Bob McKenzie

DMC Co-Founder and Chair Emeritus

Cathy Randall

DMC Co-Founder and Chair Emerita; Director Emerita, Randall Research Scholars Program, University of Alabama

Dr. Cathy Randall is Chair of the Board of Pettus Randall Holdings, LLC. She also serves as Chair of the Alabama Academy of Honor.

Randall served as Chair of the Board of Randall Publishing Company and the Director of the University Honors Programs at the University of Alabama. She also served as the National President of Mortar Board, Inc., President of the Board of Directors of the Alabama Women’s Hall of Fame, and Director of Alabama’s Girls State. Randall has been a member of the Board of Directors of Mercedes-Benz USI, the American Village, the Alabama Law Foundation, the Alabama Archives and History Foundation, and the Tuscaloosa City Schools Education Foundation.

Ray Minor

DMC Co-Founder and Chair Emeritus; Program Officer at the Kettering Foundation

Dr. Ray Minor is Chairman of the Mathews Center. He served as a member of the Board of Directors of the National Issues Forums Institute. Minor was appointed Vice President of Advancement for United Methodist Homes of New Jersey, which provides quality and caring services to senior men and women in 10 Christian communities across the state of New Jersey.

Minor served as President of the Alabama Center for Civic Life, Vice President for Institutional Advancement at Wiley College, Executive Director of National and Community Service for the State of Alabama, Alabama area Development Director of The College Fund/UNCF, and as Development Director at Miles College.

Stan Murphy

Lawyer, Murphy & Murphy

Stan Murphy is Chair Emeritus of the Mathews Center Board of Directors. He is a partner at the law firm of Murphy & Murphy, LLC. Murphy also serves as an adjunct professor at the University of Alabama Law School, as well as a researcher for both the University of Alabama’s Office of Academic Affairs and the Kettering Foundation.

Murphy was Senior Counsel in the Office of Counsel for the University of Alabama System, Senior Counsel for International and Strategic Initiatives at the University of Alabama, and was the Academic Coordinator for the University of Alabama Cooper Cuba Initiative. He was also a special assistant to the Secretary of the United States Department of Health, Education, and Welfare (1975-1977).

Marsha Folsom

Chair, Mathews Center Executive Committee; Former First Lady of Alabama

CEO and Co-Founder of Resource Fiber/Alabama, a company dedicated to the growing and manufacturing of bamboo and its myriad products in the Black Belt Region of Alabama (resource-fiber.com).

Mrs. Folsom has been recognized for her advocacy and support for improving the lives of Alabama’s children through better services and improved educational opportunities. As Alabama’s First Lady, she convened the state’s first Summit for Children, which was dedicated to finding ways to improve the future for Alabama’s children. She is a graduate of the University of Alabama’s School of Human Environmental Sciences. She and her husband are the proud parents of two children.

Sandy Gunter

DMC Board Treasurer and Finance Committee Chair; Lawyer, Shields & Gunter

Sandy Gunter is Treasurer of the Mathews Center. He is a partner in the law firm of Shields & Gunter, Attorneys.

Previously, Gunter was a partner in the law firm of Stephens, Shields & Gunter, Attorneys. From 1981 to 1987, he was a partner in the law firm of Stephens & Gunter, Attorneys. Gunter served as Assistant to the President of the University of Alabama (1977-1980) and was an administrative assistant to the Secretary of the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare (1975-1977). He is the former President of the Family Counseling Service Board of Directors and the Alabama Boychoir, Inc.

Natalie Adams

Mathews Center Board Chair; Professor, New College, University of Alabama

A native of Louisiana, Natalie Adams is the Director of New College at The University of Alabama.  She served as the Assistant Dean of UA’s Graduate School for seven years.  Natalie earned a PhD at Louisiana State University in 1994. Prior to her tenure at the University of Alabama, Natalie was a professor at Georgia Southern University and Oklahoma State University, and a middle school teacher in South Louisiana.  Natalie is the co-author of three books, including Geographies of Girlhood and Learning to Teach. 

Joffre Whisenton

President, Joffre T. Whisenton and Associates

Dr. Joffre T. Whisenton is currently serving as President of Joffre T. Whisenton and Associates, Inc.

Whisenton was President of the Southern University System and Associate Executive Director with the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. Whisenton also held a joint appointment as professor and Chairman of the Division of Education and Psychology at Stillman College, and as a program associate in the Office for Student Development at the University of Alabama. He served as Special Assistant for Educational Policy to the Secretary of the United States Department of Health, Education, and Welfare (1975-1977).

