Information on Career Chats for Spring 2022
Career Chats is a virtual panel series featuring alumni of Auburn University graduate programs working in both industry and academia. Alumni from each of the participating colleges and schools on campus are invited to share their insights and answer questions in 60-minute panels via Zoom.
Hosted by the University Career Center and the Graduate Student Council.
Schedule (all times CDT)
Tuesday, April 5th
12:30pm-1:30pm: Ginn College of Engineering
Thursday, April 7th
1:00pm-2:00pm: College of Forestry and Wildlife
3:00pm-4:00pm: Harrison School of Pharmacy
Friday, April 8th
1:00pm-2:00pm: College of Agriculture
Monday, April 11th
3:00pm-4:00pm: College of Veterinary Medicine
Tuesday, April 12th
1:00pm-2:00pm: College of Liberal Arts
Thursday, April 14th
2:00pm-3:00pm: College of Education
Friday, April 15th
2:00pm-3:00pm: College of Science and Mathematics
3:00pm-4:00pm: Harbert College of Business
Panelists
Dr. Alex Corzo | Senior Poultry Nutritionist
Aviagen
Doctorate in Poultry Science | Auburn University
Masters in Animal Science | Oklahoma State
Bachelors in Animal Science | Universidad de La Salle in Colombia
Dr. Corzo was born in Colombia and came to the US in 1998 to pursue graduate studies focused on poultry nutrition. He has been an Associate Professor for 8 years at Mississippi State, a Research scientist at the animal health company Elanco for 3 years and spent the last 8 years with Aviagen which is a broiler breeder company.
Mrs. Sarah Baker | Fisheries Biologist
Georgia Department of Natural Resources
MS Fisheries, Aquaculture, & Aquatic Sciences | Auburn University
Sarah Baker is the trout biologist for Georgia Department of Natural Resources’ Wildlife Resources Division, Fisheries Section. She has been tromping through streams for the past 8 years in search of answers related to salmonid population dynamics, habitat utilization, riparian restoration, and nonnative species interaction. Sarah is originally from Idaho and spent the majority of her childhood hiking under Tamaracks and through wildflower fields. The enormous amount of public land secured in Idaho tremendously influenced her desire and ability to spend time outside, for which she is very grateful. Now, she is enjoying her hikes under hemlocks and through rhododendron in Georgia. She has worked extensively with trout in riverine systems in Idaho, Utah, Nevada, Washington, Alabama, and now Georgia. She developed a passion for trout while conducting research as an undergraduate at The College of Idaho where she received her Bachelors of Science in Biology and minored in Veterinary Science, Environmental Humanities, and Psychology. Her interest in fisheries began as she learned more about how fish can serve as an important indicator to human health. Her professor, Dr. Walser, had a tremendous influence on her fisheries career and supported her through her undergraduate research. She used genetic data to better understand the movement of Redband Trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss gairdneri in Dry Creek, Idaho to assess whether a culvert was a barrier to fish passage. In addition to her undergraduate research, she also interned with Trout Unlimited’s Science Staff for two summers. For these internships, she primarily conducted fieldwork evaluating the effects of cattle exclosures on stream health and habitat quality. After college, she worked for a private company where she estimated fish-habitat relationships as part of a long-term monitoring program and assessed the effects of habitat management actions on Steelhead populations and overall ecosystem health throughout the Columbia River Basin. She then went on to complete her Masters in Fisheries Science at Auburn University. For her graduate research, she assessed movement of stocked Rainbow Trout and predation of trout by Striped Bass in an Alabama tailwater. She has fallen in love with Georgia’s mountain streams and flings flies into them every Saturday that she can.
Mr. Marek Topolski | Natural Resources Biologist
Maryland Department of Natural Resources
MS Fisheries Management | Auburn University
I am a fisheries ecologist with the Fish Habitat and Ecosystems Program, Fishing & Boating Service, Maryland Department of Natural Resources. I analyze the effects of land use and urbanization on the availability of spawning habitat and spawning success for anadromous fishes in Chesapeake Bay as well as monitor horseshoe crab spawning activity within the Bay. I am the state representative on the Atlantic State Marine Fisheries Commission's Habitat Committee. I am the state representative on the Atlantic Coastal Fish Habitat Partnership's Steering Committee and chair of the Science and Data Committee. Prior to my current duties I worked on the development and revision of Chesapeake Bay fishery management plans for the Department plus completion of a certificate in GIS and remote sensing. At the time of graduation from Auburn I was a field biologist monitoring the spawning of anadromous fish, primarily shad and herring; after which I made a brief departure from fisheries science and spent four years as a high school science teacher of 9th grade Biology and Physical Science.
