Samford University faculty and staff regularly engage in local, regional, national and global organizations in an effort to expand their own personal professional goals. Additionally, this involvement is an integral component of their teaching which showcases the importance of professional development to their students.

 

Kate McCombs, assistant professor of management, joined Samford’s Brock School of Business in 2021. Since then, she’s been engaged in several local professional development organizations which complement her passion for leadership development.  

 

Momentum is Alabama’s premier leadership organization that empowers women to develop leadership skills that positively impact business, culture and politics in the state. Recently, McCombs completed Momentum’s Upward Early Career Program which leverages members’ expertise and alumnae network to develop the next generation of talented female leadership.

 

She said, “Momentum has built an amazing network of empowering women that support, inspire and motivate each other to grow. It was an honor to participate in this program and to get to know so many female leaders in our community. Any aspiring female leader in the Birmingham area should not miss an opportunity to participate in this program.”

 

In October 2022, McCombs was selected as a new member of the Rotaract Club of Birmingham. A young professional membership organization, Rotaract aims to foster responsible citizenship and catalyze positive change by offering unparalleled opportunities to learn from diverse leaders, bond with committed young professionals, and serve the Birmingham community and beyond.

 

She said, “I believe it is our duty to give back to the community and the city we are all so privileged to be a part of. I have already met incredible leaders and look forward to continuing to meet more so that I may share this network with our students as guest speakers. I look forward to being involved in Rotaract so that I may be a part of their focus on building a better community, region and world.”

 

With her involvement in these organizations, McCombs joins many Brock School of Business faculty that make community engagement and professional development a priority.

 

Brock School of Business Dean Chad Carson said, “Our business faculty take pride in participating in leadership organizations at the local level all the way up to their involvement in prestigious international organizations. It’s crucial that we ‘practice what we preach’ so that all students may realize the potential for leadership once they leave our campus.”