Leigh Dollar is mayor of Guntersville, recently re-elected for a fourth term. Dollar is a University of Alabama graduate and a CPA. She is a past president of the Alabama League of Municipalities and a graduate of Marshall County Leadership Challenge and Leadership Alabama. Active with the Lake Guntersville Chamber of Commerce and many civic organizations, she is a board member and past board chairman of Marshall County Gas District.
Sandy Goff has served as the executive director of the Rainsville Chamber of Commerce since 2016. In addition to overseeing the day-to-day operations of the chamber, she assists in planning key events such as the Annual Banquet, Administrative Professionals Day Luncheon and the Annual Scholarship Golf Tournament. She also helps coordinate city events, including the Halloween Spook-Tacular, the Rainsville Christmas Parade and Christmas at the Tom Bevill Center. Beyond her chamber responsibilities, Goff has been a consultant to developers of affordable housing for more than 25 years and been instrumental in the development of more than 30 housing projects across the state of Alabama.
Kade Griffith is an agri-intelligence technician at Helena Agri-Enterprises in Centre. Griffith earned an associate degree at Northeast Alabama Community College and a bachelor’s degree in crop, soil and environmental sciences at Auburn University. Griffith is an active member of Auburn University Young Farmers and served as vice chairman. He also is an active member of Jackson County Young Farmers and serves as treasurer.
Tracy Honea recently was re-elected to his fourth term as mayor of Albertville and is a lifelong resident of the city. Honea is a graduate of Marshall County Leadership Challenge and has served on several local boards and commissions, including the Albertville Board of Education, Albertville Chamber of Commerce board of directors, United Way of Marshall County board of directors, the Albertville Commercial Development Authority, and, currently, the Marshall County Gas Board.
Brett Johnson is executive director of the DeKalb County Economic Development Authority. Johnson is a former member of the Boaz City Board of Education, Boaz Housing Authority Board of Commissioners and Gadsden Planning Commission. He also teaches American government as an adjunct faculty member at Jacksonville State University and other Alabama community colleges. He earned a Ph.D. in leadership from the University of the Cumberlands and an MPA and B.A. in political science and communication from Jacksonville State University.
John-Paul Lambert is president of Lambert Inc., a full-scale, heavy civil contractor based in Stevenson. Lambert is a graduate of Pisgah High School and attends Kash Creek Community Church. He also serves as adjunct instructor for Northeast Alabama Community College’s heavy equipment operator program.
Zach Lee is chair of the Guntersville Industrial Development Board, leading the city’s economic development activities. A native of Guntersville and graduate of the University of Alabama, Lee is the regional external affairs liaison for the Alabama Community College System. He previously served in several state positions and has broad experience in workforce development. He’s a graduate of the Delta Regional Leadership Academy and Marshall County Leadership, and he serves on the board of Marshall County Manufacturers Association.
Rich Lindsey Jr. is a partner and manager of Cherokee Gin & Cotton Co., the state’s largest producing cotton gin; a partner of Coosa River Land Co., a 4,000-acre row-cropping operation; and a partner of Alexis Farms LLC, a five-house poultry operation. Lindsey also is a 22-year veteran of the McCord’s Crossroads Volunteer Fire Department and has served as chief for the last 14 years. Additionally, he serves as director to the Southeastern Cotton Ginners and National Cotton Ginners associations, is an alternate director to the Alabama Association of Volunteer Fire Departments and currently chairs the Cherokee County Association of Volunteer Fire Department’s Radio Communications Committee.
Jennifer McCurdy is the director of the Northeast Alabama Community College Entrepreneurial Center and previously served as director of the Fort Payne Chamber of Commerce. McCurdy holds a B.A. in health services administration from Auburn University. She also has earned the Economic Development Association of Alabama Leadership Institute Certification and the Intensive Economic Development Training Course Certification from Auburn University Government and Economic Development Institute. She serves on the Boom Days Committee for the city of Fort Payne, is a trustee for THRIVE Regional Partnership, a past board member for Leadership DeKalb and currently is participating in the ACCS Economic Development Academy.
Shawn Rogers serves as the director of the Emergency Management Agency and 911 administrator for Cherokee County. Rogers has held prominent statewide leadership roles, including president of the Alabama Association of 911 Districts, chair of the Alabama State 911 Legislative Committee and president of the North Alabama Emergency Management Mutual Assistance Association. Nationally, he was appointed to the FirstNet Authority Emergency Management Cohort, contributing to broadband integration in emergency services.
Daniel Steele serves as county administrator for Cherokee County. He is a graduate of Gaylesville High School and of Shorter University, where he earned a degree in business administration. Steele also serves as executive director of the Cherokee County Industrial Development Authority and is a member of the Gaylesville Town Council.
Karen Suggs is project manager at the Jackson County Economic Development Authority. She also serves on the University of Alabama Geological Sciences Board, Junior Leadership Jackson County, the IMPACT Learning Center board, the Launch 2035 Land Use and Infrastructure Committee and the Jackson County United Givers Fund board and is a member of the Scottsboro Rotary Club. Suggs earned a master’s degree in geological science with a concentration in geochemistry from the University of Alabama and a graduate certificate from Auburn’s Government & Economic Development Institute.
This article appears in the November 2025 issue of Business Alabama.
