Ms. Elaine Augustine

Ms. Augustine started her studies at UNA by taking calculus and chemistry classes and then decided to instead pursue a degree in her love, art. Over the next years she enrolled in art classes available at UNA, printmaking, watercolor, and sculpture.  The watercolor class took her to the next level of her art endeavors.

Since then she has become one of approximately 150 Master Pastelists worldwide. She is a signature member of the Pastel Society of America and many other pastel societies. Within the past three years, she has been part of the three Master Pastelists exhibitions held at the Tennessee Valley Museum of Art, a two-person exhibition at the Oak Ridge Art Center, and she was asked to be one of the ten pastel artists who would represent the USA in an exhibition in China held at the Ming Gallery. The exhibition then toured galleries and museums in China over the next year. 

Ms. Augustine graduated from the University of North Alabama in 2021 Magna Cum Laude with a BS Degree in Art.

 Dr. Jeremy Baham, Chair

Dr. Baham earned bachelor degrees in Political Science and History in 1996 and a Masters in Community Counseling in 1999 from the University of North Alabama. He completed his doctoral degree in Higher Education Administration from the University of Alabama in 2014.

Dr. Baham is the Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs at Mississippi State University. He served MSU as the Associate Dean of Students from 2011 to 2016. Dr. Baham is committed to student success and shows it through his current work with MSU and previous work with Mercer University in Macon, Georgia, University of West Florida in Pensacola, Florida, and Averett University in Danville, Virginia.

Dr. Baham and his wife, Dr. Tracey Baham who serves as Assistant Vice President for Strategy and Institutional Effectiveness at Mississippi State are the parents of two children, Patrick and James. He is a native of McComb, MS and veteran of the Army Reserves and Alabama National Guard.

 Dr. David Edwards

Dr. Edwards earned his physics degree from the University of North Alabama and attended Auburn University where he earned his master’s degree and a doctoral degree in material engineering.

Dr. Edwards is the manager of the Science and Technology chief engineer’s office at Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville. Dr. Edwards joined the NASA team in 1989 and has served in increasingly responsible leadership positions throughout his career. As chief engineer, Dr. Edwards is responsible and accountable for the technical functionality for all systems under development within the Science and Technology Office.

 Ms. Michelle Eubanks

Michelle Rupe Eubanks is a native of Florence, Alabama, having attended city schools, graduating from Coffee High School in 1992 and the University of North Alabama in 1996 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and Professional Writing. Eubanks also has a Master of Arts degree in English with an emphasis in Southern Literature from Mississippi State University. 

Eubanks serves as the Director of the Office of Media and Public Relations for her alma mater, the University of North Alabama. Before her role at the University, she had a career in healthcare marketing as well as journalism, working at the TimesDaily, where she won a number of regional, state, and national awards for her writing and investigative pieces. In 2016, Eubanks sought and won the office of Florence City Council Representative for District 4. She is now serving her second term and is a Certified Municipal Official, working toward her Advanced Certified Municipal Official designation. As part of her ongoing service to the community, Michelle and her late husband, Jeff, served as co-chairs of the Arts Alive committee. She also served on the Florence Bicentennial Committee, is a past president of the University of North Alabama National Alumni Association, and has given a TED Talk. She is a member of the Florence Rotary Club and serves as the advisor of the Theta Alpha chapter of Phi Mu at UNA. 

Michelle lives in Florence with her youngest daughter, Ally, a sophomore at Florence High School, and their two rescue pups, Olive and Martini. Older daughter, Maeve, is a sophomore at UNA. When Michelle isn’t working, she enjoys travel, spending time with family and friends, and reading.

Dr. Mary Leigh Gillespie

Dr. Mary Leigh Gillespie, known as “Dr. G” to her patients and team, is a long-time resident of the Shoals and is from Florence, Alabama. Her education includes: Coffee High School (1991), University of North Alabama, Bachelor of Science in Biology and Chemistry (1996), and University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Dentistry, Doctor of Dental Medicine (2002).

Dr. Gillespie returned to the Shoals in 2002 to begin practicing dentistry. She founded the first Free Dental Day in the Shoals, Dentistry From the Heart, in 2006. Although the name has changed to ThanksGiving Back A Smile, she has continued to give back to the community every November with the help of many volunteers. In 2014, she and her longtime friend and colleague, Dr. Julie Rice began the practice, Dynamic Dentistry of the Shoals.

Mary Leigh and her husband Bradley '96, have two children, Mary McCarley and Jack. The Gillespie family has attended Trinity Episcopal Church in Florence, Alabama, since 2005.

