Timothy A. Barton ’78
Franklin, Tennessee
Vice Chair, Financial & Strategic Oversight Committee
Communications & Marketing Committee
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.
Maria Baugh ’87
New York, New York
Vice Chair, Alumni Engagement Committee
Membership Committee
Nominating 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 2005, 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, Liz Zale. Baugh is a member of the Samford and Foy Societies and member of the Association’s Circle of Excellence.
Frederick R. Blatchford ’85
Tampa, Florida
Chair, Communications & Marketing Committee
Membership Committee
Executive Committee
Nominating 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. Blatchford is a board member of the Tampa Bay Auburn Club. He is a member of the Athletics All-American Society, the 1856 Society, the Petrie Society, and the Foy Society and a member of the Association’s Circle of Excellence.
Christopher “Chris” M. Cilluffo ’95
Newhall, California
Vice Chair, Membership Committee
Communications & Marketing Committee
Nominating Committee
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.
Frederick “Freddy” D. Daniell ‘11
Huntsville, Alabama
Alumni Engagement Committee
Auburn Clubs Committee
Daniell graduated from Auburn in 2011 with a Bachelor of Science in Marketing. He is commercial banker with Truist Financial Corporation (formerly BB&T). Daniell was selected to attend the BB&T Banking School at Wake Forest University. He is highly involved with community service organizations such as the Huntsville Hospital Foundation’s Development Council and the American Heart Association. He currently serves as a career mentor at The University of Alabama Huntsville “Mentor a Charger” program and as a member of the North Alabama Advisory Committee for the Alabama Policy Institute.
Daniell served as Young Alumni Chair for the Huntsville-Madison County Auburn Club. He served as Vice President in 2017 and 2018 and led the club as President in 2019 and 2020. He is life member of the Alumni Association and a member of the Circle of Excellence and Foy Societies.
Joe Dalton ’82
Dothan, Alabama
Alumni Engagement Committee
Auburn Clubs Committee
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. Dalton is a member of the Circle of Excellence Society, Foy Society, and Petrie Society.
Charmaine “Char” K. Dennis ‘98
Franklin, Tennessee
Communications & Marketing Committee
Membership Committee
Dennis graduated from Auburn in 1998 with a Bachelor of Arts in History. She received an MBA from the University of Alabama. She is the owner and proprietor of 1KMEG, a boutique public relations firm specializing in high exposure clientele such as ultra-luxury brand influencers and exclusive music labels. She handles strategic partnerships with brands in Nashville, California, and Atlanta. Char has served on multiple nonprofit board and has volunteered her time with organizations including the Chuck and Mary Person Lung Cancer Foundation.
Dennis is a life member of the Alumni Association, a member of the Foy Society, and a member of the Association’s Circle of Excellence.
Ronald “Ron” D. Dyson ‘01
Houston, Texas
Alumni & Engagement Committee
Financial & Strategic Oversight Committee
Dyson graduated from Auburn in 2001 with a Bachelor of Science in Logistics. He is currently completing a master’s in business administration. He is a supply chain profession with 20 years of progressive leadership experience across various business units for Shell Oil Company. He serves as a contract manager for terminal distribution assets along the East Coast of the United States. Dyson volunteers as an elementary school basketball coach and served on the board of a golf tournament for a local school.
Dyson has been an active member of the Greater Houston Auburn Club since 2008. He served as president from 2008-2012 when membership increased from 50 to 500 active members. He is currently serving as Treasurer. Dyson helped to create the Auburn license plate for the state of Texas in 2009 and 2020. He is serving as an alumni mentor for the Harbert College of Business and created a family endowment for naming two of the study rooms in Horton-Hardgrave Hall. He is life member of the Alumni Association and a member of the Circle of Excellence, 1856, Petrie, and Foy Societies.
Timothy M. “Tim” Ellen ’81
LaGrange, Georgia
Chair, Membership Committee
Financial & Strategic Oversight Committee
Executive Committee
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.
Michelle M. Granberry ’92
Auburn, Alabama
Treasurer
Chair, Financial & Strategic Oversight Committee
Membership Committee
Executive Committee
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.
LuAnne Hart ’80
Eufaula, Alabama
Vice President
Alumni Engagement Committee
Membership Committee
Executive 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.
Metrick Houser ’93
Collierville, Tennessee
Auburn Clubs Committee
Financial & Strategic Oversight Committee
Nominating 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 is a current member of the Circle of Excellence Society. He and his wife, Jackie Houser, have three children—Morgan, Lindsey and Alex, currently a freshman at Auburn University.
Angela Smith Jenkins ’94
Montgomery, Alabama
Chair, Alumni Engagement Committee
Communications & Marketing Committee
Executive Committee
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.
C. Henry “Hank” Jester ‘82
Arlington, Georgia
Auburn Clubs Committee
Financial & Strategic Oversight Committee
Jester graduated from Auburn in 1982 with a Bachelor of Science in Health. He is the Owner, President, and CEO of Cornerstone Insurance Group. He began his career in banking as Vice President and Compliance Officer at Botswick Banking Company. He served as Vice President for three other banks between 1991 and 1998. In 1998 he founded Financial Services of the South and later developed Rock Realty and Land Company. In 2013 he purchased an insurance company and renamed it as Cornerstone Insurance Agency.
Jester is highly active in his community. He has served on the Blakely/Early County Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors since 2000. In 2020 he was elected Chairman of the Board. Jester is currently serving as President of the Southwest Georgia Auburn Club. He is life member of the Alumni Association, member of the All-American, Petrie, and Foy Societies and a member of the Association’s Circle of Excellence.
Jenna C. Mayo ’06
Cornelius, North Carolina
Auburn Clubs Committee
Membership Committee
Add to Bio: Member of the Foy Society
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.
Ashley Robinett ’01
Mountain Brook, Alabama
Vice Chair, Communications & Marketing Committee
Auburn Clubs Committee
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 and a member of the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering’s 100 Women Strong and Engineering Council. She is a member of Engineering’s Ginn Society and the Samford, Petrie, and Foy Societies.
Regenia R. Sanders ’95
Atlanta, Georgia
President
Chair, Executive Committee
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. Sanders was awarded Distinguished Auburn Engineer from the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering in 2021.
Denise N. Slupe ’86
Birmingham, Alabama
Vice Chair, Auburn Clubs 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 and is a member of theCircle of Excellence and a life member of the Auburn Alumni Association.
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.
Chastity Stevenson Westry ’97
Hoover, Alabama
Chair, Auburn Clubs Committee
Alumni Engagement Committee
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.
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.
Gretchen VanValkenburg ’86
Auburn, Alabama
Vice President of Engagement, Auburn Advancement
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.