Young Professionals

Leadership UAB Class of 2009

(Front row) Jimmy Puckett, Margaret Whiteside, Nan Gelber, Kerry McDonald, Tanya Shunnara, Tatiana Richards, Hilary Perry, Lacey Bacchus, Brooks Vaughan, and Margaret Camp; (second row) Daryl Johnson, Marquelon Sigler, Lucy Tufts, Scarlotte Kilgore, Nilam Patel, Dan Weathers, Sam Todd, and Robert Moore; (third row) Cherie Fields and Sissy Hembree; (fourth row) Trey Cummings, Whitney DeBardeleben, V. J. Graffeo, and Charles Van Pelt; (fifth row) John Chapman, Josh Westerhold, and Carrie Pittman; (sixth row) Charlie Norwood, Michael Humber, Matthew Menendez, and André Natta; (seventh row) Raymond Figueroa, Clay Ryan, and Danny Markstein; (eighth row) Joseph Schilleci, Webster Ray, and Anthony Oni; (back row) Rich Campbell, Jim Dixon, Bryson Stephens, and Houston Smith

UAB and the surrounding Birmingham community are inextricably connected, and last year, Leadership UAB was started to help strengthen that connection. “The organization’s mission is to help educate young leaders about UAB’s vision, mission, and ongoing endeavors in education, research, economic development, and patient care,” says Shirley Salloway Kahn, Ph.D., vice president for development, alumni, and external relations.

The membership class consists of nearly 50 people ages 25 to 40, chosen to represent a cross-section of Birmingham’s vibrant young professional community. Members are invited to attend a series of educational and social events designed to help them discover all that UAB has to offer. “I am so honored to be part of the second class of Leadership UAB,” says Tanya Shunnara, an associate attorney at Sirote & Permutt PC. “Having been born and raised in Birmingham, I always took for granted how much the school means to the city and state. One of the greatest advantages of being a part of this organization is learning how much UAB has to offer besides the medical school and the state-of-the-art hospital facilities.”

This year’s class began 2009 with a reception at the Woodward House on January 27. In March they met to take a tour of the undergraduate side of campus and hear about growth and progress at UAB. A social event in May followed at the Alys Robinson Stephens Performing Arts Center, and in July, the group attended a luncheon at Innovation Depot about community collaborations. An event to tour the medical side of campus will be followed by a graduation event in November.

For more information about Leadership UAB, click here.

Maintaining the Momentum / Summer/Fall 2009