The University of South Alabama’s Eastern Shore speaker series titled “USA by the Bay” showcases a diverse range of lectures and performances by artists, scholars and industry experts at the USA Baldwin County Campus Performance Center in downtown Fairhope. The next event will feature Dr. Andi Kent, executive vice president and provost of the University of South Alabama, who will serve as the guest moderator for a talk titled “Leading with Impact: Panel Discussion.” The event will be held Thursday, March 27 at 5:30 p.m. at the USA Baldwin County Campus Performance Center in downtown Fairhope.

The panel will feature Tanya Fratto Blair, Dr. Constance Dabezies, Mayor Sherry Sullivan and Dr. Gia Wiggins. This series is free and open to the public. Seating is limited and registration is required at SouthAlabama.edu/SpeakerSeries.

MEET THE PANELISTS
Tanya Fratto Blair grew up in Bay Minette, Alabama, and earned a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of South Alabama. She became president and CEO of GE’s Superabrasives’ business in July 2000. During her 11 plus years running this industrial diamond business, Fratto Blair led the business through three ownership changes. Currently, Fratto Blair is a non-executive director on a number of publicly traded companies.

Dr. Constance Collins Dabezies is a board-certified OB-GYN who joined USA Health in 2022. She is among a select group of healthcare providers in Alabama to hold the NAMS Certified Menopause Practitioner designation from the North American Menopause Society. Dabezies treats patients at USA Health Eastern Shore OB-GYN, located at the Eastern Shore Centre in Spanish Fort. Her practice focuses on women’s healthcare, including menopausal medicine, hormone consultations and gynecologic cancer prevention.

Sherry Sullivan, mayor of Fairhope, is serving her first term. Prior to running for mayor, Sullivan worked for the City of Fairhope for nearly 17 years. She also worked for Riviera Utilities as director of governmental affairs and economic development. Sullivan was awarded the designation as a Certified Municipal Official by the Alabama League of Municipalities. Since taking office, Sullivan has worked with the City Council and City Staff to complete or are currently managing approximately $60 million in utility upgrades and quality of life projects.

Dr. Gia M. Wiggins’ management career has spanned more than 25 years. A native of Mobile, Alabama, she earned a B.A. in Psychology and Sociology from Grambling State University, MBA from California State University and Ph.D. in Business Administration from the University of South Alabama. Wiggins has held human resource management roles in companies such as AT&T, Cintas, Target and BAE Systems Southeast Shipyards. In 2016, Wiggins founded Morale Resource LLC, a boutique human resources compliance consulting firm specializing in building and repairing human resources programs. In 2021, she founded Auditocity, a human resource compliance and best practice auditing software. Wiggins was honored among Forbes Next 1000 and was featured in Entrepreneur.com’s Real Entrepreneur series.