Greetings from Leadership Alabama!
The past several months have been incredibly busy conducting LA retreats and ALI sessions, finalizing the participants in Class XXXII, and planning for the anniversary celebration next month! And, it is our pleasure to share an update about it all.
New Officers/Board Members
As of July 1, the start of our fiscal year, a new slate of officers will assume duties, new board members will join the board and we will offer a salute to those who are rolling off the board after graciously serving the organization for six years.
Officers
- Melissa Morrissette, Chair, Mobile – Class XXI
- David Nast, Immediate Past Chair, Huntsville – Class XX
- Linda Young, Vice Chair, Dothan – Class IX
- Michael Patterson, Treasurer, Birmingham – Class XXII
- Kyle Buchanan, Secretary, Muscle Shoals – Class XXV
New Board Members
- Penny Billings, Huntsville – Class XXV
- Stephanie Bryan, Atmore – Class XXVIII
- Chuck Holmes, Birmingham – Class XXX
- Horace Horn, Montgomery – Class XXV
- Delbert Madison, Montgomery – Class XXXI
- Henry O’Connor, Mobile – Class XXIII
- Kevin Savoy, Abbeville – Class XXIX
- Jody Singer,* Huntsville – Class XXVIII
- David Turner, Birmingham – Class XXX
*Non-voting, NASA Liaison
They will be joining current board members Doug Bachuss (Decatur), Chip Bivens (Birmingham), Trey Clegg (Birmingham), Melissa Craig (Decatur), John England (Tuscaloosa), Tyrone Fenderson (Mobile), Helene Hassell (Mobile), Sandy Killion (Birmingham), Dave King (Huntsville), Michael Kirkpatrick (Huntsville), Vanessa Leonard (Rockford), Gordon Martin (Birmingham), Grits Morris (Montgomery), David Muhlendorf (Florence), Deborah Bell Paseur (Florence), Eva Robertson (Birmingham), Sheron Rose (Montgomery), Spud Seale (Montgomery), David Silverstein (Birmingham), Robert Simon (Birmingham), Richard Stabler (Fairhope), Todd Strange (Montgomery), Kennon Walthall (Birmingham), Jay Watkins (Mobile), Danny Windham (Huntsville) and Bennet Wright (Montgomery).
Those rolling off after serving two three-year terms are Robbie Baker (Mobile), Ed Crowell (Montgomery) and Sanjay Singh (Birmingham). Additionally, current board members who are all former chairs electing the “emeritus” status are Bill Coleman (Montgomery), Seth Hammett (Montgomery), Jim Hughey (Birmingham) and Caroline Novak (Montgomery).
Upcoming “30th and holding…” Anniversary Celebration
July 27 – 29, 2022
The Grand Hotel
Point Clear, Alabama
As of today, 380 members and guests have registered to attend next month’s celebration! If you haven’t registered and reserved a hotel room, it’s not too late! Click on the link below for more information, a list of those attending, sponsors, etc.
Fabulous Field Trip to Atmore
The Poarch Band of Creek Indians March 9, 2022
What an afternoon! Many LA members and current Class XXXI members were treated to another fabulous visit in Atmore. Keith Martin, Tribal Council Member and Class XXXI, offered greetings on behalf of the entire community, and afterwards we were treated to a playful exhibition by children, a tour of the Poarch Creek Community Center housing several distinct services and initiatives, and a visit to Muskogee Technology. Stephanie Bryan, Chair & CEO of the Poarch Band of Creek Indians, Class XXVIII and new LA board member, made a surprise visit after a very long day in Montgomery to offer additional comments about the community and to conduct Q&A.
Class XXX Graduated at last!
Birmingham Retreat March 16 & 17, 2022
After an unbelievable delay due to ongoing COVID constraints/concerns, Class XXX, which launched in October 2019, finally convened this past March in Birmingham for a graduation celebration dinner, hosted by David Turner and Regions, and one-day session at Jones Valley Teaching Farm (JVTF) with incredible speakers and topics. Those who participated in the programming day were Michael Patterson (Class XXII and LA board member), Amanda Storey (ALI Class I), Trey Echols (Class XXXI), Scott Adams (Class XXIII), Nick Sellers, The Honorable Teresa Pulliam (Class XXX), Bennet Wright (Class XXIX and LA board member), Chip Bivens (Class XXII and LA board member), Dr. Ray Watts, Tony Cochran (Class XXX) and Dave Wood (Class XXX).
