Meet the Board of Directors

Timothy A. Barton ’78
Franklin, Tennessee

Member, Communications & Marketing and Financial & Strategic Oversight Committees

Tim Barton graduated from Auburn University with a bachelor’s degree in accounting in 1978 and a master’s of business administration in 1979. He is currently Executive Director at Nashville Christian Towers. Previous work experience includes a 25-year publishing career with Birmingham-based Southern Progress Corporation, publisher of Southern Living, Cooking Light and The Progressive Farmer magazines. He also spent several years with Nashville-based Gibson Brands, manufacturer of Gibson and Epiphone guitars, and more recently, vice president, finance for Travelink American Express Travel. Barton has been an Auburn Alumni Association life member since graduation.

A former member of the Greater Birmingham Auburn Club and former treasurer of the Greater Nashville Auburn Club, he is also a member of the Cater Circle of the Foy Society, the 1856 Society, the Circle of Excellence Society, a former member of the Auburn University School of Accountancy Advisory Council, College of Business MBA Alumni Advisory Board and College of Business Shareholders’ Club.

Barton resides in Franklin, Tennessee and has two daughters, Amy and Laura, both of whom are Auburn graduates living in the Birmingham area.

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Maria Baugh ’87
New York, New York

Member, Alumni Engagement Committee & Communications & Marketing Committee

Maria Baugh graduated from Auburn University in 1985 with a bachelor’s degree in Pre-Law Speech Communication and in 1987 with a bachelor’s in Journalism.

A New York City-based content strategy and operations consultant with decades of experience in editorial leadership and content development at the leading magazine publishers in the industry, Baugh most recently was head of operations for content and campaigns at WeWork, which she joined after holding a variety of roles at Hearst including executive managing editor of Cosmopolitan, Seventeen and Women’s Health magazines. She was also managing editor of Food Network Magazine and scout for HearstLab, where she advised a community of early stage, women-led startups.

In 2016, Baugh created the Maria Baugh and Liz Zale Endowment for Scholarships in the Journalism Program in the College of Liberal Arts, named for her and her spouse, Elizabeth Zale. In 2018, she committed to donate an additional $5,000 to the scholarship each year for five years to expand its support of Auburn students.

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Frederick R. Blatchford ’85
Tampa, Florida

Member, Communications & Marketing Committee & Financial & Strategic Oversight Committee

Fred Blatchford graduated from Auburn University in 1985 with a bachelor’s in Industrial and Operations Management. Currently, he serves as Area Vice President for Ethicon, the $4 billion subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson responsible for sales and marketing of minimally invasive laparoscopic surgical devices.

Ethicon’s surgical technologies and solutions include sutures, staplers, energy devices, trocars and hemostats to treat serious medical conditions like obesity and cancer. Blatchford leads the sales organization that provides clinical professional education and economic solutions to hospitals and clinicians. He started his career at Johnson & Johnson 27 years ago as an operating room sales representative, and has overseen numerous hemicolectomies, gall bladder removals and other procedures, as surgical device sales representatives are often in the operating room during procedures.

Blatchford has established three scholarships and an endowment supporting PhD programs in the Harbert College of Business. He has received multiple Johnson & Johnson Standards of Leadership Awards throughout his career, and was the 2011 Ethicon Johnson & Johnson United Way Chairperson.

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Christopher “Chris” M. Cilluffo ’95
Newhall, California

Member, Auburn Clubs and Financial & Strategic Oversight Committees

Christopher Cilluffo graduated from Auburn University in 1995 with a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics. After Auburn, Cilluffo attended the University of Nevada Las Vegas’ Lee School of Business graduate program. Christopher is currently Vice President of Production Finance for Twentieth Century Fox Television, overseeing shows such as “This Is Us,” “911,” “Empire” and “American Horror Story.”

He previously served as Vice President of Production Finance at Universal Television and, prior to that, he traveled the country as a Freelance Production Controller for shows such as “Parenthood,” “Friday Night Lights,” “The Fugitive,” “Deadwood” and “Hannah Montana: The Movie.”

An active member of The Academy of Television Art and Sciences, Cilluffo is a former President and Vice President of the Los Angeles Auburn Club and currently serves as Secretary. He is a Life Member of the Auburn Alumni Association and a member of Foy Society and Circle of Excellence Society. He currently resides in the Los Angeles area with his wife Jodi and their twin son and daughter, Brady and Reagan.

