Power of Women

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Now more than ever, women are at the center of some of the most important efforts underway in the Metro: to improve education, healthcare, the business climate, the law.

In these and a host of other areas, you will find powerful, accomplished women focusing on the future.

Here’s a glimpse inside.

Written by Tom Wofford, Rosalind Fournier and Joe O’Donnell

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The power vested in her Bobbie Knight runs Alabama Power’s largest division.

by Kelli Hewett Taylor

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he career track to the coveted corner office isn’t as straight as you might predict. Bobbie Knight’s path to become the vice president of Alabama Power’s Birmingham Division involved such glamorous executive activities as helping frustrated customers with disconnected power, reading meters during a strike, and climbing a power pole as a demonstration and recruitment tool for female linemen.

Now she oversees a division that provides power to about half a million customers in central Alabama. Knight’s love of people and a relentless work ethic provide the framework for a 33-year career with Alabama Power. Working for a company that values the talent within, Knight progressed from a nightshift telephone customer service representative to a management leader to division vice president, handling nearly 500,000 customers. And she found time to earn a law degree, too.

“My younger years were spent growing

up in Birmingham in the turbulent Civil Rights era,” says Knight, 55. “Kelly Ingram Park (site of the infamous water hosing and arrest of segregation protesters) is right outside my office window. This is where people bled and went to jail so I could sit here in this corner office. It blows my mind. I stand on the shoulders of folks who marched there.”

Knight, who is called Miss Bobbie by many inside and outside Alabama Power, has earned recognition for her dedication to leadership and civic organizations, from championing the city’s downtown Railroad Park, to serving on the board of the Civil Rights Institute and mentoring young professionals.

Knight’s husband, retired NFL player Gary Burley, shares her love of giving back.

Burley, who played for the Cincinnati Bengals and the Atlanta Falcons, founded a nonprofit foundation, ProStart Academy, that matches NFL players with young athletes to make them more recruitable to college coaches.

Knight rose up through the company in a time when women and minorities were in small numbers. Knight remembers when female employees couldn’t wear pants to work and specific efforts were in place to recruit black and female employees and contractors —some of the programs in which she had heavy involvement. “The thing I’ve found that sets Alabama Power apart from a lot of companies is that it has done the right things for the right reasons, not necessarily because they were forced to.”

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“Alabama Power has always encouraged its employees to be engaged and connected with the community,” Knight says. “I know that may seem corny to some people, but it’s not. It’s a core belief and a feeling in this company. I’ve felt it since 1978 when I started here.”

Knight grew up in the Birmingham neighborhood of Zion City, the youngest of five children. Her mother was a pastry chef for the iconic Birmingham department store Pizitz Bake Shop. “Birmingham is home for me, and I love it,” Knight says.

She graduated from the University of Alabama in 1978 with a degree in communications, public relations and advertising.

Her mind was set on becoming an evening jazz DJ (a job she still wouldn’t mind trying), but a lack of radio experience was a problem. She landed an Alabama Power job on the 2-10 p.m. shift in customer service, often dealing with customers who came home to find their power disconnected for not paying their bills.

“I felt like I had a way of calming people down,” Knight says. “I always tried to put my grandmother’s face on every customer I dealt with because I wouldn’t ever want anyone to disrespect my grandmother.”

Knight rose up through the company in a time when women and minorities were in small numbers. Knight remembers when female employees couldn’t wear pants to work and specific efforts were in place to recruit black and female employees and contractors—some of the programs in which she had heavy involvement. “The thing I’ve found that sets Alabama Power apart from a lot of companies is that it has done the right things for the right reasons, not necessarily because they were forced to,” she says.

Alabama Power is paving the way for corporate culture changes, including having a free program that allows workers to use bicycles during their lunch breaks.

And if you want to chat with Bobbie Knight, like some of her employees do, she’s on Facebook.

Knight’s experience stretches across several Alabama Power divisions around the state, including human resources, training and recruiting, labor relations, buying materials for the supply chain,

Organizations

for Women Alabama Women in Business (AWIB) provides women entrepreneurs in diverse sectors with opportunities to interact and develop strategic alliances. The corporation encourages, supports and educates women who own and operate businesses. www.alwib.org/ The Alabama Women’s Initiative, Inc. is an organization formed by a group of Alabama women concerned about the status of women in Alabama and its effect on the welfare of our state. (205) 9913221.

The Charity League, Inc. (TCL) is a non-profit service organization with approximately 100 women members. TCL is committed to serving hearing and speech impaired children of Alabama thorough volunteer hours and financial support. www.thecharityleague.org The Civiettes Club of Birmingham is a vital civic club with dedicated fundraising efforts for United Cerebral Palsy. www.ucpbham.com Girl Scouts of North-Central Alabama currently serves 15,000 girls and 5,000 adults through Girl Scouting in more than the 1,100 Girl Scout troops it serves.

Bobbie Knight Photo by Liesa Cole

corporate services, human resources and a stint as vice president of public relations.

“I figured out a long time ago that what I had to know was how to bring in good people and reward them,” Knight says.

Knight is the first to tell you that times have changed but her respect and affection for Alabama Power have not. What’s the secret to such a long career at Alabama Power?

“I think it’s the company,” Knight says.

“I don’t know that I could have spent 33 years at another company. It really is a family place, and it’s hard to separate myself from the company. I’m now working with some of the children of our employees, and I remember them being born and graduating high school. For the majority of my career, I was single. These people are my family.” b-metro.com

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Women in the arts

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he first words that spring to mind when meeting Patty McDonald include “elegance” and “grace,” but when she talks about the importance of the arts in Birmingham, McDonald makes it clear she is much more than just a pretty face.

“This is serious business, and I take it seriously,” McDonald said of her busy schedule enjoying and supporting the local arts community. It’s been her passion and Birmingham’s good fortune since Patty and her late husband Pat came to town in the 1970s.

Almost a decade after her husband’s death, McDonald continues to match her enthusiasm with generosity and savvy collaboration. Currently McDonald serves on the boards of directors or advisory boards of a dozen organizations, from long-established major institutions like the Alabama Symphony and Alabama Ballet to young, promising organizations like Green and White Productions, whose theatrical productions embrace cultural diversity “while creating a stage for all artists.” From the Seasoned Performers and the Alys Stephens Center to the Red Mountain Theatre Company and Oasis Counseling for Women and Children, McDonald serves a diverse group of important organizations.

McDonald is at once upbeat and realistic about the current state of Birmingham’s cultural community and its often precarious financial support over the last few years.

“We’ve gained some organizations, we’ve renewed others, but regretfully we’ve lost some too,” McDonald said.

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two recent developments, one being a strengthened Birmingham Music Club, an organization of great cultural and historical significance. Coming up on 107 years old, BMC is the oldest arts presenter in the entire Southeast.

“My hat goes off to Susan and Wyatt Haskell (BMC board president), who really hung in there with the Music Club,” McDonald said. “This season is marking a real resurgence for the Music Club that is extremely gratifying to be a part of.” (McDonald sponsors the next BMC event, the March 6 presentation of Mexican tenor David Lomeli, a protégé of Placido Domingo.)

“I’m also very excited about how well our local universities are doing with their arts programs,” McDonald added.

McDonald is ultimately extremely optimistic about the future. “I think the next decade is shaping up to be so thrilling,” she said. “Even in difficult times, we’ve had new groups form and thrive. There is great programming all over the city in venues both large and small.”

McDonald defines “the arts” in a broader way than many, using a unifying perspective that serves the accomplishments of Birmingham well.

“We have the healing arts here, we have the performing arts, we have the sports arts, and we have the culinary arts,”

she said.

“We are a beacon for the best across the state,” McDonald concluded.

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Dr. Leah Rawls Atkins grew up immersed in history, with extended family living all around her in North Birmingham, only a few blocks from Oak Hill Cemetery, the final resting place of many of the city’s founders.

An only child whose father loved history and politics, Atkins was in first grade when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, and “it was the formative event of my childhood,” she said. “Daddy loved Alabama. He loved the South,” Atkins said.

Her family tree winds back through Jones Valley to the days long before Birmingham even existed.

It’s no surprise then, that Atkins would grow up to write the most widely read book on Birmingham history, The Valley and the Hills: An Illustrated History of Birmingham and Jefferson County, published in 1981.

Atkins’ career of teaching and writing about Alabama history is full of distinction, one being the Pulitzer Prize nomination she received in 1994 along with co-authors William Warren Rogers Sr., Robert D. Ward and Professor Wayne Flynt, for their Alabama: The History of a Deep South State, an “authoritative yet entertaining” book that begins with the first local Native settlements and concludes with the state’s complex and confounding political environment in the early 21st century.

“It was a fine honor, much appreciated,” Atkins said.

Atkins’ career as a scholar, however, was preceded by a stellar turn as an athlete.

During her years as a competitive water skier, she won (as Leah M. Rawls) both the U.S. Women’s Overall National Champi-

“They are all important,” McDonald said, but she is particularly pleased with two recent developments, one being a strengthened Birmingham Music Club, an organization of great cultural and historical significance. Coming up on 107 years old, BMC is the oldest arts presenter in the entire Southeast.

onship and the Women’s Overall World Championship in 1953. She became the American Water Ski Association’s first female senior judge and later the organization’s first woman board member. In 1976, Atkins was the first woman in inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame.

Atkins earned three degrees from Auburn University, including receiving the University’s first Ph.D. in history. After teaching at Auburn, UAB and Samford, Atkins became the founding director of AU’s Center for the Arts and Humanities (now the Caroline Marshall Draughon Center).

Her myriad books and articles include a study of the admission of women to Auburn and the University of Alabama, the biography of billionaire builder John M. Harbert III, and a corporate history of 90-year-old construction giant Brasfield & Gorrie. Atkins’ 2007 history of the Alabama Power Company won the James Sulzby Book Award for best book on Alabama history.

Atkins is displeased but somewhat resigned that Alabama students know less about their state’s history than ever before, since far less Alabama history is taught to today’s students than was required for most of the 20th century. And since the state’s milestones in U.S. History are not part of current assessment tests, “many teachers don’t focus on them,” Atkins said.

Atkins doesn’t believe the average person in Birmingham cares much about history and doesn’t see it “as important to their daily lives. But there is so much history that they could learn and enjoy. For instance, Jefferson County changed from a small farm, isolated frontier area to a mines, mills and blue collar-labor area with coal and ore mining camps and company towns, to a city born in the New South that grew to be the largest city in the state, second only to Pittsburgh as the most vital city for war production in World War II.” It’s a story that Atkins obviously finds thrilling and thinks others will who take the opportunity to learn more about it.

Echoing the famous quote of philosopher George Santayana, Aktins notes, “I think knowing the past gives us a better chance of making the future better.”