Dr. Adolfo Pereira | Ruminants Technical & Support Manager
Westway Feed Product
PhD Animal Nutrition | Auburn University
M.Sc. | Universidad de Baja California, Mexicali, BC, Mexico
B.S. | Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil
Dr. Adolfo Pereira grew up in Brazil. He was born and raised on a ranch, where his love of animals began early in life. His childhood was spent caring for various animals, from cats and dogs, birds to calves, cattle, and horses. Following technical high school, where he became an Agricultural and topography technician Dr. Pereira attended UFMS, a University in Brazil, where he studied Veterinary Medicine. After graduation, his passion for numbers and math drove him to attend UFMG, another University in Brazil, where he graduated as an exteriorization in the rural economy. This was followed by two years at UABC, a University in the North of Mexico, where he learned Spanish and earned his Master’s degree in Ruminant Nutrition. Even during his time at UABC, he never stopped caring for animals. He lived at Desert Research and Extension Center in Holtville, CA, belonging to UC Davis, regularly volunteering at this extension center. He also conducted his research in the US. By the end of his second year of master’s degree, it was clear to Dr. Pereira that he needed to find a career that would allow him to work with animals as a ruminant nutritionist on a full-time basis. He soon accepted a position based in Brazil as technical support for Latin America for a multinational company. He worked for five years in Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, Colombia, etc. During this time, Dr. Pereira had the opportunity to work with dairy and beef cattle in feedlots or grazing systems. Following his tenure in several countries, he worked for five years and realized that he could best serve the animal community by becoming a Ph.D. in Ruminant Nutrition.
Dr. Pereira earned his Ph.D. from Auburn University in Alabama, USA. Throughout his four years of working on his Ph.D. in Ruminate Nutrition, he donated his time to Alabama 4H program, helping with the AL Showmanship, youth breeding sheep, Beef heifer, and feeder steer shows. He reprised this role by helping to teach the class Introduction to animal sciences as a GTA (Graduate Teaching Assistants) been responsible for organizing laboratories for practical classes and recitation sections in Ruminant Nutrition for around 60 students every Spring semester. During his Ph.D. work at Auburn University, he received several awards: Novus International Research Award at Auburn University, Animal Science Scholarship sponsored by the Alabama Cattlemen's Foundation, was recognized for outstanding service by the International Graduate Student Organization at Auburn, and finally, he has Invited Member of the Honor Society of Agriculture, Gamma Sigma Delta, Chapter Auburn University.
When not at work, Dr. Pereira can usually be found running, swimming, bicycling, skiing, snowboarding, camping, or even flying with the paragliding. He also enjoys studying languages just for fun, such as French and Mandarin, listening to music, and reading Portuguese with his son (a lifetime task for both).
Dr. Ronald Alvarez | Professor and Chair, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Vanderbilt University Medical Center
MD | LSU School of Medicine in New Orleans
MBA | Auburn University
BS | LSU
Ronald D. Alvarez, M.D., M.B.A, is Professor and Chairman of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and holds the Betty and Lonnie S. Burnett Endowed Chair of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC). He received his B.S. from LSU in 1979 and his M.D. from LSU School of Medicine in New Orleans in 1983. He completed his residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology in 1987 and his fellowship in Gynecologic Oncology in 1990, both at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). He received his M.B.A. in 2013 from Auburn University in Auburn, Alabama. He remained at UAB after completion of his fellowship and rose to the rank of Professor and Ellen Gregg Shook Culverhouse Chair in the UAB Division of Gynecologic Oncology, for which he served as Director from 2003-2014. He was also Vice-Chair of the UAB Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology until his transition to VUMC in 2016. He was the recipient of several NCI and other industry funded grants in support of his research in gene therapeutics for ovarian cancer and cervical cancer vaccines, including projects funded by the UAB Ovarian Cancer SPORE and the Johns Hopkins/UAB Cervical SPORE. In 2013, he served as President of the Society of Gynecologic Oncology. He now serves as secretary treasurer for CUCOG, secretary of AGOS, and Chair of the NRG Oncology Research Strategy Committee. He was Director of Gynecologic Oncology Division of the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology from 2014-2018 and now serves as an ABOG at-large Director. Dr. Alvarez and his wife of 42 years, Denise, have 3 married children (all Auburn graduates) and 6 grandchildren.
