Notable Speakers

Each week the Rotary Club of Birmingham welcomes speakers of high caliber who bring interesting information on a variety of topics. Past presenters include government officials and politicians, researchers and innovators, as well as leaders in business, sports and media.

NATIONAL / INTERNATIONAL / LOCAL BUSINESS LEADERS

  • David Abney, CEO, UPS 

  • Duane Ackerman, CEO, BellSouth 

  • Ed Aldag, Jr., Chairman, President & CEO, Medical Properties Trust 

  • Ed Bastian, President, Delta Airlines 

  • Rich Bielen, President & CEO, Protective Life Corporation

  • Stephanie Bryan, Tribal Chair and CEO, Poarch Creek Indians 

  • Daryl G. Byrd, President & CEO, IBERIABANK Corporation 

  • Kelly Caruso, CEO, Shipt 

  • Dan Cathy, President, Chick-Fil-A 

  • John Chidsey, CEO, Burger King 

  • Brian Cornell, Board Chairman & CEO, Target 

  • Mark Crosswhite, CEO, Alabama Power 

  • Sam DiPiazza, CEO, PricewaterhouseCoopers 

  • Sandy Douglas, President, Coca Cola, N.A. 

  • Governor John Engler, Michigan; Chairman, National Association of Manufacturers 

  • Tom Fanning, CEO, Southern Company 

  • David Ferriola, CEO, Nucor 

  • Edsel Ford, Ford Motor Company 

  • Nancy Goedecke, Chairman & CEO, Mayer Electric Supply 

  • John Goff, Founder and Chairman, Crescent Real Estate and Goff Capital

  • Jim Gorrie, President, Brasfield & Gorrie 

  • Raymond Harbert, CEO, Harbert Management Corporation 

  • Jason Hoff, CEO, Mercedes-Benz U.S. International 

  • Jeffrey Immelt, CEO, General Electric 

  • Don James, CEO, Vulcan Materials

  • Johnny Johns, CEO, Protective, Inc. 

  • Bill Johnston, Past President, NY Stock Exchange 

  • Dale E. Jones, CEO, Diversified Search 

  • Ola Källenius, Chairman, Mercedes-Benz and Daimler

  • Kelly King, CEO, BB&T 

  • Libby Lassiter, President, Bayer Properties 

  • Don Logan, CEO, Time Inc. 

  • James McManus, CEO, Energen 

  • Phillip McWane, Chairman, McWane, Inc. 

  • Jim Owens, CEO, Caterpillar, Inc. 

  • Jimmy Parnell, ALFA CEO

  • Keith Parrott, CEO, Baptist Health System

  • Craig Perciavalle, President, Austal USA 

  • T. Boone Pickens, Oil & Gas Exploration and Investor

  • Hunter Renfroe, Co-Founder, Orchestra Partners 

  • Van Richey, CEO, American Cast Iron Pipe Co. 

  • Jim Rogers, Investor and Hedge Fund Manager 

  • Jeff Rosenthal, CEO, Hibbett Sports 

  • Manolo Sanchez, CEO, BBVA Compass 

  • Adam Schechter, President, Merck  

  • Sandy Schwartz, President, Cox Automotive 

  • Tom Shoupe, President, Honda Motors of Alabama

  • Robert Simon, President & CEO, Corporate Realty 

  • Bill Smith, Founder, Shipt and Landing

  • W. Stancil Starnes, Chairman & CEO, ProAssurance Corporation 

  • Warren Stephens, CEO, Stephens, Inc.  

  • Randall Stephenson CEO, AT&T  

  • Stephanie Stuckey, CEO, Stuckey’s

  • John Stumpf, CEO, Wells Fargo 

  • John Surma, CEO, U.S. Steel 

  • Mark Tarr, President & CEO, Encompass Health 

  • John Turner, President & CEO, Regions Financial Corporation

  • Ted Turner, Founder and CEO, CNN 

  • Tim Vines, President & CEO, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama

  • J. David Walker, President & CEO, EBSCO Industries, Inc. 

  • Steve Zelnak, Jr., CEO, Martin Marietta 

Medical / Scientific Leaders

  • Dr. Regina Benjamin, U.S. Surgeon General

  • Josh Carpenter, CEO, Southern Research

  • Catherine Coleman Flowers, Founder, Center for Rural Enterprise and Environmental Justice

  • Dr. Mona Fouad, Director, UAB Minority Health and Health Disparities Research Center

  • Dr. James Kirklin, Heart Surgeon, UAB

  • Dr. Jim McClintock, Marine Biologist, UAB

  • Dr. Matt Might, Director, Hugh Kaul Precision Medicine Institute, UAB

  • Dr. Kathy Nugent, Executive Director, Harbert Institute of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, UAB

  • Dr. Michael Saag, Associate Dean for Global Health and Founder of the 1917 Clinic, UAB