Atkins is currently completing a his-

tory of Sedgefields Plantation of Bullock County. “It’s the old quail hunting preserve put together by Lewis B. Maytag, who invested a lot of washing machine profits in Alabama land beginning in January 1929,” Atkins says. The field trials that took place at Sedgefields during the 1950s and 1960s brought national recognition to Alabama, according to Atkins, but after the Maytag heirs sold the property, much of it was divided. Field trials recently returned to the historic grounds after Raymond and Kathryn Harbert reassembled those portions of the plantation, “and the preserve is now under an extensive wildlife management plan to bring back the wild quail,” Atkins said.

Married now for 58 years to her high school sweetheart, and the mother to four children and 16 grandchildren, Atkins has no plans to retire. “Not until I lose my mind,” she said. “I hope I have a few more years.”

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Beginning in 1973, when she opened the gallery that bore her name, Maralyn Wilson has been a major force in the visual arts community in Birmingham.

“I’ve seen about every phase and trend that’s come along since 1973,” Wilson said.

“When I opened, people would raise their eyebrows over a pot that cost $50. And I’m proud to say the local marketplace is much better educated about the role and value of handmade work by American artisans and craftsmen.”

Over 37 years, Maralyn Wilson Gallery helped bring dozens of emerging artists to the attention of Birmingham audiences.

“A lot more is accepted now,” she said.

“Artists have a lot more freedom now.”

Wilson closed the gallery in December 2010 to work as an artist full-time.

A former chairman of Birmingham’s Festival of the Arts, Wilson is disappointed by the number of visual arts groups that didn’t survive the most recent economic crisis. “I’ve never seen so many galleries go out of business,” she said. The contents of those lost galleries “represent our heritage,” Wilson said.

Wilson is hopeful the art community will soon undergo a revival. “There are still more galleries in town than there once

was,” Wilson noted, “and the Museum (BMA) has done a great job exposing the public to excellent work.”

Wilson is a Birmingham native who studied at Birmingham-Southern and at Newcomb College in New Orleans (which has since merged with Tulane University).

Long known as a talented painter and sculptor, Wilson has been working over the last year with encaustic wax to create a series of portraits of Southern literary figures. By applying and manipulating layers of a wax mixture, then enhancing the images with pigment, Wilson produces images of great writers, including Lillian Hellman, Eudora Welty and William Faulkner, with a unique luminosity and sense of mystery.

“The paintings become interpretations of a place or experience rather than an explicit depiction of reality,” Wilson told the director of the Southern Literary Trail in an interview.

“It’s so exciting,” Wilson said about becoming a full-time artist again. “I can work any time or all the time.”

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Even if the first show of 2012 is largely the achievement of Asian art curator Don Wood, “Dragons and Lotus Blossoms: Vietnamese Ceramics from the Birmingham Museum of Art,” has Gail C. Andrews’ fingerprints on it as well.

After all, Andrews was the Birmingham Museum of Art’s first curator of Decorative Arts back in 1976, and her background in archaeology and history draws her to rare objects that were once everyday items.

“I love the relationship that people once had to the objects,” Andrews said, speaking not only of BMA’s exquisite collection of Vietnamese ceramics — one of the three best in the country — but also of her passion for her work in general. “It’s through these objects that we can learn and appreciate what daily life was like in a culture, what their customs were,” Andrews said.

A specialist in folk art and textiles, Andrews was awarded a National Endowment for the Arts fellowship to study Southernmade textiles, and she has written or contributed to more than 25 publications (she b-metro.com

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Gail Andrews, BMA

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first wrote about the now-internationally recognized quilting arts in Alabama back in 1982).

As BMA’s acting director during the early 1990s, Andrews oversaw the $21 million expansion and renovation that created the largest municipal museum in the Southeast. Andrews became director in 1996, and her tenure has been marked

by BMA’s continued growth in size and reputation. The museum is recognized as one of the strongest in the country, with more than 25,000 objects, including specialty collections that are unparalleled, and a rich variety of education and outreach programs, including a new children and family space. Consistently knock-out exhibitions pack the house.

Andrews has served on the Alabama State Council on the Arts and the Birmingham Arts Commission, is an alum of both Leadership Birmingham and Leadership Alabama, and co-chaired Region 20/20’s Arts and Culture Task Force.

Andrews’ work at BMA is cited repeatedly by local arts leaders as a foundation the entire community builds upon.

While the BMA has been a department of the city for more than 60 years, Andrews empathizes with the uncertain financial environment many of her colleagues face.

“What the community as a whole needs is financial stability,” Andrews said.

“Endowments need to grow and donations need to increase,” she said, but pointed to lack of public funding as the real source of insecurity among many arts groups.

“At the same time, over the years, we have raised awareness of the importance of arts and culture to a community,” Andrews said, not referring to Southern textiles when she added, “the arts are a vital part of the fabric of our city.”

With the funding gap for arts programs in schools in recent decades, Andrews says there is a void in arts education that the BMA feels a great responsibility to fill. “As a result, we have ramped up our educational programming and shifted our focus beyond a two-dimensional visitor experience and towards a lifelong development and culitivation of art appreciation among visitors of all kinds. Our diverse

and distinctive collections and judicious selection of exhibitions work particularly well in doing that,” she says.

“We are also embracing technology to help share art in new, more accessible ways. We’ve introduced a mobile website to help visitors access information quickly and easily. We have begun the lengthy process of uploading images of our collection onto the website for visitors to enjoy the Museum from classrooms, living rooms, and other countries. In our upcoming exhibition “The Look of Love,” visitors will be able to study objects in incredible detail by using an app on the iPads (tablets) we will provide to visitors,” Andrews says.

The museum recently acquired a Vietnamese jar from the Le Dynasty. It was named Apollo magazine’s ninth most important acquisition worldwide—placing the Birmingham Museum of Art alongside international players like the Louvre, The Metropolitan Museum and the Frick Collection. The jar will be the centerpiece of “Dragons and Lotus Blossoms,” the largest show of Vietnamese ceramics in North America, which runs at the BMA through April 8.

“Another important part of our ongoing efforts to make our Museum accessible to the wider community is First Thursdays: After Hours at the Museum. First Thursdays is more than extended hours, it’s an experience—a date night, girls night, happy hour, or just quiet time alone. It’s designed to allow our patrons an evening opportunity to explore the galleries, take in a private tour or unwind with drinks and tapas after work.”

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Kari Kampakis is a promising young writer in Birmingham who works from home. She’s also a mother of four, work which she also does at home.

Kampakis is part of the new generation of writers who eager to embrace a non-traditional approach to finding their creative voices.

The unconventional path Kampakis travels is one likely to inspire thousands of people who yearn for a way to express themselves but think their current load of work and life prevents them from finding an outlet and an audience.

Kampakis started her career by lending her voice to others. Fresh out of the University of Alabama, Kampakis put on a power suit and went to work at Alabama Power as a writer and media relations representative, often writing speeches for corporate leadership. She intended to continue down a traditional career path by earning an MBA, but as she pursued her graduate work, Kampakis began to dabble in projects outside the corporate box. She earned money for tuition by working freelance, writing for an advertising agency and selling e-card ideas online. “Life as a freelancer suited me,” Kampakis said.

“The thought of wearing pantyhose again seemed unfathomable,” she wrote on her website.

Then, as a final project for her Master’s, Kampakis created a line of prints featuring children’s poems. The project took off, and her work canvassing the state’s Junior League markets resulted in Kampakis’ cards being carried by almost 100 upscale boutiques. As her children began to arrive, Kampakis took up children’s photography, which turned into another successful business venture for the Tuscaloosa native.

“I had pretty much stopped writing at this point,” Kampakis says, “and I knew I wanted to write again.”

Kampakis began making herself known both through the “new media” environment, as well as through more traditional paths. Her “Life Actually” column is featured in two over–the–mountain publications, Village Living and 280 Living. Her website, KariKampakis.com, collects those essays along with others exclusive to the site, her online column “Ponytail Mom.” The site also gives updates on Kampakis’ efforts to sell her first novel, Candy Apple.

“My mother published her autobiography, which was part of my big epiphany.

I wanted to write again, and I wanted to inspire my children the way my mother inspired me,” Kampakis says.

Finding a larger audience for Candy Apple has taken Kampakis through critiques and negotiations with literary agents, ultimately leading her to a Romance Writer’s Conference.

“I’m glad it’s not been an easy success, because I have learned so much,” she says. b-metro.com

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HUMAN NATURE

Donna Smith of Alabama Power brings compassion, experience to human resources.

by Kelli Hewett Taylor

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onna Smith, vice president of human resources and ethics for Alabama Power, is challenged with issues, such as race and gender conflict, personality clashes between supervisors and workers, hiring the best employees for the company and keeping employees healthy, physically and mentally, in tough economic times. Smith tries to help the close to 7,000 Alabama Power employees feel connected and realize how their jobs can positively impact the company.

“It’s human nature to want to hire people who are just like us, who think like we do,” says Smith, who handles issues for all of Alabama Power’s locations. “What is hard is hiring someone who thinks differently—but that’s important to a company that has so many long-term employees.

The unintended consequence of so many long-term employees is that you have to challenge yourself for innovation and diversity.”

Smith earned a bachelor’s in political science and a master’s in communications from the University of Alabama. She has her secondary education certification and an MBA from Samford University. “All

that says I didn’t know what I was going to do with my life,” Smith says with a laugh.

After a short stint as a public school teacher, she joined Alabama Power in 1976. “I can’t believe I’ve been here this long; it’s all because of this company,” Smith says. “It’s a great place to work and there are so many different things to do.”

Smith began teaching corporate communications in the classroom to Alabama Power employees, then helped write the mechanized equipment manual that workers kept in their trucks. She moved into IT, documenting manual purchasing processes in the shift to automated purchases.

From there, she joined human resources and became director in 2002. Smith said one of the projects she is most proud of was being the project manager for Southern Company’s recent compensation and benefit study. “We found areas of improvement, made some recommendations that were accepted and made changes,” Smith says.

She was promoted to vice president of human resources and ethics in 2011.

“The ethics role is responsible for the culture and tone of doing the right thing,” Smith says. “We put a premium on having people treat each other with respect, and

“It’s human nature to want to hire people who are just like us, who think like we do,” says Smith, who handles issues for all of Alabama Power’s locations.

“What is hard is hiring someone who thinks differently—but that’s important to a company that has so many long-term employees.

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Donna Smith Photo by Liesa Cole

we have a culture of doing the right thing.”

Through her own convictions and the encouragement of Alabama Power for its employees to give back, Smith continues to be involved civically with young girls and women. Among her many civic and leadership achievements, Smith was the first board president of the Girl Scouts of North Central Alabama, chairwoman of the Women’s Fund Advisory Board that combats domestic abuse and women’s economic security issues, a board member of Pathways women and children’s shelter and chair of the Go Red For Women luncheon this year.

The Birmingham Business Journal named Smith one of “Birmingham’s Top Women” and in 2010 she was the winner of the Mary Baldwin College Alumnae Community Service Award.

When she’s not working, Smith plays tennis and enjoys doting on her grandchildren.

