FEATURE
Kim Spencer (’86, business management) was hired by NASA in October 1987 and retired from NASA in August 2023. “My career was so rewarding and made possi- ble because of the education I received from AU! Forever grateful to be a Tiger!” Blake Thomas (’83, management) has owned a State Farm Insurance agency near Daytona Beach for the past 36 years. His wife, Beth McCoy Thomas, finished AU in 1982. They have three kids and four grandkids and are building a home in Boone, North Carolina. While attend- ing Auburn, Blake told Beth that he was not interested in insurance as a career, but five years after graduating he opened his agency and loves what he has been doing ever since! Their son, who graduated from Auburn in business in 2017, is about to start his own insurance agency as well. Ralph Woodard (’88, accounting, ’88 MBA) is the CFO for Capital Blue Cross and lives in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. He and his family love living in the middle of the places so important to American history like Philadelphia, Gettysburg, and York, among many others.
1990s Jonathan Andrews (’92, MBA) retired from O’Reilly Auto Parts in February 2024 after leading the human resources and learn- ing department of the organization for 12 years. He is planning on taking a year off to travel, enjoy time with family, and play some golf. “Auburn provided the background and education that prepared me for a success- ful 32-year career in human resources and learning and development. Each position I held in human resources provided me with countless experiences and opportunities eventually leading O’Reilly Auto Parts for 12 years as its CHRO.” Melissa Blackwood (’93, information systems management) is currently work- ing in a rural area community hospital in Maryville, Tennessee as a nurse anes- thetist. She has been there since 2009, except for a two-year journey in Cullman, Alabama at Cullman Regional Medical Center. In her work, she regards each day as a new challenge. She has four adopted
daughters about to enter their teenage years, which provides a different kind of challenge as well. Jason Gray (’92, finance) is in his 17th season of Major League Baseball with the Tampa Bay Rays as the team’s director of financial planning and analysis. “Harbert College provided the foundation for budgeting and forecasting for the current year as well as long-term forecasting with development projects.” Galen Lamar Hill (’95, management) completed two years of service for the Georgia State Guard and is currently ranked as an E4-Specalist. He will begin a Basic Officer Leadership Course in 2025 and earn the rank of 2nd Lt. He has been Incident Commander for 911 Emergency Services for ten years. He originally entered the school of business because finance training provided leadership qualities applicable to many endeavors.
50 Harbert Magazine, Spring 2025
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