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Joe Dalton ’82
Dothan, Alabama

Member, Financial & Strategic Oversight and Auburn Clubs Committees

Dalton graduated from the Harrison School of Pharmacy and currently serves as the director of pharmacy for Flowers Hospital in Dothan. He is an independent pharmacy owner with Alabama locations in Slocomb, Hartford, Abbeville, Troy, Double Springs and Dadeville.

Dalton is currently serving as the chair of the Harrison School of Pharmacy Dean’s Advisory Council and is a member of the Auburn University 1856 Society, Tigers Unlimited Talon Society and the Auburn Pharmacy Alumni Association. He serves as president of the Wiregrass Auburn Club and is an avid supporter of Auburn athletics, attending both home and away games.

Dalton has two children who are Auburn graduates, Erica ’10 and Tyler ’12. He is a life member of the Auburn Alumni Association.

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Timothy M. “Tim” Ellen ’81
LaGrange, Georgia

Member, Alumni Engagement and Auburn Clubs Committees

Tim Ellen graduated from Auburn University in 1981 with a bachelor’s degree in public relations, majoring in speech communication with a minor in journalism. In an insurance and financial services career that has spanned three decades with New York Life, he has established himself as a company and industry leader.

A past president of the company’s Agents Advisory Council, Ellen is also a member of the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors, a qualifying and life member of the Million Dollar Round Table, a former member of the New York Life Foundation’s Community Impact Grants Committee and currently serves on the company’s Political Involvement Leaders team.

In his community of LaGrange, Georgia, where Ellen and his wife, Lisa, have made their home since 1984, he is a Distinguished Past President of the Kiwanis Club and has served on the board of directors of Kiwanis, First Choice Women’s Center, The First Tee, LaGrange Gridiron Club, the West Georgia Health Foundation’s Planned Giving Committee and is a past president and scholarship chair of The West Georgia Auburn Club. He led efforts to revive the Auburn club in 2007 and a multi-year campaign to found and build its club scholarship to more than $1 million, while outperforming all other clubs. At Auburn, Tim is a life member of the Auburn Alumni Association, Foy Society and Circle of Excellence Society. He has also served as co-host of The Coach Pat Dye Show since it began in 2013. Tim and Lisa are the proud parents of a son and two daughters, one of whom is an Auburn graduate, and one granddaughter.

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Michelle M. Granberry ’92
Auburn, Alabama

Treasurer
Chair, Financial & Strategic Oversight Committee
Member, Membership and Executive Committees

Michelle Granberry graduated from Auburn University in 1992 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration—accounting. Granberry is currently managing partner of Lovoy, Summerville & Shelton, LLC, in Auburn, where she concentrates on the affordable housing industry and provides service to more than 500 clients in a wide range of industries, nonprofit organizations, businesses and individuals throughout the Southeastern U.S.

Granberry is a member of the Alabama Society of Certified Public Accountants, the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the National Society of Certified Public Accountants and the AICPA Government Audit Quality Center. Granberry currently serves as treasurer of the Auburn Alumni Association. At Auburn, she is a life member of the Auburn Alumni Association, a member of the Auburn University School of Accountancy Advisory Board, Circle of Excellence Society and the Foy Society.

She is married to Glen Granberry ʼ94 and lives in Auburn.

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LuAnne Hart ’80
Eufaula, Alabama

Vice President
Member, Alumni Engagement Committee, Executive Committee, Membership Committee & Nominating Committee

Luanne Lockwood Hart graduated in 1980 with a bachelor’s in psychology and currently serves as senior vice president, human resources and marketing director for MidSouth Bank, a community bank headquartered in Dothan. Hart holds the designation of senior certified professional through the Society of Human Resources Management. A sustaining life member of the Auburn Alumni Association, she has been involved with the Barbour County Auburn Club for more than 20 years as a director, secretary-treasurer and treasurer.

Hart facilitated the Barbour County Auburn Club’s first scholarship auction in 2006, which led to the club’s first endowed scholarship in 2012, and later endowed a second scholarship in 2014 in honor of her father.

She was recognized by the Auburn Alumni Association as the 2013 Club Officer of the Year, Hart is a member of the Circle of Excellence Society, the James E. Foy Loyalty Society and the Samford Society. She is married to Charlie Hart ’78 and they have two children, Will Hart ’10 and Rebecca Hart Harris ’12.

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Metrick Houser ’93
Collierville, Tennessee

Member, Auburn Clubs Committee & Financial & Strategic Oversight Committee

Metrick Houser graduated from Auburn in 1993 with a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering. He currently serves as director for energy and raw materials sourcing for International Paper, a company he has been with since 1999.

