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.
Crissy Carlisle is the chief financial officer of Enhabit Home Health & Hospice, a $1.1 billion publicly traded home care company on the New York Stock Exchange. Previously, Crissy was the chief investor relations officer of Encompass Health Corporation, since September 2015. She also served as Encompass Health’s director of SEC reporting since February 2005 and vice president of financial reporting beginning August 2005. Prior to joining Encompass Health, she served as a director within the corporate recovery division of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP and as a manager within their audit practice.
Her career achievements have been recognized by being named the Best Investor Relations Professional in MidCap Healthcare Facilities and Managed Care by Institutional Investors. On top of balancing a successful career, Crissy holds another important role as a wife and mom. Her philanthropic involvement includes her work on the Board of Directors of Gamma Phi Beta Sorority, the United Way of Central Alabama, and her involvement with Culverhouse Connections at The University of Alabama.
Crissy earned her bachelor’s degree in accounting from The University of Alabama and master’s in business administration from Duke University. She resides in Dallas, Texas with her husband, Mark. Their son, Nicholas, is studying anthropology at the University of Tennessee.
A senior leader in health care since 1975, Dr. Will Ferniany retired in January of 2022 as Chief Executive Officer of the UAB Health System and the UAB-St Vincent’s Alliance. In this role, Dr. Ferniany oversaw a $6+ billion, nationally ranked, 11-hospital health system that includes a wholly-owned insurance plan.
Dr. Ferniany holds a Ph.D. in Administration – Health Services and a Master of Science in Hospital and Health Administration from The University of Alabama at Birmingham. His undergraduate degree is from The University of Alabama.
Dr. Ferniany has served on many regional and national health administration boards, including the Alabama Hospital Association (past chair), Association of American Medical Centers, University Health Consortium, Council of Teaching Hospitals (past chair), Vizient, and The University of Miami Health System.
Dr. Ferniany is has been inducted in the National Academy of Inventors, having sold one company (Wickles) and holding multiple patents. He serves on two start up company boards, Cerflux and TPM Research.
Dr. Ferniany is noted nationally for his work in Funds Flow, patient satisfaction, governance and leadership. UAB established The Will Ferniany Endowed Professorship in Health Leadership and the Will Ferniany Academic Contribution annual award in recognition of his contributions.
Marshall A. Loeb serves as President, CEO and Director of EastGroup Properties (NYSE: EGP). Marshall was with EastGroup from 1991 to 2000, rising to Senior Vice President and opening the Western Regional Office in Phoenix. Subsequently, he served as the Chief Financial Officer of Parkway Properties (2000-2005) and as President/Chief Operating Officer of Glimcher Realty Trust (2005-2015). In 2015, Marshall returned to EastGroup.
Marshall serves on the Board of Directors of Lamar Advertising Company. He also serves on the Boards for St. Andrews Episcopal School, First Tee of Mississippi and on The University of Alabama’s Student Managed Real Estate Investment Fund.
Mr. Loeb received a B.S. in Accounting and a Master of Tax Accounting degree from The University of Alabama, and then earned an MBA from the Harvard Graduate School of Business.
Sean Jennings, son of Waste Pro founder John Jennings, has been exposed to every facet of the waste and recycling business throughout his life, and more formally since joining the industry officially in 2012.
Jennings, a third-generation garbage man, joined his father in all aspects of the garbage business throughout his youth. Following graduation from The University of Alabama, where he majored in finance and minored in economics, he spent a year working in collection and landfill disposal in Costa Rica.
When Jennings returned to the United States, he worked in operations and landfill construction in Georgia and Mississippi before joining Waste Pro in 2014 as Division Manager of the Tampa-Clearwater area. He then assumed the management role at the company’s Sarasota/Bradenton Division in 2016. As Division Manager, Jennings led the charge to build a compressed natural gas (CNG) station and recycling facility.
In addition to his role as President & CEO, Sean serves on numerous community boards. In 2018, he was honored with Waste360’s 40 Under 40 Award. In that same year, he was named as one of the 40 under 40 business leaders to watch in the Orlando Business Journal. Sean was also a member of Waste Pro’s inaugural Leaders Initiative class. Sean currently resides in Sarasota, FL.
Katie McGoogan joined Microsoft in 2022 as a Cybersecurity Specialist. In her current capacity, she is responsible for managing the security strategy of Microsoft’s largest enterprise manufacturing customers. Katie works regularly with CIOs, CISOs, CTOs and Procurement Executives to develop comprehensive security plans that enable a Zero-Trust framework and protect against internal and external threats. She is responsible for structuring and negotiating complex deal terms and partnering with Microsoft’s legal, pricing, and sales operations teams to optimize client success. Katie strives to help her clients meet their cybersecurity goals and objectives, while driving year-over-year increases in security sales revenue for Microsoft.