Ms. Darnesha Green | Corporate Accountant
Warren Averett
Master of Accountancy | Auburn University
Darnesha is a Certified Public Accountant and a proud alum of Auburn University. She received her bachelors and masters degree in accounting in May 2012 and May 2013, respectively. During her time on campus, Darnesha was a BAPsi and NABA member, Becker campus representative, teacher assistant, peer tutor and a Summer Enrichment Experience counselor. Darnesha started her career in 2013 with Warren Averett as an auditor specializing in governmental and not-for-profit entities. She is now part of Warren Averett's finance team where she has served as a corporate accountant for the past five years. Darnesha also enjoys giving back to the community by volunteering with various community organizations such as the Salvation Army and the YWCA.
Mr. Josh Pratt | Senior Consultant, Treasury Finance
ConocoPhillips
Master of Accountancy | Auburn University
MBA | University of Oklahoma
B.A. Economics | University of Oklahoma
B.A. Political Science | University of Oklahoma
Josh Pratt is Senior Consultant, Treasury Finance, for ConocoPhillips. In this capacity, he supports global M&A, oversees pensions, and monitors governance and controls.
Josh has nearly 20 years of oil and natural gas experience. He previously served in leadership roles in Commercial and Lower 48 business units. Josh joined ConocoPhillips in 2006.
Josh serves on the Board of Adjustments for Bunker Hill Village in Texas as well as the First Baptist Academy school Board of Trustees. He is Treasurer of his neighborhood homeowner’s association. Josh received bachelor’s degrees in arts and sciences in political science and in economics at the University of Oklahoma in 2002. He also received a master’s degree in business administration with an emphasis in finance from the University of Oklahoma in 2003. Most recently, he received a Master of Accountancy degree from Auburn University in 2021.
Josh is a Certified Management Accountant and a Certified Fraud Examiner. He resides in Bunker Hill Village with his wife and daughter. Josh enjoys running, Euro-style board games, and coaching his daughter’s sports teams.
Katherine Browning | Analyst, Revenue Management
Universal Parks & Resorts
MBA | Auburn University
Bachelor of Industrial and Systems Engineering | Auburn University
Katherine Browning is an Analyst in the Business Analytics and Industrial Engineering group at Universal Parks & Resorts. Katherine joined Universal in May 2017 and is responsible for supporting Food & Beverage revenue management.
Prior to joining the Revenue Management team, Katherine held positions with Universal Parks & Resorts Assurance & Advisory and Universal Orlando Financial Planning & Analysis. During her time with Assurance & Advisory, Katherine assisted in the development and execution of audits at both domestic and international parks. After moving to Financial Planning & Analysis, Katherine focused on providing data-driven financial analysis to a variety of departments at Universal Orlando.
Katherine graduated from Auburn University with an undergraduate degree in Industrial and Systems Engineering and a minor in Computer Science. She also holds a Master of Business Administration from Auburn University.
Mr. Scott Piccolo | Chief Digital Experience Officer
Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, Ltd.
MBA | Auburn University
BA Marketing | Auburn University
In August of 2021, Scott was appointed to the newly created position of Chief Digital Experience Officer. In this new role, Scott leads a holistic digital strategy for all brands under Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, LTD. Scott serves as a change advocate, partnering with business leaders across the organization to oversee all digital initiatives, alignment of goals and drive the future digital vision of the company.
Before joining NCLH, Scott served as Managing Director for Sphere Business Consulting, where he was responsible for providing direction and support to clients through significant business process transformation, enterprise-wide software implementations, compliance, and financial reporting efforts. Prior to co-founding Sphere Business Consulting, Scott held senior management positions at both Arthur Andersen and BearingPoint, Inc. specializing in the design and implementation of Enterprise Resource Planning solutions.
