Alumni Notes
Career fairs such as the School of Accountancy’s “Meet the Firms" present professional opportunities to students
James “Rob” Stroud (’82, marketing) retired from Hunter Douglas in 2021 after work- ing in the window coverings industry for 50 years. Before his retirement, Rob was successfully managing Hunter Douglas’ two largest inventory categories. Throughout his career he served as the sales manager and product manager for Kirsch and Hunt- er Douglas. “Harbert College gave me the knowledge to do critical thinking and to understand how the business world changes daily.” In his free time, Rob can be found on the golf course, traveling the world or selling window coverings on the side. Robert Todd (’84, business administration) built a 39-year long career as an industri- al specialist with the U.S. Department of Defense, a path shaped by his studies in industrial and operations management at Auburn. By the time he retired, he had risen to the role of program manager, overseeing new production of the C-130J Super Her- cules aircraft. David Wespiser (’83, accounting) stays busy in his hometown of Oxford, Ohio, running the company he founded with friends more than 30 years ago. They develop and build projects for long-term investment. “Not a day goes by that I don’t apply the principles of my accounting education from the Har-
bert College of Business.” In his leisure time David and his wife, Lisa, enjoy traveling to visit family and friends.
Angie McCollum (’88, human resource manage- ment) held her first job as an intern at the Farmers National Bank in Opelika while she completed her senior year at Auburn. Her degree then launched her into a role at a Fortune 100 corporation headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. She completed her MBA at Kennesaw State University while working full-time. She started her own consulting and coaching practice after being in the corporate world as a human capital exec- utive for 20 years. Her daughter, Meghan Keller, will be carrying on the Auburn legacy by attending as a freshman this fall. As her daughter leaves the nest, Angie is transition- ing her part-time human capital consulting and leadership coaching business, Sophic Partners, to full-time work. Michelle Riehl (’89, marketing) works for a CPA firm, Aldridge Borden & Company, as an account manager. Over time, her focus has shifted from tax preparation to pay- roll. After earning her bachelor’s degree, she began her career at AmSouth Bank, now known as Regions Bank. Later, after completing her master’s from the Univer- sity of Memphis, she returned to Regions to work in the marketing department. She takes great pride in her two children, both graduates of Auburn University’s College of Sciences and Mathematics.
1990s Jeff Call (’95, accounting, ’96, MAcc) serves as CEO of Bennett Thrasher, a top 65 account- ing and consulting firm in the U.S. with offices in Atlanta, Dallas and Denver. Jeff has been named in the Georgia Trend 500 list of the state's most influential leaders, mentioned in the 2025 Forbes’ first-ever America’s Best-In-State CPAs list and is included in the 2025 Georgia Titan 100 list. Al Cheatham Jr. (’90, accounting) recently became the president and chief executive officer of Bonnie Plants, the largest vegetable and herb distributor in the U.S., which is headquartered in Opelika, Alabama. For 24 years, Al served in various roles at Alabama Farmers Cooperative, most recently as the executive vice officer and chief operating officer. He and his spouse, Leslie Cheatham (’90), have two sons, Trey (’20, ’21) and Mack (’23, ’24), who both earned undergraduate
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