Louis Bass is president and CEO of the Health Care Authority of the city of Anniston, which owns and operates the RMC Health System. The $230 million health system includes Northeast Alabama Regional Medical Center and related facilities, has 1,900 employees and serves patients in five counties. Earlier, he was CFO and director of finance at Lloyd Noland Hospital in Fairfield. He began his career with Blue Cross and Blue Shield.
Alton Craft has served as mayor of Oxford since 2016. Prior to his election, he served as the city’s finance director for more than 30 years, where he and former Mayor Leon Smith increased the city’s cash reserves and credit rating, and he worked with the city council to finance many capital projects and improvements.
Gerald “Jerry” Creel Jr. is director of Central Alabama Community College, Talladega Center. He is president of the Chamber of Commerce of Talladega-Lincoln-Munford, chair of the Talladega City Industrial Development Board, vice-president of Talladega Main Street and a board member for Samaritan House. He serves on advisory committees for Dovetail Landing, Talladega-Clay-Randolph Childcare Corp. and Jacksonville State University. He holds a bachelor’s degree, MBA and two additional master’s degrees.
Jon Cullimore is CEO of Coosa Valley Electric Cooperative. The cooperative serves more than 18,000 consumers in rural parts of six counties and its fiber-optic network is available to every electric consumer. It also helps recruit industry to the region. Its subsidiary, Coosa Valley Technologies, provides high-speed internet service to more than 6,000 customers.
Col. Craig A. Daniel is commander of the Anniston Army Depot. He is a distinguished military graduate of Radford University and holds MBA and MS degrees, plus credentials from an array of military programs. He has commanded and participated in military assignments around the world. Awards and decorations include the Bronze Star, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the Meritorious Service Award, the Army Commendation Medal, the Army Superior Unit Award and the Joint Chiefs of Staff Identification Badge.
Brandon Freeman is executive vice president and chief credit officer at First Bank of Alabama. He is active in the Alabama Bankers Association and Bankers 2 Leaders. He is treasurer of The Right Place and a board member of United Cerebral Palsy of East Central Alabama and active in other nonprofit and organizations in the area. He is past president of Kiwanis Club of Anniston and graduated from Leadership Calhoun County. He graduated from Wingate University in 1999 and is attending the Graduate School of Banking at LSU.
Dennis Gilliam is president of the Alabama Institute for Deaf and Blind, where he has worked for 30 years. A University of Alabama graduate, he holds special credentials in visual impairment education from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and in education administration from the University of Montevallo, plus a Doctor of Education in Deaf Studies Deaf Education from Lamar University.
Ashton Hall, a Talladega native, in 2023 became the city of Talladega’s youngest-ever elected mayor at age 22. During high school, he served as an ambassador for the Talladega Chamber of Commerce and as president of the Talladega High School National Honor Society. After graduating, he attended Talladega College where he was SGA president and held leadership roles in his fraternity. He teaches math at Stensley Road Elementary School and recently hosted the city’s first Mayoral Scholarship Ball, which raised scholarship funds for local students.
Linda Hearn is executive director of the Calhoun County Area Chamber & Visitors Center. She has worked with the chamber since 1990. She is a graduate of the University of Arkansas with additional credentials from Auburn University and the U.S. Chamber Institute for Organization Management at the University of Georgia. She is a graduate of the Leadership Calhoun County. She has helped lead the chamber to 5-star accreditation from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. She is a member of the Alabama Chambers of Commerce and was honored for her years of service to the organization.
Don Killingsworth Jr. is president of Jacksonville State University. A JSU graduate with a doctorate from the University of Alabama, he has worked most of his career at JSU. He earned his doctorate in higher education from the University of Alabama. He is a former president of the Calhoun County Area Chamber and Visitors Center board and now serves on the City of Jacksonville Industrial Development board, is vice chair of the Alabama Council of College and University Presidents and vice chair of the board for Conference USA. He also is a Calhoun County Rotary Club member and recent Leadership Alabama graduate.
Donnie Miller is executive director of the Chamber of Commerce of Talladega, Lincoln and Munford. He brings 32 years of business experience to the position, while also living in Talladega for more than 60 years. He owns Miller’s BBQ in Talladega, which he started in 2005, and previously owned Miller’s Dinner Bell for 11 years. He served on the Talladega City Council from 2007-2015.
Margaret Livingston Morton is CEO of the Sylacauga Alliance for Family Enhancement Family Services Center and president of the East Alabama Rural Innovation and Training Hub, which is now underway. She is retired from Sylacauga City Schools. She holds B.S., master’s and Ed.S. degrees from the University of Alabama, plus guidance certifications from Jacksonville State University. She serves on numerous boards on educational, family and special needs issues.
Andy Robertson is workforce development coordinator for Gadsden State Community College. He also serves as the FAME coordinator and division chair for the career and technical education programs on the Ayers campus. He spent almost 10 years in industry as a maintenance technician in the box division of Inland Paperboard and Packaging in Rome, Georgia, and later as a service engineer for Vulcan Engineering.
Terry L. Smiley is vice president of the eastern division for Alabama Power, where he oversees sales, economic and community development and external affairs activities. He received both bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Birmingham-Southern College. A member of the Anniston Rotary Club, he serves on the board for the Alabama Trails Foundation and AIDB Foundation and is vice chair of the board for Talladega College. He was an All-American in basketball for two years and was inducted into the Birmingham-Southern College Sports Hall of Fame in 2000.
Shannon Stanley is superintendent of Oxford City Schools. She has more than 29 years of experience in Alabama public education as a teacher and administrator. Stanley has also served as a School Improvement Leadership Coach with Southern Regional Education Board, working with school districts in Alabama, Georgia and Mississippi. She is an adjunct professor in educational leadership at the University of Alabama and works with its Superintendent’s Academy.
Derrick Swanson is city manager for the city of Talladega. He was appointed commissioner of the Alabama Firefighters Personnel Standards and Education Commission in 2023. He began his career as a medic for the city of Tuskegee and advanced to fire chief. He worked in leadership roles for the Alabama Fire College and later as captain over emergency services for the Macon County Sheriff’s Office. He earned associate degrees in fire science and EMS and holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees. He is a 2023 graduate of the Alabama Public Safety Leadership Academy and a national registered paramedic with 25 state and national fire certifications.
Gregory J. Vincent, an award-winning educator, executive, civil rights attorney and community leader, is president of Talladega College. He recently served as professor and administrator at the University of Kentucky. A native of New York City, he attended Hobart and William Smith Colleges, where he earned his bachelor’s degree and competed in basketball, cross country and track. He earned his Juris Doctor degree from Ohio State University and a Doctor of Education from the University of Pennsylvania. He has received several honors and awards for his work.
Phil Webb, is owner of Webb Concrete & Building Materials in Oxford. He is on the boards of Alabama Power, the Greater Birmingham Association of Home Builders’ Governmental Affairs Advocacy, Calhoun County Home Builders Association, the President’s Cabinet and capital campaign cabinet at the University of Alabama, JSU Foundation, Calhoun County Economic Development Council and NobleBank & Trust. He is a board member and past chairman of the Calhoun County Chamber of Commerce, YMCA of Calhoun County and Knox Concert Series. Webb is a member of the Calhoun County Quarterback Club and Anniston Rotary Club.
This article appears in the July 2024 issue of Business Alabama.