Meet Leadership Alabama Class XXXIV
July 31, 2024
Birmingham, AL – Leadership Alabama, a statewide program of Alabama leaders engaged in creating a network of relationships that seeks mutual understanding of problems and priorities for Alabama’s future, is pleased to announce the members of Class XXXIV. The program year will launch on Wednesday, October 16, in Montgomery.
During the year, the class will also convene in Birmingham, Huntsville and Mobile, where it will hear challenging presentations and participate in class discussions that encourage critical, thoughtful assessments of our state and its issues – both challenging and successful – while learning of some extraordinary initiatives that are addressing those issues. “True to Leadership Alabama’s mission of facilitating strong partnerships and alliances for the good of our state, Class XXXIV, as with all previous classes, is comprised of remarkable leaders who will continue to greatly influence Alabama’s growth and innovation,” expressed Dr. Linda Young, Leadership Alabama’s board chair.
Ashley Kaplan, executive director, added, “Leadership Alabama is an organization represented by our state’s most accomplished and forward-thinking leaders who share a strong commitment to serving the people of Alabama. By assembling such a committed and accomplished group of leaders, the state is sure to benefit from their collective passion, knowledge and influence.”
See Leadership Alabama Class XXXIV members here – https://leadershipal.org/programs/la-current-class/ .
Thank you to the many of you who submitted so many excellent candidates. As always, it will be a very difficult process to evaluate everyone since it is such a stellar group of nominees. As a reminder of how classes are chosen, the process is outlined below.
As boldly noted in the heading on the home page of LA’s website, Leadership Alabama is dedicated to “Challenging, motivating and engaging Alabama’s proven leaders,” and Deborah Bell Paseur (LA Class XII and LA Board Member) of Florence personifies those actions in all areas of her life. She steadfastly connects leaders throughout our state, whether pertaining to legal, humanitarian or educational issues, and her efforts continue to be met with great results and high praise. Last month, the Shoals Chamber of Commerce named her “Citizen of the Year 2023” in recognition of her exemplary leadership and engagement in her community and noted many of her achievements, as we are honored to share –
On Thursday morning, the entire class was “officially’ welcomed by David Nast (Immediate Past Board Chair & LA Class XX) and the Honorable Tommy Battle, and both offered an excellent introduction to the area and the many partnerships that fostered such dynamic growth in the region. During lunch, officials from Redstone Arsenal and the FBI presented a briefing about the upcoming afternoon activities, which was informative and “set the stage” as background information about the areas within Redstone that the class would be visiting. The afternoon session included a missile firing at the Redstone Test Center, a K9 and fire demonstration at the U.S. Department of Justice Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, and a briefing and site visit to NASA’s Payload Operations Integration Center for the International Space Center. The class was exposed to factions within Redstone that only a few individuals ever experience, and it is always an honor to be able to take the Leadership Alabama classes to this intriguing “city within a city.”
and then the session launched with an update about the Alabama Legislative session from a panel of three class members who are currently serving our state – the Honorables Will Ainsworth, Lt. Governor and Senate president; Jamie Kiel, AL House of Representatives District 18; and Kelvin Lawrence, AL House of Representatives District 69. The interactive and engaging conversation was moderated by Chuck Holmes (LA Board Member and LA Class XXX), and as shared on the evaluations, “Our classmates did a good job of providing current updates on difficult topics within an environment of varying opinions.”
Everyone noted that they enjoyed hearing from classmates, listening to the various perspectives and interacting with one another through Q&A. Afterwards, the class traveled to the Alabama School of Cyber Technology and Engineering and was welcomed by Matt Massey, ASCTE’s president, who presented an excellent overview of the school’s purpose, processes and results, followed by a school tour with students. “Very informative, very impressive, a must visit, a unique facility, fantastic!” were just a few of the comments offered by the class. Continuing with the theme of serving children and students, Lee Marshall (LA Class XXIX), shared the genesis of her nonprofit, Kids to Love, and its mission of meeting the needs of children in foster care through a presentation entitled, “Serving Children Through Every Step.” This is the fourth consecutive year that Lee has been included on the Huntsville agenda, and her message continues to be powerful and enlightening.
