prior to joining Protective, Evesque was vice president and human capital partner with United Health Group for more than a decade, providing human resources and acquisition support to health plans across the country.
Evesque earned a bachelor’s degree in commerce and business administration from The University of Alabama and a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
She serves as a member of the board of directors for the Friends of the Birmingham Botanical Gardens. In addition, she is a member of the Board of Visitors for The University of Alabama Culverhouse College of Business.
Nicholas (Nick) Willis is regional president of PNC Bank, North & Central Alabama. He oversees all aspects of corporate and institutional banking, wealth management, community development banking, public finance, institutional asset management, and retail banking businesses in the region.
Willis joined PNC in 2012 as senior vice president and director of corporate banking in Alabama, where he managed middle market and corporate finance banking efforts before being named to his current role in October 2017.
Willis received his bachelor’s degree in finance at The University of Alabama and in addition to his support of the business school, he leads PNC’s on-campus recruiting efforts. He is a member of the Culverhouse College of Business Board of Visitors and chairs its career success committee and serves on The University of Alabama President’s Cabinet.
Willis serves as chairperson of the board-elect at the Birmingham Business Alliance and as a member of the board of Alabama Symphony Orchestra, Business Council of Alabama, Economic Development Partnership of Alabama, Jones Valley Teaching Farm, Leadership Birmingham, United Way of Central Alabama Birmingham Promise, and Greater Birmingham Convention and Visitors Bureau. He is a member of the Leadership Alabama Class XXX and is an active member of the Rotary Club of Birmingham.
Busy Deeter is a manager in the Global Tax Planning group at McDonald’s Corporation, headquartered in Chicago. In this role, she manages complex cross-border transactions, supports and executes strategic business initiatives, and analyzes tax regulations, both US and non-US. She earned her bachelor’s degree in accountancy from The University of Alabama and received her Master of Taxation from the University of Denver.
While at The University of Alabama, Deeter served as president of both Delta Delta Delta sorority and the Greek Ambassadors Club. Prior to her role with McDonald’s Corporation, Deeter started her career at PwC in its international tax services group. Passionate about mentorship and professional development, she played an active role in onboarding new hires at PwC, recruiting Alabama students, and has continued to engage in professional networks such as McDonald’s Young Professionals Network.
Deeter has been a member of the Culverhouse College of Business Board of Visitors since 2022 and serves on the International Business Committee. Deeter and her husband, Charlie, live in Chicago and are expecting their first child this fall. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, art, going on walks with her dog, Lily, and cheering on the Crimson Tide.
Rob Norwood is a private wealth advisor with Goldman Sachs, serving ultra-high net worth families and institutions. He’s been with Goldman Sachs for nearly 12 years. After interning at Goldman in 2012, he began his career in the firm’s New York office in 2013 as a transportation analyst in its Global Investment Research Division.
Norwood is a 2013 graduate of The University of Alabama, earning a degree in finance, summa cum laude. Prior to his graduation, the Culverhouse College of Business awarded Norwood the prestigious Austin Cup, given annually to the College’s most outstanding student. He was the second president of The Culverhouse Investment Management Group (CIMG), Alabama’s student investment group, and now serves on its advisory board. His work on CIMG’s advisory board allows him to mentor and recruit Alabama students interested in the financial services industry.
Norwood is a board member of the Tennessee chapter of the Association for Corporate Growth and is a member of the Culverhouse College of Business Board of Visitors. He resides in Brentwood, Tennessee, just outside of Nashville.
Jeff Travis has been a tax partner with EY for more than 20 years and has been with the company for 30. He’s provided tax services for clients in the financial services industry and worked with regional and community banks, insurance companies, and corporate asset management companies. He’s been the leader of the Diversified Staff Group for the Southeast Area; Global Compliance and Reporting Group for the Americas Financial Services tax practice, and the South Banking and Capital Markets tax markets leader.
Travis earned a degree in accounting from The University of Alabama in 1991 and his MBA in 1993. He has served as a youth Sunday school teacher at Valleydale Baptist, Church at Brooks Hills, and Oak Mountain Presbyterian over the years. He served on the board of Reel Life International and is on the board of the Cahaba Valley Basketball Association and has coached youth basketball, baseball, and football for approximately 15 years.
He and his wife, Leigh Anne, have four children, two who graduated with accounting degrees from The University of Alabama and one currently studying accounting at the Capstone. They also have a daughter who is a junior at Brookwood High School.
