Auburn Research and Technology Foundation

Board of Directors

James H. Sanford - Chairman Prattville, AL

James H. Sanford (Chair) is chairman of the board of HOME Place Farms, Inc. and is a fourth-generation cotton producer whose great grandparents began operations of a cotton farm in 1881. Sanford received a BS in business administration in 1968 and an MS in economics in 1971 from Auburn University. He is affiliated with many organizations, including Prattville Area Chamber of Commerce, Autauga County United Way and various advisory boards with Auburn University.


John Blackwell - Birmingham, AL

John Blackwell , Chairman of INKANA Properties, is a real estate developer that specializes in complex joint ventures and finance structures. He is a member of the Auburn University Board of Trustees. The former Captain of the Auburn basketball team received a B.S. in Business from Auburn in 1964 and completed the course work for a doctorial degree at the University of Montevallo and the University of Alabama. During his 20 plus years in higher education administration, he served as CFO for two State Universities and was the Development officer for the AU College of Sciences and Mathematics. He is an active past member of the Auburn Alumni Association.

Bill Goodrich - Birmingham, AL

Bill Goodrich is president and chief executive officer of Richgood Corporation, a venture capital and investment firm in Birmingham. He received a BA degree from Washington & Lee University in 1970 and a JD degree from Cumberland Law School in 1977.

Bill Ham, Jr., - Mayor - Auburn, AL

Bill Ham Jr. was elected to the Auburn City Council in 1986 and has served as the city of Auburn’s mayor since 1998. Mayor Ham, an Auburn native and a 1977 graduate of AU, is the owner of Varsity Enterprises, Inc., and serves on numerous community boards, including serving as chair of the Auburn Airport Advisory Board.

Dr. David R. Thrasher, MD - Montgomery, AL

Dr. David Thrasher practices internal medicine with a specialty in pulmonary disease in Montgomery, Alabama. He received his medical degree from the UAB School of Medicine in Birmingham, Alabama.

Jim Odom - Huntsville, AL

Jim Odom is currently a consultant for Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC). He began his career in the launch vehicle business with the Huntsville/von Braun Team, transitioning with this team to become NASA's Marshall Flight Center (MSFC). His many responsibilities at NASA included the Saturn, Apollo, Shuttle, and Hubble Space Telescope programs. He retired from NASA in 1989 and has remained active in space research.

John M. Mason, Jr., PhD, PE - Auburn, AL

Dr. John Mason is the Associate Provost and Vice President for Research at Auburn University and serves as the President of the Auburn Research and Technology Foundation. Prior to coming to Auburn in 2008, he was a tenured Professor of Civil Engineering and had served as the Director of the Thomas D. Larson, Pennsylvania Transportation Institute and the Executive Director for the Mid-Atlantic University Transportation Center. Dr. Mason holds a BS degree in Transportation from Penn State University, an MS in Transportation Engineering from Villanova University, and a PhD in Civil Engineering from Texas A & M University. He is also a registered professional engineer in Pennsylvania. See www.auburn.edu/research for a brief biographical sketch.

Larry Benefield, PhD - Auburn, AL

Dr. Larry Benefield is the Dean of the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering at Auburn University. He has also served as the associate dean for academics for the college and held a chaired professor position in the Department of Civil Engineering. He received his BS and MS degrees at Auburn University and his doctorate at Virginia Polytechic Institute, all in civil engineering.

Richard Guthrie , PhD - Auburn, AL

Dr. Richard Guthrie is the Dean of the College of Agriculture. He first came to Auburn in 1958 on a football scholarship, and received his BS and MS degrees at Auburn University in the Department of Agronomy and Soils. He received his doctorate degree from Cornell University. He worked for several years for the U.S. Department of Agriculture as a soil scientist and returned to Auburn as professor and head of the Department of Agronomy and Soils. He has served as associate dean of international agriculture programs.

John D. Weete , PhD - Auburn, AL

Dr. John Weete serves as Executive Director of the Auburn Research and Technology Foundation, and Assistant Vice President for Technology Transfer and Commercialization (Acting) at Auburn University. Prior to returning to Auburn, he served as the vice president for research and economic development at West Virginia University and President of the WVU Research Corporation. He is also emeritus professor and formerly associate dean in the College of Science and Mathematics at Auburn University. See a brief biographical sketch at www.auburnresearchpark.com