Livestock Advisor, USAID’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance
Veterinary Medicine
Washington, D.C.

Craige is a livestock advisor to the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance, as well as a lifelong scholar with special interests in public policy and diversity and inclusion. In 2016, as a Merial Fellowship Scholar, she studied the effects of niacin on nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and completed a rotation at Koch’s Foods in Montgomery.

Later, after adding her master’s in public health from the University of Minnesota, Dr. Craige moved to Houston, Texas, where she worked as a small animal practitioner. Her desire to have a more significant impact on public policy soon led her to her selection as a Self-Trade Prevention Functionality (STPF).

While at Auburn, Dr. Craige became involved with diversity and inclusion issues, helping found and lead Auburn Vet Med’s inaugural Veterinarians as One Inclusive Community for Empowerment (VOICE) chapter.

Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist
Nursing
Madison, Ala.

Fields has over 12 years of nursing experience, the past seven of which serving as a certified registered nurse anesthetist at Huntsville Hospital for Women and Children. She began her career in the Regional Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (RNICU) at UAB Hospital, while also serving on the Comfort Care Team and the March of Dimes Committee.

She received her Master of Science in Nursing—with a concentration in Nurse Anesthesia—from UAB in 2015, and her Doctor of Nursing Practice from the University of Alabama in 2021. Her doctoral research focused on implementing cultural competency training for nurse anesthetists to improve culturally competent care.

Fields was a member of The Kappa Chi Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., secretary of the Black Student Union, ambassador for the Office of Diversity and Multicultural Affairs, and was a member of The INROADS Internship Program.

Product Manager, ASSA ABLOY
Environmental Design
Philadelphia, Penn.

Groomes is a product manager at ASSA ABLOY, an international conglomerate that provides products and services related to locks, doors, gates and entrance automation. He manages a portfolio of door-closers, automatic operators, pivots and door-controls accessories manufactured in Monroe, N.C. and sold under several ASSA ABLOY North American brands.

Prior to his current role, Groomes spent time working in demand-generation and business development positions at ASSA ABLOY. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Design from Auburn’s College of Architecture, Design and Construction.

President, The Arnold Group Company
Electrical Engineering
Kennesaw, Ga.

Guerrier is president and founder of The Arnold Group Company, an Atlanta real estate firm focusing on investing in multifamily housing and property management for underserved communities. She combines more than 17 years of real estate experience with a strong business acumen obtained throughout her successful career in corporate America.

Guerrier previously held key leadership positions in multiple Fortune 500 companies, most recently for the Coca-Cola Company, where she delivered capabilities across the Data Science and Digital eCommerce areas and led a team during Coca-Cola’s multi-year “System of The Future” strategic initiative. She has also worked at Newell Brands in the Business Intelligence IT department and the Kimberly Clark Corporation.

Guerrier is an executive board member of 100+ Women Strong Organization, and serves on the Advisory Board for Auburn University Special Projects and Initiatives. She established the Antonia Arnold Endowed scholarship at Auburn and was inducted into the Weatherby Society.

Vice President, Operations, Naphcare Inc.
Health Services Administration
Hoover, Ala.

Lassiter is vice president of operations for NaphCare, Inc., responsible for providing high-quality healthcare for incarcerated individuals. He previously worked for the VA medical center in Birmingham, Ala. for 16 years, where he completed his residency and served as assistant director of Hospital Accreditation, as well as interim Medical Center Assistant Director.

An 18-year veteran with the United States Army, Lassiter completed three combat tours, retiring with honors and received meritorious service medals, a Bronze Star with Valor and a Purple Heart. He later received two Master’s degrees in healthcare administration and public administration from Auburn University.

Courtney and wife Charvon have philanthropic investments with the Tigers Unlimited Fund, their respective colleges, and have endowed a scholarship for the future student leaders of Auburn University.

Senior Program Manager, The Ocean Foundation
Marine Conservation and Philanthropy
Washington, District of Columbia

Love manages The Ocean Foundation’s Fiscal Sponsorship Program and chairs the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Justice Initiative, with a mission to build the capacity of environmental programs and amplify marginalized voices. He is also a member of the board of directors for the Environmental Leadership Program.

Motivated by his passion for wildlife, Love works to not only protect the environment but raise awareness of the many issues it faces. At Auburn, Love’s studies focused on terrestrial wildlife field research, and he is an alumnus of several fellowships, including the Roger Arliner Young Diversity Fellowship, Environmental Leadership Program Fellowship, and Emerging Wildlife Conservation Leaders Fellowship.

Outside of conservation, Love finds joy in the simple things in life, such as playing tennis, visiting family in Alabama and creating new experiences with friends

Managing Partner & CEO, the Elevate Future Fund at Energy Impact Partners
Information Systems Management
Brookhaven, Ga.

Oni is a managing partner and CEO of the Elevate Future Fund at Energy Impact Partners, which invests in entrepreneurs to solve problems related to climate change and clean energy, creating economic opportunities for distressed and disadvantaged communities. He is also a cofounder of Cloverly, a growing clean-technology company that helps companies go carbon neutral.

Oni previously served as a vice president of communications at Southern Company. He is also the founder and chairman of education initiative Ed Farm, and helped create Propel Center, a digital innovation learning hub and business incubator for HBCUs.

He has held a fellowship at the Aspen Institute, and completed executive education programs in disruptive innovation and finance from Harvard University in 2018.

Assistant Professor of Human Development and Family Science at Virginia Tech
Human Development & Family Studies
Christiansburg, Va.

Rice is an assistant professor of Human Development and Family Science at Virginia Tech, teaching courses on family stress, resilience and statistics to undergraduate and graduate students. Her research focuses on how romantic relationships operate relative to their broader social context.

She has published articles on topics, including the romantic relationships and psychological wellbeing of LGBTQ+ individuals, and the ongoing role of the historical context of slavery in Black American’s romantic relationships.

Rice has received national and international awards for her contributions to family and relationships science. During her time at Auburn, she was on the inaugural executive board for Diversity in Honors, and later was a National Science Foundation Research Fellow at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Her research has been published in the Journal of Family Psychology, the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, and the Journal of Family Theory and Review.

Agricultural Marketing Specialist, USDA
Agriculture Business & Economics
Raleigh, N.C.

Sigler is an agricultural marketing specialist at the United States Department of Agriculture. She works in the agricultural industry to deliver technical assistance to stakeholders, industry members and government agencies concerning marketing practices and trends for agriculture. Nadia holds a bachelor’s degree in Agriculture Business & Economics from Auburn’s College of Agriculture.

Associate Professor & Director of Interprofessional Education Curriculum, University of Texas at Tyler School of Medicine
Pharmacy
Bullard, Texas

Wallace-Gay is an associate professor in the Department of Medicine, and director of the Interprofessional Education Curriculum for the University of Texas at Tyler School of Medicine, where she serves as core faculty and coordinates pharmacology.

She is also an associate professor within the Department of Clinical Sciences with the Fisch College of Pharmacy at The University of Texas at Tyler, where she coordinates the endocrine module and teaches various cardiology and health literacy topics. Wallace-gay also maintains a practice site within the Family Medicine Clinic at UT Health North Campus in Tyler, where she accepts fourth year pharmacy students and co-precepts Family Medicine residents.

Wallace-Gay maintains professional memberships in the American College of Clinical Pharmacy, American Society of Health-Systems Pharmacists, Texas Pharmacy Association (TPA) and serves as the local Student National Pharmaceutical Association Advisor. She was the 2020 TPA Bowl of Hygeia Awardee and was awarded the Distinguished Young Alumnus Award from Auburn University College of Pharmacy in 2021.