We thank everyone, class members and speakers alike, for their patience and willingness to adapt to the ever-changing plans.
Class XXXI
Due to ongoing COVID issues, the Mobile retreat scheduled for January was postponed until March, so this class met in Mobile in March, Huntsville in May and Birmingham in June – whew! The mayor of each city, all LA alum, greeted the class and offered an informative and interesting overview of the city and region. In addition to many of the issues which are consistently incorporated into the retreats, many new issues/venues were included, as well, and it is our privilege to acknowledge those who selflessly shared their time and expertise with the class, as follows –
Mobile Retreat March 10 – March 12, 2022
Presenters
Melissa Morrissette (Class XXI & LA board chair-elect), The Honorable Sandy Stimpson (Class II), The Honorable Merceria Ludgood (Class II), David Clark (Class XXIII), Darron Patterson, Joe Womack, Terrance Smith (ALI Class I), Allison Muhlendorf (ALI alum), Dr. Mike Daria (Class XXXI), Dr. Michael Douglas (Class XXXI), Dr. Jeremiah Newell, Mark Dixon, Daryl Taylor (Class XXX), Michelle Hurdle, Helene Hassell (Class XXIV and LA board member), Dr. John Valentine (Class XXIII), Chris Blankenship (Class XXXI), Roberta Swann (Class XXIX), Dr. Sean Powers and Rick Clark.
Venues
We were fortunate to convene on the 29th floor at Regions Bank for a panoramic view of the port and city and to enjoy an afternoon of excellent sessions. Additionally, Airbus rolled out the red carpet, once again, and offered the class a behind-the-curtain program and tour of the facility. This was followed by a visit to Flight Works Alabama, an incredible workforce development program that is a partnership between Airbus and Alabama’s STEM Workforce Development. Afterwards, we spent the afternoon at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab, which is always a treat, and the retreat concluded with an information session and fabulous tour of the Port of Mobile on Saturday morning.
A huge round of applause to the Dinearound hosts!
Rebecca & Bradley Byrne, Ralph Hargrove, Jeb Shell, Carol Hunter, Terri & Patrick Murphy, Ashley & Henry O’Connor, Elizabeth Stevens, Leah & Richard Stimpson and Heather & George Talbot.
Huntsville Retreat May 12 – May 14, 2022
Presenters
David Nast (Class XX and LA board chair), The Honorable Tommy Battle (Class XXIII), Diana King, Steve Miley (Class XXXI), many professionals on Redstone Arsenal, Lee Marshall (Class XXIX), The Honorable Steve Marshall (Class XXVI), The Honorable Paul Finley (Class XXIX), Scott Russo, LaDerrick Thomas, Dr. Jim Purcell (Class XXIX), Steve Cook (Class XXX), Ronnie Chronister (Class XXXI), Matt Massey, Rich McAdams (Class XXV), Nichole O’Brien, Craig Stallings, Dr. Neil Lamb (Class XXIX) and Danny Windham (Class XXIII and LA board member).
Venues
What would we do without Diana King and her incredible leadership in organizing and facilitating an eye-opening, unique and extremely informative afternoon at Redstone Arsenal and the Marshall Space Flight Center? Once again, this was at the top of everyone’s list as being an outstanding experience. The next morning was spent at Kids to Love, an unbelievable organization touching so many lives, and then we moved to Dynetics, where we were enthusiastically greeted for our afternoon session involving many speakers. And, it wouldn’t be a true Huntsville retreat if it didn’t end at HudsonAlpha, where the class spent another memorizing, entertaining and high energy morning.
A huge round of applause to the Dinearound hosts!
Cynthia & Rey Almodovar, Penny Billings, Hank Isenberg, Randy Jones, Diana & Dave King, Lee & David Nast and Leslie & Danny Windham.
Birmingham Retreat June 2 – 4, 2022
Presenters
The Honorable Randall Woodfin (Class XXVI), Mashonda Taylor (ALI Class I), Dr. Robert Record, Dr. Tommy Bice (Class XX), Mary Helmer Wirth (Class XXIX), Mike Putman, Rev. Arthur Price (Class XXIX), The Honorable Anthony Daniels (Class XXIX), The Honorable Arthur Orr (Class XX), J.W. Carpenter (Class XXIV), Zhaundra Jones, Gordon Martin (Class XVII & immediate past LA board chair), Dawn Bulgarella (Class XXXI), Dr. Selwyn Vickers, Dr. Matt Might, Brooke (Class XXXI) & Daniel Coleman (Class XXX), Eva Robertson (Class XXIX & LA board member), Scott Adams (Class XXIII), Nick Sellers, Amanda Storey (ALI Class I), Trey Echols (Class XXXI) and Dave Wood (Class XXX).