Houser has held various positions with International paper, including manufacturing manager, plant general manager and complex general manager. In 2014, he moved to Memphis, Tenn. to serve as manager of supply chain for the North American Container Business. In his role, he is responsible for procuring $1.5 billion in commodity chemicals and energy for the North American facilities. He also has strategic responsibility for EMEA and Brazil.

Houser has been active in Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Incorporated for the past 30 years, currently serving as the District of Tennessee Executive Director. He has also served on the board of directors for both the Rutherford County Chamber of Commerce and the Boys and Girls Club of Rutherford County. He and his wife, Jackie Houser, have three children—Morgan, Lindsey and Alex, currently a freshman at Auburn University.

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Josh Jarrell ’05
Marietta, Georgia

Member, Alumni Engagement Committee & Membership Committee

Joshua Jarrell graduated from Auburn in 2005 with a bachelor’s in applied mathematics and currently is as an associate with McKinsey & Company.

A First Sergeant in the Alabama National Guard, he previously served as a military technical advisor at ARMR Systems. In 2017, he received a doctorate in applied physiology from Georgia Tech with a focus on prosthetic. His research examined direct skeletal attachment of prostheses, which holds high potential for upper and lower limb combat amputees. While at Auburn, Jarrell pursued a minor in music, was selected as an NSF Graduate Research Fellow, served as a math tutor and continued his military obligations, including deployment to Iraq for a year.

In addition to his military duties, Jarrell spent his tour tutoring fellow soldiers in math, and his tutoring curriculum has become the standard at all unofficial education centers in Iraq. He was twice named Soldier of the Year for his company, was named to USA Today’s 2005 All-USA College Academic Team and was the Dec. 2005 College of Sciences and Mathematics Graduation Marshall.

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Angela Smith Jenkins ’94
Montgomery, Alabama

Member, Auburn Clubs and Membership Committees

Jenkins attended Auburn on a Presidential Academic Scholarship and earned her Bachelor of Science degree in biochemistry in 1994. She began her career as an environmentalist with the Alabama Department of Public Health where she developed and implemented several educational and community outreach programs. Jenkins is currently a sales representative for Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals and is participating in the Boehringer Ingelheim New Leadership Development Program for rising leaders within the organization.

She serves as a member of the Auburn University Office of Diversity and Multicultural Affairs Leadership Council and the Leadership Council for the College of Sciences and Mathematics. She is a life member of the Auburn Alumni Association, a member of the War Eagle Society, the George Petrie Society, the ODMA Warren Society, the 1915 Society, the 1856 Society and the Circle of Excellence.

Jenkins and her husband, Lee, have two daughters, Lexi, a freshman at Auburn, and Arynn.

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Doug Kilton - Auburn Alumni Board of Directors

Douglas E. Kilton ’82
Houston, Texas

Chair, Membership Committee
Member, Executive, Financial & Strategic Oversight & Nominating Committees

Doug Kilton graduated from Auburn University in 1982 with a bachelor’s degree in international trade. The regional vice president for Wells Fargo & Company, in Houston, TX, Kilton has more than 26 years of banking experience. He oversees Wells Fargo’s commercial banking operations, which provide loan, treasury management, and deposit products to middle market companies across metro Houston. He joined Wells Fargo predecessor Wachovia in 1991, where he served a number of roles, including head of Wachovia Commercial Banking in Columbia, SC, and head of Wachovia Business Banking in Washington, D.C.

Prior to his role in Houston, Kilton established Wells Fargo’s commercial banking operations in Louisiana, serving as regional vice president of the New Orleans RCBO. He served as chairman of the Auburn University Honors College Campaign Committee in 2017. Kilton completed advanced foreign language studies at McGill University in Montreal, Quebec, and Middlebury College in Middlebury, Vermont, and was awarded a Fulbright scholarship upon graduation from Auburn. At AU, he is a life member of the Auburn Alumni Association, a member of the Foy Society, the Samford Society and the Circle of Excellence Society.

Kilton and his wife, Lisa, reside in Houston, TX.

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Jenna Mayo - Auburn Alumni Board of Directors

Jenna C. Mayo ’06
Cornelius, North Carolina

Member, Auburn Clubs and Communications & Marketing Committees

Jenna Mayo graduated from Auburn University in 2006 with a bachelor’s degree in mass communication. She earned her master’s in sports leadership from Northeastern University in 2014 and was awarded the Excellence in Sports Leadership Alumni Award in 2017.

Mayo has worked in the sports industry for over 15 years and had stints with the Atlanta Braves and NASCAR, but the majority of her career has been spent freelancing with ESPN. She has worked on broadcasts such as ESPN College GameDay, the College Football Playoff National Championship, CFP Semifinals games, Thursday Night Football and Saturday Primetime College Basketball.

