Board Members

OUR BOARD MEMBERS

MARY JOHNSON-BUTTERWORTH, PRESIDENT
Since intensive leadership training 20 years ago. Mary has devoted herself to facilitating diversity training in corporate, community, and school settings such as United Way. Birmingham Pledge Study Circles, NCCJ Dinner and Dialogue programs, leadership Birmingham, Corporate Leadership Birmingham, YouthServe and over 30 area middle and high schools. She has been selected to be on staff at least 20 years at NCCJ's Anytown Alabama and has co-facilitated NCCJ and now YWCA Heritage Panel workshops for the Past 18 years.

A member of the 2007 leadership Birmingham class, Mary is served as Board Chair for the Spirit of the Living God Ministries, Co-Chair of the Community Affairs Committee of Operation New Birmingham and as President, Secretary, and Program Chair of the Nineteenth Century Club, as well as a Member of the NCCJ Board, Oasis Counseling Center for Women and Children Board and Advisory Council, Reconciler Development Board, The Junior League of Birmingham Board (as Provisional Co-chair), The National Coalition Building institute, Community Inc., the Shades Valley YMCA Board, Independent Presbyterian Education Committee, PTA Boards of Brookwood Forest Elementary, Mountain Brook Junior High and Mountain Brook High School, the Metropolitan Birmingham Human Relations Commission, the YouthServe Community Advisory Board, BSC's Bunting Center Advisory Committee. UAB's African American Studies Advisory Committee, BSC's Writing Today Advisory Board, the Birmingham Human Rights Commission Task Force, and the electric band "Maybe Mary". She attended the UN Conference on Racism in Durban, South Africa, as a representative of the Birmingham Pledge Foundation in 2001.

KENTON KENNEDY, VICE PRESIDENT
Kenton Kennedy, LEED Green Associate, is a Birmingham native who currently land surveys full time with the Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT). He is also a nontraditional student pursuing dual degrees in Construction Management and Architectural/Civil Design. He expects to graduate in the summer of 2018. Kenton is an active community servant who currently serves as Co-Director of Anytown Alabama, a week-long social justice leadership summit for high school students, and as a volunteer for Habitat for Humanity. When he can find it, in his spare time he likes to travel, hike, make music, and play basketball with his teenaged son, Jeremiah. His interest in ACE stems in part from his commitment to fostering healthy social and emotional skills in his son, and he is passionate about making sure every child in Alabama has access to social and emotional learning.

EMILY MCCLENDON, SECRETARY
After earning her undergraduate degree in journalism from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and her law degree from Birmingham School of Law, in March 2022 Emily received a Certificate in Financial Accounting from Harvard Business School Online. A lifelong Birmingham resident, she is involved in both the state and local bar associations, as well as various organizations throughout her community. Emily is also an Anytown "Anybuddy"!

ESTHER JONES, TREASURER

NIGEL BROWN
Nigel Brown has been a proud resident of Alabama since August 2015. As a Wisconsin native, he comes to the state by way of the DC, Maryland, Virginia (DMV) area. Although not originally from Alabama, Nigel has strong family ties to the area as his paternal side of the family is rooted in the Birmingham and Bessemer areas. He is an experienced leader and change agent in Quality, Performance and Process Improvement in both the healthcare and manufacturing sectors. He holds a Masters of Science in Business Management and is a recent graduate of the University of Alabama at Birmingham's Masters of Science in Healthcare Quality and Safety program. He is also a certified Lean Six Sigma Master Blackbelt. Inspiring people and improving processes is Nigel’s passion. This passion for change and proactive improvement has driven him to lead, coach and serve on several advisory boards and committees including UAB’s School of Health Professions and Press Ganey's National Performance and Process Improvement Advisory Boards. He is also an adjunct professor to graduate students at UAB, and currently serves as a leadership instructor and coach for several institutions in South Africa where he travels throughout the year. This wonderful work in education and philanthropy has proved to be a perfect fit for ACE. In his free time, he enjoys learning, exercising, traveling and meeting new people.

ADVISORY NON-VOTING MEMBERS

LINDA COOGAN, PRESIDENT EMERITUS

FORMER BOARD MEMBERS

ROBERT EMERICK

RUTH ANN MOSS

ALEX MELONAS

ANAMARIA SANTIAGO

LAURA TURNER

LATRICE DUDLEY

AMANDA TRAYNHAM