“I’m proud of building and developing the human resources team here at Alabama Power; they make a difference,” Smith says. “I think they are able to support the culture that the leadership team wants. They are not afraid to deal with conflict.”

Smith says she continues to grow and be challenged at Alabama Power. “I like the variety, I like the problem-solving and I like the transferring of information to other people to do their jobs better. I like being able to be an influence.”

Organizations

for Women Girls Incorporated is a nonprofit organization that inspires all girls to be strong, smart, and bold through a network of local organizations in the United States and Canada. www.girlsinc.org Hadassah is a volunteer women’s organization whose members are motivated and inspired to strengthen their partnership with Israel, ensure Jewish continuity, and realize their potential as a dynamic force in American society. www. hadassah.org

viceguild.org.

Network Birmingham, Inc. was founded in 1985 by Shirley Guinn to promote communication among career-oriented women. www.networkbham.net.

The Women’s Network is a group of women that meets monthly, comprised of executives and community leaders.

(205) 970-5500.

The Junior League of Birmingham, Inc. is an organization of nearly 2,600 women committed to promoting voluntarism, developing the potential of women, and to improving the community through the effective action and leadership of trained volunteers. www.jlbonline.com.

The UAB Women’s Club is a 501(c) (3) whose primary service project funds scholarships to women attending UAB. Candidates should be 25 years or older and enrolled as full or part-time undergraduate students. Interested individuals should contact the UAB Office of Student Financial Aid for applications and further details. www.uab.edu/uabwc/ service.

The Bell Center for Early Intervention Programs exists because of the insight and energy of the members of the Service Guild of Birmingham. The Service Guild has for fifty-two years brought women together to serve the needs of children with disabilities. www.theser-

The YWCA Central Alabama is an organization of women whose mission is to create a more caring community.

Founded in the Christian faith, the YW is a diverse group that identifies and responds to the needs of women and families of all races and religions. The YW

plays a leadership and collaborative role as it works to achieve positive change in the lives of individuals and in the community. www.ywcabham.org.

BirminghamCREW is the premier commercial real estate association in the Greater Birmingham Area for women and men who do business with them in all disciplines of commercial real estate: commercial real estate brokers, real estate attorneys, lenders, architects, accountants, developers, commercial interior designers, engineers, title company professionals, environmental consultants and other related financial, marketing and consulting disciplines.

Go Red For Women celebrates the energy, passion and power of women who band together to wipe out heart disease and stroke.

The Komen North Central Alabama Affiliate was formed in 1994 by a group of concerned professionals and breast cancer survivors who were committed to saving and improving the lives of those affected by breast cancer. www. komenncalabama.org

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Women in government

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f the 140 members of the Alabama legislature, only 19 of them are women, including second-term Rep. Patricia Todd of Birmingham. That’s about one female legislator for every six men in the state houses.

“I wish there were more women in the legislature,” Rep. Todd says. “Whenever you have good diversity in any group, you get a stronger group.”

That seemingly unimpressive ratio, which makes Alabama’s legislature the 48th most male-dominated in the country, is actually a sign of some progress.

As recently as 1998, the state’s legislative branches had only six women between them.

Todd characterizes herself and her 18 female colleagues as committed problem solvers. “The women in the legislature are more likely to get together and try to work out the differences” on pending legislation, Todd says. “I’ve found the women I work with to be less personally competitive and more focused on solving problems.

They can see beyond their own self-interest and exercise good old-fashioned common sense.”

Todd won a razor-thin victory for downtown Birmingham’s 54th District in 2006 to become Alabama’s first openly gay elected official. It was a hotly contested race of five Democrats and an ultimately disputed election that wasn’t settled until a vote of the state Democratic Executive Committee.

Four years later, Todd had become so popular in

her district, she ran without opposition.

However, the environment in Montgomery, underwent a paradigm shift during those years, and today Todd is a member of an increasingly fragmented minority party.

“It’s different, but in many ways it’s still the same,” Todd says of the new normal in the state legislature. “I knew what to expect when I got here, and it’s largely no different now. And I am the same as I was before. I am still open to any conversation. I’m a consensus builder. And I want to see this state be as strong a state as it can be.

“But change takes a long time in Alabama. I am honored that my job helps me be a part of the change that’s coming.”

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Until last September, Alabama’s state checkbook had never been held by a woman.

So it says a lot about Dr. Marquita Davis that last year, with state finances still less than perfectly stable, Alabama Governor Robert Bentley didn’t hesitate to make then-state finance director David Perry his new chief of staff and, for the first time in history, put a woman in charge of Alabama’s finance department.

But, then again, Davis was a wellknown quantity, one that the governor trusted. Beginning in 2008, Davis had proved herself as commissioner of the Department of Children’s Affairs under Bentley and former Governor Bob Riley.

“I’ve found the women I work with to be less personally competitive and more focused on solving problems. They can see beyond their own self-interest and exercise good old-fashioned common sense.

I’m a consensus builder. And I want to see this state be as strong a state as it can be.

Rep. Patricia Todd Photo by Liesa Cole

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“But change takes a long time in Alabama. I am honored that my job helps me be a part of the change that’s coming.”

“I admire her work ethic and intelligence,” Governor Bentley said of his choice in August.

Known in Montgomery circles for her tenacity, high standards and teamwork — and as a political independent — Davis was stunningly energetic and upbeat in a recent weekday evening conversation, despite having a 12-hour workday behind her and a commute to Hoover ahead.

“I would have never imagined for myself something as wonderful as my job,” Davis says with no false modesty. “It’s a privilege to serve the people of Alabama,” she says seriously before joking, “and sometimes it can be a whole lot of service.”

Davis is technically a Midwesterner, growing up in Peoria, Ill., and earning her undergraduate degree at Northern Illinois outside Chicago. “But after twentysomething years, I feel almost completely Southern now,” Davis says.

“I had always intended to do graduate work at a historically black university,” Davis says of her arrival in Alabama, “and I chose Alabama A&M to get my Master’s.”

(She also has a Ph.D. from UAB.) Davis admits to a little culture shock when she first arrived in Huntsville. “When you’ve grow up with liquor being sold at Walgreen’s, you realize quickly some things are going to be different,” Davis laughs. “But Southerners are open and friendly, and that’s how I am, so I felt right at home.”

Davis and her husband of 14 years, Michael, have deep ties in the Birmingham community. Before going to work in the Riley administration, Davis was Head Start director at the Jefferson County Committee for Economic Opportunity.

Michael is principal at the William J. Christian School in north Birmingham.

The Davises attend Hunter Street Baptist Church in Hoover.

“I’m particularly grateful to my husband for everything he does that makes it possible for me to do what I do,” Davis says.

As state revenues remain uncertain for now, Davis seems energized by the task ahead.

“I don’t expect to escape challenges,” Davis says with infectious confidence, “but I am looking forward to the ride.”

Dr. Marquita Davis Photo by Liesa Cole

Known in Montgomery circles for her tenacity, high standards and teamwork — and as a political independent — Davis was stunningly energetic and upbeat in a recent weekday evening conversation, despite having a 12-hour workday behind her and a commute to Hoover ahead.

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The Home front For Congresswoman Terri Sewell the

opportunity to help her constituents in the 7th Congressional District is the ultimate homecoming.

By Joe O’Donnell

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lected U.S. Representative for the 7th District of Alabama on November 2, 2010, with 72% of the vote, Terri A. Sewell is one of the first women elected to Congress from Alabama in her own right, as well as the first black woman to ever serve in the Alabama Congressional delegation.

The 7th Congressional District includes parts of the cities of Birmingham

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and Tuscaloosa, as well as the counties of Alabama’s Black Belt – the heart of which is Terri’s hometown of Selma.

The first black valedictorian of Selma High School, Terri attended Princeton University, graduating cum laude in 1986.

Terri was awarded a Marshall/Commonwealth Scholarship and received a Masters degree with first class Honors from Oxford University in 1988. She is a 1992 graduate of Harvard Law School where she served

as an editor of the Civil Rights Civil Liberties Law Review.

After graduation, Terri served as a judicial law clerk to the Honorable Chief Judge U.W. Clemon, U.S. District Court, Northern District of Alabama, in Birmingham. Terri began her legal career at the prestigious law firm of Davis, Polk & Wardwell in New York City, where she was a successful securities lawyer for more than a decade. Upon returning home to Alabama in 2004, she has made a significant impact both professionally and through her community activities.

Prior to her election to Congress, Terri was a partner in the Birmingham law office of Maynard, Cooper & Gale, P.C. where she distinguished herself as one of the only black public finance lawyers in the State of Alabama. `Terri is the daughter of retired Coach Andrew A. Sewell and retired librarian Nancy Gardner Sewell, the first black City Councilwoman in Selma, Alabama.

To say the least, Terri Sewell has a most impressive resume. But for the congresswoman, the many firsts and honors that have come her way started back home in Selma.

“I have had some powerful women in my life. My mother is just so brilliant and a great role model—the epitome of a public servant/ servant leader. She was the first African American to sit on the city council in Selma.

I watched her wait to start her advanced degrees until we came of age. The moment I went off to Princeton, she started her masters program.

I am where I am because my mom did not have the opportunity to get here. She is so smart, but she could not go to Princeton because that opportunity was just not open to her.

“But the expectations she hoisted on me. I never for a moment thought that I could not do something because I was black or a

“When women are at the decision making table, issues of family and children get addressed and the life experiences of those women influence the policies that come out of that discussion. That is a great thing.” woman. I never saw my race and gender as a barrier to success because she never saw it as that. She is a librarian and I am a librarian’s daughter so I am always full of quotes and mantras. ‘So a person thinks so is he.’”

“I had to think I could become a member of congress or a lawyer or an Ivy League grad way before I had the opportunity to do any of those things. My community nurtured me. What influenced me to run for congress was I knew I had the skill set as bond lawyer, but I also had the background. Who is going to fight harder for the district than someone who is from here.

“Some days I run on fumes, but I am daily reminded of the needs of the district and the need for me to be an advocate.”

Growing up the daughter of a strong woman, Terri Sewell understands the value of the female perspective. “The voices of women benefit the community, every aspect from church and school to business and electoral politics. Being a native of Alabama, sometimes we have a traditional view of what it means to be a mother or a woman so that we don’t tend to think of ourselves as the candidate or the CEO. I heard one person say it best: Women wait to be asked to run and men run.

“I know that having a diversity of voices makes for better legislation and better representation of our community. I am proud and humbled to represent my home district. The last time I lived and worked in Washington I was a student intern in the office of Richard Shelby, who held this congressional seat at that time. It is a full circle moment for me to have the opportunity to represent my home district in Congress. It is a huge responsibility to represent your home. My mom and dad are still in Selma. My aunts still live in the district. ” Sewell’s election enables her to live out a core belief in the halls of power in the na-

is a place where seniority matters, but I am not shy in giving my opinion because the people I represent cannot wait to be heard. I believe what we lack in economic prosperity we more than make up for in heart, spirit and fight. Providing access to resources and opportunities is my main objective,” Sewell says.

