Birmingham philanthropist receives 2020 A.G. Gaston Award for leading tomorrow’s business leaders

Alicia Rohan

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March 8, 2020

Anthony C. Hood, Ph.D., director of Civic Innovation at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, was awarded the 2020 A.G. Gaston Award for his innovative approach to providing quality educational opportunities to students.

“Dr. Hood’s work at UAB has not gone unnoticed by our team and throughout the city of Birmingham,” said Robert Dickerson Jr., co-chair of the A.G. Gaston Conference and executive director of the Birmingham Business Resource Center. “A rising star in Birmingham’s African American business community, Dr. Hood continues to push UAB students to be leading entrepreneurs and business leaders of the next generation.”

Hood’s efforts within the Birmingham community support UAB’s strategic plan, Forging the Future, by engaging local leaders to expand access to opportunities for underrepresented groups, particularly those leading to careers and leadership in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, and entrepreneurship. Hood recently received the UAB Distinguished Alumni Award for his work in the UAB and Birmingham community. For example, Hood has played a key role in supporting several high-profile initiatives, including the Education Farm, the Birmingham Brookings Partnership and Opportunity Alabama.

Hood is a board member of a number of community-focused organizations, including the Birmingham Education Foundation, Urban Impact, the Woodlawn Foundation and the Housing Authority of the Birmingham District.

At UAB, Hood serves as the inaugural director of Civic Engagement in both the Office of the President and the Collat School of Business. In addition to his directorship in the UAB Collat School of Business, he is also an associate professor of management and conducts research on conflict, transactive memory and psychological safety in teams. He also teaches courses in leadership, entrepreneurship and strategic management.

Each year, the A.G. Gaston Award recognizes individuals who use resources to meet the needs of the community and have distinguished themselves as champions working tirelessly to benefit others.

The award was presented at the annual conference, where Hood also led a panel discussion highlighting Birmingham’s ecosystem and the conditions that need to exist for black business owners to grow, thrive and become the next A.G. Gaston.

(Courtesy of UAB)