In her spare time, Mary Leigh loves to spend time with her family and supporting her alma mater. She received the 2014 UNA Alumni Award for Community Service. Dr. Gillespie has served on the UNA Executive Alumni Board since 2018. She served as the 2020-2021 National Alumni Association President for UNA. Dr. Gillespie was honored to join the University of North Alabama Foundation Board of Directors in 2020. In 2022, she was asked to join the CASE Advisory Board.  Roar Lions!

 Dr. Lorri Glover

Dr. Glover graduated from the University of North Alabama in 1990, majoring in history and political science. She went on to earn her MA in history from Clemson University in 1992 and PhD from the University of Kentucky in 1996.

She was a professor at the University of Tennessee for twelve years before moving to Saint Louis University in 2009, where she is the John Francis Bannon Endowed Professor of History. Glover has published ten books in American history, most recently Eliza Lucas Pinckney: An Independent Woman in the Age of Revolution and Founders as Fathers: The Private Lives and Politics of the American Revolutionaries, both with Yale University Press. She is a past president of the Southern Association for Women Historians, often leads teacher training at the George Washington Teacher Institutes at Mount Vernon, and gives invited talks around the country.

Dr. Bill Huddleston

Dr. Bill Huddleston served the University for 29 years as both a professor and department chair in the Department of Communication. He enjoyed his interactions and classroom experiences with his students before retiring in 2015. He has served on many committees and boards at UNA, within the state of Alabama, and within his academic discipline. Bill received degrees from Mississippi State University, the University of Tennessee-Knoxville, and the University of Missouri—Columbia. Before joining the UNA Faculty, he also taught at Central Michigan University, Carson-Newman University, and the University of Florida. He coached intercollegiate debate for over a decade before refocusing his major areas of interest to include nonverbal communication, persuasion, and storytelling.

He and his wife Louise have been married since 1978. They have called Florence home since 1984. Their daughter, Jennifer, lives in northern Virginia. Bill and Louise enjoy reading; museums; being active in their church; and exploring new places through travel.

 Ms. Carnette Johnson

Carnette Robinson Johnson graduated from the University of North Alabama with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting in May 1983. In May 2018, she completed her Executive Master’s degree of Business Administration from the University of North Alabama. Carnette has worked in the fields of auditing and cost accounting in the Bay Area and Los Angeles in California. Since 1993, she has worked in the glue applicator machinery industry and resides in the Atlanta area. She has successfully assisted in the implementation of a global accounting module of SAP. Her current position is Controller of the John’s Creek facility in Georgia.  Her personal motto is all about critical “out of the box” thinking.

Carnette is very involved in her community where she has served as President of PTSA, attended Parent Leadership Academy, participated in Everybody Wins Atlanta which is a reading program, Time N Talent, and fundraising for Relay for Life.  In 2013, she formed a committee called “The Flashback Committee” who are a group of African American alumni who planned events during homecoming and helped establish a need-based scholarship at UNA in the name of her classmate, Major Dwayne Williams who was tragically killed at the Pentagon during 9/11. In 2018, UNA awarded her the Community Service Award and inducted her into the Hall of Distinction for the COAS. She has established the Geraldine Hobbs Robinson food pantry endowment at UNA in honor of her mother who passed away of ovarian cancer. This year, she was honored for serving as UNA’s Alumni President for Greater Atlanta area where she attended college fairs to help recruit quality college students since 2012. Recently, she has been serving on a task force with top executives to establish her employer’s Black Employee Network which will promote, support, retain, and mentor black employees.

In August of this year, she formed a business with her two sons that is real estate related. The Colquin Robinson Group, LLC will focus on co-living, mental welling-being, and home ownership.

 Mr. Blake McDaniel

Mr. Blake McDaniel graduated from the University of North Alabama in 1997 with a BA in Music Business and went on to earn an MBA there as well. While at UNA, Blake was active in the marching band, concert band, percussion ensemble, the Sigma Chi fraternity, and the Student Government Association.

Blake was hired in 2000 by the Nashville office of Creative Artists Agency (CAA), widely considered the world’s leading entertainment and sports agency. He has been instrumental in signing and representing clients, ALABAMA, Latin superstar Jencarlos Canela, Lauren Alaina, Jerry Lee Lewis, Jamey Lynn Spears, Ryan Bingham, RUN DMC, Believe Entertainment, and NPR among others. Blake also works on behalf of various CAA clients such as Bob Dylan, Tim McGraw, Zac Brown, Sugarland, Martina McBride, Willie Nelson, Keith Urban, Carrie Underwood, Sam Hunt, Maren Morris, Kelsea Ballerini, REO Speedwagon, STYX, and Heart.

