Lowder Executive-In-Residence

The Robert and Charlotte Lowder Visiting Executive-In-Residence Program is designed to provide students and faculty with direct access to prominent business leaders, facilitating open discussions on current industry challenges. By bringing experienced executives into the classroom, the program offers students firsthand insights into the complexities of the business world, encouraging them to think critically and creatively about the challenges of tomorrow.

The Robert and Charlotte Lowder Visiting Executive-in-Residence Program

This program became a reality through the generous endowment of Robert and Charlotte Lowder. Mr. Lowder is a 1964 graduate of the College of Business. A longtime supporter of Auburn University, he currently serves on the board of trustees.

The Robert and Charlotte Lowder Visiting Executive-in-Residence Program provides students and faculty with an opportunity to interact with prominent executives for an open exchange of views on current issues. Through this vital program, executives are brought into the classroom to offer students first-hand information about the complexities of the business world, while giving them the inspiration they need to seek new ways to meet the challenges of tomorrow.

• Past Lowder Executive-In-Residence Participants

  The following details all participants since the program’s inception in 1996. Note: Names and titles appear as they were during the time the speaker presented at AU.

  • Allen, William Stephen
    Group Senior Vice President
    A.P. Moller-Maersk
    Copenhagen, Denmark
  • Baggett, Steve
    Senior Producer
    Executive Visions, Inc.
    Atlanta, GA
  • Barnes, Patricia
    President and Founder
    Sister Schubert’s Homemade Rolls
    Luverne, AL
  • Beasley, Jere L.
    Beasley, Allen, Crow, Methvin, Portis & Miles, P.C.
    Montgomery, AL
  • Bowers, Robert E.
    Director and CFO
    Net.B@nk
    Atlanta, GA
  • Bradley, Kerry
    Chief Operating Officer
    Luxottica Retail
    Mason, OH
  • Brandrup, Jay
    Principal
    kiNETic Communications LLP
    Birmingham, AL
  • Bray, Bennie
    Managing Partner
    Monarch Capital Partners, LLC
    Dallas, TX
  • Brown, Willis
    Consultant
    Wamar International, Inc.
    Simi Valley Hills, CA
  • Carroll, Marvin P.
    President and CEO
    Tec-Masters, Inc.
    Huntsville, AL
  • Cathy, Truett
    Founder and Chairman
    Chick-fil-A
    Atlanta, GA
  • Chapman, Mark R.
    CFO
    Vendormate, Inc.
    Atlanta, GA
  • Cloninger, Kriss III
    President and CFO
    Aflac Incorporated
    Columbus, GA
  • Conn, Walton T. Jr.
    Global Head of Audit Methodology and Implementation
    KPMG LLP
    Montvale, NJ
  • Crouse, Steven
    Global Marketing Manager
    Dade Behring Corporation
    Deerfield, IL
  • Crutchfield, Robert L.
    Venture Partner, Harbert Venture Partners
    Harbert Management Corp.
    Birmingham, AL
  • Edwards, Lacy
    Chairman and CEO
    Evoke Software
    San Francisco, CA
  • Eldred, Kenneth
    Founder
    Ariba Technologies, Inc.
    Silicon Valley, CA
  • Fahey, John M. Jr.
    President and CEO
    National Geographic Society
    Washington, DC
  • Fischer, Klemens H.
    Minister Counselor
    Permanent Representation of Austria
    To the European Union
  • Forchette, Mark J.
    President and CEO OptiMedica
    Santa Clara, CA
  • Franklin, Samuel H.
    Partner
    Lightfoot, Franklin & White LLC
    Birmingham, AL
  • Grimes, D.R.
    Vice Chairman and CEO
    Net.B@nk
    Atlanta, GA
  • Hairston, George III
    President and CEO
    Southern Nuclear Operating Company
    Birmingham, AL
  • Harbert, Raymond J.
    Chairman and CEO
    Harbert Management Corporation
    Birmingham, AL
  • Hare, Richard B.
    Sr. VP-Finance, Treasurer and CFO
    Carmike Cinemas, Inc.
    Columbus, GA
  • Houser, Doug
    Principal
    Mega Capital LLC
    Dallas, TX
  • Johnson, Roy S.
    Editor-at-Large
    Fortune Magazine
    New York, NY
  • Kourpias, George
    President
    International Association of Machinists And Aerospace Workers
    Silver Springs, MD
  • Lasater, Philip
    Executive Director
    Alabama Real Estate Commission
    Montgomery, AL
  • Lee, James C. III
    President and CEO
    Buffalo Rock Co.
    Birmingham, AL
  • Lewis, Tim
    President and Founder
    T.A. Lewis & Associates
    Tuscaloosa, AL
  • David M. Parsons
    Strategic GTM & Ecosystems | Advisor | Investor
  • Luck, David A.
    President, Chief Operating Officer and Director
    ABC Supply Co., Inc.
    Beloit, WI
  • Malone, Wallace D. Jr.
    Vice Chairman
    Wachovia Corporation
    Birmingham, AL
  • Mansour, Mohamed L.
    President
    The Mansour Group
    Cairo, Egypt
  • Martin, Brad
    Chairman and CEO
    Saks Incorporated
    Birmingham, AL
  • Martin, Gary C.
    Vice Chairman, Secretary and Director
    Martin Sprocket & Gear, Inc.
    Arlington, TX
  • Marto, Michael I.
    President and CEO
    Executive Visions, Inc.
    Atlanta, GA
  • Moore, Mike
    Executive VP of Treasury
    Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago
    Chicago, IL
  • Murray, Robert
    Plant Manager
    Michelin
    Opelika, AL
  • Nelson, Kent C. “Oz”
    Retired Chairman and CEO
    United Parcel Service
    Atlanta, GA
  • Paradice, Phillip
    Capacity Development Team Chief
    US Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration
    Atlanta, GA
  • Parsons, Earl B. III
    Vice President-Fuel Services
    Southern Company
    Birmingham, AL
    
