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.
John Baschab is co-founder, general partner and member of the investment committee at Scout Energy Partners (established 2011), the co-founder of Impact Innovations Group (established 1999 and sold in 2005), and the author of four titles published by John Wiley & Sons, including The Executives Guide to Information Technology and Outperform: Inside the Investment Strategies of Billion Dollar Endowments. Baschab is a 1991 magna cum laude graduate of The University of Alabama Culverhouse College of Business. He was part of the 1987 inaugural class of the University Honors Program, now the Honors College, and received several awards and honors while in college. Post-graduation, he worked at Intergraph Corporation in Huntsville, Alabama as a software analyst. He received his MBA in 1996 from the University of Chicago, graduating with honors. Afterwards he worked for management consultanting firm Booz Allen & Hamilton, advising consumer-oriented firms on technology strategy. Baschab was an adjunct professor in the Lyle School of Engineering at Southern Methodist University from 2003-2009 and was selected as Outstanding Undergraduate Faculty in 2008. He served on the Distinguished Advisory Council for the Engineering Management, Information and Systems department at SMU. He is a member of the Dallas Gold Chapter of the Young President’s Organization and the Dallas Wildcat Committee. His wife, Mary, is a 1991 UA grad in MIS; his daughter, Emily, is a 2023 UA graduate in mathematics; and his son, Will, is a current UA student majoring in mechanical engineering and German. Baschab serves on the Honors College and Culverhouse College of Business Board of Visitors.
Cathy Leonhardt is a partner and co-head of consumer retail, co-chair of the Diversity & Inclusion Council, and head of the Women’s Network at Solomon Partners. A thought leader with deep industry knowledge, Leonhardt is a trusted advisor to established and emerging retailing, consumer-branded and apparel companies, and regularly discusses trends in the retailing sector for major news outlets. From visionary entrepreneurs to large public companies, she has advised a range of clients on important domestic and cross-border transactions throughout her 20-year career, including OpCapita’s recent acquisition of specialty retailer maurices, Groupe Rocher’s acquisition of Arbonne, PVH’s acquisitions of Tommy Hilfiger and Warnaco Group, Bare Necessities on its sale to Walmart, and Athleta on its sale to The Gap, as well as others. Prior to joining Solomon Partners, Leonhardt was a vice president at Morgan Stanley, M&A Group. While there, she advised on Sears’ acquisition of Land’s End, Tommy Hilfiger Corporation’s acquisition of Tommy Europe, Jones Apparel’s acquisition of McNaughton, merger of Monsanto and Pharmacia, Georgia-Pacific’s spin-off of The Timber Company to Plum Creek, and the sale of Donna Karan’s beauty business to Estée Lauder. Leonhardt began her career at Wachovia as an officer in the U.S. Corporate Banking Group. She holds an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and a bachelor’s degree, summa cum laude, from The University of Alabama. She is a member of the Cosmetic Executive Women (CEW) and the Culverhouse College of Business Board of Visitors.
Palmer G. Whiting currently serves as managing director of wealth management at Merrill Lynch Private Client Group where he has been working since 1999. A Certified Financial Planner certificant, a designation awarded by the Certified Financial Planners Board of Standards, Inc., Whiting is also a Certified Private Wealth Advisor certificant, awarded by the Investments & Wealth Institute. Whiting has been named to Barron’s Top 1,200 Financial Advisors in 2015, 2016, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022. He was also named to Barron’s Top 1000 Financial Advisors in 2012 and 2013, and to the Forbes “Bestin-State Wealth Advisors” list in 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023. The Whiting Bradford Wealth Management Team was named to the 2023 Forbes “Best-in-State Wealth Management Teams.” Whiting received a bachelor’s degree in finance from The University of Alabama, where he graduated with honors. He currently supports the academic endeavors and developments of the University’s Culverhouse College of Business by serving as a member of the Board of Visitors as well as co-chairs the Culverhouse Capital Campaign Committee, and represents Culverhouse on the steering committee of the Rising Tide Capital Campaign. His favorite “away from the office” moments include time spent with his wife, Casey, and their three children, as well as hunting, fishing, and exercising. Whiting is dedicated to serving and improving the communities of Mobile and coastal Alabama, serving in leadership positions in his church and local charities.
