Small Business Development Center:Learn About CARA

CEO of CARA

Jeremy Duckworth is experienced in economic development, workforce development, and retail recruiting. He comes to the Central Alabama Redevelopment Alliance after serving as the Chairman of the Fairfield Business Alliance, and Executive Director ofthe Western Communities Redevelopment Alliance.

Jeremy graduated from Auburn University’s Intensive Economic Development Course and seeks to apply all that he learns to support and increase the capacity of micro businesses, small businesses, and economically challenged rural and urban municipalities by removing barriers to capital (financial, social, and human) therefore building capacity for economic viability. Jeremy believes that he must use all his gifts, talents, and abilities to invest in the progression of present and future economic development in central Alabama; and, that cycles of lack are broken by equipping others with the tools needed to receive and pass on various forms of wealth, for generations to come. These beliefs are results of numerous examples of those who made similar investments in his family, beginning with his great-grandfather.

Jeremy is dedicated and enthusiastic about capacity building and developing partnerships to provide much needed resources to support the economic sustainability of stressed communities. He originally hails from a small town in Mississippi, and now resides in the Birmingham Metro area with his wife and three children.

Vice President of Community Development Coordinator, Pinnacle Financial Partners

Monica is currently the Community Development Coordinator and Vice President for Pinnacle Financial Partners. She started her career with SouthTrust Bank in 2001. She stepped away from banking briefly to learn more about the design and fashion industry working for Saks Department Store Group. Seeking to return to the banking industry, she joined AmSouth Bank; which later became Regions Bank, where she supported C-suite executives throughout various divisions of the organization. Upon IBERIABANK’s entry into the Birmingham Market in 2010, Drake joined the team as Executive Administrative Assistant to support the Alabama Regional President and serve as Board Secretary to the local advisory board. After working closely with community partners, planning many branch grand openings, and many successful client events, Monica was promoted to Public Relations Coordinator at IBERIABANK; which recently merged with First Horizon.

Monica and her husband (John) have two boys and reside in Hueytown. She has actively served the community through roles with United Way, Children’s of Alabama, Community Food Bank of Central Alabama, Junior Achievement, Maranathan Academy, and her church. She also the immediate past Treasurer for her HOA.

Vice President of Field Operations, Spire

With nearly three decades of successful leadership in manufacturing, operations, finance and accounting, Antoine Liddell serves as Vice President, Field Operations for Spire in Birmingham, AL. Before joining Spire in 2019, Antoine was the Senior Vice President of Strategy and Special Projects for Noranda Alumina & Bauxite, LLC. Antoine also served for 3 years as Vice President and General Manager for Noranda Bauxite while based in Discovery Bay, Jamaica with his family. Additionally, Antoine held several leadership roles throughout his 16 years with Monsanto Company. He started his career as an auditor with KPMG, Peat Marwick in St Louis. Antoine has a BS in Accounting from Indiana State University and an MBA from Washington
University in St Louis. He and his wife, Audra, live in Hoover and have been married for 29 years. His son, AJ, is currently a senior at LSU.

Tessa Commercial Real Estate

Libby Lassiter is a real estate investor and trailblazer in the Commercial Real Estate industry. She led retail leasing and development at Bayer Properties for 17+ years, most recently as co-president of the company that was sold in 2022. The Bayer portfolio includes notable mixed-use projects like the Summit Birmingham, The Pizitz, Summit Reno, and the Summit at Fritz Farm in Lexington, KY. Her most recent venture is as principal at Tessa Commercial Real Estate, leading development and investments of retail, mixed-use, and historic properties in Birmingham.

Outside of Lassiter’s business achievements, she is committed to enriching her local community. In 2020, she launched the podcast “Share the Mic – Conversations between black and white friends in the South.” The series focuses on exposing racial injustices and will soon launch a third season promoting voting involvement by youth in the 2024 election. Lassiter is also the board chair of Common Thread. This Birmingham 501c3 creates spaces where nonprofits and mission-driven entrepreneurs can grow while meeting the needs of residents in historically underserved neighborhoods. Their community hubs support small businesses, educational entities, workforce development programs, and wellness providers in unique, accessible venues.

