B O A R D O F D I R E C T O R S

Abe Harper

Chairman of the Board

Abe Harper is the President and CEO of Harper Technologies, LLC - a Concierge Culture IT Service Provider based in Mobile, AL. Harper, a native of Daphne, AL, is an alumnus of the Alabama School of Math and Science, husband, father of two, and a licensed pilot. He strongly believes in intentional mentorship and its resounding community impact.

**Sherri Bumpers-Kabalka -** *Vice Chairman*
Sherri Bumpers joined the Prichard Prep Board of Directors in 2014 and has held the positions of Chairman of Development and Chairman of the first annual Passion for Prichard Prep Luncheon. Bumpers attended Auburn University, where she earned her Bachelor’s degree in Public Relations. In 2018, Bumpers joined Alabama Media group as a Senior Account Executive.

**Mel Washington -** *Treasurer*
Mel Washington is the Regional Director of the Small Business Development Center for The University of South Alabama. Mr. Washington holds an undergraduate degree in Electrical Engineering from Howard University, a Master’s in Business Administration from New York University, and completed the Administration Executive Education Program at Wharton School of Business.

Katelanne Fadalla - Secretary

Mrs. Fadalla, a resident and native of Mobile Alabama, is an alumnus of St. Paul’s Episcopal School. She attended the University of Alabama, where she majored in Human Development with a concentration in early childhood development and mental health.

After graduating Katelanne took a position with Mayor Stimpson’s 2nd campaign where she oversaw absentee voting and other grassroot efforts. In 2020, after Stimpson announced his third run for office, Katelanne became the Political Director for his campaign, and after the successful re-election of Mayor Stimpson she was given the opportunity to work directly for the Stimpson Administration.

Currently, Katelanne holds the title of Special Assistant to Mayor Stimpson. Katelanne’ s favorite responsibility is managing Mayor Stimpson’s initiatives and special projects, to ensure that the mayor’s mission of One Mobile- “A unified City that is safer, more business and family friendly” is always at the forefront of each initiative and project.

Katelanne believes at an early age the Lord put on her heart that her meaning in life was to help others. She believes that if you want to live for God, you must be ready to say and do what might seem strange to the world.

In her spare time, you can usually find her behind the scenes on a campaign, hunting in Brewton, Alabama, Fishing in Destin, Florida, and spending time with her husband, Tony and their family.

**William Bruce**
Mr. Bruce is a graduate of Auburn University with a degree in macroeconomics. He has served as a bank director, as chairman of his city's airport and industrial authority and on several state and national boards of professional organizations.
Additionally, Mr. Bruce has owned and managed several businesses of his own. His business brokerage experience ranges from small retail shops to large manufacturing plants. This broad background and experience is now available to his clients in the business sales and acquisitions marketplace. Mr. Bruce also currently serves as a judge for the Small Business Book Awards sponsored by Small Business Trends of Cleveland, Ohio. Additionally, he has been certified as an expert witness in court trials involving business valuation issues.

**Kerry Cohen**
Assistant Director of Marketing & Communications, College of Education and Professional Studies at University of South Alabama

**Andrea Cox**
VP of Business Development for McAleer’s Furniture

**Hunt Griffith**
Prior to joining the financial industry in 2013, Hunt attended the University of South Alabama, where he was a member of the Jaguars baseball team and obtained a double major in Accounting and Marketing. Hunt holds FINRA Series 7 and 66 registrations, as well as being a licensed life insurance producer.

Hunt believes that when it comes to interacting with clients, everything starts with great service. Hunt cares deeply for everyone that he works with and has a genuine desire to serve the needs of others. When it comes to defining professional success, Hunt gets his greatest satisfaction from helping clients achieve their financial goals.

Hunt serves on both the Prichard Preparatory School Board and the University of South Alabama Athletics Board. Hunt and his wife, Mary Angela, have two children, Julia and Preston, and they live in Mobile.

**Grayson Gartman**
Graysi is a proud Mobile native and a graduate of The University of Tennessee. Since 2011, Graysi has risen in the ranks at MCG Workforce Solutions, a staffing company known for their partnerships and expertise in the shipbuilding industry. She now serves as their Chief Operating Officer, overseeing operations and business development, as well as the recruitment and onboarding of roughly 1200 employees annually. Graysi is passionate about connecting locals to opportunity and doing anything she can to propel Mobile's workforce forward. Through her involvement in FUSE Project, Downtown Alliance, Shipbuilders Council of America, Women In Maritime Organization, The Mobile Chamber's Partners For Growth Program, and more, she strives to serve and make an impact where she can. She is proud and honored to have the opportunity to serve on the Board of Directors for PPS.

