UAB Briefs: Two award winners, Suits for Success clothing drive

In this weekly online feature, we keep track of interesting people and events on campus.

A faculty member and administrator was recently named the winner of the annual A.G. Gaston Award.

Another UAB administrator was recognized by BB&T Bank for her efforts to increase small business inclusion at the university.

And there’s still time to make donations to the annual Suits for Success clothing drive.

Know people, places and programs on the UAB campus that deserve a mention? Email jchambers@starnespublishing.com.

A.G. Gaston Award winner

Anthony C. Hood, director of Civic Innovation at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, was awarded the 2020 A.G. Gaston Award for his innovative approach to providing quality educational opportunities to students.   

Hood received the award at the recent A.G. Gaston Conference, an annual event that was held at the BJCC in February, according to UAB Media Relations.

“A rising star in Birmingham’s African American business community, Dr. Hood continues to push UAB students to be leading entrepreneurs and business leaders of the next generation,” said Robert Dickerson Jr., A.G. Gaston Conference co-chair and executive director of the Birmingham Business Resource Center.

At the conference, Hood also led a panel discussion regarding the conditions that need to exist for African-American business owners in Birmingham to thrive and become the next A.G. Gastons.

At UAB, Hood serves as the inaugural director of Civic Engagement in both the Office of the President and the Collat School of Business.

Hood’s efforts within the Birmingham community support UAB’s strategic plan, Forging the Future, by engaging local leaders to expand career opportunities for underrepresented groups in the STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) disciplines and entrepreneurship.

Hood has helped boost such initiatives as the Education Farm, the Birmingham Brookings Partnership and Opportunity Alabama.

He is also a board member of such community-focused organizations as the Birmingham Education Foundation, Urban Impact, the Woodlawn Foundation and the Housing Authority of the Birmingham District. 

Hood is also an associate professor of management at the Collat School.

Diversity Leader Award winner

Demetria P. Scott, manager of the UAB Department of Small Business Inclusion, was named the winner of the Diversity Leader Award at the 2020 Minority Business Awards. The award is presented by BB&T Bank.

Scott, who has worked at UAB for 25 years, currently manages small business inclusion, small public works projects and the Academic Small Business Alliance Bridge to Success Project. 

Her responsibilities include managing all outreach, in-reach and reporting activities in support of the university’s efforts to increase diversity in procurement, construction and professional services.

Scott was also appointed recently to serve on the Board of Directors of the Institute for Supply Management as chair of the Supplier Diversity Committee.

Helping women succeed

Suits for Success is an annual clothing drive on the UAB campus that collects gently used items for women who need business-appropriate attire to go on interviews or begin working at a new job.

The drive is being held this week and continues through Friday, March 13, according to UAB Media Relations.

Donations accepted include clean suits, jackets, skirts, casual pants, shirts, formal and casual dresses and such accessories as shoes, handbags and jewelry.

Donations can be dropped off at the lower-level entrance of the Alys Stephens Center at 1200 10th Avenue Between 7-10 a.m. 

Suits for Success supports My Sister’s Closet, an outreach program of the YWCA of Central Alabama, and is sponsored by the UAB Commission on the Status of Women.

This is the 15th anniversary of the drive, and UAB pathologist Dr. Ona Faye-Petersen, who helped start the program on campus, is retiring this spring.

She said the drive has been one of the activities she is most proud of during her career..

“I have to say that there are a few things that you want to have in your legacy if you are going to have one, and for me, there have been a couple of things that I’ve done that I’ve really enjoyed and felt like made a difference,” Faye-Petersen said in the UAB news release. “One of them is Suits for Success.”