Carrie A. Banks

Communication Director, Alabama League of Municipalities

Justin Maddox

DMC Board Secretary; Elba’s Restoration 154

Jonathan Cellon

Associate Dean of First Year Studies at Troy University

Margaret Morton

Chris McCauley

Director, Markstein Strategic Communications

Chris McCauley is a Director at Markstein Strategic Communications in Birmingham, Alabama. He has a B.A. in Political Science and a Master’s in Public Administration from Auburn University. Prior to joining Markstein, Chris was executive director of the David Mathews Center for Civic Life where he implemented statewide programs focused on civic and community engagement. Specifically, he developed a collaborative public engagement strategy on Alabama’s prison system and moderated discussions on the dropout situation, youth development, and economic development. During his time at the Center, he formed collaborative partnerships with a variety of nonprofits and institutions of higher education, and actively communicated impact using innovative social media strategies and large-scale summits. Chris has authored articles for newspapers across the state of Alabama, presented at numerous national conferences, and facilitated hundreds of public meetings. He is an advocate for social justice and enjoys listening to music.

Roger Bedford

Hollie Cost

Nisa Miranda

David Dada

Jessica Ross

Rachel Naftel Mosness

Executive Director

Rachel Naftel Mosness, a native of Birmingham, Alabama, graduated from Auburn University in 2011 with a Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts. She double majored in French and Political Science with a concentration in International Relations. After graduation, Rachel spent one year teaching English in Redon, France. In January of 2013, Rachel enrolled in a two-year graduate program at The American Graduate School in Paris where she received her Master of Arts in International Relations and Diplomacy. During her time in Paris, Rachel had the opportunity to work in the education sector at the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and completed an internship for the State Department at the American embassy.

Rachel moved to Auburn in 2015 to pursue her Ph.D. in Public Administration and Public Policy. She worked in various capacities for the Caroline Marshall Draughon Center for the Arts and Humanities at Auburn University. During that time, Rachel worked closely with the Mathews Center on various projects including assisting with the Living Democracy program and moderating deliberative forums across the state. Rachel is married to her husband, Shayfer Mosness. They have one son who is ten months old named Sawyer.

She can be reached at rmosness@mathewscenter.org

Justin Wayne Lutz

Creative Director

Justin Lutz is a native of Montevallo, Alabama and received his Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies from Sarah Lawrence College in New York, and recently completed his Master of Arts in Communication Studies with a focus in Women’s and Gender Studies from McGill University in Montréal, Canada. Justin’s experience in the nonprofit sector working with organizations like G.L.A.A.D. and The Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Institute have propelled him into the Mathews Center with a penchant for economic research and media outreach through a range of digital technologies.

He can be reached at jlutz@mathewscenter.org.

Loren Gary

Development Director

Fundraising, writing and editing, leadership development, and an abiding interest in matters both civic and spiritual have been the touchstones of Loren’s career. His roles have included director of advancement at Indian Springs School, major gifts officer at Harvard Divinity School, associate director for leadership development & public affairs at Harvard Kennedy School’s Center for Public Leadership, SVP for content at an online leadership development startup, editor at Harvard Business Publishing and the Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School, director of admissions & financial aid at the Episcopal Divinity School, and chaplain at the University of Chicago Medical Center. He earned an A.B. from Dartmouth College and an M.Div. from Harvard Divinity School.

Loren can be reached at lgary@mathewscenter.org

Haley Pascal

Operations Coordinator

Haley Pascal is a native of Montgomery and graduate of Auburn University. Previously, she served as Program Assistant for the Alabama Bicentennial Commission’s education initiatives, working with K-12 educators all across the state while managing the Bicentennial’s Summer Institutes. Most recently, she served as the Education Curator at the Alabama Department of Archives and History, where she managed the pilot sessions of the Department’s Alabama History Institutes. Haley is essential to managing DMC partnerships and managing day-to-day operations.

She can be reached at hpascal@mathewscenter.org

Zara Greene

Zara Greene

Zara Greene, a native of Birmingham, is an educator, independent living skills trainer, and disability advocate with over twenty years of experience. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and Psychology from the University of Alabama in Huntsville and a Master’s Degree in Special Education from Augusta University. Her career includes ten years as a secondary classroom teacher and various roles with nonprofits in Georgia and Alabama. For three years, she operated a successful training center, providing diploma completion and work experience to youth in the Birmingham area.

Zara enjoys volunteering and board service with several local organizations, running, and supporting her teen sons (Bradford and Zane) and partner (Randy) in their many pursuits!

She can be reached at zgreene@mathewscenter.org

Lauren Lockhart

Lauren Lockhart serves as the 2022-2023 McKenzie Civic Fellow. She grew up in Bethlehem, Georgia, and recently graduated from the University of Alabama at Birmingham with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Public Administration with a minor in Peace, Justice, and Ecology. During her time at UAB, she had the opportunity to expand her education and take classes in the Master of Public Administration department, combining her research background with a passion for the nonprofit sector. Working with the Mathews Center allows her to continue this desire to assist others while learning skills in a real-world environment that she can use in her future endeavors.

She can be reached at llockhart@mathewscenter.org