STEPHANIE BAKER is director of advocacy and marketing for KW Plastics in Troy. During her 23-year career, she has advanced recycling initiatives through strategic partnerships, public policy and industry collaboration while overseeing marketing, public relations and community engagement. Baker serves on the boards of the Alabama Recycling Coalition and the Scrap Recycling Association of Alabama, and was named a Woman Breaking the Mold by Plastics News. She has served on the Troy City Council since 2016 and is currently president pro tempore.
KENNY CAMPBELL is CEO of Sanders Lead Co., which produces secondary lead alloys for the automotive, industrial and ammunition industries. A native of Troy, he also co-founded, with Wiley Sanders, KW Plastics, KW Plastics Recycling Division and KW Container. Campbell also owns Pike Aviation Inc., which provides aircraft services including hangars, fuel and minor maintenance. Campbell serves on the boards of Troy Bank and Trust, Sanders Lead Co., Wiley Sanders Truck Lines, the Association of Battery Recyclers and the Pike County Economic Development Corp.
PHILIP CLAYTON serves as the Eufaula Barbour County Chamber of Commerce’s director of economic development. He previously practiced law and served 36 years in the Alabama Army National Guard, retiring as a colonel. Clayton is a graduate of Auburn University and earned his law degree from Faulkner University’s Thomas G. Jones School of Law. He also holds a Master of Laws in Taxation and additional certification from Villanova University and Lean Six Sigma Black Belt and Green Belt certificates. He also has U.S. Green Building Council and Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design accreditations. He also serves as the executive director of the Tri-Rivers Waterway Development Association.
TED CLEM is a veteran economic developer who joined the Pike County Economic Development Corp. as president in 2025. Earlier, he spent 12 years as senior project manager and director of business development for the Alabama Department of Commerce, during a time when the department achieved record-breaking job creation and capital investment. Clem is a Troy University graduate and was a member of the 1984 and 1987 national championship football teams. He has a master’s degree from the University of Southern Mississippi and has worked for local, regional and state economic development agencies for more than 35 years.
CHAD COPELAND is senior vice president of fiber engineering and development at C Spire, where he leads the planning, engineering and construction of fiber broadband infrastructure across multiple states. He also serves as chairman of the Pike County Commission, working to advance economic development, infrastructure and public services throughout the county. As chairman, he serves on the boards of the Pike County Economic Development Corp. and the Pike County Chamber of Commerce and represents Pike County on the South Central Alabama Development Commission board. He is a lifelong Pike County resident.
CHRISTY CROW is managing attorney of the Jinks Crow law office in Union Springs. She is a graduate of Auburn University with a law degree from the University of Alabama. She has been active with the Alabama State Bar, serving in a series of leadership roles and becoming president in 2019. She also has served on the board of the Girl Scouts of Southern Alabama, the regional council for Leadership Alabama and as president of the Alabama Civil Justice Foundation. She has chaired the Bullock County Relay for Life, coached sports at the Union Springs/Bullock County Recreation Center and worked with BC Collective to host a Back to School Festival that provided school supplies to students and gift cards to all Bullock County teachers.
KYLE GEORGE is director of athletics at Troy University. He previously served as deputy director of athletics for External Operations and has overseen numerous revenue and attendance records in his nearly 10 years at Troy University. This past year, Troy was the only Group of Six school to have its football team in a bowl game, men’s basketball team in March Madness and baseball team in NCAA Regionals. The Trojan baseball team won the Gainesville Regional and Troy Super Regional before advancing to Omaha for the program’s first appearance in the Men’s College World Series.
AMY GREENE is director of the Wallace Community College Sparks Campus. With undergraduate and master’s degrees from Troy University and a doctorate from Capella University, she has previously worked as a faculty member and administrator for the Alabama Community College System. She is active with the Alabama Association for Higher Education in Business, Christ Child Circle Service Organization, the Eufaula-Barbour County Chamber of Commerce, the Eufaula/Alabama/National Board of Realtors and the Eufaula Heritage Association.
BETHANY WILSON GRIMES is president and CEO of the Pike County Chamber of Commerce. A graduate of Troy University, she spent nearly a decade as marketing manager at Glow, a boutique in downtown Troy, where she witnessed firsthand the impact the chamber can have on local businesses. Since then, she has worked as a media consultant in Georgia and marketing manager for Stovehouse in Huntsville. Grimes is active with schools and arts programs in Troy and advisory committees for the university. She serves on the board of the Business Council of Alabama.
JACK HAWKINS JR. is chancellor of Troy University. He is a graduate of the University of Montevallo with a doctorate from the University of Alabama. After completing his bachelor’s degree in 1967, Hawkins served as a Marine platoon leader in the Vietnam War, earning a Bronze Star and Purple Heart. Before taking the helm at Troy, he served as president of the Alabama Institute for Deaf and Blind. Awards include the 2024 Armed Forces Merit Award, the Alabama Citizen of the Year by the Alabama Broadcasters Association, Distinguished Alumnus at Montevallo and induction into the Alabama Academy of Honor. He serves on the boards of the Daniel Foundation, Business Council of Alabama and the American Village Trust, and the board of managers of the College Football Playoff. As chancellor, Hawkins led Troy University’s transformation into an international institution, with students from 65 nations and teaching sites in several countries.
