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is associate professor of lm studies
and associate chair of the English
Department at East Carolina University.
President Donald Trump named
Jefferson County (Ala.) Place
One Probate
Judge Alan King
, a
Democrat, to the Presidential Advisory
Commission on Election Integrity this
summer. King joined a 15-member
panel charged with researching
voting in the U.S. to maintain public
con dence in the election process.
’98
Ben Bolton
was appointed
energy programs administrator
in the Tennessee Department of
Environment and Conservation’s
Of ce of Energy Programs in 2015.
Speci cally, he is the principal
investigator for a U.S. Department of
Energy project for “Advancing Energy
Ef ciency in Wastewater Utilities
and Other Underserved Sectors” in
Tennessee and Alabama. Aside from
work, Bolton enjoys tending to the
more than 300 varieties of Japanese
maples at his Nashville home.
Jake McKenzie
(MPPM) is the CEO
of the Intermark Group, now the
second largest advertising agency in
Birmingham.
’00
Anne Tyler Hall
, a principal at Hall
Bene ts Law of Atlanta, has been
named a 2017
Georgia Super Lawyer
Rising Star.
Dr. Heather Hancock
of Madison,
Miss., has joined North Mississippi
Medical Center’s Retina Center as a
surgeon specializing in vitreoretinal
diseases. She holds a master’s degree
in physiology and biophysics from
UAB and earned her medical degree
from the University of Alabama
School of Medicine.
’01
Brad Parsons
, a longtime employee
of Baptist Memorial Health Care, has
been serving as CEO of all Jonesboro
operations for the Memphis-based
hospital company since 2015. Parsons
earned a master’s degree in business
Saving faces: Alum launches beauty brand
Three years ago, beauty industry executive
Murphy Bishop
II ‘94
stumbled upon the perfect
business opportunity over Thanksgiving dinner.
He was at the home of Natalya Rachkova, a former nurse turned aesthetician who had moved
from her native Uzbekistan to Seattle, where Bishop lived at the time.
“During my visit, I noticed women walking in and out her home, each with a small plastic
tub of cream,” Bishop said. “Natalya had cooked the cream the day before and it had been
cooling—waiting for a new batch of clients. Each woman would hand her $40 and leave with
their purchase. When I tried Natalya’s home-brewed masterpiece, I was hooked.”
Bishop joined forces with Rachkova to help develop the product commercially and together
they co-founded The Better Skin Co., which entered the market in 2016 with the launch of
Mirakle Cream. Marketed as “genius in a jar,” the cream is an antioxidant-rich recipe of natural
ingredients such as beeswax, sea buckthorn, aloe, and algae that treats everything from hyper-
pigmentation to ne lines and eczema.
Since then their brand—now based in Los Angeles—has been featured on television in the top
10 major U.S. markets (it was selected as a holiday gift pick on the Wendy Williams Show); used
by Hollywood insiders for trips down the Oscar and Emmy red carpets; and highlighted in most
major magazines, websites, and by famous YouTube stars. It is sold at select Urban Out tters,
Bloomingdales, Dermstore, EVINE Live Home Shopping, and a host of e-tailers and independent
beauty boutiques. The duo plan to add a cleanser and other products to the beauty lineup soon.
Bishop, a Grand Bay, Ala., native, credits much of his success to BSC. He fondly recalls Dr. Jack
Taylor, whom he said ignited his passion for marketing, and President Emeritus Dr. Neal Berte,
whose leadership inspired him.
“The college really prepared me for my career by giving me the permission to be a free thinker
and push boundaries,” said Bishop, who majored in nance and marketing. “At BSC, we were
always encouraged to think rst, answer second, and ght for our position when challenged.
Creative thinking was celebrated and rewarded.”
After graduating, he took his rst job with Parisian, eventually moving on to big cosmetics
companies like Estée Lauder and Bare Escentuals. At Lauder, he was promoted to an executive
position with the Bobbi Brown Division and then the Stila Division. He has traveled the globe
representing multiple brands and sat in the front row at fashion week in New York and London.
He is also the founder/CEO of Bleu Brand Development in Santa Monica, Calif., a full-service
brand development agency specializing in personal care.
Although Bishop and his partner enjoy the sun, sand, and fast-paced environment of the West
Coast, they miss the friendly, slower-paced lifestyle that he remembers from Alabama.
“We have life goals of moving back to the South, remodeling an antebellum mansion, and
setting up an organic farm complete with livestock,” he said. “One can dream…”