Graduating summa cum laude from East Carolina University, Mr. Beeman was not only the valedictorian but also the captain of the football team and a three time letter recipient. In 1991, Mr. Beeman was the Texasgulf Male Scholar Athlete of the Year and Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity’s Collegiate Man of the Year. Immediately after graduation, Mr. Beeman pursued a law degree from Harvard University, where he was the editor of the BlackLetter Law Review and graduated in 1994. After law school, Mr. Beeman served as a clerk for Judge Ira DeMent and later as an associate attorney at Lehr Middlebrooks, et. al. Currently, Mr. Beeman is an attorney for the Protective Life Corporation, a youth minister at Woodland Park Church of Christ, a law professor at the Birmingham School of Law, and a volunteer football coach at Gresham middle School.

Mr. Beeman also serves on the Boards of the following organizations: the Ledonia S. Wright Cultural Center, the AG Gaston Boys and Girls Club, and the Non-profit Resource Center of Alabama. He also sits on the steering committee for Project Corporate Leadership.

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Stephen Black studied American history at The University of Pennsylvania, where he completed his bachelors degree magna cum laude in 1993, before attending Yale Law School where he graduated in 1997. Following law school, Black moved to Birmingham to become involved in public affairs and to practice law at the firm Maynard, Cooper and Gale. After three years in private practice, he spent a year serving as an assistant to the Governor, where he researched policy issues and worked on economic development projects. After leaving the Governor’s office in 2001, he returned to Maynard, Cooper and Gale and began his campaign for Alabama State Treasurer.

After coming up 3% short of victory in the 2002 general election, Stephen returned to practice law. In 2004, he created Impact: An Alabama Student Service Initiative - the state’s first nonprofit organization dedicated to developing and implementing substantive service-learning projects in coordination with universities and junior colleges throughout the state.

In June 2005, Black was appointed to the UA faculty as a Senior Lecturer in Communicative Ethics and asked to create and then direct a new Center for Ethics and Social Responsibility.

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Emily is currently an associate at Maynard, Cooper, and Gale, P.C. She graduated from Baylor University and then went on to receive her law degree from the University of Richmond School Of Law in 2003.

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A native of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, Ms. Castaldo has considered Alabama home since 1978. She received her Bachelor and Master degrees from the University of South Alabama where she was a member of the Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society. She is currently Deputy Director of the Governor’s Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives. Prior to that, she served as the Program Director and Legislative Liaison for the Children’s Trust Fund of Alabama and as a Pediatric Clinical Social Service Worker and Administrator for the Mobile County Health Department. She lives in Prattville, AL with her husband and seven-year old daughter. Ms. Castaldo also serves on numerous state committees and is currently Secretary of the Pinchona Pony Club.

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After graduating from the University of Alabama in May 2002 with a Bachelor of Science in Commerce and Business Administration, Mr. Germany went on to join Regions Financial Corporation in their Management Associate Program. He currently serves as a Commercial Banking Underwriter for Regions Bank. Mr. Germany is very active in the Birmingham community, including the Birmingham Chamber of Commerce Project Corporate Leadership 2005-06 class, membership in the Birmingham Rotaract Club, and leadership as a Young Business Leader with the United Way of Central Alabama.

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Mr. Grayson is a native of Sylacauga, Alabama and currently resides in Huntsville, AL. He graduated summa cum laude from Alabama A&M University where he majored in Applied Physics. While at Alabama A&M, Patrick was chosen by “USA Today” as a member of its Academic All-American Team One and was the first collegiate in the state of Alabama to become part of the select group of 20 students from across the nation. Mr. Grayson worked for five years as a consultant for a global strategy and technology consulting firm and then went on to join TVA Nuclear as a rotational manager. He is currently employed as the Director of Corporate and Foundation Relations for Alabama A&M University. He is very active in the Huntsville community and serves on the boards of AIDS Action Coalition, Community Faith Gathering, the Science and Engineering Alliance, Alabama A&M University Honors Center, Emyrge, and as a member of the steering committee for the Organizations United for Voter Empowerment.