In 2016 she published a children’s book called, “My First Auburn Baseball Book,” inspired by her husband and former Auburn baseball player, Kyle Mayo ’06 and the birth of their son. She is a Life Loyal member of Alpha Chi Omega sorority and has served on the Charlotte Auburn Club board as scholarship chair, club president and vice president and is a member of the Circle of Excellence Society. Jenna and Kyle, who are both life members of the Auburn Alumni Association, have two children.

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Jennifer G. Moore ’85
Hampton Cove, Alabama

Vice Chair, Communications & Marketing Committee
Member, Financial & Strategic Oversight and Nominating Committees

Jennifer Moore graduated from Auburn University in 1985 with a bachelor’s degree in economics. Moore is currently Vice President of Tourism for the Huntsville/Madison County Convention & Visitors Bureau where she is responsible for marketing Huntsville, AL, as a tourism destination.

She is a member of the Huntsville-Madison County Auburn Club, previously serving as secretary and scholarship chair. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for the U.S. Travel Association’s Destination Council, the Alabama Mountain Lakes Tourist Association and the Alabama Travel Council. Moore is a life member of the Auburn Alumni Association and a member of the Circle of Excellence Society.

She is married to Steven Moore ʼ84 and they have two children, Courtney and Ryan. Courtney is an Auburn graduate and Ryan is currently a senior at Auburn.

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Ashley Robinett ’01
Mountain Brook, Alabama

Member, Alumni Engagement and Membership Committees

Robinett earned a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering and a minor in business from Auburn. She is currently Vice President, Public Relations for Alabama Power company, where she is responsible for managing the company’s land holdings in support of business objectives through land management, acquisition and sales.

Robinett is a graduate of Leadership Birmingham and serves on the board of directors for Children’s Harbor and the Kiwanis Club of Birmingham and is the immediate past president of the board of directors for Preschool Partners. She is the recipient of the 2019 Auburn Alumni Association’s Young Alumni Achievement Award and the 2018 Outstanding Young Auburn Engineer award by Auburn’s Samuel Ginn College of Engineering.

Robinett and her husband, Ryan, have two children, William and Claire. She is a life member of the Auburn Alumni Association.

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Mike Rogers - Auburn Alumni Board of Directors

Michael C. Rogers, ’87
Mobile, Alabama

Chair, Communications & Marketing Committee
Vice Chair, Alumni Engagement Committee
Member, Executive Committee

Michael C. Rogers, Jr., is a 1987 graduate of Auburn University with a bachelor’s degree in building science. Rogers is president of Rogers & Willard, Inc., a general contracting firm working primarily in the Southeastern states.

He is past Chairman of Alabama Contemporary Art Center (ACAC), has served on the board of Alabama Coastal Foundation and served as a trustee for The Nature Conservancy of Alabama. He is a past president of Associated Builders and Contractors of South Alabama. He has also served on the Board of the Alabama Architectural Foundation. He presently serves on the House Corporation of Phi Delta Theta Fraternity at Auburn, the board of UMS-Wright Preparatory School and the Mobile Chamber of Commerce executive board. He is the current chair of Auburn’s College of Architecture, Design and Construction executive board. He is a life member of the Auburn Alumni Association, a member of the Foy Society, the Samford Society, and the Circle of Excellence Society.

Mike is married to Cay Rogers and they have three daughters, Catie, Jackie and Leigh.

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Regenia Sanders - Auburn Alumni Board of Directors

Regenia R. Sanders ’95
Atlanta, Georgia

President
Chair, Executive Committee
Member, Nominating Committee

Regenia Sanders is a Principal at Ernst & Young LLP (EY) and serves as the America’s Supply Chain Leader for the Advanced Manufacturing & Mobility Industry Market, as well as Supply Chain Planning leader at EY. She has 20 years of experience delivering supply chain assessment and transformational projects, from sourcing and procurement to planning and fulfillment for Fortune 500 and Private Equity portfolio companies.

The majority of her experience is in Industrial Manufacturing, where she advises and helps clients to innovate their supply chains. Sanders finds efficiencies through process improvement, while leveraging analytics and advanced technology point supply chain solutions and has authored thought leadership in the area. At Auburn, Sanders is a member of the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering’s Alumni Council and serves on the steering committee for the EMERGE Leadership program recently launched by Student Affairs.