Blake is a member of the Country Music Association, the Academy of Country Music, sits on the boards of the Nashville Association of Talent Directors, Nashville Mayor’s PENCIL Foundation, and oversees the Nashville Municipal Auditorium as the commission chairperson. Blake’s philanthropic activities include the Oasis Center of Nashville, Nashville’s “Just Us” program, Leukemia Lymphoma Society, St. Jude’s Hospital, Nashville’s Second Harvest Food Bank, Movember for Men’s Health, and Clean Clothes for Kids.

Above all, Blake enjoys spending as much time as possible with his three daughters; Evie, Ruby and Hazel whom he credits with inspiring and motivating him to be the best human he can be.

 Dr. Rod Robinson

Dr. Robinson graduated from the University of North Alabama in 1983. He attended the University of Alabama School of Medicine and the University of Tennessee, Memphis from which he was awarded his M.D. in May of 1993. He completed his pediatric residency at the University of Tennessee, Memphis in 1996 and completed his fellowship at Johns Hopkins Hospital in neonatal-perinatal medicine in 1999.

Dr. Robinson currently practices with the Pediatric Group of Georgia as a Neonatologist and holds positions at Piedmont Fayette Hospital as Medical Director of Neonatal Services, Chairman for the Department of Pediatrics, and a member of the Medical Executive Committee. He is also a society member of the American Board of Pediatrics, Georgia American Academy of Pediatrics, National Medical Association, and American Medical Association.

Ms. Kimberlie Ross

Kimberlie Ross is a native of Athens, Alabama, and a graduate of the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB).  She completed her Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from UAB in 1993.  Having served as a police officer for the Birmingham Police Department’s East Precinct from 1996 to 1998, she chose a lifelong career in the Forensic Sciences.  Ms. Ross began her career as a forensic scientist in the Drug Chemistry section of the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences in 1998 in the Huntsville Regional Laboratory.  She went on to become the Section Chief of the Florence Satellite Laboratory previously located on the campus of UNA where she served the Northwest area of Alabama for three years. 

When the Florence Laboratory was permanently closed in 2011, Ms. Ross continued her expertise as a Forensic Chemist with the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) National Forensic Laboratory in Dulles, Virginia near Washington DC.  Ms. Ross is an expert witness in forensic drug analysis, and she testifies in state and federal courts all over the country.  Ms. Ross also serves as the Coordinator for the National Employee Advisory Team with the USPIS.  She is a member of the Mid-Atlantic Association of Forensic Scientists (MAAFS) and a member of the Clandestine Laboratory Investigating Chemists (CLIC). Ms. Ross serves on a non-profit organization called One Sparrow DC which works to reduce homelessness and extreme poverty around the world. She is also involved in serving her community through her church.

 Ms. Ross lives in Ashburn, VA and is the mother of one son Johnathan Ross who recently married his sweetheart, and they reside in Brooklyn, NY.

 Ms. Tricia Scott

Ms. Scott earned her degree in Education from University of North Alabama in 2004.  Originally from Florence Alabama, she began her 15 plus year career as the CEO and owner of Creative Film Connections Inc. of Alabama. It is through CFC that she acquired experience in the television and feature film industry through prop rental and training as a Med Tech advisor. Expanding her horizon, she then established Creative Film Connections Inc. of Louisiana where she holds the position of CEO and owner.

Ms. Scott keeps a close eye on her ever growing television and feature film prop rental companies in Louisiana. An asset to her community, Ms. Scott has served on the council for The Shalom Foundation where she procured medical donations for the Moore Center in Guatemala.

 Mr. Shanon Terry

Mr. Shanon Terry earned his Executive Masters of Business Administration from the University of North Alabama and was a member of the Lawrence County Board of Education for six years. Currently, Mr. Terry is the North American Operations Manager for Bunge Packaging, a company whose purpose is to connect farmers to consumers to deliver essential food, feed, and fuel to the world.

Mr. Terry lives in Moulton, AL with his wife of 27 years, The Honorable Angela Terry, who is also a UNA alumnus and Lawrence County District Judge. Together they have one daughter, Ashley, who is a second-year law student at the University of Alabama.

Mr. Austin Bullock

Mr. Hayden Wilkes

Hayden Wilkes is a native of St. Florian, AL, a few miles Northeast of Florence proper. In May 2020 he received his BS in Geographical Information Science (GIS) and BA in Spanish. Hayden attended two study abroad trips while at UNA; he spent two weeks in Peru and two months in Spain. He presented his experience of the former at the 2017 UNA Geography Alumni Association Conference.