Will Barto is vice president of operations for Lockton Companies’ Texas Series. Lockton is the world’s largest privately owned, independent insurance broker, serving over 65,000 clients around the world. The organization’s Texas Series is comprised of offices located in Texas, Louisiana, and Alabama, servicing clients in all geographies. In his role at Lockton, Barto supports the region’s business divisions and internal operations. This consists of developing and managing services and in-house expertise to benefit Lockton’s clients. His position also involves strategically aligning the organization’s structure, capacity and resources to ensure that client service is a top priority. Barto has been a Culverhouse College of Business Board of Visitors member since 2018, serving as chair of the Associate Board of Visitors from 2021 to 2023. Residing in Houston, he has also volunteered in various leadership roles with the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo since 2016. Barto joined Lockton directly from Culverhouse. While in school, he served as a Culverhouse Ambassador, where he met his now boss during a campus visit. He earned a Master of Business Administration at the University of Chicago, Booth School of Business, and holds a Bachelor of Science in Finance from The University of Alabama.
Corinne Johnson (nee Jenkins) began her career with Goldman Sachs as an equity research summer analyst intern during the summer of 2015. Following graduation from The University of Alabama in 2016, Johnson began her full-time job as an equities analyst in the machinery, engineering, and construction sector. A few years later, she moved to biotech where she is now a vice president in the firm’s Global Investment Research division. She was named a Rising Star of Equity Research by Business Insider in 2022. Johnson received her bachelor’s in finance and master’s in applied economics from The University of Alabama through the University Scholars program. During her (too short) time at the Capstone, she was involved in the Culverhouse Investment Management Group, Investment Banking Academy, the Alabama Triathlon team, and Alpha Gamma Delta sorority. Johnson has been a strong proponent of women in finance and served on the Women’s Network Steering Committee within Global Investment Research at Goldman Sachs and has served as a mentor to veterans seeking to re-enter the workforce with American Corporate Partners. She also enjoys mentoring and recruiting Alabama students and recent graduates in the financial services industry. She serves as a member of the Culverhouse College Board of Visitors. Recently married, Johnson moved with her husband, Alex, to New Canaan, CT and commutes to Lower Manhattan for work. In her free time, she loves skiing (water or snow), reading, cooking, and, of course, Alabama football.
Virginia Staton joined Deloitte & Touche’s audit and assurance practice in 1998. She is currently a managing director at Deloitte and serves as the people leader for the Atlanta and Birmingham audit practices and as office audit leader for the Atlanta office. During her career, she has worked alongside clients of all sizes, from true start-ups to Fortune 50 companies. She serves as MADE champion for Atlanta and Birmingham. MADE is Deloitte’s program to support its commitment to help transform the future of the accounting profession by growing the population of racially and ethnically diverse talent. Staton is passionate about supporting first-generation college students and graduates as they work towards promising careers. She graduated from Valdosta State University with a Bachelor’s of Business Administration – Accounting in 1997, and graduated from The University of Alabama in 1998 with a Master’s of Accountancy. She is a member of the board of directors of the United Way of Central Alabama and a member of the Rotary Club of Birmingham. Staton enjoys traveling, cheering on any Alabama sports team and the Atlanta Braves, and working outside with her flowers and fruit trees.
With nine years’ experience at the KMS Family of Companies, working in a variety of capacities—including IT support, finance & accounting, marketing, process improvement and client relations—James Michael Kemp, Jr. has played a key role in the company’s growth. Kemp has been able to cultivate his leadership and strategic skillset through helping create and launch KMS’s SaaS platform Frameworq, recently co-founding Streemline, and through managing KMS’s two largest client accounts with Regions Bank and Truist Bank—executing over a combined 400 projects per year. Kemp graduated summa cum laude in finance from The University of Alabama and earned an MBA from the Manderson Graduate School of Business, specializing in strategic management. The Birmingham Business Journal recognized Kemp as a “rising star” in real estate and construction in 2019 and as a NextGenBHM award recipient in 2020. A native of Birmingham, where KMS was founded, Kemp is active in the community, previously serving as the Rotaract Club of Birmingham’s vice president of finance and now serving on the Club’s charitable foundation’s board of directors. In 2022, Kemp joined Habitat for Humanity of Greater Birmingham’s board of directors. More recently, Kemp joined the junior board of the Birmingham Zoo and the Preschool Partner’s young partners board. He serves his alma mater on The Blackburn Institute’s advisory board and the Culverhouse College of Business Board of Visitors. Kemp and his wife, Jasmine, live in Homewood, Alabama, with their two sons, Jotham Michael (4) and Judah Maverick (2).