Venues
We were fortunate to start the Birmingham retreat at Social Venture in Woodlawn, for it is the perfect venue for hearing the great news about Woodlawn and the community’s commitment to affordable housing, quality educational opportunities and wellness, in addition to other topics related to revitalizing Alabama’s downtowns and commercial districts. The afternoon was spent in the historic 16th Street Baptist Church, for which we are always grateful to be able to showcase with the class. The class celebrated its graduation dinner at The Club, with lively entertainment provided by the Red Mountain Theatre performers.
On Friday morning, the class was mesmerized by everything UAB – the speakers, the tour, the information, the research, the impact, etc., and it was such an honor to be able to gather there. The honor continued when Brooke and Daniel Coleman graciously hosted the class at their historic Birmingham home, The Swann House, accompanied by an historical account from Daniel. The class then boarded the buses and headed to Jones Valley Teaching Farm for the afternoon session and tour. Saturday morning was the final session for Class XXXI, and they gathered for a buffet breakfast before hearing about Dave Wood’s remarkable experiences of flying our disabled veterans to medical care.
A huge round of applause to the Dinearound hosts!
Brooke & Bob Battle, Dawn & Joe Bulgarella, Collins & Trey Clegg, Chappell & Charles Miller, Barvette & Michael Patterson and Eva & Jim Robertson.
ALI Class IV
Shoals Session III April 21 – 22, 2022
We traveled to the Shoals in April for ALI Class IV’s third session and graduation. The LA Board of Directors also met in the Shoals on Thursday, April 21, and helped kickoff the session by joining Class IV’s graduation lunch. After lunch, the class learned about small town revitalization from Main Street Alabama’s Mary Helmer Wirth (LA Class XXIX) and also how the Shoals area is making a difference with small business resources from Kimberly Hughston (ALI Class IV), Kim Lewis (LA Class XXVI) and Larry Lewis. Ashley Morrow (ALI Class II) shared an enlightening and impactful presentation on balancing time and energy from work, civic, and family life. We celebrated the last session with a fun evening of bowling, trivia, and games in downtown Florence. On Friday, April 22, we kicked off the morning with a strong round table/small group discussion about the ALI program and moving forward before we visited the world famous FAME Recording Studio and Helen Keller’s Ivy Green home.
So many wonderful connections and relationships were made through ALI Class IV. In addition to meaningful presentations throughout their program year, each member noted how valuable it was to join a network of like-minded young professionals.
ALI Class V Nominations
Class V Nominations are OPEN!
Qualified applicants for ALI need to have shown leadership and commitment in a professional capacity and within their own communities.
We seek to identify individuals most likely to utilize their leadership abilities for the long-term benefit of Alabama and individuals who are committed to making Alabama a better place in which to live and prosper. Through the application process, we strive to select participants who will provide the class with broad professional, geographic, ethnic, and gender representation.
Basic criteria for selection are:
- A commitment, motivation, and interest in serving Alabama;
- A concern for Alabama’s future, demonstrated by past community and statewide activities; and,
- A commitment to continued involvement in ALI.
Please give serious thought to nominating a young leader in your community for consideration. Candidates should be no younger than 25 and no older than 40 years of age.
COMING SOON… Announcing Leadership Alabama Class XXXII!
Contact us!!
Don’t hesitate to reach us by phone or email with any questions about news above or the upcoming events. We look forward to seeing so many LA members this summer at the 30th (and holding…) Anniversary!
Kate Cotton – 205-515-6515 – kcotton@leadershipal.org
Ashley Kaplan – 205-905-9415 – ashley@leadershipal.org
THANK YOU to our 543 members who have paid their annual dues this year and to the many who made a contribution with their membership dues!
In 2017, in order to offer young professionals the opportunity to develop personal leadership skills and to establish ongoing relationships with other young leaders across the state, the Alabama Leadership Initiative was expanded to a six-month program comprised of three two-day retreats. ALI exposes participants to the decision makers in Alabama who are sensitive to the challenges we face as a state and provides the unique opportunity to step inside the circles of those who mold the future of our state.