A.J. Strickland

A.J. (Lonnie) Strickland received a BS in Math and Physics from the University of Georgia, an MS in Industrial Management from Georgia Institute of Technology, and a PhD from Georgia State university. He currently holds the rank of Professor of Strategic Management in the Graduate School of Business at the University of Alabama. He has done extensive consulting and research work. In recent years, he was honored with the Outstanding Professor Award for the Graduate School of Business, and was the recipient of the Outstanding Commitment to Teaching Award for the University of Alabama.

Dr A. J. (Lonnie) Strickland, a native of North Georgia, received a PhD in Business Administration from Georgia State University. He currently holds the rank of John R. Miller Professor of Strategic Management in the Graduate School of Business at the University of Alabama.
Lonnie's experience is in strategic management and has developed strategic planning systems for numerous household name corporations. He is a very popular speaker on the subject of planning under conditions of high uncertainty and implementing strategic change. Lonnie serves on several corporate boards. He has served as Director of Marketing for BellSouth Advertising and Publishing (BAPCO) where he had the responsibility of $1 billion in revenues and $300 million in profits. He has participated in taking two companies to the New York Stock Exchange and is a founding member and Director of American Equity Life Insurance Company (AEL) which has grown from $5 million in assets to over $65 billion in 22 years.
Internationally, Dr Strickland has worked extensively in Europe, the Middle East, Central America, Southeast Asia, Australia, with a particular interest in Africa. He has spent the last thirty-six years living in South Africa, deep in the bush, on a Private Game Reserve where he is one of the owners. He has spent considerable time working on the strategy of Kruger National Park, South African National Parks which is the body responsible for managing all South Africa's national parks, and who currently manages 19 parks consisting of 3,751,113 hectares, over 3% of the total area of South Africa. He has also been associated with Elephants Alive. In all of these projects, the balance between the population of elephants, humans and the environment is the key issue.
In the area of research, he is the author of numerous publications including the best selling ‘STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT: QUEST FOR COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE’ 23rd ed., co-authored with Dr Art Thompson, Margaret Peteraf, and Dr John Gamble and published by McGraw-Hill. 
Recent recognition was his being named the most influential professor among all professors at The University of Alabama according to a recent survey of graduating seniors. Dr Stickland has received numerous awards for his work including the ‘Outstanding Commitment to Teaching Award for The University of Alabama’ and is a member of various honour leadership societies. 
Lonnie splits his time between his homes in Alabama and his Private Game Reserve in South Africa. Kitty is his wife of 53 years and they have two grown children, two precious grandchildren, and two rescue dogs.