Chris Bayham is a business and technology executive with over 25 years of experience as an entrepreneur, operator, and consultant. He has participated in successful transactions as a member of the senior leadership team at two private equity-backed companies. Bayham currently works as the chief operating officer at Xsolis. Most recently, he served as chief information officer at Brookdale Senior Living, the nation’s largest operator of senior living communities in the U.S. He has held technology leadership roles at leading healthcare organizations such as UnitedHealth Group, Cardinal Health, and Change Healthcare. He graduated summa cum laude from The University of Alabama with a major in management informations systems and received his MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. He was named to Crain’s Cleveland Business “Forty Under 40” in 2013, Becker’s Hospital Review’s list of “33 Health IT and Revenue Cycle Wiz Kids” in 2016, and received Greater Nashville Technology Council’s “CIO of the Year” award in 2018. Bayham serves as the board chair emeritus of the Greater Nashville Technology Council and is a member of the Culverhouse College of Business Board of Visitors. Bayham lives in Brentwood, TN, with his wife and two children. He recently earned his private pilot license and is a 2nd Lieutenant in the Music City Squadron of the Civil Air Patrol. When he is not at work or in the air, Bayham enjoys playing tennis, coaching archery, reading science fiction, and spending time with his family.
James C. Fowler leads Crowley Shipping, the country’s largest employer of U.S. mariners, as its senior vice president and general manager. Previously, Fowler served as managing director for marine and stevedoring operations at Cooper Marine and executive vice president for Blakeley BoatWorks. He was vice president for information technology and assistant vice president at The Cooper Group. Before that, Fowler served as operations manager for Crescent Towing in New Orleans and as a manager of stevedoring and maintenance operations at Cooper Consolidated in Darrow, Louisiana. Fowler earned his MBA with a specialization in finance from the A.B. Freeman School of Business at Tulane University. He obtained his bachelor’s from the Culverhouse College of Business at The University of Alabama, where he also served as the president of the Student Government Association and student representative to The University of Alabama System Board of Trustees. He currently serves on the board of directors of the American Waterway Operators. He recently served as vice chairman of the Mobile Airport Authority and board member of the National Maritime Security Advisory Committee, Mobile Area Chamber of Commerce, Mobile Industrial Development Board, Reese’s Senior Bowl, Propeller Club of Mobile, and Regions Bank Mobile Area Advisory Board. He previously served as secretary of the Mobile chapter of the UA National Alumni Association, treasurer of the Delta Kappa Epsilon Psi Chapter House Corporation, and as a member of the Culverhouse College of Business Board of Visitors. He and his wife Meg, reside in Jacksonville, Florida and have two young children, James and Catherine.
Davis Blair is the vice president of gameday for Eventive Sports, a Birmingham, Alabama-based sports marketing and event management company. As the youngest member of Eventive Sports’ executive staff, Davis has quickly established himself as a leader in the sports and event management business. A proud UA alumnus, Davis obtained his bachelor’s degree with honors, graduating cum laude, from The University of Alabama’s Culverhouse of Business in 2014. He subsequently pursued his master’s degree in marketing from UA’s Manderson Graduate School of Business in 2015. Davis oversees gameday operations for multiple high-profile clients across the Southeast such as The University of Alabama, Auburn University, Alabama State University, the University of Alabama at Birmingham, the University of Tennessee, and the Birmingham Stallions. Throughout his career, he has won numerous awards, both internally and externally. Most recently, Davis was recognized as part of Birmingham Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 2024 class, which recognizes upand-coming stars in Birmingham’s business community who have distinguished themselves in their fields. Outside of work, Davis has served as a Gift of Adoption board member, United Way Gem Society member, and National Wild Turkey Federation member. He resides in Birmingham with his wife, Sarah, whom he met while in school at UA, their two children, Brooks and Mary Maison, and their dog, Ms. Haddie.