As the son of a military officer, Scott has lived in several U.S. states as well as countries around the world. He now resides in Coral Gables Florida with his wife Marilyn and children Alex and Katie. Scott received a Masters of Business Administration (MBA) focused in Management Information Systems from Auburn University.
Mr. Ivan Rodriguez-Marin | Research Manager, Global Distribution & International TV
NBCUniversal
MBA | Auburn University
B.S. Business Administration | Pontificia Universidad Javeriana; Bogota, Colombia
Ivan Rodriguez is a Media Research Manager at NBCUniversal where he supports the global distribution of NBCU content across different linear and non-linear services. Previously, Ivan worked as a Research Analyst for HBO Latin America supporting the programming strategy for the company’s wide portfolio of premium channels in the region. In 2010, he graduated from Auburn University with an MBA degree.
Mr. Courtney Bass | Assistant Principal
Pike Road Schools
Bio coming soon!
Mr. Garry Morgan | Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Virginia Tech
PhD Administration of Higher Education | Auburn University
M.Ed. Educational Leadership and Policy | State University of New York
M.Ed. Clinical Mental Health | NC State
Garry Morgan is the inaugural director for diversity, equity, and inclusion at the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine. Appointed in September 2021, he provides strategic direction for integrating diversity, equity, and inclusion into all aspects of the college.
Garry is a doctoral student at Auburn University where his research focuses on organizational change. He holds two Master’s degrees in educational leadership and policy and clinical mental health from State University of New York: University of Buffalo and NC State respectively.
Dr. Jerlando Jackson | Department Chair, Vilas Distinguished Professor of Higher Ed, & Prof. of Higher & Post-Sec Ed.
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Bio coming soon!
Evelyn Hunter | Counseling Psychologist & Faculty Member
Auburn Psychological Wellness Center & Auburn University
PhD Counseling Psychology | Auburn University
B.A. | Emory University
Evelyn Hunter, PhD is a Licensed with a BA in Psychology from Emory University and a PhD in Counseling Psychology from Auburn University. Dr. Hunter completed an internship in general and multicultural Psychology at Georgia Institute of Technology and a post-doctoral fellowship in Health Psychology (specifically neurodegenerative and autoimmune disorders) at North Main Counseling & Wellness/Premier Neurology. Dr. Hunter is a co-owner of Auburn Psychological Wellness Center, a group mental health practice where her passion is to connect aspects of mental, physical, and spiritual wellbeing. In addition to clinical practice at APWC, Dr. Hunter is an Associate Professor in Counseling Psychology at Auburn University. Dr. Hunter’s research investigates the impact of multicultural and diversity characteristics on mental health and behavioral constructs, including health disparities in mental and physical wellness constructs (e.g., Multiple Sclerosis).
Dr. Irmo Marini | Professor
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
PhD Rehabilitation Services | Auburn University
M.A. Clinical Psychology | Lakehead University
Irmo Marini, PhD, CRC, CLCP is a professor in rehabilitation counseling in the School of Rehabilitation at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. Dr. Marini has seven books and over 100 journal publications spanning 27 years as well as numerous academic and national Association awards. He also maintains a private practice in forensic rehabilitation consulting working as an expert witness in personal injury cases across the country.
Ms. Rose-Gaëlle Belinga | Vice President, Mobile Engineering
Morgan Stanley
MS Software Engineering | Auburn University
Born and raised in Cameroon, where technology and the arts often intersect, Rose-Gaëlle (R-G) later moved to the U.S. where she earned dual and graduate degrees in Arts and Software Engineering. She has been following her passion to enhance interactions between intelligent systems and their users through various full stack Software Engineering roles held at Morgan Stanley. As a Vice President in Mobile Engineering, she currently develops various libraries and tools used by mobile and web technologists, whilst implementing innovative in-house Augmented Reality applications that focus on both user collaboration as well as visualization of and interaction with financial data.
