2022 Women’s Summit Speakers
Jennifer Bohler ’78
Journalism
Jennifer Bohler is a music business professional who currently works in the industry as a music publicist and industry consultant. A two-time CMA Publicist of the Year, Bohler spent the majority of her public relations career as Reba McEntire’s personal publicist under the auspices of the artist’s company, Starstruck Entertainment. She has served as VP of Media for MCA/Universal Records and consulted on artist Clint Black’s artist-friendly label, Equity Records. Through Equity, she helped manage the media interests for Little Big Town. Bohler has also worked as an artist manager and helped guide the career of country artist/author/speaker Jimmy Wayne.
Lauren Bradford ’21
Finance
Lauren Bradford is a 3 year Summa-Cum-Laude graduate of Auburn University with a degree in finance, and an incoming student at Vanderbilt University in the Master of Science in Finance program. As Miss Alabama, she supports philanthropic efforts and educates on her social impact initiative UNPLUG: The Digital Diet Plan. Bradford was awarded 1st Runner Up to Miss America 2022, as well as the Jean Bartel Social Impact Initiative Scholarship for extensive community service, a scholarship for being the second-highest fundraiser nationally for the Miss America Foundation, and the STEM Scholarship for her essay on Cybersecurity. She walked away with $42,500 in cash scholarships that she will apply to her graduate degree in Nashville.
Sasha Cohen
Architecture
Sasha Cohen is a fifth-year senior studying architecture. Throughout her time at Auburn, she has been involved in many different areas of campus, including the Honors College, War Eagle Girls and Plainsmen, College of Architecture, Design, and Construction Ambassadors, and Student Government Association. In 2020-2021, she served as the vice president of athletics for WEGP. She is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc., serves as a peer mentor for the Honors College and is a member of the Women’s Leadership Institute Student Advisory Board. Outside of school, Sasha enjoys reading, sewing, watching Netflix and playing with her dog, Theo.
Christy Coleman ’91
Physical Education
Christy Coleman is the current assistant director of group fitness for the Auburn University Rec and Wellness Center. She is an ACE and AFAA certified group fitness instructor with nearly 30 years of teaching experience. Coleman received her bachelor’s degree in physical education from Auburn University in 1991 and her master’s degree in Physical Activity and Health from Auburn in 2017. Her favorite part of working at Campus Rec is being with students; she enjoys training student instructors to teach fitness classes, developing her student leadership team and, of course, teaching fitness classes to the Auburn family. Her favorite classes include TRX, Bounce 30, High Fitness, and Kickboxing.
Olivia J. Cook ’14
Engineering
Olivia J. Cook is the inaugural executive director for the Economic Development and Social Justice Center at Miles College, where she is the chief advisor to the president. She leads the development, design and implementation of initiatives related to economic and social equity as well as fundraising efforts. Additionally, Cook is an adjunct professor at Auburn University and in Texas Southern University’s Executive MPA Program. She recently was inducted into the 30 Under 30 Class for the College of Liberal Arts at Auburn University, where she serves as a member of the Dean’s Advisory Board and the Women’s Leadership Institute.
Christa Cotton ’10
Business
While studying at Auburn University, Christa Cotton helped her parents open Thirteenth Colony Distilleries, Georgia’s first distillery since Prohibition. After a stint in advertising in New Orleans, Cotton purchased the El Guapo trademark. Specializing in zero-proof bitters, El Guapo has expanded into syrups and mixers and is Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) certified. Cotton is a six-time Good Food Award winner, LEE Initiative mentor, Les Dames d’Escoffier Legacy Award: Fine Spirits recipient, and a Fellow in both the Tory Burch Foundation and the James Beard Foundation Women’s Entrepreneurial Leadership program. She’s currently in the process of opening a bitters brewery, the first of its kind in America.
Nicole Faulk ’96
Mechanical Engineering
Nicole Faulk serves as senior vice president of customer strategy & solutions for Georgia Power, responsible for developing the vision and strategy to best meet the evolving needs of 2.6 million customers. Faulk is responsible for the customer service, sales and marketing and metering services teams. Her primary functions include customer satisfaction, electric transportation, the Customer Care Center, customer operations, new product development, sales management, energy efficiency and resiliency solutions. In addition, Faulk serves as a member of the company’s management council. In April 2018, she was named Auburn’s Mechanical Engineering Alumna of the Year. She is a director of the Auburn University Foundation Board, past chair of the Auburn Engineering Alumni Council and chair of the Alabama Engineering Hall of Fame.
Crystal Harrell ’17
Sociology
Crystal Harrell is a best-selling author, Les Brown-trained speaker and certified coach. She is currently pursuing her doctorate in public health at Yale University and serves part-time as an Army medical service officer. As an academic success coach, Harrell helps students successfully navigate through higher education using her virtual coaching business, Crystal Clear Innovation. In her academic journey, Harrell received over $670,000 in scholarship awards, including the Bill and Melinda Gates Millennium Scholarship and the Yale School of Public Health Dean’s Research Award. She recently published “Crystal Clear: A Journey of Self-Discovery.”
