To commemorate Women’s History Month, The University of Alabama is proud to honor female trailblazers who have made a lasting contribution to the University, state, nation and beyond. Throughout March, we encourage you to learn more about each woman as we celebrate these champions of the Capstone.
Kathryn Stockett is best known for her 2009 debut novel “The Help,” which spent more than 100 weeks on the New York Times’ Bestseller List. Stockett worked in magazine publishing in New York before publishing her first novel, which took her five years to complete. The book was rejected by 60 literary agents before its successful launch and is now published in 42 languages. She graduated from UA with a degree in English and creative writing.
Cathy “Marie” Robinson has been senior vice president of corporate strategy and chief operations officer at Michael Kors since August 2015. Prior to joining Michael Kors, Robinson was senior vice president and chief logistics officer at Toys “R” Us from 2012 to 2014, and senior vice president of supply, logistics and customer experience at The Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company from 2010 to 2012. She graduated from UA in 1989 with a bachelor’s degree in communication studies.
Alma Gates Scroggins spent 30 years with Turner Broadcasting System and was with CNN from its infancy, serving as the news group’s executive vice president and chief financial officer. A UA graduate, Scroggins received the University’s 2003 National Alumni Association Distinguished Alumna Award and was inducted into the 2015 Alabama Business Hall of Fame. She is a life member of the Culverhouse College of Commerce Board of Visitors.
Dr. Annette Shelby specializes in management communication and has served as associate editor of the Journal of Management Communication, associate editor of the Journal of Financial Research and a member of the editorial board of the Journal of Business Communication. Shelby holds graduate and undergraduate degrees from UA and is a former professor at the Capstone. The University’s interdisciplinary science and engineering complex, Shelby Hall, is named after Dr. Shelby and her husband, Senator Richard Shelby. The $58.2 million building is one of the largest academic buildings on the UA campus.
Alabama native Joy Denver Spears graduated from UA in 2011 with a bachelor’s degree in dance. Spears got her start as a professional dancer in 2006 as one of the top 20 contestants on the FOX television show “So You Think You Can Dance.” Since then, she has performed with Lady Gaga, Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera and Pink, among others. She has also done commercial work for Ford, Nike, Macy’s, Sketchers, Volkswagen and MAC Cosmetics. Her film credits include “Passengers,” starring Chris Pratt and Jennifer Lawrence, and “State of Play,” starring Ben Affleck and Russell Crowe.
Ann Wood Waldron was an author who initially focused on writing for children and young adults. Waldron turned her work to biographies of authors from the South and eventually shifted to writing murder mysteries. She earned a degree in journalism from UA and was editor of The Crimson White. Waldron’s biography of Eudora Welty was recognized by The New York Times as a 1993 Notable Book of the Year.