Forrest S. Latta, a 1980 TROY honors graduate and a member of the University’s Board of Trustees, will deliver the keynote address for the Troy University Honors Convocation at 6 p.m., April 17 in the Claudia Crosby Theater on the Troy Campus.  

TROY students will be honored for their achievements during the event, including awards presented by each of the University’s five colleges and recognition of new honor society initiates.

Among the other awards to be presented are the Ingalls Award for Excellence in Classroom Teaching, presented to an outstanding faculty member, and the Algernon Sydney Sullivan Awards, given to a senior male and female student and to a distinguished faculty or staff member.

The Ingalls Award is given annually to the teacher on the Troy Campus who has “most diligently, effectively and cheerfully conducted his or her classes during the current academic year.” Students nominate faculty members for the award, and a committee of students and faculty advisors selects the recipient.

The Sullivan Award, which is presented at select colleges and universities throughout the United States, recognizes recipients for their excellence of character, humanitarian service and spiritual qualities. The award has been presented annually at TROY since 1981 with nominations for the awards coming from students, faculty and staff.

In addition, the University’s Faculty Senate will present the Dr. Robert Kruckeberg Faculty Excellence Award, which is presented annually to an outstanding lecturer or adjunct faculty member who demonstrates excellence in the areas of teaching, research and service. The award is named in memory of Dr. Kruckeberg, an Associate Professor of History who passed away in 2020 at the age of 43 after a courageous battle with cancer. The Teresa Penn Rodgers Excellence in Student Advising Award also will be presented during the convocation.

Latta, a seasoned litigator with many years of courtroom experience both trial and appellate, is a partner in the firm of Burr & Forman LLP and currently serves as President of the Mobile Bar Association, one of the nation’s oldest. He also sits on the Alabama Board of Bar Examiners, the Alabama Rules of Evidence committee, and is a Fellow in the Alabama and American Bar Foundations.

His track record includes major wins and successful settlements in complex business cases, insurance coverage and bad-faith disputes, consumer class actions, product liability defense, and cases against broadcast and print media companies. In addition to handling cases in the trial courts, he chairs the firm’s Appellate Practice Section, leveraging his experience in over 200 appeals including several landmark U.S. Supreme Court cases on punitive damages.

Latta has been a member of Troy University’s Board of Trustees since 2005. He also serves on the Board of Advisors of Cumberland School of Law at Samford University and is active in the American Camellia Society and several nonprofit organizations.

Latta earned his law degree from Samford University’s Cumberland School of Law in 1983. He previously was a radio broadcaster in several cities, winning two Associated Press awards.