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Carrie Kurlander is director of corporate communications for Alabama Power Company where she oversees internal and external communications. She is on the board of directors for the Lakeshore Foundation, Impact Alabama, KidOne, Gateway and Girls Inc., and was on the steering committee to establish Catalyst for Birmingham. In addition to working as a publicist in California and governor’s press secretary in Alabama, she has received Associated Press awards for her work as a news anchor and reporter. She is a graduate of Southern Methodist University and Rome Center of Liberal Arts in Italy. Carrie is married to Brian Kurlander, and they are the proud parents of two children.

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Dr. Virginia Lolley is a comprehensive ophthalmologist and partner of Alabama Ophthalmology Associates, PC, where she specializes in cataract and refractive surgery. She completed her bachelor’s degree at the University of North Carolina, her medical degree at Tulane University School of Medicine, and her ophthalmology residency at UAB. She lives in Birmingham with her husband Joseph Socolof of Partners in Performance Consulting and their daughter Eve.

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After graduating from Vanderbilt University with a B.A. in Economics and from the Stonier Graduate School of Banking, Mr. Ritter now serves as the Senior Vice President of Regions Bank in Birmingham. Additionally, Mr. Ritter serves on the Board of Directors of the Entrepreneurial Center and Camp Fire USA. He is also a member of the Birmingham Kiwanis Club and St. Luke’s Episcopal Church.

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A native of Decatur, Alabama, Mitesh graduated from Birmingham-Southern College where he served as President of the Student Government Association. He received his law degree from the University of Alabama School of Law in 2002 and was a Senior Editor of the Alabama Law Review. Mitesh went on to serve as a law clerk to the Honorable James H. Hancock, U.S. District Court, Northern District of Alabama and is currently an attorney with Maynard Cooper and Gale, P.C. He also serves on the Steering Committee for Youth Leadership Forum Birmingham and is on the Executive Committee of the Young Lawyers' Section of the Alabama State Bar.

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A native of Birmingham, Mr. Sparks is a 1998 graduate of the University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa and a 2003 graduate of Miles Law School. Beginning in May of 1998, Mr. Sparks has served in the City of Birmingham, Mayor’s Office, Division of Youth Services. In August of 2000 he was named the Director of Operations, and in July 2002 he was appointed Executive Director of the DYS, making him the youngest department head in the City of Birmingham. A few of his most recent accolades include recognition in the April 2005 edition of Ebony Magazine’s Top 30 Young Leaders of the Future, serving as a member of the 2006 Class of Leadership Birmingham, and a recipient of the 2006 Birmingham Business Journal Top 40 Under 40. His civic involvement is notable and he serves as a board member at several community organizations, including Big Brothers and Big Sisters, 100 Black Men, and Youth Leadership Forum. Mr. Sparks is married to Pamela J. Sparks of Salem, AL and they have two children, Cedric Sparks, Jr. and DeJa Sparks.

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A native of Birmingham, Alabama, Bennett graduated from Episcopal High School in Alexandria, Virginia in 1997. In 2001, Bennett graduated Phi Beta Kappa and Magna Cum Laude from Hampden-Sydney College, where he received the Algernon-Sydney Sullivan Award, the College's highest honor. Following graduation, Bennett taught third grade for two years in Indianola, Mississippi through Teach for America, a non-profit organization devoted to narrowing the achievement gap in America's public schools. He continues to keep in regular contact with his students.

Bennett has been an associate at Starnes & Atchison, LLP since graduating from the University of Alabama School of Law in 2006. He currently sits on the Boards of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and the Exceptional Foundation.

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Marjorie Lee White serves as an assistant professor at UAB School of Medicine’s Division of Emergency Medicine, Department of Pediatrics.  She is also the Associate Medical Director of the Children’s Health System Pediatric Simulation Center.  She has served on the Medical Staff of The Children’s Hospital of Alabama since 2003.  Marjorie Lee received an A.B. in history from Princeton University, a Master’s degree in Public and Private Management from Birmingham-Southern College, a Master’s degree in Elementary Education from UAB, and an M.D. from The University of Alabama School of Medicine.  She is a recipient of the APA Trainee Award and the SSPR Trainee Travel Award and is a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American College of Emergency Physicians.

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