SPEAKERS

Born in Camden, Alabama, and raised on her father’s farm, Kay Ivey learned early the values of hard work, faith, family, and community. After graduating from Auburn University in 1967, she worked as a teacher, bank officer, and later in state government, including as Reading Clerk of the Alabama House and Assistant Director of the Alabama Development Office.

In 2002, she became the first Republican State Treasurer elected since Reconstruction and later made history as Alabama’s first Republican woman Lieutenant Governor, serving two terms. She was sworn in as Alabama’s 54th Governor in 2017 and has since been elected to two full terms, most recently in 2022. Her administration has focused on education, economic development, infrastructure, broadband expansion, and public safety.

Governor Ivey has received numerous awards, including the ALFA Service to Agriculture Award, the Army Aviation Order of St. Michael Knight Award, the Cognia STEM Champion Award, and induction into the Alabama Automotive Manufacturers Association Hall of Fame.

She is an active member of First Baptist Church of Montgomery, the Montgomery Rotary Club, and the YMCA Board of Directors, and is the first Girls State alumna to hold a constitutional office in Alabama.

Meet Kristin Scroggin – A huge fan of Generational Diversity armed with a Communication Studies master's degree from the University of Alabama and a bachelor's from Montevallo in decoding GenZ slang and millennial emojis. Kristin embarked on her research endeavors during her almost 20-year tenure as a professor at the University of Alabama in Huntsville before giving birth to her company, genWHY Communications in 2017.

Kristin has a passion for decoding the generational enigma and is known for her straight-talk speaking style and wicked twist of humor. Kristin has been on stages in 42 states, left her mark in 3 countries, and sprinkled her wisdom across more than 160 conferences for 350+ diverse organizations. From Fortune 500 giants to pint-sized non-profits, she's been there, done that, and left an indelible impression.

Roger Tutterow is Professor of Economics at Kennesaw State University where he holds the Henssler Financial Endowed Chair.

His analysis of the economic, business and political environments have been featured in a variety of media including Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, Business Week, Forbes, USA Today, Atlanta Journal Constitution, Arizona Republic, Florida Times-Union, Kansas City Star, Los Angeles Times, New York Times, Orlando Sentinel, Palm Beach Post, Wichita Eagle and on CNN, CNBC, NBC, Bloomberg Television, NPR’s “Marketplace” and “All Things Considered,” CNN-Radio as well as by regional electronic and print media.

A Georgia native, Dr. Tutterow holds a B.S. in Decision Science from Berry College and a M.A. and Ph.D. in Economics from Georgia State University. Prior to joining Kennesaw State University, Dr. Tutterow held faculty and administrative appointments at West Virginia University, Georgia State University and Mercer University. He has also served as a visiting professor at the University of the West Indies in Trinidad and at the Institute for Industrial Policy Studies in Seoul, South Korea.

Matt has been with Nucor for more than 12 years and is currently the controller at their steel mill in Birmingham, Alabama.  Prior to Nucor, Matt held several positions with Walmart, Inc. as well as in public accounting.  He graduated from the University of Arkansas in 2006 with a degree in accounting & finance, and is a licensed CPA.  He is happily married to Lindsey, his wife of 18 years, and has three children, Ava, Liam, and Finley

Dan Caughran is the vice president of Production Operations and Supply Chain for United Launch Alliance (ULA). In this role, he leads a team of more than 800 employees at ULA’s production facilities in Decatur, Alabama, and Pueblo, Colorado, as well as all the Supply Chain organization.

Prior to rejoining ULA, Caughran served as vice president of Defense Operations for Spirit AeroSystems. There he led Spirit’s defense programs from the engineering and manufacturing development phases to reliable and eicient recurring production. During his time at Spirit, he held numerous roles including vice president of Global Quality, vice president of Quality and Manufacturing Services, and vice president and general manager of Spirit UK in Scotland.

He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration from Regis University.

Fiona Bell is Head of State Government Affairs for Novelis, a global leader in aluminum recycling and rolling. In this role, she leads advocacy programs across multiple states. Previously, she managed federal advocacy and internal/external communications for the North America region, Novelis’ largest business unit. She has considerable experience in manufacturing including the aluminum, steel, and paper sectors.

Fiona is committed to women's empowerment, having led the Women in Novelis employee resource group and currently serving as Board Chair of the Atlanta Women’s Foundation, a nonprofit devoted to helping women and girls break the cycle of poverty.

Fiona holds a bachelor’s degree in English literature from Rhodes College. She is currently pursuing an executive Master of Public Affairs at Duke University’s Sanford School of Public Policy. Fiona and her husband have three children and live in Atlanta,Georgia.

Keith Phillips is a respected and results-driven leader in Alabama’s higher education and workforce development ecosystem. As Deputy Chancellor of Workforce and Economic Development for the Alabama Community College System (ACCS), and Executive Director of the Alabama Technology Network (ATN), Keith plays a pivotal role in shaping statewide strategies that prepare Alabamians for high-demand, high-wage careers— and in doing so, he helps ensure Alabama’s workforce is as competitive as its potential.

Under his leadership, ATN and the ACCS Innovation Center have expanded their reach, delivering rapid, relevant, and responsive training programs across dozens of industry sectors. Keith has been instrumental in positioning ACCS as Alabama’s premier workforce engine — a statewide system built to scale, proven to work, and ready to meet the needs of tomorrow’s economy.