Scott Stafford served as president and CEO of Evolve Bank & Trust, a cutting-edge bank headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee. For over two decades, Stafford has been a driving force behind Evolve Bank & Trust, a financial institution with a rich century-long history of serving communities with innovation and integrity.
Under Stafford’s leadership, Evolve was listed on Inc. Magazine’s list of the 5,000 fastest growing companies six times, a Top Workplace USA for five consecutive years, Top Workplace by The Commercial Appeal, and earned the title of 2023 Most Innovative Bank & Partner of the Year. Inside Memphis Business Magazine named Stafford CEO of the Year in 2015 and a Power Player in 2019. Stafford earned a bachelor’s degree in commerce and business from The University of Alabama in 1990.
While at Alabama, Stafford was a member of Phi Gamma Delta and is a member of The University of Alabama National Alumni Association. Stafford is a former board member and chairman of the Neighborhood Christian Centers and former board member and treasurer of Young Presidents’ Organization, board member of Presbyterian Day School, and member and officer of Second Presbyterian Church.
Stafford is a proud husband and father of two, one of which is a sophomore at the Capstone.
Justin Simpson is director of data security for Walmart, Inc., and spearheads the $20.3 million enterprise cryptography team to analyze, process, and establish protocols and complex solutions to protect corporation assets, associates, and data integrity for the global enterprise, including all stores, clubs, and distribution centers in over 27 countries with 2.3 million associates.
Simpson is a trailblazer, highly sought-after industry speaker, and servant leader in the STEAM arena. Through his service on the Florida A&M Technology advisory board and The University of Alabama Management Information Systems advisory board, Simpson has drastically improved the professional trajectory for students and corporations alike.
Simpson is a graduate of The University of Alabama with a degree in management information systems. In 2012 he was recognized as the “Most Promising Engineer” by the Black Data Process Association. Simpson is also the CEO of a nonprofit, A Little Bit of HOPE, which is focused on building awareness of science, technology, engineering, arts, and math opportunities in alignment with academia and corporate partnership to create equitable wealth opportunities for people of color and women.
Simpson enjoys watching college football and you can find him in his crimson colors, cheering on the Crimson Tide. He is also an avid reader of all things finance related.
Audrey Vermilyea is the co-founder of Monarch Espresso Bar and Moonshot Creamery in Tuscaloosa. Prior to being a business owner, she was an account executive with Bradford Group in Nashville and worked at The University of Alabama as a project director helping initiate research on Tuscaloosa’s local businesses. She was also project director for German automotive technical cleanliness company Glaesar, where she developed market penetration strategies.
Vermilyea is a graduate of The University of Alabama Honors College and Culverhouse College of Business, with a double major in marketing and management, and received the Business School Manager Award.
During her time at The University of Alabama she served as international ministry director of the Campus Crusade Leadership Team, was a member of International Justice Mission, and CRU International Ministry. She is a member of The XXXI, a University of Alabama’s honor society, and serves on the advisory council for Baby Steps UA.
Audrey and her husband Paul have two young children, and are proud to call Tuscaloosa home.
Greg McElroy serves as one of ESPN’s primary college football analysts for Saturday games on ABC/ESPN. McElroy regularly appears across ESPN’s studio programming, including College Football Live, SportsCenter and more. He also co-hosts McElroy & Cubelic in the Morning on WJOX in Birmingham with fellow ESPN analyst Cole Cubelic and is the host of ESPN and Omaha Productions’ Always College Football podcast.
McElroy was hired at ESPN in 2014 as an analyst for SEC Network and teamed with Marcus Spears for the launch of Thinking Out Loud, which the duo co-hosted for two seasons. McElroy also served as an analyst for ABC and ESPN’s coverage of the XFL in 2020. He returned as an ESPN XFL analyst for the 2023 season.
He graduated from The University of Alabama with a degree in marketing. He earned a master’s in sports management in 2010 and was also a Rhodes Scholarship finalist.
McElroy was Alabama’s quarterback from 2007 to 2011 (24-3 record) and helped the Crimson Tide win the 2010 BCS national championship. He was named SEC Championship Game MVP (2009) and was a 2010 ESPN/CoSIDA Academic All-American of the Year. The New York Jets drafted McElroy in 2011 and he retired from the NFL with the Cincinnati Bengals in 2013.