Annette Alexander

Vice President of Institutional Advancement | Huntsville Botanical Gardens

Annette Alexander is the Vice President of Institutional Advancement for the Huntsville Botanical Garden During her 7 years in this position, she has lead the Garden's strategy for raising philanthropic contributions to support its mission as well as serves on the Leadership Team, which is responsible for Garden leadership initiatives, institutional direction, strategic planning and policy development Prior to joining the Garden, she spent 25 years as a store manager of Talbots She is a native of north Alabama and graduate from Auburn University with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a major in Human Resources Management She is an active member and currently serves on both the Personnel and Stewardship Committees at First Baptist Church in Huntsville When not working, she enjoys spending time with her family and working in her own garden

Joey Azar

Co-founder/Owner | Boaz Ventures

A native of Huntsville, Joey is a Founder and Partner of Boaz Ventures, a real estate investment and development company in Huntsville, Alabama Drawing on his 16 years of experience in real estate acquisitions, development, construction, portfolio management, and ownership, he focuses on finding and executing investment opportunities for Boaz Prior to returning to Huntsville in 2020, Joey successfully led the strategy and capital deployment for the $25 million SW Neighborhood Centers I real estate fund and was a member of alternative asset manager, Harbert Management’s U S Real Estate team where he performed financial analysis, acquisitions, and dispositions for the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic regions Locally, Joey serves as a member of the Board of Directors of the Land Trust of North Alabama Joey and his wife Jenny (also a native of Huntsville) have three children Andi Kate (age 8), Isla (age 3), and Weston (age 1)

Jill Balch-Coon

Assistant Professor | Alabama A&M University

Jill -Balch Coon has over 25 years of professional experience in the field of arts education She joined the AAMU faculty in January 2021 as Assistant Professor of Performance in the Communications Media for the Visual, Communications Media and Performance Arts Department and has overseen renovations the Johnson Little Theatre and created Bulldog Players Productions, a producing arm of the department that has produced William Shakespeare’ Twelfth Night at the Orion Amphitheater’s Artists Meadow in September of 2022, the film the First Ladies of Alabama A&M, and most recently the sold out production of The Wiz for the AAMU and Huntsville communities The Bulldog Players partner with community organizations such as Fantasy Playhouse, Theater Huntsville and Isabelle Academy to create internship and performance experience opportunities for young artists Jill is a mentor for WEDC Foundation and serves as co-chair of the Monte Sano United Methodist Staff Parish Relations Committee

Spencer Beach

Lead Pastor | Building Church

Spencer is a visionary leader who has a vast love for people His passion to develop others and help guide them to significant living has led him to work with churches in multiple cities and community faith based organizations around the world Whether leading a non profit, guiding strategic community initiatives, his passion for connecting resources to deserving communities, developing healthy families, and serving those who are less fortunate is evident His presentations and appeals are inspirational, thought-provoking, and concise His teachings help people deepen their understanding and application of significance in their lives As a life-long learner, his famous question is “Why?”, and he often begins his responses with, “Help me understand ” He is constantly trying to figure out how to be husband extraordinaire to his wife Ellen and dad of the year to his daughters, Eliana and Gabriella