The Birmingham Times
In addition to nationally known business experts such as George Fraser, Maggie Anderson and Eugene Mitchell, some of Birmingham’s top movers and shakers will be featured at the 2020 A.G. Gaston Conference Feb. 11-12 at the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex.
Those include: Fred McCallum, a former CEO of AT&T who came out of retirement to serve in his current role as interim president of the Birmingham Business Alliance; Ronald Mathieu, president and CEO of the Birmingham Airport Authority; and Anthony C. Hood, Director of Civic Innovation in the Office of the President of UAB and an associate professor of management in the UAB Collat School of Business.
McCallum and Mathieu are among panelists serving on the 2020 Business Corner Opportunity Forum that kicks off the conference at 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 11. The panel discussion, moderated by Tracy Morant Adams of Renasant Bank, will focus on supplier diversity and what it takes to qualify for business contracts.
Other Birmingham leaders will also appear on the Opportunity Forum panel:
- Melodi Morrisette of BBVA
- Glenda Thomas Alabama Power Co.
- Marcus Lundy of Regions Financial
Hood will lead a panel discussion, “The Next A.G. Gastons,” on Wednesday, Feb. 12 at 9-10:15 a.m. that focuses on how to develop the next generation of young entrepreneurs in Birmingham.
Here’s background on Hood, Mathieu and McCallum.
Anthony C. Hood, associate professor of management in the UAB Collat School of Business
Hood is one of the rising stars in Birmingham’s African-American business community. An alumnus of leadership programs at Harvard Business School’s Young American Leaders Program, Hood has a doctorate in management from the University of Alabama. Before joining University of Alabama at Birmingham where he is also a director of Civic Innovation in the Office of the President of UAB, Hood spent 10 years as an engineer at BellSouth and AT&T, where he was honored with the Pinnacle Award, its highest leadership honor.
Hood has won several honors for his contributions to Birmingham, including the Power of Leadership Award from Alabama Power. He was honored last year with a Community Game Changer Award from Vulcan Park & Museum in large part due to his work with NHabitBham, a startup seeking to revitalize neighborhoods.
Ronald Mathieu, CEO of Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport
Mathieu became the new CEO of the Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport in June 2019. He oversees all operations at Alabama’s largest airport. Prior to coming to Birmingham, Mathieu served as executive director of the Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport in Little Rock, Arkansas. During his tenure there, Mathieu was credited with strengthening the airport’s finances, making it debt-free.
Mathieu has also held leadership positions at Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport, Newark International, LaGuardia and JFK International Airport. Mathieu has a Bachelor of Science degree in aviation management from the Florida Institute of Technology. A private pilot, he is a board member of the International Association of Airport Executives and a member of the American Association of Airport Executives.
Fred McCallum, CEO of Birmingham Business Alliance
McCallum, a retired executive at AT&T, has served as interim president and CEO of the Birmingham Business Alliance since March 2019. It’s an organization McCallum has been actively involved with since the BBA was founded in 2009.
A Florence, Ala. native, McCallum spent 30 years at South Central Bell, BellSouth and AT&T Alabama, including nine years as president, before retiring in August 2017. McCallum has served on the board of directors of several prominent organizations, including the Business Council of Alabama, BBA, the Birmingham Education Foundation, the Alabama Institute for the Deaf and Blind Foundation, the Public Affairs Research Council of Alabama (PARCA) and The Club. He is also a past president of the Rotary Club of Birmingham.
The 2020 A.G. Gaston Conference is held Tuesday and Wednesday, Feb. 11-12 at the BJCC East Exhibit Hall. To see the full conference agenda and buy tickets, visit www.https://aggastonconference.biz/2020-conference.
