ALABAMA POSSIBLE

Chandra Scott is the Executive Director of Alabama Possible, a statewide nonprofit dedicated to removing barriers to prosperity through education, advocacy, and collaboration. Under her leadership, the organization has driven major statewide initiatives, including the 2025 launch of the Alabama Direct Admission initiative, the nation’s first Historically Black and Predominately Black Community College Network, and groundbreaking efforts to expand FAFSA completion and college access. She also serves on several state and national boards shaping postsecondary policy and workforce development. Chandra is a proud graduate of Xavier University of Louisiana and Michigan State University, and she lives in Alabama with her husband, Loren, and their two children.

ALABAMA HUMANITIES ALLIANCE

Chuck Holmes is executive director of the Alabama Humanities Alliance. The nonpartisan nonprofit organization provides lifelong-learning opportunities through its public programs, and it awards grant funding to cultural institutions throughout the state.

Chuck spent much of his career in journalism, and it informs his passion for leading Alabama Humanities. He believes in the power of the storytelling and civic engagement to propel change for the better. Chuck says that the humanities provide us with the vital ingredients that tell us who we are, where we’ve been, and where we’re going.

He previously served as executive director of WBHM, Birmingham’s National Public Radio affiliate. Prior to his move to Birmingham in 2017, Chuck was an award-winning journalist and news executive at NPR in Washington, D.C., and with Atlanta-based Cox Newspapers and its flagship publication, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He served as an international correspondent posted in Jerusalem and Moscow, as a Washington correspondent, and as a roving national correspondent. Chuck earned national honors for his reporting on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the war in Kosovo and the Rwanda genocide and civil war.

While at NPR, Chuck shared an Edward R. Murrow Award for coverage of the war in Afghanistan and a Peabody Award in 2013 for The Race Card Project, a storytelling initiative in which people shared their personal stories about their backgrounds and perceptions from their own perspectives of race and ethnicity.

Born in Tennessee, the son of Alabama natives, Chuck is a graduate of George Washington University and completed an executive leadership program at Harvard Business School. Chuck serves on the board of Leadership Alabama (class of 2020), and was a member of the 2018 class of Leadership Birmingham. He is a past board member of the Kiwanis Club of Birmingham, and serves on advisory committees for the Alabama Symphony Orchestra, the Encyclopedia of Alabama, the Alabama Association of Nonprofits, and the Federation of State Humanities Councils.

GOVERNMENT & ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT INSTITUTE

Dr. Joe A. Sumners is Executive Director Emeritus of the Government & Economic Development Institute (GEDI) at Auburn University, and the founder and manager of Wicked Solutions, a consulting firm that helps clients understand and address complex problems faced by communities and organizations. Wicked Solutions provides research and analysis, employee and citizen training, citizen and stakeholder engagement, and strategic planning assistance to communities that want to improve economic vitality, workforce readiness, local governance, or tackle other "wicked" community problems.

In July 2019, Dr. Sumners retired as Executive Director of GEDI after over 30 years in leadership positions at Auburn University.  He previously served as Director of the Economic & Community Development Institute (ECDI), Director of the Economic Development Institute (EDI), and Director of Training and Research for the Center for Governmental Services (CGS).  Before his tenure at Auburn, he taught political science and public administration courses at the University of Georgia, the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Texas.  

Dr. Sumners has presented at over 800 training workshops, courses, and events for Alabama state and local elected officials, economic developers, and community leaders.  

He has over 35 years of outreach experience working with communities and local governments in Alabama, with extensive experience assisting communities with strategic planning and civic engagement initiatives.  

He is the author of numerous publications on the topic of rural economic and community development, including Beyond the Interstate: The Crisis in Rural Alabama (January 2003) and Crossroads and Connections: Strategies for Rural Alabama (October 2004), and “Politics and Economic Development in the Southern Black Belt,” for the Oxford Handbook of Southern Politics (2012). 

Dr. Sumners has served as a technical advisor for statewide commissions/task forces under four Alabama governors - the Alabama Commission on Tax and Fiscal Policy Reform, Alabama Task Force on Economically Distressed Counties, Alabama Black Belt Action Commission, Alabama Rural Action Commission, Alabama Workforce Council, and Alabama Small Business Task Force.  He is a founding Board member of the Alabama Communities of Excellence Program and previously served on the Board of Directors for the David Mathews Center for Civic Life. 

He is a native of Harpersville, Alabama.  He received his BS and MA degrees from Auburn University and his Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Georgia.  He is married and has two children and three grandchildren.

