fall2017

FALL 2017 / 19

Betty Hawk ’81

As vice president for 3M’s Materials Resource Division, Hawk was one of three female division vice presidents

and one of the youngest overall. As she rose to leadership positions—she worked in manufacturing, research and

development, technical service, and marketing in both the U.S. and Europe—Hawk made it a point to serve as a

mentor and role model for women in the workplace. She is a member of the American Chemistry Council and the

Industrial Suppliers Association, the Georgia Tech Chemistry and Biochemistry Advisory Board, and has served as

a mentor in the Menttium 100, the rst cross-company mentoring program, which was established in 1991. Now

retired, Hawk has been named president of the 2017-18 BSC Alumni Board. Previously, she has served on the

Norton Board and the Urban Environmental Studies Advisory Committee, funding the Betty Hawk Internship. UES

internships provide paid summer positions for students to work with environmental organizations. Hawk, a native

of North Alabama, received her bachelor’s in chemistry and sociology at BSC.

Traci Satisfield Blackmon ’85

Rev. Blackmon has built a powerful platform through her dedication to community engagement and change. She

is executive minister of Justice and Witness Ministries with the United Church of Christ and senior pastor of Christ

the King United Church of Christ in Florissant, Mo. In August, Blackmon was a member of the clergy who traveled to

Charlottesville, Va., to bear witness at the Unite the Right rally. She also gained national attention for her communal

leadership and response to racial tensions in the aftermath of the killing of Michael Brown Jr. in Ferguson, Mo.

Blackmon was appointed to the Ferguson Commission by Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon and co-chaired the Municipal

Governance and Court Reform workgroup. During the presidency of Barack H. Obama, she served on the President’s

Advisory Council on Faith-Based Neighborhood Partnerships. She also received the White House President’s Volunteer

Service Award, and was recognized in the 2015 Ebony magazine Power 100. A native of Birmingham, Blackmon earned

a bachelor’s in nursing from BSC, and she has more than 25 years of healthcare experience. During her years in nursing,

she shifted from cardiac care to focus on mobile healthcare in underserved communities. She also earned a master of

divinity and an honorary doctor of divinity degree from Eden Theological Seminary.

Other 2017 Distinguished Alumni Award honorees

Outstanding Young Alumni Award

Erin Kendrick Stephenson ‘01

Stephenson, who earned her bachelor’s degree in English literature, is vice president and director of client and

community relations for the Alabama market, PNC Bank. Prior to accepting her position at PNC in February, she

served an 11-year term as vice president of development at the Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham.

During her term, Foundation assets grew from $131 million to $253 million. Stephenson currently is serving a term

on the Homewood Board of Education. A Birmingham native, she also has held volunteer positions with the YWCA

of Central Alabama, the Rotaract Club of Birmingham, and Trinity United Methodist Church. While attending

BSC, she worked for The Women’s Fund of Greater Birmingham. Stephenson’s rst full-time job was at Habitat for

Humanity. She is a former Birmingham Business Journal Top 40 Under 40 honoree.

ON THE HILLTOP

HOMECOMING

A celebration for the entire BSC family

Friday, October 13 & Saturday, October 14