Empowered by her personal Financial Independence and Early Retirement (F.I.R.E.) [1] journey, and motivated to break the cycle of low diversity in the Computing field, R-G co-leads the IMPACT Tech Philanthropy program through which Morgan Stanley employees teach a CS4All [2] designed Computer Science curriculum at underserved high schools in New York, New Jersey, and London on a weekly basis, and at various universities throughout Ghana in the Summer. Most importantly, since starting her career, she has been mentoring students and new hires, while volunteering with local Women in Technology communities and serving as the Chair for the Business Advisory Council of the Computer Science and Software Engineering department at Auburn University.
Dr. Chennan Xue | Transportation Engineer
Arcadis U.S., Inc.
PhD Civil & Environmental Engineering | Auburn University
Dr. Chennan Xue is a Transportation Engineer at Arcadis U.S., Inc. His daily duties include traffic signal design, traffic signal retiming, traffic calming, and intersection safety studies. Dr. Xue graduated from Auburn in 2020 with a doctoral degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering.
Dr. Jorge Moncada | Postdoctoral Research Associate
Brookhaven National Laboratory
PhD Chemical Engineering | Auburn University
After working for about 10 years in R&D for the oil industry in Venezuela, I came to Auburn to pursue my Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering. During my time at Auburn, I performed very exciting research in heterogeneous catalysis. After graduating in Summer 2020, I got the opportunity to join Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL, Upton, NY) as a Postdoctoral Research Associate. Here, I joined the Catalysis Research and Structure group, where we conduct research focused on developing new approaches for the in situ characterization of heterogeneous catalysts for C1 chemistry. An important tool we use is the National Synchrotron Light Source II (NSLS II), located at BNL. By using cutting-edge characterization tools, we currently can understand at the molecular level catalytic reactions focusing on CO2 conversion.
Mr. Clay Walker | Director of Test Operations for Vehicle Development
Relativity Space
MS Aerospace Engineering | Auburn University
Clay Walker is the Director of Test Operations for Vehicle Development at Relativity Space. He manages the test operations of Relativity's Terran-1 test complex located at Stennis Space Center in Mississippi. In addition to developing and testing the propulsion systems of the 3D printed hardware, this role includes designing, building, and operating test stands with the current goal of launching Terran-1 later this year. Prior to Relativity, Clay spent seven years at SpaceX in McGregor, Texas, where he was the Senior Manager of Stage Test Operations. Clay received both his BS in Aerospace Engineering (2009) and MS in Aerospace Engineering (2011) at Auburn.
Ms. Kristin Fucito | Mechanical Design Engineer
Schneider Electric
MS Materials Engineering | Auburn University
I graduated from Auburn in 2018 with a Bachelor's in Mechanical Engineering and again in 2020 with my Master's in Materials Engineering. During my time at Auburn, I was involved with Auburn's chapter of ASME and I was a member of The Auburn University Marching Band. I am currently working at Schneider Electric as a Mechanical Design Engineer. Schneider Electric is a multinational company providing energy and automation digital solutions for efficiency and sustainability. Auburn helped prepare me by giving me the foundation I needed to be successful in my career.
Mr. Seth Hunt | Forest Ecologist/Biologist
Westervelt Ecological Services
MS Forestry | Auburn University
BS Forestry | Auburn University
Seth Hunt is a Forest Ecologist / Biologist whose role is within the Land Stewardship group for the Southeast Region of Westervelt Ecological Services (WES). His primary responsibilities included monitoring and reporting, large-scale project implementation for stream, wetland, and wildlife habitat, GIS support, and conducting various land management activities as prescribed burning, invasive species control, and overseeing various contractors. Seth received his Bachelors of Science in Forestry at Auburn University in 2014 and his Masters of Science in Forestry at Auburn University in 2016. His thesis pertained to land ownership changes, harvest behavior, and forest history in west-central Alabama with a focus in GIS and remote sensing applications. Additionally, he worked in the Longleaf Stand Dynamics Lab where he studied prescribed fire effects, silviculture, and habitat management of longleaf pine, oak-pine, and hardwood forest ecosystems in habitat management after completing his Bachelors of Science in Forestry at Auburn University in 2014.