ALABAMA CITIZENS FOR CONSTITUTIONAL REFORM

Mike Waters is a partner in the Corporate Practice Group.  He focuses on issues facing banks, financial institutions, and other financial-services entities.

Mike has practiced corporate and securities law, primarily in the financial institutions area, for more than 40 years.  He routinely represents banks, bank holding companies, and other financial entities in acquisitions, capital raising transactions, SEC and shareholder issues, new bank formations, and board fiduciary duty issues.

Since 1994, Mike has served as an adjunct professor of law at The University of Alabama School of Law, where he taught banking law for 20 years and currently teaches corporate mergers’ and acquisitions.

Mike served as legal advisor to Governor Fob James of Alabama from January 1979 to July 1980, focusing, among other things, on constitutional reform, prison reform, and mental health.

WALLACE CENTER FOR ARTS & RECONCILATION

Theoangelo Perkins is now in his fifth-term as Mayor of Harpersville and, having served in several government positions with the town, is a longstanding public servant. He is the Chair and co-founder for the Wallace Center for Arts and Reconciliation. He serves as the Pastor for Liberty Church and is also a realtor and former teacher. Mayor Perkins researches genealogy in his spare time--learning about the history of the families who have lived in Harpersville.

KEYS TO THE CITY

Herman is the co-founder of Keys to the City Community Coaching, LLC, a community development firm which, among other community-building services,  equips communities, nonprofits, and local governments with tools to uncover, visualize, and amplify their deepest impacts through participatory methods like Ripple Effects Mapping (REM), inspiring connection, learning, and sustainable growth. Herman is also a certified Professional Community and Economic Developer (PCED).  In addition, he has over 20 years of experience working in municipal government, including nearly 14 years as City Clerk & Treasurer in Montevallo, Alabama. For over a decade prior to that, Herman was a commercial real estate broker, and is currently the co-owner and agent with Team Lehman, a real estate brokerage firm situated in Montevallo. He is also a founding member of Montevallo’s Main Street program, has served on the Main Street Alabama board, and is a past Board Chair of the Bessemer Chamber of Commerce. Herman has an undergraduate degree in Political Science from Sewanee: The University of the South, a Master’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and a Master’s of Environmental Management from Samford University.

GULF STATES HEALTH POLICY CENTER

Danny K. Patterson is Director of Coalitions & Partnerships at the Gulf States Health Policy Center in Bayou La Batre, Alabama, where he is responsible for establishing community  partnerships to address health disparities. Additionally, Danny advises  several community non-profits around the region. He is a certified trainer with the National Council for Mental Wellbeing in the field of Adult Mental Health First Aid. Danny is the State Program Manager for BankOn Alabama, a program of the Alabama Asset Building Coalition. He is a regional director of the Equitable Neighborhoods Initiative at the University of Alabama Center for Economic Development. 

He is retired from the IBM Corporation and the Community Foundation of South Alabama. He serves on several boards across the State of Alabama, including Alabama Appleseed Center for Law & Justice, Africatown Heritage Preservation Foundation,  Alabama Governor’s Office of Volunteerism and Southern Alabama Area Health Education Center.

S & B FARMS

Russell and Jewell Bean are award-winning farmers and agricultural experts with a deep commitment to sustainable farming. Owners of S & B Farms in Eufaula, AL, a 113-year-old family farm, they specialize in vegetables, fruits, medicinal herbs, and livestock. Named 2016 Lloyd Wright Small Farmer and 2017 Small Farmers of the Year by Alabama NRCS, they’ve been featured in top publications and media outlets. As 3rd generation farmers, they bring expertise as agricultural consultants, educators, and published researchers in agricultural science. Certified in numerous areas including FSMA, Postharvest, and Risk Management, the Beans share their knowledge through workshops on farm business planning, marketing, and food safety. Their dedication to innovation in farming is matched only by their passion for community development.

ENGLISH CLASSROOM

Ethan Brown currently serves as the Community Engagement Chair for La Escuelita de Inglés (La EDI). La Escuelita de Inglés is a UA student-led organization that teaches free ESL classes to adult Spanish speakers in the Tuscaloosa area. Their model is to teach survival English, offering lessons and resources that grow students’ self-sufficiencies. Beyond La EDI, Ethan studies chemistry and Spanish at the University of Alabama and will be pursuing his MBA full-time in Spring 2026. He also serves as the Tuscaloosa Latino Coalition’s Program Specialist, a BCAS college ambassador, and an Associate Justice on the UA Student Judiciary. He has previously interned for the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs at the U.S. Department of State and for Alabama State Representative Cynthia Almond.

