Lynda Gilbert, Mike Hardin, Judy Bonner, David Cortez, Jim McLean, Margaret King on back row and Katie Busby, Chad Tindol, Rick Swatloski, Natalie Adams on front row. Gilbert, Bonner, McLean, King are Mentors. The rest are Fellows. Mentors Pam Parker and Robert Halli are not pictured.

Dr. Bonner with the Fellows

Natalie Adams Professor , Educational Leadership, Policy, and Technology Studies and Assistant Dean of the Graduate School Dr. Adams’ career has centered on examining the socio-cultural context of schooling and how race, class, and gender impact students’ success in school. After receiving her undergraduate degree in English education at LSU, she taught middle school in southeastern Louisiana and obtained her M.Ed. in gifted education. She returned to LSU for her Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction, and then taught at Georgia Southern University and Oklahoma State University before joining the faculty at The University of Alabama in 2000. Dr. Adams quickly rose to program coordinator, department chair, and now assistant dean of the Graduate School. Her research interest is the social context of schooling and society and its impact on the academic success of girls and women. She has conducted substantial ethnographic research on the experiences of adolescent girls within the school environment but outside the formal classroom. Her work has resulted in two books, Cheerleader! An American Icon and Geographies of Girlhood Identities In-Between. More recently, her research has shifted to examining the experiences of adult women, particularly the dilemmas of poor women who are trying to make the transition from welfare to work and professional women struggling with their girlhood socialization to be “nice.”

J. Michael Hardin (Mike) Professor, Information Systems, Statistics, and Management Science and Senior Associate Dean, Commerce and Business Administration The holder of two bachelor’s degrees (mathematics and philosophy), three master’s degrees (research design/ statistics, mathematics, and theological studies), and a Ph.D. in applied statistics, Dr. Hardin has held academic positions in business, public health, medicine, and education. After launching his career at Eglin Air Force Base, The University of West Florida, and Mississippi State University, he spent several years in multiple capacities at The University of Alabama in Birmingham before coming to UA in 2001 where he founded and became the Director of The Institute of Business Intelligence in 2003. In 2007, he became the Associate Dean for Research in Commerce and Business Administration, and in May assumed the position of Senior Associate Dean. His research interests include data mining and business intelligence as well as healthcare data analysis, e.g. profiling, case-mix adjustments, fraud and aberrancy identification, and utilization and risk management. Additionally, he is a patent-holder for a method for analyzing sets of temporal data. Currently he serves as Associate Editor for the International Journal of Telemedicine and Applications, International Journal of Information Systems and Supply Chain, and The American Statistician.

Katie Busby Director of Assessment and Planning Division of Student Affairs Dr. Busby brought an exceptional background in higher education assessment to The University of Alabama in 2006. Most recently she had served as the Director of Assessment and Planning at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis where she led assessment efforts for Division of Student Life & Diversity, conducting qualitative and quantitative analyses of campus programs, and providing evidence in support of campus-wide performance indicators. Previously she was a member of the mathematics faculty at Baylor University and a student affairs practitioner at James Madison University. She earned both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mathematics from The University of Mississippi then a Ph.D. in assessment and measurement from James Madison University. Her credentials include more than thirty publications and presentations and external consultations in statistical techniques and psychometrics. Her research interests include measures of student development and leadership, instrument development, and validity issues. Currently she serves on the Directorate of ACPA’s Commission on Assessment and Evaluation and as the international Vice President Education of her fraternity.

Rick Swatloski Licensing Associate Office of Technology Transfer Dr. Richard P. Swatloski holds both bachelor’s and Ph.D. degrees in chemistry from UA. He has received multiple awards and recognition, including the Kenneth G. Hancock Memorial Award for ionic liquid and green chemistry achievements. Dr. Swatloski has contributed to over 45 peer-reviewed publications and multiple patents. His work has been presented over 120 times at both national and international meetings, and he is recognized as a leading scientist in the field of ionic liquid chemistry. In 2006, Dr. Swatloski accepted a position as a Licensing Associate and helped establish UA’s Office for Technology Transfer. His current duties include various aspects of intellectual property protection, management and licensing, agreement development, new business creation, and education. Dr. Swatloski is also active in the Association for University Technology Managers (AUTM), serving on the planning committee for AUTM’s Annual Eastern Regional Meeting.

Chad Tindol Counsel, Office of Counsel After receiving his bachelor’s degree with Phi Beta Kappa honors from The University of Alabama, Chad earned his JD from Yale Law School. He then clerked for Chief US District Judge Harold Albritton in Montgomery, Alabama, before eventually joining a private practice in his native Coffee County, Alabama. Chad’s practice grew to increasingly focus on representation of K-12 school boards, which paved the way to his joining the Office of Counsel for the UA system in 2006. His responsibilities include general advice and advocacy for UA and the University system, litigation, contracts, and policies. Chad also teaches local government law at the UA School of Law.