In Birmingham, Sewell says, she sees the power of women arrayed all around her. “I feel like I am in awesome company here in Birmingham. We may not be large in number but we are a powerful force. We play such important roles,” Sewell says.

She finds in women the unique qualities of nurturers and multi-taskers, negotiators and mediators, and organizers.

“The challenge for women is the work/ life balance. That is a real challenge especially in the South where we have traditional notions of families and the Southern men we marry have expectations of us We can have it all but not always at the same time. My mother was absolutely right about that.”

tion’s capital. Namely that having women at the table when decisions are made are good for all of us.

“We are blessed in the current Congress to have that full array of voices.

When women are at the decision making table, issues of family and children get addressed and the life experiences of those women influence the policies that come out of that discussion. That is a great thing. While we may disagree about approach, we all want the same objective. We want constituents to have access to quality healthcare. We want our children to have access to good public schools. So children can have the best chance in life. To me finding the common ground is the hope of a gridlocked Washington DC political establishment,” Sewell says “My message to young girls and women is don’t wait to be asked and if you are waiting to be asked I am asking you right now: You can make a difference in your community. At end of day it is about making sure the multitude of voices are heard. We have to get off the sidelines and know that the decisions that are being made about issues that effect our everyday lives are being made without us—if we don’t participate.”

Thus far, Sewell’s Congressional career has been filled with the triumphs of helping her constituents navigate their way to access the federal government. “I am able to help my constituents, maybe a veteran trying to access benefits, for example, I am their conduit.

“We don’t have time or Congresswoman luxury of waiting. Congress

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Women in law and medicine

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aving joined the United States Attorney’s office more than 20 years ago, Joyce White Vance became one of the first U.S. attorneys appointed by President Barack Obama in 2009, with a district that includes 31 counties and four-and-a-half million people throughout Northern Alabama. She directs her large staff in Birmingham and Huntsville on federal issues from national security and the environment to civil rights and public corruption. She also co-chairs the U.S. Attorney General Advisory Committee’s Criminal Practice Subcommittee.

Vance wryly credits her marriage to Jefferson County Judge Robert Vance— whom she met when both were law students at the University of Virginia—with being “the biggest single factor contributing to my success. If I can successfully argue that man into submission, then I can deal with any judge, any day, on any argument.” Vance adds their four kids grew up hearing bedtime stories pulled straight out of their her experiences as a prosecutor.

“In the stories, the bad guys always went to jail,” she recalls, adding, on a more serious note, “The thing I like about the job is not the putting-people-in-jail part of it, but it’s knowing that you’re making a contribution to your community, and that every day you have the opportunity to make your community a safer place. You can treat people with respect and compassion but still be a serious and aggressive prosecutor.”

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Augusta Dowd, vice president and managing lawyer for the firm of White, Arnold and Dowd, has more than 25 years’ experience as a trial lawyer, having repre80

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sented both plaintiffs and defendants in business, civil litigation, personal injury, class action, whistleblower and other cases.

She has been named a Best Lawyer in Mass Tort Litigation by U.S. News and World Report’s annual Best Lawyers list.

Recently Dowd made headlines for her representation of the Episcopal Diocese of Alabama in its legal challenge to the state’s new immigration law. “That has been one of the most meaningful matters I have had the privilege to handle in my career,” Dowd says. “It resonates for me on many levels beyond just professionally—personally, morally and from a human decency standpoint.”

Inside her firm, Dowd says she is a strong advocate for promoting diversity.

“Clients today are no longer the stereotypical white males,” she says. “We have clients from all sectors and ethnic groups and of course females in positions of authority, and they’re certainly all in need of quality representation.”

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When Beverly P. Baker of the law firm Ogletree Deakins looks ahead at how Americans are going to resolve disputes in the future—legally speaking, anyway—she sees great potential in the field of arbitration. With more than 20 years experience practicing employment law, Baker has established herself as a leading arbitrator and mediator in this area, having successfully mediated hundreds of commercial and employment matters. “Absolutely everything interests me about arbitration and mediation,” Baker says, describing it as a more efficient and, often, more satisfying process than taking cases to court.

“I think the jury system is wonderful, but jurors can be swayed by a sympathetic plaintiff, defendant or the oratory of a re-

Inside her firm, Dowd says she is a strong advocate for promoting diversity. “Clients today are no longer the stereotypical white males. We have clients from all sectors and ethnic groups and of course females in positions of authority, and they’re certainly all in need of quality representation.”

ally good lawyer. Arbitrators tend to me more removed and are trained to listen to the facts, weigh credibility and apply the law (accordingly). In addition, court procedure may frequently bar a number of kinds of evidence from coming in, but an arbitrator has discretion as to what evidence is allowed and can determine if value can be gained. The bottom line is that I think everyone comes out feeling as though they’ve at least had an opportunity to have their say.” Baker serves on panels for multiple arbitration organizations, including the American Arbitration Association, the National Arbitration Forum and National Arbitration and Mediation. She is also listed in Best Lawyers in America and has been inducted to the Alabama Law Foundation, an honor given to only one percent of attorneys in the state. She has also served as a commissioner on the American Bar Association’s Commission on Opportunities for Minorities in the Profession.

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Ann Huckstep, a partner with the law firm of Adams and Reese, LLC, was ahead of the curve in the field of healthcare law in the early 1990s, when she was among the few who recognized the growing need for expertise in this area. In the years since, healthcare providers have widely sought her counsel in regulatory compliance, business transactions, labor

Augusta Dowd Photo by Liesa Cole

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and strategic issues and related concerns.

She has been ranked among the Best Lawyers in America for Health Care Law and Mergers, as well as Mergers and Acquisitions Law, since 2005.

Huckstep says the need for expertise in healthcare law is hardly abating. “Although we now have healthcare reform, we still have a great deal of uncertainty in the marketplace about what the future is going to hold,” Huckstep says. “We have big challenges ahead of us.” Yet her busy practice has never slowed Huckstep’s extracurricular ambitions.

For years she was the managing partner for the full footprint of Adams and Reese, which stretches across 13 offices in 12 markets. More recently, the firm has sought her leadership in helping the firm achieve its goals for diversity.

She is also in charge of lateral recruitment for the Birmingham office, taking an active role in mentoring fellow partners in client development and community involvement. Meanwhile, her own community involvement is extensive. She recently became chair of YMCA Birmingham’s board of trustees, which oversees the Y’s endowment.

Separately, she adds that she is proud of her firm’s efforts to reach out to local communities devastated by last April’s tornados. “Because we have offices in the Gulf Coast communities, we’ve been through storms like Katrina and have seen that often a lot of relief comes in at the beginning and then later things fall through the cracks,” she says.

So after the storms last year, the firm raised $30,000 from within its own ranks.

Mayor William Bell’s office later helped to coordinate a matching grant from Toys R Us, providing Christmas gifts for about 100 children among the storm victims.

“These were kids in Pratt City who otherwise would not have had Christmas, and that was something we could do,” she says.

“I was excited about that.”

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Judge Helen Shores Lee was born in Birmingham to Arthur and Theodora Shores. She has been married to Robert M. Lee, Sr., for 47 years. Judge Lee and her 82

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husband have two sons, one daughter and four grandchildren. They are members of First Congregational Christian Church where she serves on the board of trustees.

Judge Lee was educated in the Birmingham public school system. She attended Fisk University, Nashville, where she received a B. A. in psychology. She furthered her education by completing a masters degree in Clinical Psychology from Pepperdine University in Los Angeles, California.

Upon coming home to Birmingham, Lee was employed in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Alabama at Birmingham as an instructor of clinical psychology, where she provided outpatient services for individuals and families.

Lee decided to attend law school after 14 years of working in the field of mental health. In 1987, she received her Doctor of Jurisprudence from Cumberland School of Law at Samford University. While a student at Cumberland, Judge Lee served as chair of the juvenile justice committee.

Judge Lee joined her father, Arthur D. Shores in his practice after law school.

She practiced for 16 years until becoming a judge in January 2003.

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Municipal Court Judge Nyya Parson-Hudson is a graduate of Miles Law School, where she received her juris doctorate in 2000. Managing attorney with The Hudson Law Firm, the Birmingham native also holds a master’s degree from the University of Alabama and a bachelor’s degree from Howard University in Washington, D.C. She is the 2010 recipient of the Outstanding Young Professional Award from the Metro Birmingham Chapter of the NAACP. A 2009 graduate of Leadership Birmingham, Parson-Hudson is also active in the women’s leadership program, Momentum.

She previously worked with Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. as a governmental relations manager and as director of the corporation’s collections center, responsible for coordination civil and criminal actions against individuals who passed worthless checks.

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UAB’s Pamela D Varner, M.D. is a 1977 graduate of the University of Alabama Medical School. Dr. Varner is a HealthGrades Recognized Doctor. Her specialty is anesthesiology.

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Navigator, Inc. is a project meant to develop a stable workforce of highly skilled nurses and nurse educators in Alabama, while creating valuable job opportunities, especially for historically disadvantaged communities. Originally developed by Dr. Nancy Dunlap during her participation in the University of Michigan Executive MBA program, Navigator was designed to study nursing in Birmingham, comparing the cost effectiveness of recruiting nurses from outside the state versus training them within the state.

Navigator is a 501(c)(3) organization, that serves as a pipeline to foster the development of compassionate and knowledgeable nurses and create long-term interest in the profession. It does so identifying, supporting and encouraging school age students to enter nursing schools; supporting promising nursing students so they do not fail for lack of minimal resources; and ensuring that the field of nursing education makes excellent training available to the future nursing workforce.

In 2020, Alabama is conservatively anticipated to have a shortage of 5,300 nurses. Ironically, while Alabama desperately needs more people to pursue careers in nursing, it also has a large population of young men and women in under-privileged, predominantly African-American communities that are in desperate need of access to career opportunities. With those two synergistic needs in mind, a group of six executive MBA students at the University of Michigan partnered with leaders of the University of Alabama at Birmingham Health System, UAB School of Nursing and UAB School of Public Health to develop a practical and sustainable program that will address the nursing shortage by preparing, encouraging and assisting disadvantaged members of the Birmingham community to become nurses.

Nancy Dunlap Photo by Beau Gustafson

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Women in philanthropy

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mily Hess Levine did not have to look far to find mentors in philanthropic and civic endeavors in her community.

Her parents, Donald and Ronne Hess, have long been known in the Birmingham community for their philanthropy, through their work with the Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham, the Birmingham Jewish Federation, and the Ronne and Donald Hess Charitable Foundation.

Emily says the latter was her first introduction to the Women’s Fund, a nonprofit which spun off from the Foundation last year to become its own nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of women and girls in our community.