Mr. Brandon Craft | Technical Services Forester
Forest Resource Consultants
M.N.R. Forestry | Auburn University
B.A. Humanities | Point University
Brandon Craft is from Baker County, Georgia. He studied forestry at Auburn (War Eagle!). While there, he focused on his native ecosystem, longleaf pine savannahs, which taught him to recognize complex systems. His love for that complexity and beauty eventually morphed into a love for forest technology. He currently works at Forest Resource Consultants, the second largest forestry consulting firm in the country. He lives in Macon, GA with his wife, Jenn, and their 19-month-old son, Flint, who is named after the Flint River.
Mr. Jack Stripling | Senior Writer
The Chronicle of Higher Education
M.A. English | Auburn University
B.A. English | Florida State University
Jack Stripling is a senior writer at The Chronicle of Higher Education, where he often writes about college leaders navigating crises, administrative palace intrigue, and the politics of the college presidency.
Jack got his start covering higher education, in 2003, as a beat reporter for the Opelika-Auburn News, where he wrote about Auburn University. He later covered the University of Florida for The Gainesville Sun. Before joining The Chronicle, in 2011, Jack was a reporter for Inside Higher Ed.
The Education Writers Association has honored Jack on several occasions for his watchdog reporting on a number of issues, including college governance, plagiarism, and executive compensation. His favorite things to get in the mail are huge batches of public records and anonymous tips, preferably stuffed with secret documents.
Dr. Shalonda Brooks | Staff Psychologist and Assistant Professor
Nationwide Children’s Hospital; Child Development Center | Ohio State University
Ph.D. Clinical Psychology | Auburn University
B.A. Psychology | Georgia State University
Shalonda Brooks is Child Clinical Psychologist with the Child Development Center at Nationwide Children’s Hospital and Assistant Professor - Clinical at The Ohio State University. She graduated with her doctorate from Auburn University. At Auburn University, she was the student director of the Autism Clinic for two years and credits these experiences with growing her passion for working with children with developmental disabilities. She completed her internship and postdoctoral fellowship at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston TX and primarily worked at an outpatient community mental health center in which she saw many kids with trauma histories and really began to think about the overlap in trauma and ASD symptoms. Currently she has been working in the field for 10 years. She is involved in assessing children, providing treatment (including PCIT, RUBI, TF-CBT, and Social thinking), and supervising practicum students and interns.
Mr. Eric Ferrell | Digital Media Coordinator
CNN
M.A. Political Science and Government | Auburn University
B.A. Print Journalism | Asbury University
- Helped six people find work at CNN.
- Recruited entry-level CNN employees to job shadow and matched them with friendly, knowledgeable hosts in my department. Job shadowing provided a talent pool for our freelance training program, which in turn supported hiring options for full-time teammates.
- Trained and authorized to begin work more than twenty freelancers in production.
- Wrote training documents.
- Wrote and produced Business Brief stock market reports for CNN's Airport Network and CNN's Newsource affiliated stations.
- Wrote articles for CNN.com.
- Licensed photos, court sketches, audio, and video recordings for CNN Domestic, CNN International, HLN, and CNN.com.
- Conducted research for CNN Library Reference Desk using LexisNexis and proprietary databases.
- Lowered legal risk and preserved brand integrity by auditing video reports for accuracy and proper licensing prior to air.
- Supervised production team of ten. Made assignments and solved problems.
- Voiced translations.
- Maintained sufficient space on primary video server by deciding which clips to delete.
- Worked with Macs and PCs to import video from FTP servers, websites, e-mails, Dropbox, and other means.
- Helped launch and maintain CNN’s Image Archive.
Dr. Stacey McCullough | Bio-tech/Life Science Consultant
Pharmacy Insights & Innovations, LLC & Scientia RX, LLC
Pharm.D. | Auburn University
Stacey W. McCullough, Pharm D., is a pharmaceutical, life sciences, and biotech consultant who guides pharmaceutical manufacturers in forging lasting, effective partnerships with community oncologists and practices. A noted expert on specialty pharmacy, Dr. McCullough aims to embolden pharma’s patient-centric approach. “I see the big picture and know the details,” she says, “With this vision I can help craft clinical, value, and operational messages that will resonate with the C-suite, physician leadership, and practicing oncologists.”