from another incredibly strong panel of classmates – Mark Dixon, president of A+ Education Partnership; Melvin Brown, superintendent, Montgomery County Public Schools; Dennis Coe, superintendent, Dothan City Schools; and, Jeremiah Newell, CEO, Mobile Area Education Foundation. The class thought it “was great to see the impact and discussion of classmates” and that the “program was very informative with very honest points of view given.” Chuck Holmes closed the program day by leading the class through another thoughtful and reflective caucus before everyone gathered for a casual and fun dinner “under the Saturn V Rocket” at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center.
HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology and its incredible leaders were the closing session on Saturday morning, and once again, Neil Lamb (LA Class XXIX) and Danny Windham (LA Class XXIII) wowed everyone with an engaging, exciting presentation about HA’s work within the state, its global impact and its educational component through creating challenging, STEM curriculum for schools throughout Alabama. We all know what a HUGE success the DNA extraction experiment always is, and true to form, the class thought it was an “awesome activity!” It was an excellent exercise for concluding the retreat and bidding goodbye to everyone.
CEO of the Business Council of Alabama, shared her response to the following questions…
ALI Class VI will gather in Birmingham in late April for its final session of its year, and a terrific program has been planned chock-full of engaging speakers and site visits.
Gordon, a native of Birmingham, serves as the inaugural director of the James C. Kenemer Center for Innovation and Social Impact in the Honors College at The University of Alabama and is an operating partner at Redmont Capital, a private investment bank.
Jody, a native of Hartselle, recently retired from NASA, where she served as the director of NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) in Huntsville, having been appointed in September 2018. She was the first female director and managed one of NASA’s largest field installations.
submit your annual dues (based on this fiscal year) of only $175, it is not too late! Please remit your annual dues via the link below or by sending a check/printed invoice to the office.
Leadership Alabama is thrilled to welcome Lydia Barnett to our team as the Membership Engagement and Alabama Leadership Initiative (ALI) Director on March 1. Lydia comes to LA from The Hope Institute, where she served as the program coordinator, supporting, planning and executing the Hope Leadership Academy sessions as well as other Hope Institute events. Additionally, she has 13 years of teaching experience, starting with Teach for America in Memphis, TN and including public/charter school classrooms in four states.
ALI Class VI recently convened in Dothan/the Wiregrass, and Leadership Alabama was thrilled to host the class in this region (a first for ALI and the first time in 33 years for LA). The class gathered at the Dothan Area Chamber of Commerce and was enthusiastically welcomed by Linda Young (LA Class XXII and LA Board Vice-Chair). Mayor Mark Saliba (LA Class XXV) offered insights into Dothan and living in the Circle City, followed by a presentation from Phil Clayton (LA Class XXXII) and Melody Lee, Grow Southeast Alabama, about the growth in southeast Alabama and the accompanying career opportunities. The morning session concluded with Trisha Black’s presentation of “Main Street Alabama: Community Engagement, Revitalization and Investment.”
Friday’s session was dedicated to delving into all aspects of Alabama’s agricultural environment, including being welcomed by Chris Walker, Wiregrass Research and Extension Center, and learning from Dean Mitchell (LA Class XXVII) about HudsonAlpha’s research, education and development initiatives in the Wiregrass. Since Dothan is the “Peanut Capital of the World,” it was only natural for Libbie Johnson, Alabama Peanut Producers, and Emmanuel Bankston (ALI Class V) to present “Peanuts in Alabama: Did you know?”
and five PHF fellows, all recent college graduates who chose to spend two years in rural Alabama working with an organization that is changing lives, improving living conditions, assisting with health issues and providing young students rewarding opportunities. The class was enthralled by everything that PHF had been able to accomplish in such a disadvantaged area of our state and asked a myriad of questions. One class member especially intrigued by PHF’s mission and outcomes was Cathy De La Garza, SVP and chief development officer at Uniti in Mobile.
