The Mobile Area Chamber of Commerce has named Ellis Foster Jr. director of government affairs. Foster will help advance the chamber’s advocacy agenda on behalf of its nearly 1,600 member businesses, coordinate the chamber’s governmental affairs committee and represent the Mobile business community in Montgomery during the legislative session.
Prior to joining the chamber, Foster was director of economic development with the Mobile Downtown Alliance, where he led developer recruitment, stakeholder engagement and grant management for downtown Mobile. He previously served as a senior advisor to U.S. Rep. Shomari Figures.
“Ellis already knows the people, the process and the priorities that matter to our members,” said Nancy Hewston, vice president of communication and advocacy at the Mobile Chamber. “He has spent years building relationships across Mobile to Montgomery and Washington, and he understands how policy decisions shape real projects on the ground. Our members will have a strong, credible voice working on their behalf, and I’m excited to welcome him to our team.”
With this new role, Foster will be stepping down from his role on the chamber’s board of directors, where he has served since 2024, and from the Industrial Development Board, where he has served since 2021.
He is a commissioner on the Southern Rail Commission.
Foster holds a bachelor’s degree in urban and regional planning from Alabama A&M University. He is a graduate of Leadership Alabama’s Alabama Leadership Initiative. He also is a licensed real estate broker and served eight years in the Army National Guard.