Celebrate #35withLA

this summer!

We are planning another fabulous celebration to toast Leadership Alabama’s 35th anniversary!

Come join us this summer as we gather at the Grand Hotel to enthusiastically commemorate its storied history and impact on our state.

We are so grateful to our loyal supporters and sponsors!

Anniversary Sponsors as of April 9, 2025

Lead Sponsors
Bank Independent

Thursday Keynote Speaker and Luncheon Sponsors
Barvette and Michael Patterson

Wednesday Evening Cocktail Dinner / Party Sponsors
PowerSouth Energy

Thursday Evening Cocktail Dinner / Party Sponsors
First Horizon Bank

Thurday Morning Breakfast / Speaker Sessions Sponsor
Jones Walker

Friday Morning Breakfast / Speaker Session Sponsors
Thompson Tractor

Click the link below to learn more, register, and book your room at the Grand Hotel!

https://www.leadershipalabama35years.org

Nominations/Class Selection for LA Class XXXV

Leadership Alabama members,

Thank you for nominating so many qualified and respected leaders from throughout the state. Due to your efforts, we received 171 outstanding nominations for LA Class XXXV!

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.

Nominations will be considered by the Regional Councils throughout the state, and each council will prioritize the nominations for its specific region.
There are ten regional councils, and review meetings have already been conducted in three cities, and the remaining seven sessions are scheduled for the next several weeks.
After all meetings are conducted, Leadership Alabama’s Executive Committee will review the prioritized lists from the regional councils and select 65 – 70 individuals for the class and then present this list of nominees to the Board of Directors for its approval at the May meeting.
All nominations are given thorough consideration, but not all will be selected to participate in the class. The LA of Directors will approve the final class roster, as noted above. Consideration will be given to building a class that represents Alabama’s diversity, both professionally and geographically, as well as in the areas of age, gender and ethnicity.
Following the May board meeting, Leadership Alabama will email those selected for membership and copy the nominators. For those not selected, Leadership Alabama will contact only the nominators.

Class XXXV will be announced in July, so stay tuned!

LA Class XXXIV – Huntsville Retreat March 6 – 8, 2025

As was done prior to the Mobile retreat, Leadership Alabama’s Board of Directors met in Huntsville prior to Class XXXIV’s March retreat for another opportunity to visit with members of the class and Huntsville/NE Alabama LA members. Everyone gathered on Wednesday evening for an “Early Bird” cocktail reception at the brand new Huntsville City Hall, sponsored and hosted by the Honorable Tommy Battle (LA Class XXIII). As noted on the class evaluations, “The cocktail gathering is always a great way to get back into the swing of Leadership Alabama!”

Click here to play video of Huntsville retreat highlights!

Once again, the program agenda involved fantastic speakers and interesting, state-of-the-art venues, as noted below (in order of appearance), and it is always our pleasure to showcase their involvement and commitment to LA and its stellar programming. Comments from the evaluations are noted in italics.

Welcome and Overview of Huntsville/NE Alabama Region –
David Nast, State President, United Community Bank, LA Class XX/Past Board Chair
The Honorable Tommy Battle, Mayor, City of Huntsville, LA Class XXIII
“It is always helpful to have the visit be framed up by leaders of the city.”

Redstone Arsenal Welcome/Briefing
Colonel Erin Eike, Garrison Commander, Redstone Arsenal
Martin Traylor, Deputy to the Garrison Commander, Redstone Arsenal
“This was my first visit to Redstone Arsenal – what a wonderful experience!”

NASA Marshall Space Flight Center Briefing
Joseph Pelfrey, Director, NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, LA Class XXXIV
“The guy was a rockstar! The knowledge and impact are incredible.”

International Space Station (ISS) Payload Operations Integration Center
Paul Hintze, Branch Chief, Environmental Control & Life Support Systems, NASA
Nicole Pelfrey, Manager, Payload & Missions Operations Division, NASA
“This was an exceptional experience. The best part of the day.”

FBI in Alabama Overview/Kinetic Cyber Range Tour
Dave Beachboard, Supervisory Information Technology Specialist, FBI
“This is definitely a highlight of the Arsenal tour. The tour enhanced the presentation, made it real.”

U.S. Department of Justice Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms
Special Agent Canine Handler Dave Wiley and K9 Derby
Special Agents/Certified Fire Investigators Jimmy Panos and Walt Shaw
“Interesting and hands on! I appreciated the effort they put into creating the demos for us.”

Dinearound Dinners
“Dinearound was awesome, as always. Our hosts were very gracious, and I love the ability to get to know our classmates better.”
“A special part of Leadership Alabama.”

AL Legislature in Session – Discussion Panel
Moderated by Chuck Holmes, Executive Director, AL Humanities Alliance, LA Class XXX/Board Member
Hon. Will Ainsworth, Lt. Governor and Senate President, State of Alabama, LA Class XXXIII
Hon. Anthony Daniels, District 53 Representative, AL House of Representatives, LA Class XXIX
Hon. Garlan Gudger, District 4 Senator, Alabama State Senate, LA Class XXI
“Such a privilege to have this time with members of our legislative leadership.”
“Best session of the two days. Hearing the thought-provoking discussion from our state leaders made the time spent well worth it.”

AL School of Cyber Technology & Engineering Tour with Students
“Very impressed. Very impressive young adults. Amazing facility and a great asset to the state.”

AL School of Cyber Technology & Engineering Welcome and Overview
Matt Massey, President, ASCTE, LA Class XXXIV
“Exceptional presentation and vision.”

Tour of HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology
“This was good to hear what their purpose is and the impact they can have.”

The HudsonAlpha Story – The Power of Genomics
Dr. Neil Lamb, President, HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, LA Class XXIX
“Really good. I learned much more about biotechnology and genomics.”

DNA Extraction Experiment – Genomics Education
Kelly East, Vice President for Educational Outreach, HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology
“Entertaining. I appreciate the hands-on experience.”

Class XXXIV Dinner with Huntsville area LA Members at MartinFederal Consulting, LLC
“It is wonderful to see LA members extend themselves on behalf of new class members.”

Kids to Love: Serving Children Through Every Step
Lee Marshall, Founder & CEO, Kids to Love Foundation, LA Class XXIX
Hon. Frank Barger, Judge of Probate, Madison County
Doug Bachuss, Attorney, Nowlin, Bachuss & Gray Law, LA Class XXVI/Board Member
Hon. Paul Finley, Mayor, City of Madison, LA Class XXIX
“Wonderful to discuss issues. Great insight and discussion.”
“Fantastic organization and very motivating to get more involved.”

Class Caucus
Moderated by Chuck Holmes
“Exchange with the group is the best part, and I feel more would be great.”
“This is always the favorite part of the retreat, as we get to hear our classmates’ perspectives.”

LA Class XXXIV will convene in Birmingham for its last retreat of the program year on May 14 – 16, and the next newsletter will include all of the great things that the class experienced, especially the graduation dinner and celebration, and an update about the anniversary celebration.

Be sure to watch for it!

The end of Leadership Alabama’s fiscal year road is near…

As the end of Leadership Alabama’s fiscal year draws near (June 30, 2025), if you haven’t had a chance to 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.

Click here to pay dues online.

Click here to print an invoice to mail your dues.