Levine serves on the board of directors for that organization, a reflection of her passion for women’s causes, which also spills over to her involvement with the Alabama Birth Coalition, created to improve access to high-quality reproductive-health information and advocate for increased access to midwives, and with the YWCA. “I am proud to be a part of these organizations that are working to improve the lives of women and girls in the Birmingham area and throughout the state,” says Levine, the mother of a toddler and newborn who also works as a therapeutic horseback riding instructor with Special Equestrians.

“When I look at the great need that is out there, I’m encouraged by what they’re doing and hope to make a difference by introducing the work of these organizations to more people in the area,” she says.

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A lifelong community volunteer,

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Lisa Engel remembers a watershed event about 10 years ago when she felt truly humbled by the power of philanthropy.

She was chosen to chair the Birmingham Jewish Federation (BJF) Annual Campaign and recalls that up to that time, the campaign had overwhelmingly relied on large gifts from relatively few donors. “One thing I was involved with was to make it a total community campaign, not only to inspire larger givers but to inspire every person to believe that whatever they could give or whatever their part was, that was important to the whole campaign.” She helped to introduce the concept of finding donors to promise matching funds, not nearly so widespread a practice then as it is now. “I think having matching funds really transformed the whole philosophy to make it a truly grass-roots campaign, where each person feels like a stakeholder. It was inspiring to me in that we created a new system of philanthropy that still continues through to today.”

The BJF recently honored Engel with the Susan J. Goldberg Distinguished Volunteer Award, calling her “one of the most versatile, talented and inspiring volunteers” in the organization’s history. The group also noted her involvement beginning a full 30 years ago with establishing a “sister city” relationship for Birmingham with the Israeli city of Rosh Ha’ayin and Birmingham, a partnership that now transcends the Jewish community to involve relationships throughout the larger Birmingham community.

Today Engel serves as co-chair for the BJF Community Relations Commission along with Amanda Weil, demonstrating a leadership model in which a more experienced volunteer pairs with a young person in his or her 20s. “The most wonderful

part about that is not only am I mentoring her, but I’m learning from her,” Engel says. “It’s great having someone young with fresh passion and energy.”

Earlier in her career Engel worked in marketing for The Birmingham News and a family company, Crowne Partners, and says she’s always valued being able to apply her skills from the business sector to her work in philanthropy. “In both instances you want to opportunity to transform whatever market you’re dealing with,” she says. “But especially in the volunteer world you have the opportunity to transform lives.”

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The YWCA Central Alabama’s 13th Annual Purse & Passion Luncheon will be held on Thursday, April 19, 2012.

The 2011 luncheon posted record numbers, with more than 1,400 women and men from all over the region attending with one goal in mind: to raise money for the critical programs of the YWCA. The luncheon raised over $540,000 with donations coming from guests who were inspired and motivated by stories of hope and transformation from those whose lives have been touched by the YWCA. Guests at the luncheon heard stories of hope and triumph featuring two families that have benefited from the YW’s array of shelter and child care services, as well as YWoodlawn.

The Purse & Passion Luncheon is the YWCA’s single largest fundraiser, having raised more than $5 million since 2000.

These funds are raised from corporate and foundation sponsors, as well as contributions from guests the day of the luncheon.

Over 60 companies supported the event, with support coming from Belk Inc., Harbert Management Corporation, Alabama Power Company, Protective Life Corporation and The Birmingham News.

For over a century, the YWCA Central Alabama has been responding to the needs of women and families. The YW’s programs serve women and families by providing: affordable child care for low-income families; child care and afterschool enrichment programs for homeless children; af-

fordable housing for families and seniors and a full array of domestic violence services.

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The Leading Edge Institute is a dynamic leadership program dedicated to working with college women across the state of Alabama. The program brings these women together to develop their leadership skills, expose them to critical issues facing Alabama and, most important, inspire them to make a difference in the state.

Thanks to the founding support from W. K. Kellogg Foundation and impressive ongoing statewide coporate and community support, Leading Edge has evolved from an inspiring initiative in 1999 to an innovative educational program with over 240 alumni to date.

Leading Edge seeks to change the lives

of young women across the state of Alabama, and in return, hopes these young women will lead the way to positive change throughout Alabama.

Leading Edge has the following goals.

• Expand each woman’s concept of leadership and her perception of herself as an emerging, competent leader.

• Encourage women to stay in Alabama after graduation to work for positive social change in their communities.

• Support leadership action and personal growth through grant–funded servicelearning projects created by students.

• Build skills in collaboration, communication, conflict management, project planning, diversity awareness, personal finance and advocacy.

• Engage women in learning about community development, poverty, state issues and the history of Alabama through field experiences.

• Build a supportive and on-going network of women among a diverse student population.

• Give women meaningful access to experienced leaders and mentoring relationships.

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Inspiring girls and young women to reach their full potential, GirlSpring is a new organization that brings girls and young women (ages 9 to 21) together to enhance their understanding of women’s issues and promote diversity and equality for women. This sharing of ideas happens in quarterly multicultural, “Inspiration Station” events that stimulate dialogue between generations and cultures about real issues affecting girls’ lives today.

The organization is headed by longtime Birmingham philanthropist Jane Stephens Comer.

“When I look at the great need that is out there, I’m encouraged by what they’re doing and hope to make a difference by introducing the work of these organizations to more people in the area,” she says.

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The power to Do Good Leigh Perry and the Alabama Power Foundation she leads are in the forefront of creating a better Alabama.

By Joe O’Donnell

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or Leigh Perry, the ideal of good citizenship and helping others is ingrained in her psyche since childhood, an early family value. These days as vice president of Charitable Giving for Alabama Power and president of the Alabama Power Foundation, that same early notion has coalesced into a working belief in the power of philanthropy and the ability of the Alabama Power family to help deliver that power.

Alabama Power’s Charitable Giving team was organized under Perry’s leadership in 2010 to focus Alabama Power’s philanthropic and community involvement efforts. “Philanthropy provides vital opportunities to make positive and permanent change in communities throughout Alabama. By having the Foundation’s financial strength aligned with Alabama Power’s vast people resources, we can actively engage with other corporate and community leaders across the state to make that kind of impact,” Perry said.

A Birmingham native, Perry is well-

equipped to lead this vital Alabama Power effort. A magna cum laude graduate of the University of Alabama with a bachelor’s degree in marketing, as well as a law degree, Perry also holds an MBA from Samford University. “My education helped prepare me for my career, but I have learned more from on-the-job training during my career with Alabama Power than anything else,” said Perry.

Her 15-year career at Alabama Power and Southern Company began with Perry serving in roles such as an attorney in Southern Company’s Atlanta and Washington, D.C., offices, which led to leadership roles at Alabama Power in economic and community development, environmental affairs, information technology and in real estate. Her first formal supervisor role was working on shift as a compliance manager at Plant Miller in Jefferson County. Perry swapped her suits and heels for a hard hat and steel-toed boots. “Alabama Power was in the midst of installing groundbreaking environmental controls in coordination with hundreds of employees and contractors while still keeping the

“Our role is to strengthen local communities in our state through investments in education, civic activities, health services, the environment and the arts. This is a great place to live, and we want to make it better by investing our time and resources into projects that create positive change,” Perry says.

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lights on for thousands of our residential and business customers. It instilled in me a profound respect for the diversity of employee skills needed and the relentless pursuit of superior safety, environmental and operational performance through teamwork and innovation,” said Perry.

The breadth of her experience at the utility works in concert with her passion for creating positive change to create a major head of steam behind Alabama Power’s charitable giving program. Perry oversees the largest corporate foundation in Alabama and one of the largest of its kind nationwide.

“We believe that the communities we serve have to be better off because we are there,” she said. “Alabama has its share of challenges, but our employees believe in investing back in our communities –it’s been in our company’s DNA since its founding over a century ago. We give back in a number of ways, including gifts of time.”

Perry’s group includes the Alabama Power Service Organization (APSO), a statewide volunteer group of 5,000 employees who contribute 50,000 volunteer hours each year, and the Energizers, a volunteer group of 1,200 Alabama Power retirees who contribute 40,000 volunteer hours each year.

“By working with other community leaders across the state, we seek opportunities to make lasting positive impact,” Perry said. “The Alabama Power Foundation helps make medical services accessible to those in need. We strive to prepare students for the workplace. We support programs that inform people about our state’s rich history. We support land and water conservation efforts. We actively engage in disaster relief and long-term recovery efforts. Our mission is to help make Alabama a better place to live now and for future generations.”

The Alabama Power Foundation was founded in 1989 with an investment by Alabama Power shareholders. The Foundation awards more than 1,000 grants annually with non-ratepayer money and has assets in excess of $120 million. With more than 40 Foundation-endowed scholarships at most state universities and schools, hundreds of students have been given an opportunity to further their education.

In a complex world full of challenges, Leigh Perry sees one thing clearly: There is power in a charitable foundation being able to make changes for the good.

In a complex world full of challenges, Leigh Perry sees one thing clearly: There is power in doing good.

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Gillian Goodrich is the new board chair for The Community Foundation in 2012. She takes over from Bill Smith, who has been chair of the Community Foundation board of directors since 2010.

Goodrich brings a lot of experience to her role, as past president of the Junior League of Birmingham and board chair for the YWCA. She also served as chair of the Grant Review and Evaluation Committee for the Community Foundation.

The Community Foundation adopted a results and strategies program in 2010 to place an intentional focus on important areas of community life and create new opportunities for maximum impact. A broad description of the results the program seeks to achieve: Children are successful along the education pipeline; People can lead healthy lives; Communities are sustainable, livable and vibrant; and individuals and families are economically secure.

Additionally, in the wake of devastating tornadoes that hit our region and our state in April 2011, the Community Foundation served as a philanthropic partner and leader in raising resources to rebuild lives and livelihoods.

The foundation also created Prize2theFuture: an on-line idea contest that drew more than 1,000 entries from all over the world and led to One Birmingham Place, the winning idea to transform a city block next to Railroad Park. Next step: implementation of the $50,000 winning idea from Colin Coyne.

Leigh Perry Photo by Liesa Cole

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A Fund for Women Brooke Battle is the 2012 chair of The Women’s Fund, a philanthropy designed to meet the unique needs of women.

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he Women’s Fund inspires women to use their philanthropic power to create positive social change for women and girls.

As the only funder in Alabama that awards grants solely to programs that meet the unique needs of women and girls, The Women’s Fund identifies gaps in services, champions vulnerable women and girls through community collaboration and policy change, and funds innovative solutions to problems and challenges.

Despite the dramatic advancement of women in recent decades, women are still far more likely than men to be homeless, to live in poverty, to be unemployed or under-employed, to face violence and to suffer inadequate housing and healthcare.

Although programs that address the needs of women and girls benefit society as a whole, less than seven percent of national foundation budgets each year go to causes specifically earmarked for women and girls. Yet women control 51 percent of the nation’s wealth and make 83 percent of all consumer purchases.

The Women’s Fund of Greater Birmingham puts the decision-making power in the hands of women in order to change the face of philanthropy.

Because Alabama ranks 12th in the nation in the number of intimate partner homicides. The fund invests in systemic changes that reduce domestic violence.