Lassiter also serves as National Ambassador for CORE – Career Opportunities in Real Estate – working to bring 20,000 people of color into the commercial real estate industry by 2031. She serves on the board of REV Birmingham and is using her expertise in commercial real estate to deliver on their mission to make Birmingham an even more vibrant place. She also serves on the board of The Women’s Foundation among other nonprofits. Lassiter sees her business role as creating value through real estate investments and preservation of Birmingham’s historic buildings – while her personal mission is to be a good steward of the community in which she lives and serves.

Chief Operating Officer, Sabre Finance

Samuel Kellett, better known as Sam, is the Chief Operating Officer with Sabre Finance, a non-profit lender and technical assistance provider, based in Birmingham that services the entire state of Alabama and the Columbus, GA metropolitan area. Sabre Finance, founded in 2014 by Dr. Ray Morris, is a CDFI and SBA lender serving entrepreneurs through expert technical assistance and prudent access to capital. Sabre Finance is a mission driven organization serving the underserved small business community, growing alongside them from start-up to expansion. Sam has worked directly with small business owners to meet their individualized needs since 2019. His experience in business development and passion for learning leads Sam’s drive to ensure a smooth experience in helping entrepreneurs navigate new paths by listening to client needs and matching proven methods with innovative decision-making. As a student-athlete, Kellett received both his Bachelor of Science in Marketing and his Master of Business Administration from Jacksonville State University. Sam enjoys traveling, staying active, and enjoying new food and coffee across the state with his wife, Anna and family.

President, Alabama Municipal Solutions Inc.

Emory Mauldin was born and raised in Birmingham, Alabama. He graduated from Ramsay High School in1995. He graduated from Hampton University (Go Pirates!) in 1999 with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science. Emory came back to home to attend Cumberland School of Law school where he graduated and passed the Bar in 2002.

After being in private practice for over a decade, he became Counsel for Mission Alabama where has been instrumental in multiple initiatives including The Birmingham College and Career Fair which has helped students across Alabama secure over Fifty Million Dollars ($50,000,000.00) in scholarships since 2012. He is one of three founders of Career Launch Alabama, an innovative partnership that helps high school students develop work force development skills while being compensated at industry leading companies.

He is currently the Managing Attorney for Indigent Defense in the Birmingham Municipal Court, the busiest court in the state of Alabama. He was a founding member and Past Vice President of the Birmingham Urban League Young Professionals, a member of Young Business Leaders, the Jefferson County Young Democrats and has served as a youth mentor to middle school students.

Birmingham General Manager of Endeavor

Economic Development Director, Bullock County Development Authority

David Padgett is the Economic Development Director at Bullock County Development Authority. A native of Bullock County, David has a unique perspective on the challenges of rural Alabama. He has served in this position since January 2019. David also serves as President of Grow Southeast Alabama, a regional non-profit united for economic development. Padgett was appointed to the State of Alabama Electric Vehicle Advisory Board. He currently serves as a Board member of Sparks Foundation for Wallace Community College in Eufaula, Alabama, the South Central Alabama Development Commission, and the Bullock County Chamber of Commerce. He is an active member of the Economic Development Association of Alabama, the Alabama Agribusiness Council, the Alabama Forestry Association, and the Southern Economic Development Council. Padgett is a graduate of Auburn University in Industrial Operations Management. He has one daughter, Anna Kathryn Padgett, Chief Financial Officer of Lee County Alabama.

Founder & Manager of the Academic Small Business Alliance

Demetria Scott is a seasoned professional with thirty years of experience in business diversity. As an Officer in UAB's Small Business Development, she manages the Academic Small Business Alliance (ASBA) Bridge to Success Internship Program. Recognizing the need to support small businesses in addressing their talent challenges, Demetria has facilitated opportunities for UAB students to gain professional work experience. Over the past decade, she has identified, recruited, and developed partnerships with local and small businesses in the greater Birmingham area, pairing them with UAB students to strengthen their talent pipelines and meet human resource needs.

