Four SFA graduates to interview for Alumni Association leadership position

3-20-08

Four candidates scheduled to interview for the position of executive director of the Stephen F. Austin State University Alumni Association hold degrees from the university.

The candidates include: Jeff Davis ’02, interim director of the SFASU Alumni Association; Rhonda Minton '90 & ’99 associate director/communication director of the SFASU Alumni Association; Marila Palmer ’76 & ’97 of Longview, vice president for executive affairs and planning at LeTourneau University; and John Selman ’96 of Glendale, Ariz., Arizona sales manager for Cox Auto Mart.

Jeff Davis earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from SFA in 2002 and a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Alabama at Birmingham in 2005.

Davis, who was named interim director of the SFASU Alumni Association in September 2007, joined the Association as director of development in February 2006. He supervised alumni fundraising, scholarships and membership solicitations, as well as programs that provide credit card, insurance and travel club services to Association members. Davis also is an instructor for SFA 101, a credit course that provides freshman students with a solid foundation for academic success at SFA and background on university traditions.

In 2003, Davis was named assistant director of new student orientation at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. In addition to recruiting and preparing student leaders to present orientation programs for new students, Davis assisted with the Parents Association and Parents Council and was events facilitator and editor of the Parents Association newsletter.

Rhonda Minton has earned two degrees from SFA -- a Bachelor of Arts in journalism and business communication in 1990 and a Master of Arts in communication in 1999. Previously she received an Associate of Arts degree from Texarkana College.

During the last decade as associate director/communications director of the SFASU Alumni Association, Minton has coordinated the Association’s publicity and marketing and managed the production of the Alumni Association magazine Sawdust.

Minton has facilitated the development of Association programs, such as the structured chapter program, legislative advocacy, Mentor Ring, Mardi Gras Madness, Academic Shootout, Lumberjack Alley, Lumberjack Bash and numerous membership campaigns. In addition, she oversaw development of the Association Web site, the ShopSFA e-commerce program, online giving and e-mail newsletters. She is staff liaison for the legislative/PR committee for the Association’s Board of Directors. She also serves as an adjunct faculty member in the SFA Department of Communication and as an SFA 101 instructor.

Marila Palmer earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from SFA in 1976 and a master’s degree in mid-management in 1997. Currently she is a doctoral student in leadership studies at Dallas Baptist University.

Palmer is vice president for executive affairs and planning at LeTourneau University. A member of the president’s cabinet, Palmer directs the university’s strategic planning and institutional effectiveness processes, supervises institutional research, serves as accreditation liaison, and is assistant secretary to LeTourneau’s Board of Trustees.

From 2001 to 2003, Palmer was assistant vice president for executive affairs and planning. Previously Palmer was director of university planning and assistant to the president. She began her work with LeTourneau University in 1997 as director of continuing studies. Prior to joining LeTourneau, she was an assistant principal and lead teacher at Pine Tree Junior High School in Longview.

Palmer is a member of LeTourneau’s 2008 Visioning Process and Standing Governance Committees, and she is the former chair of the university’s Long Range Strategic Planning Committee. She directed LeTourneau’s accreditation reaffirmation leadership team of faculty and staff chairs, and she has served as a peer evaluator for the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, an accreditation agency for colleges and universities in an 11-state region. She is co-chair of the Greater Longview Organization of Business and Education.

John Selman received Bachelor of Arts degrees in communication and history from SFA in 1996 and a Master of Education degree in educational leadership with an emphasis in college administration from Northern Arizona University in 2004.

Selman is the Arizona sales manager for Cox Auto Mart where he works with auto dealers to create new business. Previously he served as a senior business development consultant for CDMdata Inc., also know as Kelley Blue Book; marketing consultant for Arrowhead Lexus; vice president of operations and sales for the Nationwide Insurance office of The Selman Group Agency, LLC; and director of business development for jobing.com. From 1997 to 2003, Selman was assistant director of admissions for DeVry Institute of Technology and DeVry University in Phoenix.

Selman is a life member of the SFASU Alumni Association and is organizing an SFA alumni charter chapter in Arizona. He has served as fraternity chapter advisor for the university chapters of Pi Kappa Alpha at Ohio State University and San Jose State, and he is the past president and past vice president of the Phoenix Pikes Alumni Association.

The SFASU Alumni Association is a non-profit organization dedicated to serving the alumni, friends and current students of the university through programs, scholarships and activities that create an attitude of continued loyalty and support.

The Alumni Association executive director serves as the chief executive officer of the Association, overseeing all operations, including staffing, budgeting, fundraising, and alumni events and activities. In addition, the executive director represents the Association within the university and is responsible for fostering strong relationships with the Association Board of Directors, Association Foundation Board of Governors and Association members. The position reports to the SFA president and the Association Board of Directors.

Candidate interviews are scheduled to be held on campus beginning March 23.

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