Because single female–headed households in Greater Birmingham are almost eight times more likely to be poor than married couple households, and an esti88

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mated 15,277 female–headed households with children living at or below the poverty line. The fund invests in programs to improve the economic security of women and girls The Women’s Fund of Greater Birmingham was a component fund of the Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham from 1996 to 2011. This year the group became its own 501(c) (3) organization in order to expand programs, advocacy for women and girls, and the philanthropy of women.

There are a great number of factors affecting women’s economic security and the seven organizations awarded during the 2011 Grant Cycle operate programs targeting women’s financial security.

This year’s grants go beyond financial literacy to include programs that help low– income women receive all of their Earned Income Tax Credit refunds, assist female prisoners reentering society through job training and placement, support female entrepreneurs, and support savings accounts for women living on the margin.

Jeanne Jackson, president and CEO of the Women’s Fund, noted that “in these difficult economic times it is more important than ever for women to help other women become strong economically. We were pleased to award $80,000 in grants in 2011. However, the needs for women and girls are extensive as we had $300,000 in grant requests, the largest request amount in our 15–year history.”

The Women’s Fund’s 2011 Grants: Aid to Inmate Mothers Life Style 360: Prepares previously in-

carcerated women for employment that will offer a sustainable income by utilizing an integrative, vocational education program combining social skills training with employment education and financial education. LS360 will work to enroll women in continuing education and vocational training.

Central Alabama Women’s Business Center This women’s business opportunity project consists of a curriculum on home business start-up offered to low income women in Walker and Jefferson Counties.

The curriculum has six modules focused on business start-ups and job marketability. Unique to this program is an application process, screening and required attendance to complete the program. Appropriate business start-up incentives are awarded to graduates.

Girls Inc. The Economic Literacy Program is an expansion of Money Talks workshops to include one year of free child care with cost of childcare deferred to a savings account so that mothers are able to grow their savings and put the tools they learn in the workshops to use.

HICA Asset Building and Economic Development Program: The Hispanic Interest Coalition of Alabama will expand its program to strengthen workforce development, increase financial literacy (tailored to the immigrant community), encourage saving and banking, and help build assets through dollar-to-dollar matched savings accounts for women.

Impact Alabama A grant will continue the Save First program which trains college students to provide free tax preparation services to low-income Alabamians, and ensures the receipt of tax deductions and refunds such as the Earned Income Tax Credit.

Leading Edge Institute The Ripple Effects, which builds assets and creates security for women, is a one year pilot for an ongoing robust alumni program

for Leading Edge graduates. When fully implemented, it will include online webinars, video conferencing, and a variety of workshops and opportunities to join other alumni in service and advocacy initiatives.

Pathways, Inc. A grant continues the Fiscally Fit Program, a financial literacy program for women and children using the FDIC’s Money Smart Program. The Fiscally Fit program will be offered to Pathways residents who are working with a case manager to obtain permanent housing and day visitors who are referred by other area agencies.

Brooke Battle, 2012 chair of The Women’s Fund, became active in the organization about a decade ago.

“Natalie Davis, who was my professor at Birmingham-Southern, invited me to be on the board. I joined and then I began to really understand the economic situation women face. I realized how influential a role a woman plays in the life of a child, and on the future of our community.

“If you really want to change the future, you should strengthen the mother. If we give them the tools they need, I know mothers will do their best if you put the right tools in their hand,” Battle says.

Becoming a mother solidified Battle’s interest in women and girls because she is the mother of two girls.

Battle has a background in finance, but her primary interest these days lies in the internet. While working for a financial company that began making investments in digital media properties, she became intrigued with the value of the web. “In so many cases, the demographic web companies and publishers were trying to reach were women.

“At the same time research was showing that successful web sites were increasingly hyper–local. Investors began seeing the real value in having a hyper–local site.”

Battle invested in BirminghamMom. com with founding partner Tina Holt and in a portfolio of URLs. “The point is to provide very quick answers to some very common questions mothers have: birthday party ideas, quick dinners and places to entertain the kids.”

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Women in Business

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ichelle Gainey is the President of SilverStone International, LLC, a full-service international consulting firm specializing in creating value by connecting business with sports. She created SilverStone International in 2004 to develop synergies between international interests and the United States around her passion for sports and international and community relations.

Gainey has a 15-year track record in sports as an athlete, teacher and business professional. Her background includes serving as a liaison for community, corporate and governmental affairs, and providing leadership to secure sports funding from local, state and federal agencies in the United States. In addition, Gainey coordinated communications for collegiate women’s and men’s sports programs, sports conferences and championship games for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).

She also worked with National Collegiate Athletic Association to establish soccer programs at HBCU’s. She also served as a member of the NCAA Site Selection Committee for Division I for soccer championships.

“Growing up there was never a role mode,” Gainey says. “Being a female in a male–dominated industry is extremely challenging, but the management required to grow a company in the sporting industry is dynamic.

“Nothing comes easy. I have my challenges, especially early on,” Gainey says.

“My brother would say if you can’t wake up in the morning and deal with the criticism and comments you should get into a different business.

“Much of how you have to maneuver

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requires thick skin, and you have to have transparency, loyalty and commitment,” Gainey says. “In time your integrity and values will show through. I will never change those things to be successful, and if I had to I would walk away.”

Gainey is the youngest woman to be appointed to serve on the World Cup Planning Committee for the 2010 games in South Africa. Her appointment in that country came through relationships she formed and maintained four years ago as a delegate of the Birmingham International Festival, one of the oldest U.S. cultural relations organizations. The committee had a chance to view and follow her skills that will help in preparations for 2010 games She graduated from Alabama A&M University, where she was also a member of the swim team for two years and a prestigious MARC fellow, with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry. She also has an advanced degree in chemistry.

She is president of the Birmingham Women’s Golf Association, and an advisor for NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity program for HBCUs. She is a member of: the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics; Marketing Opportunities in Business Entertainment; the Executive Women’s Golf Association; the National Association of Women Business Owners; and a charter member of the National Council of Negro Women Birmingham Chapter.

Gainey is also a board member of the Police Athletic Team and of First Tee, both organizations that cater to young people, and a graduate of Leadership Birmingham’s Class of 2004. She is committed to mentoring women in business and sports and has been selected to serve on the board on Girls Inc. She is also a board member of the Birmingham’s Sister Cities

Commission.

Gainey’s commitment is to create economic opportunities by connecting business with sports across all segments.

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Myla Calhoun Choy is general counsel and senior vice president of regional development and public policy for the Birmingham Business Alliance. Choy is responsible for all legal matters and public policy initiatives of the organization. She also directs the development of initiatives and programs that will enhance the quality of life and create a more livable seven-county region, including regional revitalization, intellectual capital and workforce development initiatives.

“There is a growing recognition that inclusion of women in leadership roles and on leadership tracks is a smart, strategic move and not just a novelty,” Choy says. “Resistance to change may exist but I think we are beginning to chip away at that. In a perfect world would the pace of this change be different? Sure. But, as uncomfortable as dealing with obstacles—particularly those based on gender- can be, it builds resilience, and I think recovery skills are incredibly important for any leader.

“Among the women that I think of as leaders in this community, it seems to start with a personal and often relentless commitment of their talent and resources to affect change, to affect the thinking of those around them to be better and to do better.”

Choy previously served as legal counsel for United States Pipe and Foundry Company. At U.S. Pipe, she was involved in negotiating the project development agreements that led to the site selection and construction of the company’s Marvel City Mini-Mill in Bessemer, the first ductile iron pipe facility built in the United States in more than 60 years. Before joining U.S. Pipe, Calhoun Choy was associated with Spain & Gillon, LLC, where her practice focused on urban renewal and revitalization, municipal finance and governmental affairs.

A graduate of Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia and the University of Alabama Law School and admitted to practice law in Alabama and Georgia, Calhoun Choy lives

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“There is a growing recognition that inclusion of women in leadership roles and on leadership tracks is a smart, strategic move and not just a novelty. Resistance to change may exist, but I think we are beginning to chip away at that.”

-Mila Choy

Myla Choy Photo by Beau Gustafson

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in Birmingham with her two daughters.

“There are many women who I admire, and who, each day, make this place—this city and region—a bit stronger and brighter by what they do and how they go about doing it. And despite whatever challenges we may face as a community, that is very good news indeed,” Choy says.

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Sherry Welch Lewis life experiences are filled with near misses, struggle, strength, courage and triumph. She has discovered God’s power that lies within and has emerged as a living testament to God’s power and presence.

She is an active member of Greater Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church where she serves as a Sunday school teacher, on the Shiloh Advanced Leadership Team, as Brick Campaign Chairperson, and on the Women’s Ministry, and Cornerstone of Revitalization Board.

Lewis serves as the First Vice–Chair/ First Vice President of the Birmingham Water Works Board (BWWB) the largest water utility in the state of Alabama. BWWB is listed as one of the top water utilities in the country. Lewis brings experience and energy to key aspects of the water works, including its capital improvement program, plant upgrades and an improved customer service department.

She has also spearheaded a high–school internship program and the “Wonderful Works of Water” school program for fifth graders that explains the fundamentals of water as it relates to science.

With over two decades of working in the community, she presently serves as the vice president of the Belview Heights Neighborhood Association, a member of Five Points West Community Association, NAACP Centennial Chairperson, District Eight “Party with a Purpose, and the UNCF leadership committee. Her activism also included service to the United Way Allocations Committee, PTA Council of Birmingham Vice President, Birmingham City Youth Council, American Heart Association, and the YWCA. She has served as campaign manager for several local politicians.

“I think women understand that the community and the corporate areas of

Birmingham work together. We are leaders yes, but we are servant leaders. As I travel, I see women across the country coming together, but as Southern woman we come together in quite a different way.

Our strength is our ability to adjust to many different situations,” Sherry Lewis says. “I feel comfortable with women in leadership.

“I wear different hats in leadership and servant roles. I get to see all of the different aspects of how women work. I am excited about being a woman in Birmingham and in the state of Alabama and United States because there is so much more for us now, so many more opportunities.

“I see these young women growing into roles and I am amazed and excited.

I see that they have a drive; that they are thinkers thinking outside the box. They take the words ‘no’ and ‘can’t’ out of their vocabulary. They never tell me what they can’t do,” says Lewis, who mentors two young women. “It encourages me to see the great group of women coming on.

Take, for example, education in math and the sciences. We are no longer afraid to meet the challenges of today.”

Employed with AT&T for over ten years, she also has 15 years of banking experience. Lewis is a native of Birmingham and was educated in the Birmingham public school system. She is the youngest of three and the daughter of Catherine Welch. She is a summa cum laude graduate of Miles College with a degree in management and is the mother of one son, Joseph.

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Anita Allcorn-Walker has served as vice president and comptroller of Alabama Power Company since 2010. She joined Alabama Power in 1990 as an internal auditor responsible for audits across the various operations of the company.

