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Tonya Jones, Kamau Witherspoon and 51 others accepted as 2023 Leadership Birmingham Class
Leadership Birmingham announced their Class of 2023 this week, the 39th since the program’s inception in 1982.
53 Leaders Region-wide
Fifty-three leaders will spend the next ten months together from September through June, learning about area challenges and opportunities from experts in education, economic development, government, justice, human services, diversity and inclusion, and quality of life.
“Leadership Birmingham brings influential leaders together who share a deep commitment to making a better Greater Birmingham,” says Libba Vaughan, executive director of Leadership Birmingham. “The collective expertise and experience of the Class of 2023 is impressive.”
The intensive and interactive format enables each class member to:
- Critically assess area issues
- Broaden perspectives
- Exchange ideas
- Collaborate on local solutions
- Deepen and expand personal and professional networks
Leadership Birmingham — An honor and opportunity
We recently caught up with two of this year’s participants — Birmingham City Council President Wardine Alexander and Carlee Sanford, Ruffner Mountain’s Executive Director. Here is what they had to say about Leadership Birmingham and the opportunity to work with fellow community leaders over the coming ten months..
“It is an honor to be selected for the 2023 Leadership Birmingham class alongside so many amazing individuals who are working to improve the quality of life in our city. I look forward to working with all of them over the next year and finding ways we can utilize Birmingham’s full potential to take our city and region to the next level.” ~ Wardine Alexander
“Thrilled. I am absolutely thrilled for Ruffner Mountain and thankful, personally, to be given this opportunity. To learn is to grow. I value the chance to dive deeper with this incredible group of individuals— to learn more about our community’s critical issues and successes— the outputs, purpose, time, and all the other ways we operate. Ultimately, the future of our region is one interconnected system.” ~ Carlee Sanford
The List
Who else is on the list?
Here are the members of the class of 2022-2023:
Ms. Angela Abdur-Rasheed – Communications & Community Engagement Director, Prosper
Ms. Wardine Alexander – President, Birmingham City Council
Ms. Tonya Hill Allen – Executive Director, Diane’s Heart
Dr. Allury Arora-Lal – Chief Medical Officer, Urgent Care for Children
Dr. Corinne Augelli- Szafran – VP of Scientific Platforms Southern Research
Ms. Rebecca Beers – Partner, Rumberger Kirk & Caldwell
Ms. Katherine Berdy – Director, Youth Leadership Forum, Leadership Birmingham
Ms. Caroline T. Bundy – Director of Development, AIDS Alabama
Dr. Andrew Butler – Dean, UAB School of Health Professions
Mr. Zebbie Carney – CEO, Eugene’s Hot Chicken
Mr. Matt Carrington – CFO, Brasfield & Gorrie
Mr. Hafiz Chandiwala – EVP & Chief Administrative Officer, Coca Cola Bottling Company United
Mr. Edward R. Christian – CEO/Partner,Burr & Forman LLP
Ms. Cynthia Coyle – Partner, ArchitectureWorks, LLP
Ms. Tiffany Vickers Davis – Co-Founder, Nourish Foods
Dr. Paulette Patterson Dilworth, Vice President for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion,
UAB
Mr. Jeremy Duckworth – Executive Director, Central Alabama Redevelopment Alliance
Mr. Tony Feagins, Jr. – President, Ambipar Response OSE, LLC
Mr. Douglas G. Gilmer – Resident Agent in Charge Homeland Security Investigations
Ms. Andrea Haines – VP & General Counsel, Crowne Partners
Mr. Andrew Honeycutt – Chairman – Owner, Talladega Castings & Machine Co.
Ms. Elizabeth Hughey – Co-Founder & Program Director, Desert Island Supply Co. (DISCO)
Mr. L. Waymond Jackson-CEO, Ed Farm
Ms. Jennifer Jaquess – Managing Director, Red Mountain Theatre Company
Ms. Tonya Jones – CEO, Tonya Jones Salon & Civitas Restaurant
Ms. Zhaundra Jones –VP of Philanthropic Partnerships, Women’s Foundation of Alabama
Mr. Jerry L. Kelly – CEO, Kelly Road Builders
Mr. Kipp Keown – Vice President of Marketing, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alabama
Mr. David Killion – President & General Counsel, Shook & Fletcher Insulation
Ms. T. Marie King – Director of Youth Pathways and Experiences, Jones Valley Teaching Farm
Ms. Libby Lassiter – Principal, Tessa Commercial Real Estate
Ms. Mary Pat Lawrence – SVP, Government Affairs Protective Life Corporation
Mr. John B. Lyda – President, Hoover City Council
Dr. Mark Martin – CEO, Build UP
Mr. Patrick McClusky – Mayor, City of Homewood
Ms. Jennifer McInerney – Attorney, Law Offices of Jeff W. Parmer, LLC
Mr. Abbas Merchant – EVP, Chief Marketing Officer Regions Bank
Ms. Mariohn J. Michel – Executive Director, Breakthrough Birmingham
Dr. Tim Mitchell – President, Alabama School of Fine Arts
Ms. Angele Monconduit – Director, Corporate Real Estate Alabama Power Company
Mr. R. Ashby Pate – Partner, Lightfoot Franklin & White
Hon. Charles Price, II – Municipal Judge, City of Birmingham
Mr. Neil Rafferty – Representative, State of Alabama
Dr. Ashley Samuels – Executive Director, Birmingham Education Foundation
Ms. Carlee Sanford – Executive Director, Ruffner Mountain Nature Coalition
Ms. Keelie Segars – CEO, Markstein
Ms. Susan Sellers – CEO, United Ability
Mr. Mitesh Shah – Vice President & General Manager, Vulcan Materials Company
Ms. Rusha Smith – Executive Director, Freshwater Land Trust
Mr. Thomas Spencer – Senior Research Associate, PARCA
Ms. Mashonda S. Taylor – Executive Director, Woodlawn United
Darlene Traffanstedt, MD – Medical Director, Adult Health & Family Planning, Jefferson County Department of Health
Mr. Kamau Witherspoon – CEO, Shipt
Learn More
Want to learn more about Leadership Birmingham and the Class of 2023.
Visit: https://leadershipbirmingham.org
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