Dr. McCullough is uniquely qualified to help pharma. She hails from Tennessee Oncology, one of the largest community oncology groups. Hired as the practice’s first pharmacist, she took the title of Director of Pharmacy (2010 to 2015) and established all pharmacy protocols, policies, and procedures; defined workflows; formulated the job descriptions; built every team, and trained all team members.
“In creating the specialty pharmacy business unit, I understand the complexity of integration and know it’s not achieved within a meeting. I offer immense experience on deriving thoughtful solutions, engaging for execution, and delivering successful outcomes that will differentiate pharma’s value and partnerships,” she says. Dr. McCullough’s scope of knowledge includes the decision-making path through the matrix of P&T, formulary, clinical pathways, patient access and affordability, payer coverage, and ROI. “In addition to understanding the current state, I have also actively engaged in future constructs for the progression to value-based,” she says. “I understand the full practice landscape within a variety of scenarios based on in-class competitors, payer model, benefit design, and execution strategy.
Dr. McCullough advanced to executive leadership in the title of Senior Vice President, Pharmacy (2015 to 2022) because the dispensing pharmacy grew to a multi-million-dollar operation delivering a third of total revenue for the organization.
Dr. McCullough has participated on advisory boards, committees, national sales meetings, and training for AbbVie, Array, Astra-Zeneca, Atara, Biegene, Bayer, BluePrint Medicines, Boehringer Ingleheim, Celgene, CTI, Dova, Epizyme, Exelixis, Gilead, G1 Therapeutics, Genetech, Genzyme, Glaxo Smith Kline, Heron, Morphosys, Mirati, Myriad, Novartis, Pfizer, Regeneron, Sanofi, Takeda, and Teva, Daiichi Sankyo (DSI), Exiles, SeaGen, Pfizer, Incyte, Eagle Pharmaceuticals, EMD Serono, and Pharmacyclics. In addition, she has provided consulting services under the umbrella of firms including CE Synergy, The Dedham Group, Coleman Research, Atheneum Partners, GLG, Precision Advisors, Innovation Partners, CB Partners Eversana, Discern Health, Charles River Associates, Clearview, IQVIA, Darwin Research, LEK, ZS Associates, and GuidePoint, and Magnolia Innovations.
Dr. McCullough provides her expertise to numerous professional organizations including Community Oncology Pharmacy Association (Apr 2015 – Present); National Community Oncology Dispensing Association, Inc., where she was a member of the Executive Council (Mar 2020 – Present); NCODA Center of Excellence/MIP Accreditation Executive Accreditation Council, where she was named Regional Leader (Jun 2017 – 2020); Advanced Topics for Pharmacy Professionals Steering Committee (2021 – present); Pharmacy Times: Oncology Pharmacy, where she sits on the Editorial Advisory Board (April 2019 – Present); and Cardinal Health: VitalSource™ GPO Advisory Council (Sep 2015- 2018). She served as Charter Advisory Board Member with RainTree Oncology (Mar 2011 – Mar 2016).
A prolific publisher, her recent works include, Providing uninterrupted oral oncolytic therapies during the COVID-10 pandemic. 2020 ASCO Quality Care Symposium; Feasibility of and associate cost savings from transitioning to therapeutic biosimilar use in a large community oncology network. 2020 ASCO Quality Care Symposium; The effects of COVID-19 on new oral oncolytic treatments. 2020 ASCO Quality Care Symposium; Impact of a built-in electronic medical record prompt on guideline-recommended prophylactic antiviral usage in patients with multiple myeloma receiving proteasome inhibitors. 2020 ASCO Quality Care Symposium; and Use of antiemetic prophylaxis and oral breakthrough medication for highly emetogenic chemotherapy (HEC) in a large community oncology network. 2020 ASCO Quality Care Symposium. She sits on the Editorial Boards for Specialty Pharmacy Times and Directions in Oncology Pharmacy.
Dr. McCullough has been honored to deliver keynote speeches at national industry events and pharmaceutical sales meetings, including for the ASCO Oncology Practice Conference, GPO annual meetings, AJMC clinical webinars, and the Patient Centered Oncology Care (PCOC) Conference. She has also conducted an NPR interview. Her additional speaking engagements include those for the Association Value Based Cancer Care (AVBCC) Annual Summit and COVID web-cast series, the Annual Summit Community Oncology Association (COA), and the National Community Oncology Dispensing Association (NCODA)
Dr. McCullough earned a Doctor of Pharmacy and Bachelor of Science from Auburn University in Auburn, Alabama, graduating both times cum laude. She earned her pharmacy license from the State of Tennessee in 1993.