Prior to her role at Microsoft, Katie worked at IBM as a Security Software Client Leader and Financial Sales Executive. During her six years at IBM, Katie led the Global Finance team’s relationship with IBM’s largest business partner.
Katie received her Masters in Business Administration from the Manderson Graduate School of Business at The University of Alabama in May of 2016. She also attended The University of Alabama as an undergraduate, where she majored in public relations and served as a university ambassador through Capstone Men & Women. Katie is passionate about the University and continues to give back by serving as an active member of the Alumni Association and as a mentor to current business students. Katie currently resides in Atlanta, Georgia with her husband, John, and dog, Buddie.
Johnny H. Garrison III, CFA, currently serves as Vice President, Senior Business Development Officer of PNC Institutional Asset Management as well as Director of PNC Capital Advisors. As such, Johnny partners with institutional investors, endowments, foundations and fiduciaries to identify optimal investment strategies; provide resources for more efficient management of client assets; identify and retain new clients for the firm; and is instrumental in guiding growth strategy and business development.
Prior to joining PNC Institutional Asset Management, Johnny enjoyed more than 28 years of experience in the financial services industry, primarily in the Institutional Fixed Income sector partnering with institutional clients from positions held in the Birmingham, South Florida, Atlanta, NYC, and Nashville markets at such firms including Jefferies, Tradeweb Markets, Duncan-Williams, Inc, Amherst Pierpont, ABN Amro and SunTrust Robinson Humphrey.
He graduated from The University of Alabama with a BS in Finance in 1994 and currently supports the academic endeavors and development of the University’s Culverhouse College of Business by serving as a member of the Board of Visitors as well as Co-Chair of the Culverhouse Capital Campaign Committee, and representing Culverhouse on the Steering Committee of the Rising Tide Capital Campaign.
Johnny holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation and is a member of both the CFA Institute and the CFA Society Nashville. He currently enjoys serving on the Board of Directors for the CFA Society Nashville as well as holding the office of Vice President for the Society and Chair of the Planning Committee.
Most of all, Johnny enjoys traveling, exploring all things his adopted home city of Nashville has to offer and spending as much time as possible in his true home town of Tuscaloosa with his wife of 16 years, Lindsay Lee Garrison (UA C&IS classes of 2000 and 2001), and their 6-year-old daughter, Margaret Lee Garrison (UA class of 2039).
Caitlin Motley is the Global Director of Talent & Development Delivery at The Coca-Cola Company, based in Atlanta, Georgia. In this role, Caitlin is responsible for driving the programs and platforms that connect, develop, and manage talent across the global Coca-Cola network. Her current areas of focus include transforming Coca-Cola’s strategies for learning and career development to better reflect the realities of our current global environment.
Caitlin joined the Coca-Cola system in 2013, where she’s gained experience in talent management, HR service delivery, compensation, talent acquisition, employee relations, and as an HR business partner. She has been a strong advocate for agile ways of working and continues to address organizational barriers to agility in her current role.
Prior to joining Coca-Cola, she worked for Mercedes-Benz in organizational development, and in project management with an industrial construction firm.
Caitlin graduated from The University of Alabama with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a concentration in Human Resource Strategy and a minor in Psychology, and she later obtained her master’s degree in industrial & labor relations at Cornell University. Caitlin lives in Atlanta, Georgia with her husband Manny and their fur babies, where they enjoy watching reality TV, hosting large dinner parties with family and friends, walking around their eclectic neighborhood, and supporting local artists. Caitlin is originally from Birmingham, Alabama.
Steve Sledge is an audit partner with KPMG LLP based in Nashville, Tennessee. Steve started his career with KPMG in 1993 in Birmingham, Alabama after graduating from Alabama. He worked as an audit staff and manager in Birmingham, with a brief stint in Frankfurt, Germany, until transferring to the Nashville office in 2002. Over his career, Steve has served clients in various industries and has worked with a number of clients through initial public offerings and other capital raises, acquisitions, integrated audit of internal controls, and the implementation of numerous new accounting standards by accounting governing bodies over the last 30 years. In addition to his other professional responsibilities, he is also active in recruiting for KPMG at Alabama.
Steve is a contributor to the bi-monthly publication of the Tennessee Society of CPA’s, The Tennessee CPA Journal, authoring the publication’s Accounting and Auditing (A&A column) since 2021. The column covers a variety of evolving topics in the profession. He has also served board positions with philanthropic organizations including Safe Haven, Habitat for Humanity of Davidson County, Tennessee, the Nashville Youth Hockey League, and School of Accountancy’s Professional Advisory Board at The University of Alabama.
Steve resides in Franklin, Tennessee with his wife Melissa. They have four children – Sydney, Blake, Savannah and Claire. Sydney and Savannah are currently students at Alabama.
