Terry Sound Business

Steve Voorhees serves as CEO of WestRock, one of the world's largest packaging companies with 39,500 employees in 30 countries. Previously, he was CEO of RockTenn. He has served in several executive leadership roles, including president, chief operating officer, chief financial officer and executive vice president. Before joining RockTenn, he served in operational and executive positions at Sonat Inc., a diversified energy company headquartered in Birmingham, Ala.

Voorhees earned a bachelor's degree in economics and mathematics from Northwestern University and an MBA from the University of Virginia's Darden School of Business.

Troy Woods serves as the chairman of the board and CEO of TSYS. He has been the champion of the company's goal to be the leading global payments solutions provider, and its commitment to improve lives and businesses around the world. Under his leadership, TSYS has become the No. 1 third-party processor in North America, one of the top 10 direct merchant acquirers in the U.S., and the No. 2 prepaid services provider in America, supporting millions of underserved consumers who do not have access to traditional financial services.

Woods began his career at Columbus Bank and Trust Company in 1970, working part-time in the bankcard department and eventually becoming a vice president. He left the company in 1977 to serve as senior vice president for card services with United American Bank in Knoxville, TN. In 1979, he joined AmSouth Bank in Birmingham, AL, as senior vice president of Card Services, and in 1982 became senior vice president of Consumer Lending. He rejoined TSYS in 1987.

Woods earned a bachelor's degree from Columbus State University, and also graduated from the University of Virginia's Graduate School of Retail Bank Management and Louisiana State University's Graduate School of Banking. He has been recognized with the Alumnus of the Year Award by the Abbott Turner College of Business at CSU, the Thomas Y. Whitley Distinguished Alumnus Award by CSU, and the Alumni Excellence Award by the University System of Georgia Board of Regents.

Mary Laschinger serves as chairman of the board and CEO of Veritiv Corporation, a leading North American distribution solutions company. She is Georgia's first Fortune 500 female CEO.

Previously, she served as senior vice president of International Paper Company, and as president of the xpedx distribution business. She was also president of the Europe, Middle East, Africa and Russia business at International Paper; vice president and general manager of International Paper’s wood products and pulp businesses; and served in other senior management roles in sales, marketing, manufacturing and supply chain at International Paper.

Prior to that, Laschinger held various positions in product management and distribution at James River Corporation and Kimberly-Clark. She is a member of the board of directors for Kellogg Company, where she serves on the audit and nominating and governance committees. She is also a member of the executive committee of the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, and is a former lead director of Ilim Group, Russia’s largest pulp and paper company.

Laschinger holds a bachelor’s degree in business from the University of Wisconsin and an MBA from the University of Connecticut. She has also completed postgraduate studies in executive management at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.

Alex Taylor serves as executive vice president for Cox Enterprises, a leading communications, media and automotive services company. He oversees the company's long-term investment and growth strategies, and sits on Cox Enterprises' board of directors.

Taylor previously served as senior vice president of field operations for Cox Communications, the company's broadband and cable subsidiary. He oversaw operations of all of Cox's cable systems, serving 6 million customers. Prior to Cox Communications, he was the executive vice president of Cox Media Group where he oversaw its television, radio, newspaper and digital properties.

Taylor is an avid outdoorsman and environmentalist. He chairs American Rivers' board of directors and is a board member for Food Well Alliance and PATH Foundation. He received a bachelor's degree in science with a focus on human and organizational development from Vanderbilt University.

In the final episode of the school year, graduating seniors Melissa, McDonald, Sam Eanes, and Caleb Stevens share some of their favorite Terry memories and best advice for incoming Terry students.

Bonneau Ansley III (BBA '99), a fifth-generation Atlantan, serves as the president and broker with Ansley Atlanta Real Estate and managing partner of Ansley Hewett Custom Homes.

Ansley has long been a leader in luxury real estate sales and construction in Atlanta. He has developed, built and sold more than $1 billion in real estate since graduating from Terry and sold over $425 million of houses in the last four years. Previously, he worked with Barry Real Estate and Harry Norman Realtors developing premiere projects in Atlanta, the Georgia coast and South Carolina.

Ansley and his wife, Jen, live in Buckhead with their two children, Blakely and Beau. They are members of Northside Methodist Church and are very involved in the community.

Have you ever considered double majoring in Terry? Not sure how to get it all done in four years? Tune in to hear senior Marketing and Management major Sam Moran talk about why he decided to pursue a double major, in addition to certificates in Entrepreneurship, Organizational Leadership, and New Media.

In the world of professional sports, leadership plays a critical role in leading the team and organization to success. We sat down with Managing General Partner of the Arizona Diamondbacks baseball team, Ken Kendrick, and discussed the importance of leadership in Mr. Kendrick's career in the business side of Major League Baseball. He also shares how he came to own the most valuable baseball trading card in the world!

Will Harris runs White Oak Pastures, the Georgia farm his family has operated since 1866 (five generations). Under his leadership, the farm has returned to an environmentally sustainable and high animal welfare farming system.

After receiving an animal science degree from UGA, Harris returned home and began to implement a number of sustainable farming practices. Today his cattle, sheep, hogs, goats and poultry are rotated through White Oak Pastures in the Serengeti Plains rotational grazing model. The farm now utilizes solar panels and its beef, goat and lamb are grass-fed. White Oaks also holds the distinction of being the only farm in the U.S. to have both a red meat plant and poultry processing that have been approved by the USDA.