Once Cathy returned to her office, she contacted John about the possibility of volunteers from Uniti performing service work Greensboro with PHF. As John shared at the time, “It was a wonderful surprise and an incredible blessing.” In spring of 2022, the Uniti team traveled to rural Alabama and had a great workday filled with energy, fellowship and of “getting things done.” As Cathy expressed, “Uniti was thrilled to be involved with PHF, a truly amazing organization.” Through funding and relationships, in addition to a passionate, committed team of professionals and caring fellows, PHF continues to achieve remarkable milestones as it continually focuses on the immediate and long-term needs/objectives of those it serves. A financial gift from Uniti helped fund positions for two fellows.
Cathy was honored to present PHF with a $15,000 check in additional support of its work in and for Alabama’s rural communities.
and close on Friday, February 23, 2024, so be sure to watch for future reminders as January nears and start thinking about qualified candidates who you would like to submit for consideration. All program information – dates, program overview, cost, online application – will be sent via a Constant Contact email on January 16.
Tribal Chief Stephanie Bryan (LA Class XXVIII), Vice Chair Robbie McGhee (LA Class XXX), Tribal Council Member Keith Martin (LA Class XXXI) and Attorney General Lori Stinson (LA Class XXXII) invite you to hear about what’s happening with the tribe and its many business ventures. The afternoon will include a special welcome and cultural performance, tour of the Poarch Creek community and reservation and a tour of Muskogee Technology. The program will begin at 1:00 p.m. and conclude at 5:00 p.m., and we would be thrilled for you to join Class XXXIII and us for this engaging and fun afternoon. Watch for more details and sign up information to come soon!
The Birmingham Regional Council, chaired by Donna Smith (LA Class XXVIII) and Kennon Walthall (LA Class XXV), in partnership with Leadership Birmingham, will soon send details about an event on Thursday, January 18, 2024 featuring Mr. Ron Blatman, executive producer of “Saving the City: Remaking the American Metropolis” documentary series. Be sure to watch for updates and registration information in the next few weeks.
Birmingham District Attorney Danny Carr, to expand upon and manage the work she originally implemented for his office. She has been a wonderful addition to the team, and we will miss her positive spirit and “can do” attitude with everything she tackled. However, we certainly understand her desire to oversee and nourish the programs that she created to address juvenile justice reform for Jefferson County, and we wish her every success on her journey.
Moving forward, it is our hope to share great news/updates/announcements about Leadership Alabama’s incredible members – YOU – but we need your help to do it. Please send us news about career changes, promotions, honors, recognitions, deaths, etc. so that we can include it in future newsletters. Simply email to Ashley Kaplan, 
we were honored to have so many incredible speakers present to the class. The class convened at the Alabama League of Municipalities office, where they were welcomed by LA Board Chair Melissa Morrissette (Class XXI) and Greg Cochran (Class XXXII). Dr. Ed Bridges (Class XIII) offered his extremely important, “stage-setting” presentation, “Alabama’s History: How Who We Were Shaped Who We Are.”
Seven of Alabama’s Big 10 mayors joined us for a very engaging panel session –
The day concluded at Montgomery’s newest outdoor recreational destination, Montgomery Whitewater, with a lovely cocktail reception with area LA members and a welcome from Leslie Sanders (Class XXV), chair of the Montgomery County Community Cooperative District. It was a wonderful venue and evening for Class XXXIII’s introduction dinner.
where the class heard from the Honorable Keith Watkins (Class XXI), Thomas Rains, the Honorable Teresa Pulliam (Class XXX), Bennet Wright (Class XXIX), Kimberly Boswell and Houston Smith, with the second day of the retreat ending with the ever-popular dinearounds in the homes of Montgomery members. Saturday included an impactful and interactive poverty simulation facilitated by Chandra Scott of Alabama Possible and a very thought-provoking, candid caucus session orchestrated by Chuck Holmes.