**Rob Guthans, Jr.**
Rob is President of ServiceMaster Advanced Cleaning and Restoration; and President of ServiceMaster Services Janitorial. He is the President of the Mobile Industrial Development Board, former President of the Board of Volunteer Mobile, and is a graduate of Leadership Mobile. Rob teaches continuing education to the property & casualty insurance industry, and he serves as a Big Brother for Big Brothers and Big Sisters of South Alabama. He has served in many capacities for a variety of local non-profits including being a division chair for the Chamber Chase and the United Way; and he has served on the board of Young Life and the Child Daycare Association. He is active in several social, political and business organizations, and he has recently joined the Mobile Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Advisors. Rob is a graduate of Vanderbilt University and is married to Tami Smith Guthans.

**Quin Hillyer**
Quin Hillyer is a member of the Editorial Board of the Louisiana Advocate/Times-Picayune newspapers, and a nationally recognized authority on the American political process. He has won mainstream awards for journalistic excellence at the local, state, regional and national levels He is a former Executive Editor for The American Spectator and columnist or editor for the Washington Examiner, Washington Times, the Mobile Register, and the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, and a former Managing Editor of Gambit Weekly in New Orleans. He has appeared hundreds of times as a television analyst nationally and in Washington DC, Alabama, Arkansas, and Louisiana, and as a guest several thousand times on national and local radio shows.
Hillyer also has volunteered in leadership roles for numerous church, civic, and educational organizations. He is a *cum laude* graduate of Georgetown University, and is a Fellow of the Loyola University (New Orleans) Institute of Politics and of Leadership Coastal Alabama. He is married to the former Therese Robinson of Mobile.

**Leslie Lerner**
Leslie Lerner, a native of Houston, TX, and graduate of the University of Houston, with a degree in Political Science, leads the Community Development and Service Department at St. Paul’s Episcopal School in Mobile. Mrs. Lerner brings St. Paul’s high school students to Prichard Prep on a weekly basis, building relationships through tutoring, arts, crafts, and various other educational activities.

**Tanya McGowin**
Tanya McGowin, a native of New Orleans, LA and graduate of LSU School of Nursing, currently resides in Mobile, AL with her husband, William “Judge” McGowin. They are a blended family consisting of 5 children. Tanya is retired and remains active in the community through various volunteering endeavors. She is of the belief that the success and well-being of the younger generation depends on the guidance and support of the older generation.

**Molly Middleton**
Born and raised in Mobile, Alabama, Molly is a proud alumna of UMS-Wright Preparatory School and The University of Alabama, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in public relations with a minor in Sports Communication in 2020.
Molly began her career in sports as a student recruiter and communications assistant for Alabama Athletics, laying the groundwork for her future in sports media and event management. During college, she interned with the Senior Bowl for three consecutive years, which ultimately led to a full-time position with the organization in 2021.
As the Senior Bowl’s Director of Public Relations, Molly serves as the primary liaison between the organization and both national and local media. She manages all year-round media inquiries and oversees communications throughout game week, including Media Day, player and coach interviews, and radio row activations. She also handles media credentialing, press conferences, and the design and production of the official game program.

**Carson Irvine Nicholson**
Carson is a lifelong resident of both Mobile and Baldwin Counties, Alabama. Her childhood was spent going to school in Mobile during the winter and spending every minute possible in Mobile Bay during the summers. For over 33 years, she has spent her legal career practicing law on both sides of the Bay, obtaining deep experience across all areas of civil law.
Carson graduated from the University of Alabama *cum laude* in 1983 and went straight to University of Alabama School of Law where I was a Hugo Black Legal Scholar, the Student Works Editor of the *Law Review*, *Order of the Coif,* and a recipient of the School of Law’s highest academic honor the Dean M. Leigh Harrison Award.
Carson is a member of the Baldwin County Bar Association, the Mobile Bar Association, the American Bar Association, and am certified to practice in United States District Courts for the Southern, Middle and Northern Districts of Alabama.

**Tramaine Perry**
Tramaine Perry is a University of Mobile alumnus and former record-breaking Rams basketball star whose leadership on and off the court has defined his career. A 2005 graduate with a B.S. in computer information systems, Perry discovered his passion for finance and now serves as Vice-President at Hancock Whitney Bank.
Tramaine is a devoted husband, father of three, and mentor. Perry is committed to guiding students and sharing his belief that a strong relationship with God is the foundation for a meaningful life.