ST. PAUL UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

Rev. Marian Royston serves Birmingham's historic St. Paul United Methodist Church. She holds degrees from United Theological Seminary, the Queen’s University of Belfast, and Auburn University. She is also an alumna of the DMC's Jean O'Connor-Snyder Internship Rev. Royston is passionate about developing future leaders. She founded the Randolph County Youth Development Initiative and is a former Social Studies teacher for Roanoke City Schools.

MAYNARD NEXSEN

Jeffrey G. Rogers is an Associate at Maynard Nexsen in Birmingham. He is a graduate of the University of Alabama School of Law, where he served as Executive Editor of the Alabama Law Review and received the M. Leigh Harrison Award for outstanding achievement in academic performance, legal writing, scholarship, and intellectual attainment. “Through my past involvement with the David Mathews Center for Civic Life,” Rogers said, “I met people from all corners of Alabama who, though bringing unique backgrounds and perspectives with them, were in every case intelligent, dedicated, and civic-minded. I’m honored to have the opportunity to serve on the Board, and I look forward to continuing to engage with fellow Alabamians on important issues affecting the State, its communities, and its people.”

WALKER AREA COMMUNITY FOUNDATION

Madison Duboise serves as Marketing Coordinator at the Walker Area Community Foundation (WACF) in Jasper, Alabama. She first connected with the Foundation as a two-time Jean O’Connor-Snyder Internship Program (JOIP) intern, a program run at the University of Alabama in partnership with UA's New College, the David Mathews Center for Civic Life, and WACF. The experience sparked her passion for nonprofit communication and community engagement.

After the internship, Madison transitioned into a part-time marketing role in 2024 while finishing her degree at the University of Alabama. She now works full-time at WACF, supporting marketing, overall development, brand strategy, and donor engagement at the second-largest community foundation in the state. Over the past year, she has also overseen the JOIP internship program hosted in Walker County. 

A proud UA graduate with a degree in Communication Studies, Madison has always had a love for storytelling. During her time as a JOIP intern, she applied that passion to community-based journalism, writing pieces that explored the role of faith in community life and used solutions-focused reporting to highlight local educational partnerships.

Equally important were the connections she made with community members through JOIP—relationships that continue to shape and support her professional journey. Today, she remains actively involved in mentoring students, helping them grow in confidence, and showing them how meaningful community work can shape both career paths and communities.

DAVID MATHEWS CENTER FOR CIVIC LIFE

Chauntina Whittle is a Troy University Alumna with a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology and Psychological Research. Chauntina currently serves as the Program & Outreach Coordinator for the David Mathews Center for Civic Life. She is a former DMC McKenzie Fellow, Jean O’Connor-Snyder Intern, and Hunger Free America AmeriCorps VISTA for the Office of Civic Engagement at Troy University. Chauntina utilized her undergraduate career as a JOIP Intern by facilitating discussions with youth members in her local community, expanding her expertise in moderating discussion using a deliberative dialogue structure, piloting research on the impacts of deliberation conversation styles, and contributing to the evolution of youth development initiatives in the local area. She has created countless discussion guides on topics ranging from structures of racial bias, community values, voter education/values, social media/technology wellness, mental health, micro-aggressive behavior, etc. Chauntina hopes to continue to pursue her passion for research and community advocacy. Her research interests include: Creation and facilitation of culturally competent and inclusive mental health interventions for minority communities, Advocacy for improvement in psychological interventions/services of underrepresented communities, and Psychological consequences of social/societal constructs of cultural perfectionism.

Chauntina can be reached at cwhittle@mathewscenter.org

NATIONAL ISSUES FORUMS INSTITUTE

Cristin F. Brawner is Executive Director of the National Issues Forums Institute. She has dedicated her career to helping communities and our democracy thrive. As a nonprofit executive, Cristin has led dynamic staff teams, built partnerships, and developed coalitions for improving civic life. As a consultant, she helped clients manage large teams and projects successfully, engage diverse communities thoughtfully, build partnerships strategically, and communicate effectively.

Cristin is the former Executive Director of the David Mathews Center for Civic Life in Alabama, where she oversaw the growth of the organization’s programming, partnerships, and impact. She is a former Associate with the Kettering Foundation and the former Project Coordinator for the Equitable Neighborhoods Initiative. She is also the founder and facilitator of the Southern Deliberative Democracy Network, an informal group dedicated to strengthening democracy and dialoguing across differences.