Under her leadership, more than 150 local and small businesses have participated in the ASBA Program, and the team has successfully recruited over 285 student interns through proactive outreach efforts. Demetria’s unwavering dedication has not only benefited these businesses by providing them with vital talent but also enriched the students' professional lives, with many internships leading to full-time employment, thereby contributing to the economic vitality of the community. Demetria’s work at UAB and in the Birmingham community is marked by her quiet but powerful impact. Her initiatives have played a significant role in fostering a stronger, more prosperous community by supporting the attraction, development, and retention of small businesses and future employees.

Her contributions have earned her several awards from UAB, community organizations, and advocacy groups, recognizing her visible commitment, compassion, and continuous devotion to enhancing the growth of local small and diverse businesses and students. In July 2022, Demetria was honored with the President Joseph R. Biden Jr. Lifetime Achievement Award.

Demetria is also a proud mother to her son, Johnathan DeMarco Scott, and daughter-in-law, Jessica Gardner Scott. She is an active member of Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church-Rising, where she serves on the Steward Board, Myrtle J. Glover-Women’s Missionary Society, and as a finance team member.

President & CEO, Complete3Tech Solutions

Chris White
Chris serves as the President and CEO of Complete3 Tech Solutions, LLC. He decided to pursue a family life-long dream of becoming a business owner. He, along with his siblings, established Complete3 Tech Solutions in 2015. March 2016, Complete3 Tech Solutions acquired Lyons Computers & Technologies. This venture results in forty (40) plus years of technology experience and gives C3TS the ability to provide the latest innovative solutions.

As Chief Executive Officer, Chris negotiates contracts, oversees daily operations, supervises the technology team, and makes strategic decisions that will align his company with proven leaders in the tech industry. As a result, Complete3 Tech Solutions offers a wide range of innovative, high quality, cost-effective, and personalized technology solutions. Chris and his team created the VBoxS3, a centralized Cloud solution that allows businesses to access all their data and applications at any time from any location all securely. This solution provides a cost savings benefit to companies by “never having to buy another PC” and includes Cybersecurity, Virtualization, and Business Continuity for small to medium businesses, enterprise corporations, local, state, and federal government agencies.

Also, under his leadership, the company has obtained Minority Business Enterprise Certification (MBE), Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Certification (DBE), National Minority Supplier Development Council Certification (NMSDC), Class 1 MBE Supplier of the Year (SRMSDC), Emerging Leader 2019 Graduate, and an Award of Excellence with Mobile Area Water & Sewer System Mentor Protégé Program. Chris serves as Vice Chairman on the Central Alabama Redevelopment Alliance and Chairman of the “Top 50 over 50” Positive Maturity board.

Chris’s desire is to help businesses understand that up-to-date technology is a critical element for their business to grow and become more successful. He is enthusiastic about helping clients see the need to evaluate their current infrastructure and how utilizing modern technology can be more profitable and increase security. He is a native of Mobile, Alabama. Chris currently resides near Birmingham, AL with his wife and three young children.

Community Development Director, City of Montgomery

Regional Director Legislative & Ex. Affairs, AT&T

Hometown –Tuscaloosa, AL

BS Degree in Advertising, Minor in Business Marketing from The University of Southern Mississippi

Lived in Shelby County for 28 years

Worked for the Birmingham News for 8 years, and the BellSouth Advertising and Publishing Company for 5 years, prior to her current position as Regional Director of Legislative and External Affairs for AT&T-Alabama (2008-present).

Current role description: Representing AT&T-Alabama in 22 counties as a liaison to state and elected officials, city leaders, business leaders, non-profit organizations, education leaders, emergency officials, etc. Cultivating relationships for significant impact as a community partner.

Founder & CEO, Polaris Birmingham

President & CEO, North Jefferson Chamber of Commerce