New directors, officers appointed to Auburn University Foundation Board

The Auburn University Foundation, which receives and manages all charitable contributions made in support of Auburn University and Auburn University at Montgomery, has appointed three new directors to its board: Sarah Brown of Atlanta; Dave Clark ’96 of Dallas; and Nick Davis ’84 of Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Paul Jacobson ’94, CFO of General Motors, has been appointed to serve as chair of the foundation board for a two-year term, and Steve Cates ’85, owner of Cates Builders in Nashville, Tennessee, has been appointed to serve as vice chair.

“Our directors bring significant experience, insights and a high level of commitment to serve Auburn University and the Auburn University Foundation,” said John Morris, senior vice president for advancement and president of the foundation. “We are grateful for their willingness to join our efforts to strengthen philanthropic support and to advance Auburn’s mission of teaching, research and outreach.”

Brown is a graduate of the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University and received an MBA from Emory’s Goizueta Business School. She retired as Global Customer Director of The Coca-Cola Company, where she led ongoing partnerships and business growth with U.S.-based food service and on-premise customers doing business and expanding internationally.

Previously, she held a variety of roles at Coca-Cola in sales and sales management with a focus on capability building and strategic planning. Prior to joining Coca-Cola, Brown worked in medical equipment sales with Johnson & Johnson and Bayer Laboratories.

Clark holds a bachelor’s degree from Auburn in music education and an MBA from the University of Tennessee. He is currently CEO of Flexport, a supply chain software startup, after retiring as CEO of Amazon’s worldwide consumer business in 2022.

At Amazon, he was responsible for the business’s global supply chain and logistics operation and managed the technology at the heart of Amazon’s worldwide operations, such as Amazon Robotics. He also oversaw Amazon’s transportation and delivery services, such as Prime Now, as well as its sustainability programs and product and social compliance. Before becoming CEO, he held several key positions at Amazon, including Fulfillment Center general manager, regional director of Fulfillment Operations and vice president of North America Operations.

Davis is a graduate of the Harbert College of Business with a degree in economics and serves as president of the Davis Companies, which owns and manages commercial property across the deep south. He has more than 30 years of experience in the quick service restaurant industry, serving as president and director of the board for Momma G’s Inc., the franchisor of Momma Goldberg’s Deli, and president of Vision Restaurants Inc., a franchisee of Taco Bell. Previously, he served as regional director and director of marketing for one of the largest franchise groups in the Wendy’s system and founded Progressive Restaurants Inc., where he owned 32 Taco Bell restaurants in Florida.