Steve earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of North Alabama and a Masters in Accountancy from The University of Alabama.
Karen Hutton founded HUTTON, a commercial real estate development company and construction company, in 1998, and ModWash, an express car wash, in 2020. Her father David Hutton’s fearless work ethic and her mother Jean-Marie’s humility have influenced and shaped Karen’s values and fueled her determination. Her contagious energy and competitive spirit have been key to building the Hutton brand.
Karen delivered 178 stores for Dollar General in three years as her first launch into development. She continues to develop for many national tenants, shopping centers, multi-family and self-storage, which add up to 1,335 developments in 25 years.
To date, ModWash has opened 74 locations in nine states in 33 months and is in the top 20 largest in the US. The company received Chattanooga’s Best of the Best Car Wash Business award in 2022.
Karen has a team of 90 based in Chattanooga and Nashville, Tennessee, has developed 14.3 million square feet, and owns 275 properties in 20 states.
She attended The University of Alabama, played for the Alabama basketball team, graduated with a business degree, and currently resides in Chattanooga.
Karen has received numerous accolades for her business acumen as well as her community engagement including 2014 Corporate Philanthropist of the Year, 2015 Top Ten Influential Business Leaders to Impact Chattanooga, 2016 University of Tennessee Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame, 2017 Chattanooga Girls Leadership Academy’s Founders Leadership Award, 2019 Chattanooga Chamber of Commerce Small Business of the Year and 2020 GlobeSt. Net Lease Individual Influencer. She serves on the board of the Hunter Museum and Camp Wildernest Wildlife.
Nick Givens currently leads Walmart’s global cybersecurity engineering organization, overseeing multiple teams responsible for providing technologies and services that protect the company’s global enterprise and customers. He has been with Walmart for 21 years, leading different technology teams and initiatives across the company.
He has spent over 15 years in security, in both technical and leadership roles, working in multiple functional areas including application development, engineering, and forensics. He has also held leadership roles outside of security, including work in the international technology division where he was the Director of Intl Technology/Compliance and led key compliance initiatives within multiple international markets (China, India, and Brazil). Nick has also held leadership roles in software quality engineering as Director of Quality Engineering where he led multiple teams responsible for software assurance and quality across critical areas of point-of-sale and big data. Additionally, he was the Sr. Director of Business Analysis Shared Services where he led the BA practice and journey to agile across the retail technology organization.
Nick lives in Marietta, GA with his wife and five-year-old son Jayden. He enjoys playing with his son, his newfound passion of karate, spending time with family watching movies, and enjoying gaming and tech wherever possible.
Alabama native and entrepreneur Ted Giles is known to his friends, family, and customers as the “chicken expert.” Ted has overseen the growth of several successful companies within the foodservice industry.
Ted began his career by stepping into a leadership role in a family foodservice equipment business, Giles Enterprises. As a holder of four patents, he has
made significant contributions to the foodservice equipment field and is widely recognized for his innovative inventions. A true trailblazer, his contributions have reshaped foodservice in the supermarket and convenience store industries.
Over the next 30+ years, he was responsible for growing and/or creating several businesses within the foodservice space, most notably Chester’s International (a 1000+ unit fractional franchise foodservice program), Wynn’s Grain & Spice (a blending supplier), and BirdShack Fried Chicken (a convenience store fried chicken program). Today, he focuses his efforts on his role as CEO of Wynn’s Grain & Spice.
Under Ted’s leadership, Wynn’s was recently recognized as the 2022 Foodservice Supplier of the Year by 7-Eleven Canada. He is also pioneering the design and construction of an all new, state-of-the art manufacturing facility to increase capacity and continue to drive innovation and growth within the dry-mix industry.
A University of Alabama graduate, Ted continues to support his alma mater through his involvement with Board of Visitors of The University of Alabama School of Commerce & Business, President’s Cabinet of The University of Alabama, and the Selection Committee of the Alabama Business Hall of Fame.
As the Former Chairman of the Young Presidents/World Presidents Organization Food Industry Network, Ted remains an active member to network with like- minded businesses and keep a pulse on flavor and food innovation trends.
Leslie (Parrish) Gattuso is the Director of Digital Experience at Walmart within the Health & Wellness division. She supports the creation and improvement of app and web experiences for Walmart’s pharmacies, vision centers, and health clinics that serve hundreds of millions of Americans each week.
Outside of work, Leslie is a member of the Culverhouse College of Business Board of Visitors, an active volunteer at her church, Atlanta Westside Presbyterian, a member of the Junior League of Atlanta, and serves as the co- chair of the Young Supporters Board for the Furniture Bank of Metro Atlanta.
Leslie received her bachelor’s and master’s in marketing from the Culverhouse College of Business and holds an MBA from Vanderbilt University. She and her husband John reside in Atlanta, GA.