32 / ’southern
ALUMNI AFFAIRS
New National Alumni Association president wants
fellow BSC alums to stay involved
When Brent Yarborough is passionate about something, he’s always ready to go the extra mile.
He spends long hours at work with the Birmingham creditors’ rights firm of Zarzaur & Schwartz
PC, but he loves the personal satisfaction he gets. The same applies to his alma mater.
Since graduating from Cornell Law School, Yarborough, who graduated from BSC in 1997 with
a degree in religion, has stayed in close contact with the college, serving on the alumni board and
getting involved with the BSC Lawyers Club. He joined the alumni board as vice president of the
chapter and affinity programs in 2009 and became president-elect in 2012.
This June, Yarborough stepped into his new role as national alumni association president.
Now, he hopes to inspire other alums to connect with BSC and to encourage their peers to get
more engaged.
Though his term is only a year, he and the board have come up with a vision for what they want
to accomplish.
“We intend to involve more alumni volunteers in our chapter and affinity groups, as well
as in our reunion committees,” Yarborough says. “We’re also looking at how to better utilize
technology and social media to inform alumni of events and opportunities to get involved with the college.”
Yarborough says he wants alumni to know there are more ways to participate beyond just giving to the Annual Fund and attending
Homecoming/Reunion, including mentoring students and recent graduates, providing internships, and talking about BSC with potential
applicants.
As a student at Birmingham-Southern, Yarborough threw himself into campus life. His activities included the Honors and Leadership
Studies programs and Student Government Association. He also served as BSC chapter coordinator for Habitat for Humanity.
“Birmingham-Southern played an enormous role in helping me determine my career path and molding me into the person I’ve become,” he
says. “I have so many great memories of the college, especially my interim term trips to Israel and Greece my junior and senior years.”
As president of the alumni association, Yarborough is poised to build that same feeling of BSC pride in more than 16,000 alums worldwide.
“The college has faced many challenges over the past few years, but we are meeting them head on, thanks to the leadership of our president,
Gen. Charles C. Krulak, and others,” Yarborough says. “But we can’t rest on our laurels. We have to keep on moving forward in terms of
giving generously to the college, staying involved and engaged, helping bring in more new students, and helping graduates succeed.”
Yarborough practices what he counsels, staying connected and giving every year to the BSC Annual Fund.
“We have to do these things not only to maintain the integrity and prestige of our own degrees, but to honor the institution that helped
mold us into what we’ve become,” he says. “We owe so much to Birmingham-Southern, and I encourage all alumni to step up and make a
difference in the college’s future.”
2013-14 Alumni Association Executive Board members announced
The BSC Alumni Board is composed of a diverse group of people who volunteer their time, talents, and resources to serve as leaders and
advisors within the alumni community on behalf of the mission of the college. Brent Yarborough ’97 of Birmingham is the new president
of the BSC Alumni Association. Other members of the Alumni Executive Board are:
President-Elect:
ChristineWenning Lambert ’86
,
Birmingham
Past President:
Terry Smiley ’94
,
Birmingham
VP/Chapter and Affinity Programs:
Mallie Searcy Hale ’07
,
Decatur
VP/Service and Outreach:
Craig Langford ’00
,
Washington, D.C.
VP/Advancement:
Roger Ball ’03
, Birmingham
VP/Enrollment:
Mike Chappell ’82
, Huntsville
VP/Marketing and Communications:
Vicki VanValkenburgh ’88
,
Birmingham
VP/Reunion and Class Activities:
Audrey Ann PrudeWilson ’68
,
Birmingham
VP/Athletics:
Rodney Barganier ’94
, Birmingham
Chair/Young Alumni Council:
Rebecca Beers ’04
, Birmingham