From 1993 to 2000, she held positions of increasing responsibility associated with financial planning, finance, treasury, trust finance and budgeting. Since 2000, Allcorn-Walker has served in other leadership roles in accounting including assistant comptroller, responsible for the Company’s financial statements and internal controls over financial reporting. Other

Sherry Lewis Photo by Liesa Cole

“I see these young women growing into roles, and I am amazed and excited. I see that they have a drive; that they are thinkers thinking outside the box. They take the words ‘no’ and ‘can’t’ out of their vocabulary. They never tell me what they can’t do,” Sherry Lewis says. b-metro.com

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stepping in to help. I could not do what I do here without my husband.’

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Pardis Stitt Photo by Liesa Cole

areas of responsibility have included fuel and joint ownership accounting, bank and account reconciliation, and accounting research.

Allcorn-Walker always knew what she wanted to accomplish. She wanted to be an accountant and she wanted to go the University of Alabama.

“My influence in that came from my parents who ran a small business. Their accountant was always part of their decision-making. They respected him, and he helped them make more informed decisions,” Allcorn-Walker said.

“In a company this large, you have people who specialize in a lot of different things and the neat thing is you bring your specialty to the table. My specialty is accounting, finance, budgeting, and planning. You sit down with experts in external affairs and human resources — all of those kinds of things — and you come out with a good product. A product that is good for our customers and good for the company,” she said.

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business administration with a major in accounting from the University of Alabama and a master’s degree in business administration from Samford University. She is a certified public accountant in the state of Alabama and is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Alabama Society of Certified Public Accountants. She serves on the advisory board of the Salvation Army Greater Birmingham Area Command.

It is a busy life and as a mother of two, Allcorn-Walker has to find the right balance, a task she could not accomplish without her supportive husband, Robert.

A former teacher and human resources executive, he now works at home with the family in Oneonta.

“I guess what I have really learned about balance is that balance is not a perfect place you come to and stay all the time. Balance is more like ‘I try to work very efficiently through the week so that I can be with my family on the weekend and other critical dates.’ We are looking for perfection that does not exist. Sometimes balance comes from the rest of the family

The extraordinary reputation of Birmingham as a great town for food lovers is directly attributable to the restaurants Pardis Stitt operates with her husband the celebrated chef Frank Stitt. Highlands, Chez Fonfon, Bottega and Bottega Café are touchstones of class, quality and good times and have been for years now.

“Most people are unaware of the amount of work that goes on behind the scenes of a restaurant. Much of what I do on a daily basis consists of coordinating ideas, people and products to provide an incredible experience for our guests. My work is all-encompassing and I wake up and go to sleep thinking about how to create a better environment for the staff and guests,” Stitt says.

“The great reward is the immediate satisfaction of seeing a guest with a smile on her face after the first taste of dinner. Or the excitement of a bustling evening in one of the bars where the wine is flowing and the conviviality is high. Or when a regular leans over to the table next to them—knowing that this is a first time for these guests— and gives them tips on what to order for dessert, because this restaurant is their place away from home. The other reward is the ability to make an impact on the staff—to have a young man from Pratt City, who has never been in a formal restaurant and began working with us as a waiter’s assistant, work his way to a server position.

Then to hear him tell someone about the nuances of a wine from the Piedmont, and why it works well with the carne cruda is transformational for both of us,” she says There are more women in the restaurant business now than ever before, filling roles from chef to general and floor managers, sommelier to server. There are more women enrolling in culinary schools. “A female perspective is a definite plus in our organization,” Stitt says.

And in the city as a whole. “We have our issues in this city but I believe that Birmingham is empathetic to women... just look at Carol Garrison, leading the largest employer in the state, who has the respect of the social, political and business

community. Gail Andrews runs one of the South’s most important art museums.

Cathy Crenshaw has created with the Pepper Place Market, one of the greatest farmers markets in the country. Ann Florie, Bobbie Knight and Kate Nielsen are others I think of as major leaders in this city and who I look to as mentors. Ama Shambulia’s work with the West End community garden is inspirational. The next generation will likely draw on the work of these women and so many others; the chain will continue to be strengthened.”

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Started in 1999 as an emergency response company, Shannon Riley has grown One Stop Environmental to be a premier woman owned full-service environmental company based in the Southeast and serving the entire Continental U.S. Riley has led One Stop Environmental to be one of the fastest–growing companies in Alabama. The firm has been ranked on the Inc. 500 and ICIC 100.

As a businesswoman, Riley sees leadership all around her. “Leadership roles for women are being filled at all levels of the community here in Birmingham. Specifically in Woodlawn, women like Samantha Masdon oversee the YWCA’s interfaith and housing projects. As a part of its mission of eliminating racism and empowering women, the YWCA Central Alabama has partnered with Girls on the Run to provide a healthy after-school activity to build self-esteem for girls in Woodlawn.

“The Junior League of Birmingham invests heavily with their time and funds; one of their members, Kathryn Harbert, leads specific projects to support the women and children living in the Woodlawn community. Through the Beeson Community Fund of the Junior League of Birmingham, donations were given to enable the YWCA to purchase the “corner building” now being used as the community education center.

“Sally Mackin, executive director of Woodlawn United, has worked to leverage financial resources to maximize public and private investments. Also Cornerstone School’s executive director Nita Carr has grown a strong school in Woodlawn with 260 students from 4-year-old kindergar-

Nancy Goedecke Photo by Beau Gustafson

ten through eighth grade. After a May 31, 2009, fire that destroyed the historic Woodlawn United Methodist Church building, some people wondered if the church would rebuild there or move elsewhere. The church stayed and turned its rebuilding project into a joint venture with nearby Cornerstone Schools, using a lot owned by the private Christian school at

139 54th St. North for a worship center and gymnasium.

“I could speak for hours and hours about the women in our community alone that are helping propel our city forward.

Over the past few years, more and more women have been elected to the city and county governments. I know our community would not be what is today without b-metro.com

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Dr. Carol Garrison President of UAB

these innovative women leaders,” Riley says.

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Perhaps one of the most powerful women in Birmingham is Dr. Carol Garrison, president of UAB. Carol Garrison has had an extraordinary view of her alma mater. She took her first full-time job in UAB Hospital during the university’s formative years in the 1970s, then earned her master’s degree from UAB. When she returned to campus in fall 2002, as UAB’s sixth president, the young, dynamic institution had evolved into a world-renowned research university and medical center.

A Montclair, NJ native, Dr. Garrison earned her bachelor’s (1974) and Ph.D. in epidemiology (1982) from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. She was a faculty member, department chair, dean and provost at the University of South Carolina (19821997). She joined the University of Louisville as provost in 1997 and was appointed interim president there in early 2002.

As president of UAB, Dr. Garrison also chairs the board of the UAB Health System, which includes UAB Hospital, The Kirklin Clinic and other of UAB’s nationally-ranked patient care facilities. UAB is the state’s largest single employer, with more than 21,000 employees, and has an annual economic impact of $4.6 billion on Alabama.

During Dr. Garrison’s tenure, the institution has enjoyed remarkable growth and development. Recent years have seen the opening of such new facilities as the North Pavilion of UAB Hospital and the Shelby Interdisciplinary Biomedical Research Building, the burgeoning Campus Green along University Boulevard, and most recently, the UAB Women & Infants Center and Hazelrig-Salter Radiation-Oncology Facility.

The growth of the physical campus and academic programs has been guided by UAB’s strategic plan. Developed with campus-wide participation in 2003 and refined in fall 2010, the 96

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Strategic Plan has led to the recruitment of internationally known faculty and physicians and the creation of innovative new curricula and honors programs for undergraduates. UAB has seen record enrollment for three consecutive years, reaching 17,575 in fall 2011. Forbes lists UAB among the top 20 percent of all U.S. undergraduate institutions and The Princeton Review has ranked the university among the top 10 nationally for student diversity for three consecutive years (currently 5th).

Now in her 10th year as president, Dr. Garrison continues working in partnership with the campus and the community toward an extraordinary vision for UAB and for Birmingham.

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Another innovator among women executives has been Pam Siddall, president and publisher of The Birmingham News Multimedia Company. The movement to multimedia in print and digital products beyond the daily newspaper, the sense that The News is an active participant in the life of the community, even printing a daily edition of The News on pink paper to raise breast cancer awareness have been very visible signs of Pam Siddall’s brand of leadership.

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In the corporate realm, women are increasingly playing major roles at the very pinnacle of corporate Birmingham.

Carolyn M. Johnson has been chief operating officer and executive vice president of Protective Life Insurance Co. since June 1, 2007.

Johnson has been in the insurance industry for more than 25 years. She serves as director of LIMRA International, Inc. and as a director of Protective Life Insurance Company.

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Nancy Goedecke is chairman and CEO of Mayer Electric Supply. Nancy and Mayer Electric Supply have always been connected through her grandfather, Ben Weil, who founded the business, and her mother and father, Patsy and Charles Collat. Nancy began working at Mayer during the summers of her high school years. Af-

ter her college graduation and marriage to Glenn Goedecke, her career in electrical wholesale distribution continued in Grand Rapids, MI. With a subsequent move to Tampa, FL, Nancy began her work as an inside sales associate at Mayer and as an inside account manager. Upon her move to Birmingham and the arrival of a second son, Scott, Nancy’s time was devoted to her family, volunteer activities, and Mayer leadership.

In addition to her role as the chairman of Mayer, Nancy is an active member in the community. Nancy currently serves on the boards of the Collat Jewish Family Services, the YWCA, the Birmingham Jewish Federation, the Mountain Brook Foundation Board and the United Way.

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Hillery Head Perkins is president and CEO of Ram Tool & Supply Company, headquartered in Birmingham. Ram Tool is a distributor of commercial construction supplies, power tools, accessories and concrete chemicals.

Head started with Ram Tool in 1993 as general counsel, and became president in 2005. Since 1993, the company has grown from five locations to 17, with warehouses in seven states. Ram Tool’s footprint spreads from Georgia to Texas. The company was honored by The Newcomen Society in 2009 for excellence in business.

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Sandy Killion is majority owner of Vulcan Industrial Contractors, a female-owned and female-managed contractor with experience in new construction, brownfields construction, facilities expansion, environmental retrofits, and maintenance and operations services. Vulcan is very active in the power generation industry, powerplant maintenance, and construction, with offices and ongoing projects throughout the United States.

At the company, Killion works on financial management, marketing and strategic planning. Teresa Magnus is the company CEO. Some weeks, Killion says, her day is heavily focused on the business, other times her work in the community and with non-profits takes center stage.

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After a long and varied marketing career in the banking industry, Michelle Gels has moved into a senior vice president role at BBVA Compass, working on the bank’s online sales component. Just as in the rest of the brick and mortar world, digital marketing has become increasingly important in the financial and banking sector of the economy.

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The vision of sustainability, adaptive reuse, walkability, agriculture and smart planning has no more consistent champion in Birmingham than Cathy Sloss Crenshaw. A Loeb Fellow at the Graduate School of Design at Harvard, Crenshaw is always in motion, developing plans to take root alongside such city success stories as Pepper Place.

