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ALUMNI AFFAIRS
Distinguished graduates honored at Spring Alumni Weekend
Time after time, BSC graduates tell how their experiences on the Hilltop gave them a sense of direction and
purpose and set them on the pathway to high achievement. At the inaugural Alumni Awards Gala on April 17,
five outstanding graduates of the college were honored for careers of distinction. For more information on each
honoree, visit
OUTSTANDING YOUNG ALUMNI
Ansley Collins Browns ’01
Browns has been working at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston since graduating from BSC. She started
in the Information Technology department before advancing to Lead Trajectory Operations Officer for several
International Space Station missions and then Astronaut Office Engineer, where she provides support to
International Space Station astronauts. Browns was one of 24 NASA employees selected for NASA’s Mid-Level
Leadership Program in 2014. As a part of this program, she is currently on a six-month rotation—until June—as
a project manager for the Starport Johnson Space Center Exchange, which promotes the welfare and morale of the
NASA workforce through wellness programs and services. (Photo courtesy of NASA.)
Kyle Whitmire ’01
Whitmire is the state political columnist for the Alabama Media Group. His work appears on and in the
Birmingham News, Huntsville Times, and Mobile Press-Register. Before working for the Alabama Media Group,
he co-founded the weekly newspaper and website Weld for Birmingham and wrote an award-winning political
column for the Birmingham Weekly. Whitmire has also contributed to The New York Times and .
DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI
Norton Dill ’68
A former music and drama teacher at Wenonah High School in Birmingham, Dill founded Dill Productions in
1985, launching his career in film and video. He has shot television commercials for clients all over the country
and has produced several documentary films. Music In Their Bones, his first film, aired nationally on PBS, while
The Story of a Teller won major awards at each of the eight film festivals where it played, including the coveted
Crystal Heart Award from the Heartland Film Festival. Dill has been involved in theater his entire adult life and
has directed more than 100 major productions, mostly musicals, in the Birmingham area. He has also performed
for many years with his theatrical/music group, The Dill Pickers.
Dr. Thomas Moody ’69
Moody, a urologist at Urology Centers of Alabama in Birmingham, has been praised by the National Prostate
Cancer Coalition as a “major presence in the battle against prostate cancer in Alabama.” The coalition had
previously issued a “failing” grade to Alabama in its 2006 assessment of prostate cancer management nationwide.
In response, Moody pushed for new legislation requiring insurers to cover physician-ordered tests for prostate
cancer, and he marshaled the resources of his practice to offer free screenings to citizens in many parts of the state,
particularly in the Black Belt, where incidence of death from the disease is high. He has received many awards and
acknowledgments for his achievements and has written numerous articles and abstracts for professional journals.
Dr. Helen Krontiras Anderson ’89
Anderson is a professor of surgery at UAB, medical director of the UAB Breast Health Center, co-director of the
Norma Livingston and Lynne Cohen Preventive Care Program for Women’s Cancers at UAB, and cancer liaison
physician of the UAB Health System. She is also an associate scientist with the UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center
whose primary research interests are in prevention and risk assessment of breast cancer, disparity in cancer care,
and outcomes of breast cancer treatment. Since entering academic practice in 2001, Anderson has been engaged in
the education of medical students and residents on a daily basis.