  • Dr. Barry P. Sleckman, Director, O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center, UAB

  • Victor Vescovo, Undersea Explorer

  • Dr. Selwyn Vickers, CEO, UAB Health System and UAB/Ascension St. Vincent’s Alliance; Dean, UAB Heersink School of Medicine

  • Mike Warren, CEO, Children’s of Alabama

SPORTS LEADERS

  • Charles Barkley, NBA Hall of Famer 

  • Greg Byrne, Athletics Director, University of Alabama 

  • Bill Clark, Head Football Coach, UAB 

  • John Cohen, Auburn University Director of Athletics

  • Trent Dilfer, Head Football Coach, UAB

  • Paul Finebaum, Radio and TV Personality 

  • Hubert Green, US Open and PGA Champion 

  • Allen Greene, Athletics Director, Auburn University 

  • Bryan Harsin, Head Football Coach, Auburn University  

  • Archie Manning, NFL League MVP 

  • Bucky McMillan, Head Basketball Coach, Samford University 

  • Nate Oats, Head Basketball Coach, University of Alabama

  • Bruce Pearl, Head Basketball Coach, Auburn University 

  • Bobby Ross, Head Football Coach, West Point 

  • Nick Saban, Head Football Coach, University of Alabama 

  • Greg Sankey, SEC Commissioner 

  • Nick Sellers, CEO, The World Games 2022 

  • Michael Slive, SEC Commissioner 

  • Gene Stallings, Head Football Coach, University of Alabama 

  • Tommy Tuberville, Head Football Coach, Auburn University 

  • Dominque Wilkins, NBA Hall of Famer 

ARTS AND HUMANITIES LEADERS

  • Dr. Graham C. Boettcher, Director, Birmingham Museum of Art

  • Mark Childress, Author 

  • Marquita Davis, Deputy Director of Early Learning, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation 

  • John T. Edge, Director, Executive Director, Southern Foodways Alliance 

  • Tushar Gandhi, Chair, Mahatma Gandhi Foundation 

  • John Green, Author

  • Winston Groom, Author 

  • Sheldon Hackney, Chair, National Endowment of Arts 

  • Bobby Horton, Musician and Recording Artist 

  • Delores Hydock, Author, Actress 

  • Carlos Izcaray, Music Director, Alabama Symphony Orchestra

  • Rev. Dr. Russell J. Levenson, Jr., Author

  • Dr. David Mathews, CEO, Kettering Foundation 

  • Dr. Henry Panion, Multiple Grammy winner 

  • Paul Rogers, Academy Award-Winning Film Editor

  • Frank Stitt, Restaurateur, James Beard Award Winner 

*Titles current at time of presentation
*Updated March 12, 2024

DIPLOMATS

  • Daniel Ayalon, Israeli Ambassador to US 

  • Bill Cabaniss, U.S. Ambassador to The Czech Republic 

  • Simcha Dinitz, Israeli Ambassador to US 

  • Dave Dunford, U.S. Ambassador to Oman 

  • Dennis Ross, U.S. Ambassador to the Middle East)

  • Margaret Tutwiler, U.S. Ambassador to Morocco 

  • Andrew Young, Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations  

GOVERNMENT LEADERS

  • Raphael Bostic, President & CEO, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta  

  • Dr. David Bronner, CEO, Retirement Systems of Alabama 

  • Elaine Chao, 18th U. S. Secretary of Transportation, 24th U. S. Secretary of Labor

  • Rob Couch, President, Government National Mortgage Association 

  • John Driscoll, Director & CEO, Alabama State Port Authority 

  • Dennis Lockhart, President & CEO, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta 

  • Neel Kashkari, Interim Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Financial Stability 

  • Stewart McLaurin, White House Historical Association President

  • Ted Olsen, U.S. Solicitor General 

  • Charles Plosser, Chairman, Philadelphia Federal Reserve Bank 

  • Donald E. Powell, Chairman, U.S. Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation

  • Don Powell, Past Head of FDIC and Katrina Relief Effort 

  • David M. Walker, U.S. Comptroller General 

POLITICAL LEADERS

  • U.S. Rep. Spencer Bacchus, Alabama 

  • Governor Haley Barbour, Mississippi 

  • Mayor William Bell, Birmingham, Alabama

  • Second Lady of the U.S. Lynne Cheney 

  • President Bill Clinton 

  • Betsy DeVos, U.S. Secretary of Education 

  • Bill Haslam, Former Governor of Tennessee

  • Governor Kay Ivey, Alabama 

  • Governor Bobby Jindal, Louisiana 

  • U.S. Senator Doug Jones, Alabama 

  • President Vaclav Klaus, Czech Republic 

  • Governor Ray Mabus, Mississippi 

  • Mac McCutcheon, Speaker, Alabama House of Representatives

  • U.S. Rep. Gary Palmer, Alabama

  • Governor Sonny Perdue, Georgia 

  • Governor Bob Riley, Alabama  

  • U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers, Alabama

  • U.S. Senator Marco Rubio, Florida

  • Duncan Sandys, City Councillor & Lord Mayor of Westminster, London, U.K. 