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Idie Hastings is co-owner with her husband Chef Chris Hastings of The Hot and Hot Fish Club on Birmingham’s Southside. In a culinary career that has spanned more than two decades, Chris and Idie honed their skills from Rhode Island to Birmingham to California. In 1995, the Hastings returned to Birmingham to open the Hot and Hot Fish Club, where Chris focused on the dinner menu and Idie used her pastry experience to develop the dessert menu.

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Tammy Connor’s eponymous interior design firm, Tammy Connor Interior Design, was founded in Charleston, SC in 1999 as a boutique-style residential and hospitality design firm providing comprehensive, turnkey design. The firm has built its reputation on creating refined, traditional interiors that are comfortable and inviting.

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After being a medical technologist for 18 years, Margaret Jones decided to “do something with (her) creativity.” A native of Bessemer, Margaret opened Margaret Jones Interiors, LLC in 1990, and since, has since built a name synonymous with superior design. b-metro.com

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Women &Community

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uzanne Durham sees the world for what it is, a place of promise and pain. She’s been underpinning the promise for more than 30 years at the helm of the YWCA of Central

Alabama. What she loves about this city is “the community’s generosity and compassion for others. We need more leaders with the political will and resources to bring about some systemic changes that are desperately needed to improve the quality of

life for all of us.”

Under her leadership, the YW has become a critical community agency known for meeting dire needs. Under the tagline “eliminating racism and empowering women,” the YW’s major programs revolve around affordable housing, affordable child care and a broad array of domestic violence services.

The organization’s work in the Woodlawn area is a classic study of leaders and volunteers bending to their will the seemingly intractable problems of crime, drug houses, prostitution and abuse. It’s far from perfect, but the neighborhood is better for the YW’s work. And as Durham will tell you, there is plenty more where that came from.

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Leadership Birmingham’s purpose is to prepare and encourage its graduates to engage in greater individual and group action in order to contribute to the betterment of the community and its people.

Each year, Leadership Birmingham brings together a class of 40 to 50 leaders from diverse backgrounds. Through a series of monthly seminars, these leaders come to know and understand more about the community and one another as they explore timely issues and exchange ideas and points of view.

Leadership Birmingham seeks participants from all sectors of the community, including education, business, law, medicine, neighborhoods, social service, the arts, government and the clergy. Participants may be young or old, male or female.

The focus of the program is to look at issues, opportunities and solutions within the benefit of a group dynamic.

Led by Ann Florie, Leadership Birmingham has led to relationships over the years that have created tremendous benefits to the growth of the community.

A native of Weldon, Ark., Florie received a B.A. in political science from Newcomb College of Tulane University.

Prior to becoming executive director of Leadership Birmingham, she was the founding executive director of Region 2020, Inc., which led efforts to promote regional cooperation and citizen involvement in the areas of affordable housing,

education, arts and culture, transportation and land use in a 12-county area in Central Alabama.

Florie serves on the boards of the Public Affairs Research Council of Alabama and Leadership Alabama. She serves as past president of the Downtown Kiwanis club and past president of the Freshwater LandTrust. She is on the the UAB School of Public Health Advisory Board, the UAB Leadership Cabinet, the UAB Conprehensive Cancer Center and the Alabama Nature Conservancy. She is a director on the Jefferson County Personnel Board and the Birmingham Water Works Board. In addition, she is on Executive Committee of the Birmingham Business Alliance.

Natalie Kelly Photo by Beau Gustafson

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Rosie Butler operates under many people’s radar here in Birmingham. But in the fundraising community, Butler is and has a force to be reckoned, with a reputation as a warrior for promoting publichealth causes.

Though beset by health issues of her own, Butler’s contagious personality and can-do attitude have made it hard for people to walk away from a fundraising pitch.

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As the founder of My Green Birmingham.com and Kelly Green Marketing and Consulting, Natalie Kelly has created a online resource for learning about the green, earth-friendly lifestyle.

A graduate of Auburn University, Kelly has worked in both the corporate and non-profit sectors but found a calling in her mission to help Birminghamians lead a more green lifestyle. Natalie has worked in the community as a volunteer for several environmental agencies and lately as an advocate for environmental education for youth in Birmingham.

MyGreenBirmingham.com has become an advocate for green lifestyles. The site sponsored a My Green Home Giveaway in conjunction with Alabama Power Company, which offered one lucky homeowner a major remodeling that would lead to more efficient use of energy and a more sustainable lifestyle. Some of the aspects of that lifestyle include sustainable landscap-

ing, and energy–efficient appliances, insulation and energy systems.

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In the mid 1990s, the Latino population began to increase dramatically in the metro Birmingham area. Isabel Rubio, a social worker at UAB, and Lisa Theus, language services coordinator at the Jefferson County Department of Health, noticed

this increase. In conversation over the next several months, the same question continued so surface: Who, if anyone, was working with immigrant Latinos to make sure they are supported in transitioning to life in a new country, where language and customs are unfamiliar? In 1999, several meetings were held to attempt to answer this question. As a result, ¡HICA! was created as a nonprofit organization that same year b-metro.com

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Rosie Butler Photo by Beau Gustafson

to address concerns about access to healthcare, education, economic development, legal issues and community outreach for immigrant Latinos. ¡HICA!’s first official service endeavor was a 40-hour interpreter training course, the first such training offered in Alabama. In 2002 alone, ¡HICA! trained over 50 qualified bilingual individuals on the ethics and techniques of professional interpreting. May 2002 marked the first publication of 10,000 copies of Bienvenidos a Birmingham, the first comprehensive Spanish-language resource guide for Birmingham.

In 2003, ¡HICA! began working on advocacy issues facing the immigrant Latino community. Through relationships established with national organizations including The National Council of La Raza, The Mexican American Legal and Education Defense Fund, The National Immigration Forum, The National Immigration Law Center and the Center for Community Change, !HICA! was involved at the national level, which strengthened advocacy work at the state and local levels.

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By 2006, !HICA! had become a full Agency Partner with the United Way and had established a solid name and trust in the community. More and more women were approaching the group regarding domestic violence issues, and ¡HICA! served over 2500 people that year.

In that same year, ¡HICA! increased staff and hired a part-time mental health therapist and implemented ESOL classes.

With a nod to Hispanic tradition and a desire to find a creative, relevant fundraiser, ¡HICA! held the first Christmas Tamales Sale in 2003. Staff and volunteers cooked, packed, ate, dreamed and breathed tamales until the last dozen was delivered from a borrowed church kitchen by the end of December. ¡HICA! has received funding from various sources, including United Way of Central Alabama, Alabama Power, Wachovia Bank, Vulcan Materials Company, State Farm, Publix and the Marguerite Casey Foundation as well as many private donors.

The introduction of HB56 last year has mobilized ¡HICA! like never before.

“We believe that HB56 is unconstitutional, unsustainable, and downright cruel,” says Isabel Rubio, Executive Director of ¡HICA!. Not only will we appeal the court’s decision, we will also mobilize and organize Alabamians to repeal this law and stand up for immigrant justice.”

According to Rubio and ¡HICA!, regressive laws like HB56 are symptoms of a broken immigration system which demands reform in Washington rather than in Montgomery. ¡HICA! advocates for measures that strengthen and protect communities, uphold justice and safety, maintain family unity and offer educational opportunities. “¡HICA! invites everyone to participate in a civil, national dialogue

about immigration reform and calls for respect and celebration of immigrants’ contributions in our communities,” Rubio says.

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Head of the local chapter of The Links, Inc., Vanessa Falls leads a volunteer civic organization of concerned, committed and talented women of African ancestry who seek to enhance the quality of life in our communities and the world.

The organization is primarily dedicated to enriching and sustaining the cultural and economic survival of African Americans and persons of African descent, focusing on educational, health and economic needs.

The Birmingham Chapter of The Links, Inc., founded in 1956, has established itself as the leader in helping to improve the lives of underserved communities. Providing more than 1,000 hours of community volunteer service through the arts, literacy, health and wellness, scholarships and other community services, the Birmingham Chapter has a dedicated commitment to service.

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Head For 90 years, The Junior League of Birmingham has been a positive force for change in Jefferson County.

The JLB’s 2,600 trained volunteers collectively donate more than 50,000 hours of direct community service in Birmingham each year. The JLB’s 30 community placements address some of Birmingham’s most critical issues, including domestic violence awareness and prevention, health education to the at-risk community, life skills for families in transition and literacy.

The programs supported by The Junior League in these areas are broadly based and far-reaching, ranging from school readiness and literacy to personal finance skills and job readiness to living healthy and crisis intervention.

Attorney Leigh King Forstman is the president of The Junior League of Birmingham.

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The Girl Scouts of Central Alabama Council currently serves 15,000 girls

and 5,000 adults through Girl Scouting in over 1,100 Girl Scout troops. It provides a positive, nurturing environment for girl members ages 5 through 17 (kindergarten through grade 12). Program events and camping opportunities are available yearround with enrichment opportunities offered in other countries. On average, each girl participates in approximately 85 to 100 hours of Girl Scout programs each year.

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Girls, Inc. delivers life-changing programs that inspire girls to be strong, smart and bold. Research-based curricula, delivered by trained professionals, equip girls to achieve academically; lead healthy and physically active lives; manage money; navigate media messages; and discover an interest in science, technology, engineering, and math. The network of local Girls Inc. nonprofit organizations serves 150,000 girls ages 6 to 18 annually at over 1,400 sites in 350 cities across the United States and Canada.

The executive director of the Birmingham Girls, Inc. is Monique Gardner-Witherspoon, Ed.D.

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In 2001, a group of dynamic, highlevel leaders convened to discuss a means to elevate the professional potential of women throughout the state of Alabama.

Momentum has been changing the landscape of possibilities for aspiring executive women ever since, developing their leadership skills and increasing their numbers, effectiveness and visibility.

A well-established 501(c)3 organization, Momentum identifies top-level candidates and addresses the unique challenges facing women in leadership positions.

Through skills-based training and mentoring, Momentum helps build the capabilities of emerging Alabama women leaders by offering best practices for top-level managers. A vigorous one-to one mentoring program gives participants access to a pool of highly respected, experienced senior leaders for individualized problem-solving, as well as personal and professional development.

Momentum, launched officially in

Isabel Rubio Photo by Liesa Cole

2002, accepts approximately 25 women annually to participate in its prestigious program. Over the course of nine months, participants experience a curriculum designed to: Provide tools and resources to inspire and educate women to serve in leadership roles.

Network these leaders to learn and work on problems together.

Enhance the image of executive wom-

en in business and community Attract and retain the nation’s brightest women to help solve business and community challenges.

Nominations and applications are accepted in the spring. Participants are notified in early summer with the program.

Dottie Pak of Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP is the volunteer president of Momentum; Barbara Royal is the executive director. • b-metro.com

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