Gretta Smith

Gretta Smith, a devoted wife to her husband, Enoch Smith, and mother of one daughter, Mariah Smith, currently serves as Chief Operations Officer at Easy Heating & Cooling. Passionate about helping other discover and activate their God-Given purpose in Christ, she also founded “Authentically Gretta,” in 2023; established to inspire and empower others to be the best version of themselves, while activating purpose. In addition she is an active BIG with Big Brother Big Sister Organization. Gretta is a resident and Native of Mobile, AL, where she attends Mount Hebron Church Ministries. She is a graduate of Remington College, where she obtained an Associate Degree in Computer Information Systems, and is currently attending the University of Mobile, where she is pursuing a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration.

Jennifer Susman

Jennifer Susman serves as the Chief Assistant District Attorney for Alabama’s 13th Judicial Circuit, appointed by Mobile County District Attorney Keith Blackwood. She earned her B.A. in English with a minor in Political Science from Southern Methodist University, where she was inducted into Sigma Tau Delta, the National English Honor Society. She went on to earn her J.D. from DePaul University College of Law in Chicago, where she served as Vice President of the Federalist Society and received multiple honors, including the CALI Award for Litigation Strategy: Criminal and the Benjamin Hooks Distinguished Public Service Award.

Jennifer began her legal career as a prosecutor with the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office in Chicago. After relocating to Mobile, she joined the Mobile County District Attorney’s Office, where she tried a broad range of cases, from traffic offenses to capital murder. She later transitioned into civil defense at Starnes Davis Florie, LLP, before being appointed as the City of Mobile’s first Chief Assistant City Attorney – Criminal Division.

In 2022, Jennifer returned to the Mobile County DA’s Office as Chief Assistant District Attorney, where she leads a team of over 60 prosecutors, trial coordinators, and victim service officers. She works closely with local governments and law enforcement agencies to ensure a collaborative, victim-centered approach to justice. Jennifer is deeply invested in her community, serving on the Mobile Bar Association’s Grievance Committee and as Chair of its Government Section, as well as participating in the Alabama State Bar, Inns of Court, and the board of United Way of Southwest Alabama. She and her husband Peter are proud parents of two children, and she remains actively involved in their school and local volunteer efforts.

Mac Taul

Mac Taul is a business leader passionate about driving innovation and delivering meaningful impact. As President of Merchants Transfer Company, a local logistics and intermodal transit business founded in 1904. In addition to his role at Merchants Transfer, Mac is a partner in six complementary businesses: Southern Intermodal Xpress, Point Logistics, Richard Murray & Company, Hardwoods Unlimited, Gulf Trading, and Challenge Testing. These companies provide integrated solutions across logistics, brokerage, and forest product distribution. Whether optimizing operations, supporting employees and customers, or contributing to the Africatown community, Mac strives to build a legacy of growth and service.

**Edie Terreson**
Edie Terreson was formerly an Equity Mutual Fund Manager and Stock Analyst in New York City and most recently with VanKampen Investments/INVESCO in Houston, TX. Terreson has a B.S. from Florida State University and an MBA in Finance from New York University. In addition to serving as Vice Chairman for the Prichard Prep Board of Directors, Terreson serves on the Thomas Hospital Foundation Board of Directors, St. Paul’s Episcopal School Board of Directors, and is involved with Mobile Rescue Mission.

**Ricardo Woods**
Ricardo serves as the Chief Legal Counsel and City Attorney for the City of Mobile. He was appointed by the Honorable William S. Stimpson in 2013. As City Attorney, he manages the City's outside counsel, serves as chief legal advisor to the executive branch and executive director of the City's internal legal department. Ricardo is also a partner at Burr and Foreman. In additional to his government and bar service, Ricardo has served as a leader in the non-profit community for years. He has served as President of 100 Black Men of Greater Mobile, Inc., Chairman of Mobile United, President of the Vernon Z. Crawford NBA affiliate, and Chairman of AL.com's first Gulf Coast Young Professional's Summit. Ricardo is a native of Natchez, MS and attended both undergraduate and law school as a recipient of leadership scholarships. While in law school he was a member of the school's nationally ranked Trial Team and served as the Chief Judge of the Trial Board.

**Katherine Zarzour**
Katherine Zarzour is a retired educator of the deaf and served as a board member for St. Paul’s Episcopal School in Mobile for 15 years. As the mother of six children, Zarzour has dedicated her life to serving others and comes to Prichard Prep once a week with her trained therapy dog, Lyla, to visit the school, teaching character development and serving as a mentor. Mrs. Zarzour has served on the Board of Directors of Prichard Prep since its founding and has been instrumental in the school’s growth.

Founders Emeritus

The Honorable Sandy Stimpson

Mayor of Mobile

Dr. Ruby Eldridge

Pastor - Pure Word Ministries