  • Rane, James W.
    President and CEO
    Great Southern Wood Preserving, Inc.
    Abbeville, AL
  • Rebrovick, Linda
    EVP & Chief Marketing Officer
    BearingPoint, Inc.
    Nashville, TN
  • Reynolds, Edgar L.
    President of Network Operations
    Cingular Wireless
    Atlanta, GA
  • Robinson, Steve
    SVP/Chief Marketing Officer
    Chick-fil-A, Inc.
    Atlanta, GA
  • Sanders, Ronald James
    President
    Warner Home Video, Inc.
    Los Angeles, CA
  • Schroeder, Harold
    President
    Carlson Research/Connecticut
    Greenwich, CT
  • Shimp, Steven C.
    President
    Owen-Ames-Kimball Co.
    Fort Myers, FL
  • Sittig, Captain Lawrence A.
    Systems Manager Flight Operations
    Delta Air Lines, Inc.
    Atlanta, GA
  • Smith, John F., Jr.
    Retired Chairman and CEO
    General Motors Corporation
    Detroit, MI
  • Spencer, L. Jr.
    Chairman
    AuburnBank
    Auburn, AL
  • Steinberg, Richard M.
    Partner
    Coopers & Lybrand LLP
    New York, NY
  • Stephens, Ken
    VP Real Estate
    Home Depot
    Orange, CA
  • Styslinger, Lee J. III
    President and CEO
    Altec, Inc.
    Birmingham, AL
  • Tankersley, Will Hill Jr.
    Partner
    Balch & Bingham LLP
    Birmingham, AL
  • Teerlink, Richard F. (Former CEO, Harley Davidson) & Lee M. Ozley
    Co-Authors
    More Than a Motorcycle: The Leadership Journey at Harley Davidson
  • Ussery, Richard
    Chairman and CEO
    Total System Services, Inc.
    Columbus, GA
  • Wilkinson, Harry Richard
    Retired CFO
    Orient Overseas International
    Bellevue, WA
  • Wilson, Wendy S.
    Owner, President and CEO
    Aero Thermo Technology, Incorporated (AT2)
    Huntsville, AL
  • Wingfield, Charlotte
    Partner
    KPMG LLP
    Los Angeles, CA
  • Zarrella, Ron
    EVP and President
    General Motors Corp., North America
  • Zyman, Sergio
    Senior VP and Chief Marketing Officer
    Coca-Cola Company
    Atlanta, GA

About the program

This vital program was made possible by a generous endowment from Robert and Charlotte Lowder. Robert Lowder, a 1964 graduate of Auburn University’s College of Business and a former member of the Auburn University Board of Trustees, has played a key role in establishing this initiative, reflecting his ongoing commitment to the university and fostering the next generation of business leaders.