BRETT ALLRED leads public affairs and communications for Georgia-Pacific. He also serves on the boards of United Way of Southwest Alabama, the Choctaw County Chamber of Commerce, the University of West Alabama Foundation and the Auburn University Pulp & Paper Foundation. Allred holds a bachelor’s degree from Oklahoma State University and an MBA from the University of Dallas.
CHARLES ANDREWS is mayor of Monroeville. A graduate of Monroe County High School and the University of Alabama, he served as director of the Alabama Department of Public Safety under Gov. Don Siegelman, chief of the Highway Patrol and was appointed U.S. Marshal for the Southern District of Alabama by President Barack Obama.
DALE ASH, along with her siblings, owns and operates Pepsi-Cola Bottling Co. of Atmore, South Alabama Vending Co. and Wetlands Restoration. An Auburn University graduate, Ash serves on the United Bank Corp. board and has chaired the Alabama Beverage Association. She is a founding director of the Atmore affiliate of the Community Foundation of South Alabama and president of the Main Street Atmore Foundation. She has been honored by the Atmore Area Chamber of Commerce, the DAR, American Legion, Modern Woodmen of America, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Making a Difference and Focus Empowers 40 Over 40 and has received the Rosa Parks Community Service Award.
CORETTA BOYKIN is president of Reid State Community College. Boykin holds undergraduate and doctoral degrees from the University of Alabama and a master’s from Troy University. She is active with the Conecuh County board of education, the Evergreen-Conecuh Chamber of Commerce, the Conecuh Industrial Development board and others. She has won key honors from Reid State, the Girl Scouts and the NAACP.
JULIA BROOKS is a lifelong resident of south Alabama and the qualifying broker and owner of Village Properties, a full-service real estate brokerage serving Clarke County and surrounding areas. In that role, she enjoys mentoring others in business, supporting small-town entrepreneurship and creating opportunities for growth in South Alabama. A University of Alabama graduate, Brooks is a registered nurse. She and her husband, Justin, own two restaurants — Ed’s Drive-In in Jackson and Ed’s Dairy Bar in Grove Hill.
NATE BROOKS is vice president of operations at Wells, formerly Gate Precast. Brooks joined Wells’ Monroeville facility as a project manager, becoming plant operations manager in 2024 and vice president of operations in 2024. Brooks leads all plant staff and operational activities across Wells’ facilities. His education includes Shawnee State University and Iowa Western University.
DEE ANN CAMPBELL is publisher and managing editor of the Choctaw Sun-Advocate. Since 2003, she has won more than 350 Alabama Press Association awards. She also is executive director of the Choctaw County Chamber of Commerce and the chief industrial development officer for Choctaw County. Campbell also serves as mayor pro tem for Gilbertown. She also serves on the board of Choctaw County Arts Council. She holds Star Certification as a rural economic developer.
MIKE COLQUETT is a founding member and current director of the Monroeville/Monroe County Economic Development Authority. In addition, Colquett has served as the Alabama president of the National Wild Turkey Federation and is a founding member of the Alabama Sportsmen’s Caucus. A graduate of Troy University, he has worked in insurance, earning Certified Insurance Counselor credentials. He also has served on the Alabama Baptist Convention Insurance Review Committee.
JOSH GODWIN is owner-operator of David’s Catfish House in Brewton, after spending five years managing David’s Catfish House in Atmore. He has also been a partner in Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, operating stores in Andalusia, Atmore, Brewton and Jackson. Recently he signed on to develop Scooter’s Coffee locations in targeted Alabama markets. He is a graduate of Huntingdon College.
RONNIE HUSKEY is general manager of West Escambia Utilities in Atmore. A graduate of Escambia County High and Jefferson Davis Community College, he holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Faulkner University. Prior to joining West Escambia Utilities, Huskey served as public works director for the city of Daphne. He is currently president of the Alabama Chapter of the American Public Works Association.
LEONARD MILLENDER is chairman of the Conecuh County Commission and the Conecuh County E-911 board. He graduated from Evergreen High School and Alabama A&M University. He worked with Southwest Mental Health for 33 years. He serves on boards of the Association of County Commissions of Alabama, the Alabama-Tombigbee Regional Commission and Community Action and is a past president of the Alabama Association of Black County Officials.
AARON MILNER is president of Coastal Alabama Community College. Milner has spent nearly 30 years in education and helped develop the Saraland school system. Milner is an alum of the University of Alabama, Troy University and Auburn University. Since he joined Coastal, the college has seen record-breaking enrollment.
FRANK NALTY JR. is mayor of Brewton. A graduate of T.R. Miller High School, he attended Spring Hill College and Lake City Forest Ranger School. He is a small business owner and chaired the Alabama State Soil and Water Conservation Committee for many years. Nalty is a director of First Progressive Bank and is active in Brewton Chamber of Commerce, Brewton Rotary Club, Escambia County Soil and Water Conservation District and related groups. He has won key honors from the city of Brewton, Goodyear/NACD and more.
AUDRA RAYBON is mayor of Jackson, after serving on the city council. In addition to her work in government, Raybon is an educator at Jackson High School. She was honored as Jackson Civitan Club’s Citizen of the Year in 2006.
WILL RUZIC serves as vice president of facilities and operations at Provalus IT firm in Brewton. Under his leadership, Provalus has grown to more than 1,200 employees across nine locations. Ruzic was executive director of the Coastal Gateway Regional Economic Development Alliance. He is chairman of both the Gulf States Gas District and the Sapphire Hospitality Cooperative District, and he sits on the YMCA board. Ruzic can be seen each spring playing the role of Atticus Finch in Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird” in Monroeville.
TRIPP WARD is community relations manager for Alabama Power. He is a University of West Alabama graduate with a master’s from Columbia Southern University. He is president of the Alabama Power Service Organization and the Atmore Area Chamber, board member of the Monroe County Economic Development Alliance and the Castleberry Community Development Center, and a member of the Escambia County Industrial Development Authority. He is a graduate of leadership programs in Baldwin County, Atmore and Brewton.
MIKE WILLIAMS is mayor of Butler. During his tenure, the town has constructed a new city hall and two storm shelters, acquired property to help revitalize the downtown area, redesigned parks and added sports facilities. The town also has been awarded grants for infrastructure projects. He is active in promoting the arts and in helping find job opportunities for youths. He worked to establish a workforce development center.
ROSS WOOD is in his second term as mayor of Grove Hill. During that time, the city has seen empty buildings filled with new businesses and infrastructure improvements on key roads. Grove Hill is poised to see even greater growth in the next several months as they bring a new water well on-line. Wood served on the city council before being elected mayor. Earlier, he worked 31 years at the local newspaper.
This article appears in the March 2026 issue of Business Alabama.
