Board of Directors

A. Ryals McMullian

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

Mr. McMullian has served as chief executive officer and a director of the company since 2019. He became chairman of the board of directors in May 2023. Mr. McMullian served as chief operating officer from June 2018 until May 2019 and as chief strategy officer from May 2017 until June 2018. Prior to that, Mr. McMullian served as vice president of mergers and acquisitions and deputy general counsel from 2015 until 2017, and in various legal roles of increasing scope and authority. He joined the company in 2003 as associate general counsel.

Mr. McMullian holds a master’s degree in business administration, a juris doctorate, and a bachelor’s degree in finance and real estate from Florida State University. He is a member of the Georgia Bar Association and, in addition to serving on the board of directors of the Consumer Brands Association, is a trustee for Georgia Research Alliance and Florida Tax Watch. He also serves on the executive committee of the American Bakers Association.

Rhonda O. Gass

Ms. Gass has served on our board since 2016. Ms. Gass has served as vice president and chief information officer for Stanley Black & Decker since 2012. Ms. Gass is responsible for Stanley Black & Decker's comprehensive and cross-business unit IT strategy, delivery and support, and security infrastructure. She also leads the functional transformation activities for the company, focusing on effectiveness and efficiency. Previously, Ms. Gass was vice president of strategy, technology, and governance for Dell, where she worked for 12 years in positions of increasing scope and responsibility.

Ms. Gass also serves as a director of W.P. Carey Inc. (NYSE).

Brigitte H. King

Ms. King has served on our board since 2023. Ms. King has served as global chief digital officer of Colgate-Palmolive Company (NYSE) since 2020, overseeing Colgate’s digital commerce, digital marketing, and omnichannel strategies.

Prior to joining Colgate, Ms. King held various digital and marketing roles at PVH Corp., L’Oréal, and Kao Corporation, supporting brands such as Calvin Klein, Kiehl’s Since 1851, Lancôme, and John Frieda.

Margaret G. Lewis

Ms. Lewis has served on our board since 2014. Ms. Lewis is the retired president of HCA's Capital Division, which includes facilities in northern, central and southwestern Virginia, New Hampshire, Indiana and Kentucky. She began her career with HCA in 1976 and held several positions in nursing management and quality management before becoming chief nursing officer of HCA's Richmond Division in 1997. Ms. Lewis became chief operating officer of CJW Medical Center in 1998 and chief executive officer in 2001. She is a registered nurse and a fellow with the American College of Healthcare Executives.

Ms. Lewis served as a director of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond from September 2013 until December 2019, including chairman from January 2017 to December 2018 and deputy chair from January 2019 to December 2019. Ms. Lewis has served as a director of W.P. Carey Inc. (NYSE) since 2017. She previously served as a director of Smithfield Foods from 2011 to 2013.

W. Jameson McFadden

Mr. McFadden has served on our board since 2021. Mr. McFadden is the chief executive officer and senior portfolio manager of Wellington Shields & Co., a dual-registered broker dealer and investment advisor with over $3 billion in assets under management, a position he has held since January 2023. Mr. McFadden joined Wellington Shields in 2006 as a research analyst and served as president and senior portfolio management from 2017 to 2022. He also has served as head of sales and marketing for Blue Quail Wines, a winery in California, since 2010.

Mr. McFadden holds a bachelor's degree in history from Loyola Marymount University and an MBA in finance and management from New York University's Leonard N. Stern School of Business.

Joanne D. Smith

Ms. Smith has served on our board since 2023. Ms. Smith previously served as executive vice president and chief people officer of Delta Air Lines (NYSE) where she oversaw talent management and development, recruitment, HR service delivery, and HR policies and programs. Ms. Smith began her career as a flight attendant for Swift Airlines and has held various roles, including in sales and marketing, over the course of her more than four decades of service in the airline industry.

Ms. Smith serves on the Board of Directors for Delta Air Lines Foundation, the Board of Trustees for Agnes Scott College in Atlanta, Georgia, and is an Advisory Board Member of the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

Sterling A. Spainhour

Mr. Spainhour has served on our board since 2025. Mr. Spainhour is executive vice president and chief legal officer of Southern Company where he oversees the legal, compliance, corporate governance, internal audit, aerial services, and security organizations. During his more than 30-year career, Mr. Spainhour has also held senior positions at law firm Jones Day and CNN. As a partner at Jones Day, his practice focused on a wide range of transactional matters including mergers and acquisitions and corporate governance. As counsel for CNN, he was responsible for advising the cable news network’s internet divisions on a full range of legal matters.

Mr. Spainhour holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill, a Master of Business Administration from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business, and a Doctor of Law from Duke University School of Law. Mr. Spainhour also serves as a board member of Gray Media, Atlanta’s High Museum of Art, Emory Healthcare Network, and the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill Arts & Sciences Foundation.

James T. Spear

Independent Presiding Director

Mr. Spear has served on our board since 2015 and as independent presiding director since May 2026. Mr. Spear is the retired executive vice president and chief financial officer of Cadence Health, where he served from 2006 to 2012. Prior to that, Mr. Spear served as vice president finance at Keebler Foods (NYSE) and operated an independent advisory and consulting business. Since his retirement, Mr. Spear has periodically engaged in various consulting activities.

Mr. Spear also currently serves on the board of directors of The Trust Company of Illinois and The Trinity Forum. He also serves on the board of advisors to the Wheaton College Center for Faith, Politics, and Economics, where he previously served as an adjunct professor. Since 2013, the National Association of Corporate Directors has designated Mr. Spear as a Board Leadership Fellow.