STEVE HAWKINS is executive director of the Eufaula Barbour County Chamber of Commerce. A graduate of Jacksonville State University with a master’s from Troy State, he is a retired educator and school administrator who spent 25 years with the Eufaula City Schools, including 12 as principal of Eufaula High School. Hawkins has worked on community projects for the arts, historic preservation, leadership and workforce. He is a member of the Economic Development Association of Alabama and Eufaula Rotary Club, is co-director of the Bluff City Chorale and organist/choirmaster for First Presbyterian Church Eufaula.
HEATHER KLINCK, a graduate of Belhaven College, has been deeply immersed in the world of bird dog field trials since 1995 — a commitment to the sport runs so deep that in 1999, she and her husband relocated to Bullock County to be at the heart of one of the nation’s most storied field trial communities. She is president of the county tourism council, has created the Field Trial Hospitality initiative — now the Council’s second-largest fundraising base — and championed the iconic Bird Dog Field Trial mural in downtown Union Springs. She is secretary/treasurer of the National Open Shooting Dog Championship board.
TERRANCE LEBERFINGER is president of Sanders Lead Co. Prior to this appointment he served as vice president of human resources for Sanders/KW/Wiley Sanders Truck Lines. He also serves as a member of the board for the Association of Battery Recyclers and is a former board chairman for the Pike County Chamber of Commerce. Leberfinger holds a bachelor’s degree from Slippery Rock University, an MBA from Franklin University and a Master of Science from Troy University, where he also serves as an adjunct professor in the Sorrell School of Business.
BRENT MOFFETT is vice president of external affairs and special projects at Dixie Electric Cooperative. He has worked for Dixie Electric for more than 34 years, working in the company’s Montgomery and Union Springs offices. The Montgomery native earned his bachelor’s degree from Auburn University and earned his CPA while working in public accounting at the beginning of his career. He coordinates with local, state and federal governments and businesses to promote economic development throughout the cooperative’s service area.
KATHY MURPHY is president of Wallace Community College – Dothan and Eufaula. Earlier, she served as superintendent for the Monroe County and Hoover City schools and as president of Gadsden State Community College. She is a graduate of Troy University with a master’s from Auburn University at Montgomery and a doctorate from Auburn University. In 2024, she was named Alumna of the Year at Troy. She has been honored by the Alabama Arts Education Association and the Alabama School Public Relations Association, as Alabama Superintendent of the Year for District Five and as Outstanding Administrator and the Mabel C. Robinson Memorial Lecturer given by the Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance. She has served on the National Beta Club board.
RICK SMITH is CEO of Troy Regional Medical Center. Smith holds a master’s degree in health administration, is credentialed in radiology administration and is board certified by the American College of Healthcare Executives as a fellow. He is a board member of the Alabama Hospital Association and president of its Southeast Council. He also is a board member of the Pike County Economic Development Corp. and is active in the Troy Rotary Club. In 2026, Smith was recognized by the Malcolm Baldrige Foundation with its Foundation Award for Leadership Excellence.
ANN SPARKS is director of Main Street Eufaula. She has held the position for 25 years, making her the longest serving Main Street director in Alabama. Sparks also serves as director of tourism for the Eufaula Barbour County Chamber of Commerce. She has been active in programs including Your Town Alabama, Alabama Bass Trail Focus Group, LEAD Wiregrass, Eufaula’s Downtown Redevelopment Authority, Historical Preservation Commission, Wiregrass Main Street, RSVP Board president and the Southeast Tourism Society’s Marketing College. She is a founding member of the Eufaula Art Scene. Sparks attended Troy State University.
JACK B. TIBBS JR. is mayor of Eufaula. For more than 40 years, Tibbs worked in business management and marketing. As the founder of Strike Zone Lures, he combined his passion for fishing with innovation, creating products trusted by anglers across the region. An avid hunter and fisherman, Tibbs is a strong advocate for conservation and outdoor recreation. His experience in business and public service has helped guide his community’s growth while preserving its unique heritage and quality of life.
KEN WHITE has spent more than five decades as a driving force for conservation, outdoor recreation and tourism in Barbour County. An early Eufaula Bass Club member, writer, photographer and tourism advocate, White promoted Lake Eufaula across the Southeast through columns in The Eufaula Tribune for more than 20 years. He played central roles in conservation milestones, including early testing of Alabama’s Quality Deer Management at Barbour County WMA and the 14-inch largemouth bass limit on Lake Eufaula. As chair of the chamber’s Eco-Tourism Committee, White co-developed the lodging-tax model that created Eufaula’s Restricted Tourism Fund. His awards include the Alabama Wildlife Federation’s Governor’s Conservation Achievement Award and volunteer honors for his impact on wildlife, recreation and tourism.
This article appears in the September 2026 issue of Business Alabama.