She is engaged in efforts with the Office of Inclusion & Diversity at Auburn and funds an endowed scholarship for females pursuing their undergraduate degrees in engineering. Regenia is also a member of the George Petrie Society, a recent inductee into the Samford Society, and a member of the Circle of Excellence Society.

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Denise N. Slupe ’86
Birmingham, Alabama

Member, Alumni Engagement Committee & Communications & Marketing Committee

Denise Nix Slupe graduated from Auburn in 1986 with a bachelor’s in international business. Since 2010, Slupe has owned a Yogurt Mountain franchise in Hoover, Ala. and has been awarded Franchise of the Year, a community involvement award and an Owner Achievement Award. In 2015, she became the owner of CBF Properties, a real estate investment company.

A former Tigerette, Slupe is a life member of the Auburn Alumni Association. Along with Auburn University Trustee Sarah B. Newton and Katie Basden, Slupe co-founder of the EAGLES Foundation, a non-profit foundation with the goal of raising awareness and funding in support of the EAGLES program at Auburn University. She also helped spearhead the EAGLES program planning committee.

The daughter of former Auburn quarterback Lloyd Nix ’59, she and husband Frank Slupe have four daughters: Caroline’14, Abigail ’18, Auburn University senior Olivia and Lauren.

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Chastity Stevenson Westry ’97
Hoover, Alabama

Member, Communications & Marketing and Financial & Strategic Oversight Committees

Westry earned a Bachelor of Science degree in agricultural business and economics from Auburn. She also has an MBA and a certificate of financial analysis. In addition she studied executive education at Northwestern University. She is currently in her third year at Birmingham School of Law, studying child welfare and advocacy. Westry has completed numerous national and local professional leadership programs. She is a member of Leadership Hoover 2018-2019. Westry serves on boards for Children’s Village and Leadership Hoover and has worked for more than 20 years as an executive leader in agriculture and consumer packaged goods with companies including GoldKist/Pilgrim’s Pride, General Mills, and PepsiCo/Frito Lay.

She remains active at Auburn, where she has funded an endowed student scholarship in honor of her grandparents. She serves on the College of Agriculture Alumni Board of Directors and is a member of the Foy Society, Women in Agriculture, Ag Hill Dean’s Society, Circle of Excellence, and the Agriculture Partnership Council.

Westry and her husband, Gerry, have one son. She is a life member of the Auburn Alumni Association.

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Van Henley - Auburn Alumni Board of Directors

M. Van Henley ’80
Colleyville, Texas

Past President
Chair, Nominating Committee
Member, Executive Committee

Van Henley graduated from Auburn in 1980 with a bachelor’s degree in accounting. He retired from Ernst & Young LLP in 2017 as a tax partner after serving clients in Growth Markets for 37 years. He also served the firm as Dallas office Tax Location Leader and Southwest Area Growth Markets Tax Leader.

Henley serves on several tax-exempt boards, including senior living and higher education organizations. He is a life member of the Auburn Alumni Association and the Cater Circle of the Foy Society, with over 39 continuous years of giving. A member of the 1856 Society and the Circle of Excellence Society, Henley has been a member of the Harbert College of Business Shareholders Club since its inception. Henley has also served on the School of Accountancy Advisory Council for over 20 years (two years as chairman) and the Dallas – Ft. Worth “It Begins with Auburn” campaign committee.

Henley and his wife, Suzanne, have three sons, Austin, Tyler and Carson, as well as nine grandchildren.

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Gretchen VanValkenburg ’86
Auburn, Alabama

Vice President for Alumni Affairs & Executive Director, Auburn Alumni Association
Ex-Officio Member, Executive and Nominating Committees

Gretchen VanValkenburg serves as vice president for alumni affairs and executive director of the Auburn Alumni Association for Auburn University. She is responsible for providing strategic leadership, direction and support of the mission of the Auburn Alumni Association and Auburn University.

VanValkenburg, a 1986 Auburn business graduate, has a distinguished career as a university advancement professional. Prior to returning to Auburn, she served as executive director of development and alumni engagement at the University of West Florida, where she provided direction for all development and alumni-related activities and operations. Over a 17-year period, she held various leadership positions with increasing areas of responsibility, including alumni event planning, alumni board management, donor relations, fiscal management, volunteer recruitment and public speaking. She also served as a major gifts officer and led capital campaign planning efforts. VanValkenburg is a native of Montevallo and attended the University of Montevallo from 1982-1984.

She is married to Craig VanValkenburg ’82, and they have one daughter, Heidi. She and her husband are life members of the Auburn Alumni Association and the Circle of Excellence Society.

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Meet the Board of Directors