Caroline Keim
Public Relations
Caroline Keim is a senior from Dunwoody, Ga. who currently interns in the Office of Communications and Marketing for Student Affairs and is studying public relations and business. Keim has served for the past year as Miss Auburn, the official hostess of Auburn University. As Miss Auburn, she created and formalized a Miss Auburn committee, passed bills before SGA senate to write Miss Auburn in the code of laws as an auxiliary group, created a resource alongside the Student Counseling and Psychological Services Office to connect students with off-campus counselors and represented the university to the State of Alabama by meeting with Governor Kay Ivey.
Rebecca K. Kelly ’88
Nutrition & Food Science
Rebecca K. Kelly, PhD, RDN is an educator, leader and consultant on building and sustaining healthy workforces. A registered dietitian and exercise physiologist, since 1991 Kelly has served as the founder and CEO of Element Health, Inc. a clinical nutrition and corporate wellness consulting firm based in Birmingham, Ala. with national presence. She has over 25 years of hands-on experience in health and wellness program strategy, communication campaigns, innovative program development and program evaluation. In addition, she has developed over 25 signature health and wellness programs that have reached over 50,000 individuals. Kelly has implemented programs that have successfully reduced healthcare costs, improved productivity, and resulted in a positive return on investment.
Melinda Sconyers McClendon ’85
Public Relations
Melinda Sconyers McClendon is the president and CEO of the Exceptional Foundation of East Alabama, a 501c3 nonprofit that provides a lively, exciting and engaging day program for adults with special needs. After graduating from Auburn, McClendon had a fruitful corporate career working with national and international companies Domino’s Pizza, Nutri System, Macy’s, Inc. Movie Gallery and Amerisource Bergen. She started the Sconyers Group, a small marketing consulting business, and was active in local, regional and even national marketing and public relations initiatives. McClendon served as an elected official in her community and continues to be engaged in local and state politics.
Caroline Stephens Milner ’15
Political Science
Caroline Stephens Milner is a litigation associate at the Washington D.C. office of Kirkland & Ellis. She graduated summa cum laude from Auburn University with degrees in political science and psychology. During her time on the Plains, Milner was elected as Miss Auburn, and she used that role to carry out her platform of encouraging the student body to provide random acts of kindness. Milner attended the University of Alabama School of Law, where she graduated in 2018 as valedictorian of her class. She clerked Judge Neomi Rao of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit before joining Kirkland & Ellis this past fall.
Lee Anne Patterson ’85
Mass Communications
Lee Anne Patterson has over 25 years of experience in motorsports and was one of the first women to be a promotions director (Sonoma Raceway), a series director for Carroll Shelby’s Dodge Shelby Pro Series and then a team owner/manager in INDYCAR. She recently relocated to Auburn where she continues to consult for clients, including Auburn’s College of Engineering. She has a passion for good-cause marketing and also enjoys work as a voice actor.
Miracle Scott ’21
Management
Miracle Scott is a sales associate at United Rentals in their sales development program in Charlotte, N.C. She graduated cum laude from the Harbert College of Business at Auburn, earning a dual degree in both marketing and management with a minor in human resources. She was an Auburn University cheerleader for two years, a member of the Rho Lambda Honor Society and president of the Kappa Upsilon Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., during which she won NPHC Chapter President of the Year. An active member of the Black Student Union for three years, she was events committee assistant director and events committee director.
Eloise Stewart ’11
Apparel Merchandising, Design & Production Management
Eloise Stewart is the founder of Eloise Design Co. and serves as a personal and business branding consultant. She founded her business in 2015 after realizing the need and her passion for helping individuals discover, create and communicate their brands. Stewart’s experiences in design and teaching have provided her with a unique skill set and perspective. A two-time graduate of Auburn University with a Bachelor of Science in apparel merchandising, design, and production management and a Master of Science in consumer behavior. After working in the apparel industry, she returned to her alma mater and taught courses in the Apparel Merchandising and Design program.
Mindy Street ’06
Radio, TV & Film
Mindy Street graduated with honors in 2006 with a Bachelor of Arts degree and received her Masters of Education in 2013 from Auburn University. She has worked at Auburn University since 2010, where she currently serves as the director of development for the Jay and Susie Gogue Performing Arts Center. Street received her CFRE (certified fund raising executive) in 2017. As an undergraduate student, Street was elected by the student body as “Miss Auburn,” and now serves as co-director of the Miss Auburn University Scholarship Competition and advisor to Cater Society. She is active in Auburn Young Professionals and loves any opportunity to empower, mentor or learn from other women!
Natalie Walker ’16
Supply Chain Management
Natalie Walker is a graduate of the Harbert College of Business from Marietta, Ga. She works in Austin, Texas leading finance strategy delivering global finance transformation, compliance, and process improvement initiatives. Walker is actively engaged as a member of the Young Alumni Council, in local community organizations and fondly remembers time spent as a student employee of the Recreation & Wellness Center. Her favorite Auburn memory has to be game day and being present for the “Kick 6” and “Miracle in Jordan Hare!”