Cristin is a graduate of the University of Montevallo and a member of Class II of Leadership Alabama’s Alabama Leadership Initiative (ALI). She is a member of the David Mathews Center for Civic Life Board of Directors.

UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH ALABAMA

David A. Messenger is Professor of History and Chair of the Department of History at the University of South Alabama in Mobile, AL. He is also Membership Secretary and Treasurer of the Association for Spanish and Portuguese Historical Studies (ASPHS). His Ph.D. is from the University of Toronto, Canada (2000). His research focuses on the international position of the regime of General Francisco Franco in Spain during and after the Second World War. He is the author of L’Espagne Republicane: French Policy and Spanish Republicanism in Liberated France (Sussex Academic Press, 2008) and Hunting Nazis in Franco’s Spain (Louisiana State University Press, 2014), as well as War and Public Memory: Case Studies in Twentieth-Century Europe (University of Alabama Press, i2020) His next book, Civilian Bombing and Civil Defense in the Spanish Civil War- Bombs Along the Mediterranean, will come out with Palgrave in 2026. He co-edited, with Katrin Paehler, A Nazi Past: Recasting German Identity in Postwar Europe (University of Kentucky Press, 2015) and is the author of numerous peer-reviewed articles and book chapters on Spain, foreign policy and intelligence operations, memory of the Civil War and Second World War, amongst other topics. Since arriving at South Alabama in 2017, he has been involved in studying local African-American history as well, and has presented at the Gulf Coast Historical Society and Alabama Historical Association conferences, as well as helping run the Jean O’Conner Snyder Internship Program at South sponsored by the David Mathews Center.   

TROY UNIVERSITY

Jayden McQueen is a senior political science major with a minor in leadership development at Troy University, where she is on track to graduate in May 2026. She currently serves as a Jean O’Connor-Snyder Internship Program (JOIP) intern with the David Mathews Center, placed at Troy University’s Office of Civic Engagement as the team leader for the Civic Lab program. Civic Lab equips local middle school students with civic literacy and deliberative dialogue skills. Last semester, she helped secure funding from the Alabama Humanities Alliance for Civic Tapestry: Weaving History through Public Life, a three-part discussion series and field trip to Montgomery. In addition, Jayden manages social media and advocates for other Civic Engagement initiatives like the Trojan Pantry, where her outreach to community leaders, local officials, and Troy alumni raised over $2,500 to support students’ basic needs.

Beyond her work with the Office of Civic Engagement, Jayden serves as Executive Vice President of the Student Government Association, was named Miss Trojan Pride 2024, and is the Social Media Organizer for Rank the Vote, an electoral reform organization mobilizing grassroots groups nationwide. Originally from Crestview, Florida, Jayden discovered her passion for civic dialogue at age 15 as a member of Speak Justice, a county-wide community conversations group. She is proud to have grown from participant to facilitator, dedicated to strengthening communities and fostering a healthier democracy.

TROY UNIVERSITY

Lauren Cochran is the Coordinator of the Office of Civic Engagement at Troy University where she oversees community engagement programs. Civic Engagement’s core initiatives include Campus Kitchens Food Recovery & Distribution, Garden and Nutrition Education, Civic Lab, Democracy Project and Bright Futures College and Career Program. She developed the Civic Scholars program, an immersive volunteer opportunity, where students serve in leadership roles for the initiatives above, deepening the impact of students in the Troy community. Lauren teaches civic engagement courses, manages the university’s minor in Civic and Community Engagement, and serves as a faculty mentor of the Jean O’Conner-Snyder Internship Program with the David Mathews Center for Civic Life. She co-founded the Trojan Pantry and is a member of statewide and university student basic needs coalitions. A native of Mobile, Ala., she is a two-time Troy University graduate and advocate for local schools and nonprofits. She and her husband Rick have been married for 18 years and are passionate about fostering faith and community among college students. They have two sons, Ben and Elliott.

MONTEVALLO LEGACY PROJECT

Kathryn King, Midwestern born and bred, taught English for twenty-five years at the University of Montevallo in Alabama. She published work on early English women writers previously lost to history. In retirement, she turned her attention to hidden histories closer to hand. Since 2022 she has co-edited the monthly Untold Stories of Black Montevallo. She is co-founder and President of the Montevallo Legacy Project, a nonprofit that works to give voice and visibility to underrepresented local communities. She was co-leader of a citizen's coalition that brought an EJI lynching marker to Montevallo's Main Street and is committed to uncovering and sharing histories at risk of disappearing.