Dr. Autumn Gordon | Clinical Pharmacist Practitioner & Residency Program Director
Veterans Health Administration (VA)
Pharm.D. | Auburn University
B.S. Clinical Laboratory Science | Indiana University
Dr. Gordon received a BS in Clinical Laboratory Science from Indiana University before graduating with her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the Harrison College of Pharmacy, Auburn University in 2007. She went on to complete a PGY1 Pharmacy Practice Residency with Parkview Regional Medical Center in Fort Wayne, IN. Dr. Gordon joined VA Northern Indiana in 2008 and transferred to Central Alabama Health Care system (CAVHCS) in 2015. During her VA career, she has served as a PACT Clinical Pharmacy Specialist, PGY1 Residency Coordinator, and is currently the PGY1 Residency Program Director at CAVHCS. She accepts APPE students from Harrison College of Pharmacy, Auburn University for their Ambulatory Care rotations and serves as a preceptor for the Pharmacy Residency Ambulatory Care rotations at CAVHCS.
Mr. Scott Pokswinski | Deputy Director/Research Biologist
Tall Timbers
MS Biology | Auburn University
BS | Central Washington University
Scott Pokswinski is the Deputy Director of Fire Science Applications at Tall Timbers. At Tall Timbers, he has worked on various projects incorporating biology, ecology, physics, and remote sensing for the past five years. Previously, Scott managed fire disturbance ecology studies at Eglin AFB for eight years, first as a botanist with the Jones Center, then as a Research Scientist at the University of Nevada at Reno. He received an M.S. from Auburn University where his thesis work examined the effects of the invasive Chinese privet on bay swamps in southern Alabama. His recent work has focused on the integration of fire science and fire management and the development of scalable LiDAR tools for use in ecological and fuels monitoring and the integration of these tools into next generation fire models.
Dr. Olivia Turner | Senior Staff Geologist
Occidental Petroleum Corp
PhD Geology | Colorado School of Mines
MS Geology | Auburn University
Originally from Birmingham, AL, I received my BS from Vanderbilt University in 2002 and my MS from Auburn in 2006. I had multiple jobs from Geologist at the USGS Marine and Coastal Division in California, to teaching Geology at Red Rocks Community College in Colorado, to rare-earth mineral exploration in Canada before coming back to Colorado to start a PhD at Colorado School of Mines. I had internships at Newfield and Chevron before taking a job at Anadarko in 2015 which is now Occidental Petroleum. I love camping, backpacking, skiing, canoeing, and fishing with my 2 boys in Colorado, and of course cheering for Auburn!
Josh Poole
Bio coming soon!
Dr. Jocelyn Richardson | Lead Veterinarian
Southern Veterinary Partners
DVM | Auburn University
M.S. | Alabama A&M University
Originally from Dothan, Al. Earned my B.S. in Animal & Dairy Sciences from Auburn University. I achieved my M.S. in Food & Animal Sciences from Alabama A & M University. I then returned to Auburn to complete my Doctor of Veterinary Medicine. Currently I am a Lead Veterinarian for Southern Veterinary Partners. I enjoy reading, running and paddle boarding in my off time.
Dr. Nick De Pompa | Neurologist/Neurosurgeon & Medical Director
Southeast Veterinary Neurology
DVM | Auburn University
MS | Auburn University
De Pompa went on to graduate from Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine in Alabama, then completed a one-year neurology and neurosurgery internship. This was followed by a three-year neurology and neurosurgery residency. Post-residency, Dr. De Pompa successfully passed the ACVIM Neurology certifying examination and became board-certified that same year. He also completed a master’s degree in biomedical science with an emphasis on neuropathic pain identification and management.
Dr. De Pompa’s professional interests include all aspects of neurology and neurosurgery, with a particular interest in pain management, brain and spinal cord surgery, and encephalitis management.
Dr. Etta Bradecamp | Fertility Specialist
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Bio coming soon!
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Last modified: April 4, 2022