McCallie Honors Eight With Alumni Achievement Awards

  • Tuesday, October 6, 2015
PIctured are the 2015 McCallie Alumni Achievement Award recipients. They are, from left, Tim Smith '85, Jeb White '95, Douglass Sullivan-González '75, Bryan Darr '80, Jack Webb '75, Sledge Taylor '70, and Joe Crespino '90. Not pictured: Sloane Evans '95.
PIctured are the 2015 McCallie Alumni Achievement Award recipients. They are, from left, Tim Smith '85, Jeb White '95, Douglass Sullivan-González '75, Bryan Darr '80, Jack Webb '75, Sledge Taylor '70, and Joe Crespino '90. Not pictured: Sloane Evans '95.

The awards are just one of the many traditions around Reunion Weekend at McCallie...
Every year at Reunion Weekend, a select few alumni are recognized by their classmates and their alma mater for their outstanding professional achievements. This year, at a Saturday lunchtime ceremony in Alumni Hall, eight members of reunion classes were thus honored. They are: 

Joe Crespino '90 | University Professor
Joe Crespino is the inaugural Jimmy Carter Endowed Professor at Emory University, where he has taught in the History Department since 2003. He received his PhD from Stanford University and has authored two books and edited a collection of essays, all of which examine southern and national political history in the second half of the twentieth century. He has also written for a variety of popular publications, including the New York Times, Washington Post, Politico, and Books & Culture. In 2014 he served as the Fulbright Distinguished chair of American Studies at the University of Tübingen. 

Sloan Evans '95 | Fitness
Sloan Evans is CEO of Pure Barre, the largest barre-based fitness concept in the nation. Mr. Evans joined Pure Barre in December of 2012 when the company had 100 studios and has helped grow the concept to over 325 studios in 42 states. Earlier this year, Pure Barre announced a growth investment from Catterton Partners, a leading consumer-focused private equity firm, to support Pure Barre’s continued expansion across the U.S. and internationally. Prior to joining Pure Barre, Mr. Evans was the CFO of Johnson Development Associates, a real estate development firm. 

Bryan Darr, '80 | Technology
Bryan Darr serves as president and CEO of Mosaik Solutions. Mr. Darr manages the company’s growth as the market leader in providing telecommunications business intelligence information, in-depth coverage patterns and interactive mapping solutions to companies worldwide. After discovering his customers were having difficulty traveling with their phones, he founded Mosaik Solutions (originally American Roamer) in 1988 and began developing consumer roaming guides. These products soon proved invaluable for carriers and wireless consumers throughout North America. As the industry has evolved, he has leveraged technology to drive innovation helping clients visualize data to make better business decisions and communicate their marketing messages. 

Tim Smith '85 | Advertising
Tim Smith is the president of Breensmith Advertising in downtown Atlanta. Hired by BBDO New York after graduating from the University of Tennessee and Portfolio Center, he began art directing national accounts for Pizza Hut, Snickers, and HBO. In the mid-nineties, he created the talking M&Ms, one of the most iconic TV campaigns of all time. Over the years, Mr. Smith has provided creative direction for 22Squared Atlanta, Chiat Day San Francisco and DDB Chicago. He has earned numerous industry awards and has multiple Super Bowl spots to his credit. In 2013, breensmith advertising earned more gold national Addy awards than any agency in the U.S. and last year they were nationally named Best Small Agency for social media. 

Douglass Sullivan-González '75 | University Professor
Douglass Sullivan-Gonzalez works at the University of Mississippi as professor of History and as dean of the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College. He has published two books on the 19th century Guatemalan Catholic Church and several chapters and articles on the church in Latin America. He won UM’s Liberal Arts Outstanding Teacher of the Year in 2001. The Honors College has received national acclaim under his direction. Mr. Sullivan-Gonzalez also is an ordained minister with the Presbyterian Church USA, an active firefighter and board member with the Lafayette County Fire Department, an Amateur Radio enthusiast and a trained storm spotter for the National Weather Service. 

William Sledge Taylor III '70 | Agriculture
After graduating from Mississippi State University, Mr. Taylor returned home to his family’s farm, now in its 5th generation, which produces cotton, soybeans, wheat, peanuts, corn, timber and cattle.Active in many local, regional and national organizations, Mr. Taylor has been honored as the Mississippi Cattleman of the Year and the Mississippi Farmer of the Year. He has served as president of the Mississippi Cattle Industry Board and the Mississippi Cattlemen’s Association. He has also served as president of the Southern Cotton Ginners Association and the National Cotton Ginners Association. He is currently serving as Chairman of the National Cotton Council. 

Jack L. Webb Jr. '75 | Real Estate
Jack Webb entered the real estate business in 1986 and has served as president of Huffaker Realtors, and also regional vice-president of Crye-Leike Realtors. In 2014 he was the recipient of his company’s Circle of Excellence Award. He has been an active partner in several successful real estate developments in Chattanooga including Black Creek, Fieldstone Farms, and Greenbriar Cove. The Lookout Mountain, Tenn. resident has served on the boards of McCallie, Girls Preparatory School, SunTrust Bank, United Way, and the American Heart Association. He has also been inducted into the University of Kentucky Tennis Hall of Fame and the Greater Chattanooga Sports Hall of Fame. 

Joseph E. Bonee “Jeb” White, '95 | Attorney
Jeb White is a partner at the national healthcare whistleblower law firm Nolan Auerbach & White. Overseeing the firm’s Philadelphia office, Mr. White has represented whistleblower-clients in actions across the country, with his firm recovering over $2.2 billion for the federal government since 2010. He has testified in front of the United States Congress and has penned amicus curiae briefs in numerous Supreme Court cases. He is a Board member and past president of Taxpayers Against Fraud, and he is co-chairman of the ABA National Institute on Civil False Claims Act & Qui Tam Enforcement.

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