  • U.S. Senator Tim Scott, South Carolina

  • U.S. Senator Jeff Sessions, Alabama 

  • U.S. Senator Richard Shelby, Alabama  

  • U.S. Senator Luther Strange, Alabama

  • Governor Tom Vilsack, Iowa 

  • Governor William Winter, Mississippi

  • Mayor Randall Woodfin, Birmingham, Alabama

LEADERS IN ACADEMIA

  • Dr. Stuart Bell, President, University of Alabama 

  • Daniel Coleman, President, Birmingham-Southern College 

  • E. Gordon Gee, Chancellor, Vanderbilt University 

  • Dr. Chris Howard, President, Hampden-Sydney College 

  • Bobbie Knight, President, Miles College 

  • Dr. Stephen Leath, President, Auburn University 

  • Dr. Eric Motley, VP, The Aspen Institute 

  • Dr. Chris Roberts, President, Auburn University 

  • Finis St. John IV, Chancellor, University of Alabama System 

  • Dr. Beck Taylor, President, Samford University

  • Dr. Ray Watts, President, University of Alabama at Birmingham 

  • Dr. E.O. Wilson, Harvard University, Biologist 

  • Dr. Andrew Westmoreland, President, Samford University 

LEADERS IN JOURNALISM

  • John Archibald, Pulitzer Prize-Winning Journalist 

  • Fred Barnes, Executive Editor, The Weekly Standard 

  • Chip Brantley, Co-Host & Co-Creator, White Lies Podcast 

  • Monte Burke, Sports Writer, Forbes magazine 

  • Gail Collins, Op-Ed Columnist, NY Times 

  • Kaitlan Collins, CNN Correspondent 

  • Nancy Gibbs, Editor, Time Magazine 

  • Gil Grosvenor, Chairman, National Geographic Society 

  • John Huey, Editor-in-Chief, Time Inc. 

  • Barb McQuade, Legal Analyst, MSNBC and NBC; Co-host, #SistersInLaw podcast

  • Diane McWhorter, Pulitzer Prize-Winning Author 

  • Eric Mills, Editor-in-Chief, Naval History Magazine 

  • Will Pearson, Co-Founder, Mental Floss 

  • Howell Raines, Former Executive Editor, New York Times 

  • Brian Reed, S-Town Podcast Host & Co-Creator

  • Joe Scarborough, Host, “Morning Joe,” MSNBC 

  • Cliff Sims, CEO, Yellowhammer News 

  • Scott Simon, Host, NPR Weekend Edition 

  • Warren St. John, New Yorker and NY Times writer and author 

  • Kimberly Atkins Stohr, Columnist, Boston Globe; Contributor, MSNBC; Co-host, #SistersInLaw podcast

  • John Tamney, RealClearMarkets Editor

  • Joyce Vance, Legal Analyst, MSNBC and NBC; Co-host, #SistersInLaw podcast

  • Ivan Watson, NPR and CNN Correspondent 

  • Jill Wine-Banks, Author; Legal Analyst, MSNBC; Co-host, #SistersInLaw and iGenPolitics podcasts

  • Juan Williams, NPR and FOX News 

  • Byron York, Washington Examiner Chief Political Correspondent

MILITARY LEADERS

  • Maj. Gen. Walter D. Givhan, Vice Commander, Air University 

  • Gen. Michael Hagee, Commandant, U.S. Marine Corps 

  • Albert H. Konetzni, Jr., Vice Admiral, U.S. Navy (Ret.) 

  • Gen. Charles Krulak, Commandant, U.S. Marine Corps (Ret.) 

  • Lt. Gen. Steven L. Kwast, Commander and President, Air University 

  • Gen. James C. McConville, Chief of Staff, U.S. Army

  • Col. James P. McDonough III, Commandant of Midshipmen, U.S. Naval Academy

  • Admiral David Nash (Ret.), Past Director of Iraq Reconstruction Management Office 

  • Gen. Gustave F. Perna, Commander, U.S. Army Material Command 

  • Maj. Gen. Bentley Rayburn, Commander, Air Force Doctrine Center 

ROTARY INTERNATIONAL PRESIDENTS

  • Kalyan Banerjee, 2011-2012 

  • K.R. “Ravi” Ravindran, 2015-2016 

  • Sakuji Tanaka, 2012-2013 

other LEADERS

  • James Carville, Political Consultant 

  • Noah Galloway, Honorary Co-Chair, The World Games 2022 

  • Fred Gray, Civil Rights Attorney 

  • Lilly Ledbetter, Fair Pay Act 

  • Gail McGovern, CEO, American Red Cross

  • Myron Thompson, U.S. District Judge

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