ADRS Board

Stephen G. Kayes
District 1, Mobile

Dr. Stephen G. Kayes, who was paralyzed in car-bicycle accident as a young man, is a professor in the Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience at the University of South Alabama College of Medicine in Mobile. He holds a joint secondary appointment in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology, and he is a member of the Center for Lung Biology. His teaching and research experience includes positions at Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, The University of Iowa College of Medicine and Vanderbilt University College of Medicine. Dr. Kayes is the author of numerous scientific articles, book chapters and theses. He has given many seminars, talks and lectures in his areas of expertise while participating in educational symposia around the nation including talks at Upjohn Pharmaceutical Company and the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research. He is currently the president-elect of the American Society of Parasitologists, the nation’s oldest scientific society dedicated to the study of animal parasites.

Dr. Kayes has been a longtime proponent of diversity, especially as it relates to people with disabilities. His advocacy for this often-overlooked population includes involvement at the university, municipal and national levels where he is a member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science Task Force on Scientists with Disabilities. He received a special award from the president of Vanderbilt University for his assistance with Vanderbilt’s response to one of the first-ever federal audits of accessibility of a university campus under Sections 503 and 504 of the Rehabilitation Act.

Jimmie Varnado
District 2, Montgomery

Jimmie Varnado, a native of Mobile, is branch manager/assistant vice president with Sterling Bank in Montgomery. Prior to joining Sterling, Varnado served in the U.S. Air Force for 28 years, retiring in 2000 as a lieutenant colonel. He has a bachelor of arts in business administration from Dillard University and a master of science in personnel management from Troy University.

Varnado is active in his community and has been honored for volunteer service by Junior League of Montgomery, Outreach Ministry, and the Alpha Upsilon Chapter of the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity. In addition to serving on the Alabama Board of Rehabilitation Services, he has been a board member of the Central Montgomery Optimist Club, board member and treasurer of the River Region United Way, a member of the Board of Directors of the American Red Cross, and vice president of Leadership Montgomery.

Patricia "Crickett" Floyd
District 3, Opelika
Board Chairperson, 2003

Patricia "Crickett" Floyd represents the family focus of the Alabama Department of Rehabilitation Services. Over the years, Floyd has been involved as a member of the Opelika CRS Parent Advisory Committee and other health planning groups and panels. The involvement allows her to have a significant role in determining policy and services for other special needs children and their families in the area. Floyd serves on the Board of Rehabilitation Services as a representative of parents who have children with disabilities.

David Brock
District 4, Boaz

Brock is employed as a NASA procurement analyst with the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville. A member of the Alabama Council for the Blind, Brock also is actively involved in the Southeastern Minority Business Development Council and the Huntsville Association of Small Businesses in Advanced Technologies. Brock represents NASA and the Marshall Space Flight Center as a frequent speaker, panel guest and business counselor at conferences geared toward businesses of all sizes. Brock represents individuals with disabilities on the board.

Russell G. Brown
District 5, Huntsville

Russell G. Brown, a native of Knoxville, Tenn., is founder of DP Associates, an information technology firm based in Huntsville. The firm has a wide variety of private industry and government clients including NASA , Boeing, four military branches, and numerous other agencies and firms. He was named the state Minority Business Person of the Year by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and has received the SBA Administrator’s Award of Excellence.

Brown has a strong commitment to volunteerism and has been involved in several community activities, including serving as former chairman of the Huntsville City Planning Commission, member and former board chairman of the Huntsville/Madison County Chamber of Commerce, a member of the board of directors of Leadership Alabama, a member of the board of directors of U.S. Space & Rocket Center, and a member of the Alabama Workforce Investment Board.

Brown is currently chairman of the Huntsville Hospital Board of Directors. He lives in Huntsville and is an ordained deacon and elder at Fellowship Presbyterian Church.

Roger McCullough
District 6, Birmingham

McCullough is senior human resource manager for the Jefferson County Personnel Board, which oversees HR functions for all Jefferson County services as well as employees in all municipalities within Jefferson County. In 1998, he represented ADRS at the National Employment Conference in Washington, D.C. , as keynote speaker, addressing the UAB relationship with Vocational Rehabilitation Service, a division of ADRS . He currently leads the pilot initiative for the establishment of the Business Leadership Network in Alabama, a project of ADRS .

William "Mitch" Strickland
District 7, Tuscaloosa

Strickland is a powerlifter who has won gold medals at several national and international competitions. He received a degree in public relations in 1995 from the University of Alabama. He was Alabama's 1991 Wheelchair Athlete of the Year and a 1991 inductee into the Dixie Wheelchair Sports Hall of Fame. In addition to his involvement with ADRS , Strickland serves on the board of directors of Wheelchair Sports USA as well as the Paralympic Athlete's Advisory Committee. He represents people with disabilities on the ADRS board.