Published on January 13, 2021  
Belltower 2

Two of Birmingham’s business leaders have been selected to lead Samford University’s Board of Overseers for a three-year term. Leigh Davis M.B.A. ’05, will serve as chair and Todd Carlisle ’88, J.D. ’91, will serve as vice chair.

Davis is vice president for economic community development at Alabama Power Company where she leads a team responsible for economic, community and commercial business development across the state. Davis has also been an active member of the Brock School of Business Dean’s Advisory Board.  

Carlisle, a two-time graduate of Samford, is president and shareholder of Sirote & Permutt, PC where his practice focuses on mergers and acquisitions and general corporate representation. Carlisle is a past president of the Samford Alumni Association and was recognized as the university’s Alumnus of the Year in 2015. 

The 36-member Board of Overseers was inaugurated in 1998 to provide advice and counsel to the Samford president and Board of Trustees. It includes distinguished leaders from around the nation whose perspectives offer a broad representation of the university's constituency.

New members of the Board of Overseers include:

Lynn Boggs ‘79 of Miramar Beach, Florida, CEO of University Fancards

Jennifer Rash ’07 of Birmingham, Alabama, president and editor-in-chief of The Alabama Baptist

Nena F. Sanders of Calera, Alabama, founding vice provost of Samford’s College of Health Sciences and retired dean of the Moffett & Sanders School of Nursing

Gil Simmons ’83 of Vestavia Hills, Alabama, an attorney with David P. Condon, PC and former president of the Samford Alumni Association

Chenelle R. Terry ‘13 of Atlanta, Georgia, content producer for CNN

Jeremy Towns ’13 of Birmingham, Alabama, a resident physician at the University of Alabama at Birmingham 

Overseers who were approved for additional terms of service through 2023 include: Brent Fielder ’08 and ‘19 of Atlanta, Georgia; John Floyd ’85, ’88 and ‘99 of Birmingham, Alabama; Corey Green ‘02 of Birmingham, Alabama; Brian Kelly ‘87 of Alexandria, Virginia; Daniel W. Samford of Birmingham, Alabama; and Mechelle Wilder ‘83 of Birmingham, Alabama.

 
Samford is a leading Christian university offering undergraduate programs grounded in the liberal arts with an array of nationally recognized graduate and professional schools. Founded in 1841, Samford is the 87th-oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. Samford enrolls 5,791 students from 49 states, Puerto Rico and 16 countries in its 10 academic schools: arts, arts and sciences, business, divinity, education, health professions, law, nursing, pharmacy and public health. Samford fields 17 athletic teams that compete in the tradition-rich Southern Conference and ranks 6th nationally for its Graduation Success Rate among all NCAA Division I schools.