Rob Carnegie is president and CEO of Visit the Shoals, the official destination marketing organization of the Shoals area. Carnegie also serves on the One Louder board, is a Muscle Shoals Music Association board member and served on the inaugural advisory board for the Digital Marketing Program at the University of South Florida’s College of Business Executive Program. Carnegie earned his degree from Trinity International University-Florida.
Jeff Goodwin is president of Northwest Shoals Community College. Goodwin also is a member of the Shoals Chamber of Commerce and has served on the Alabama Community College System executive athletic committee, the Governor’s Statewide Economic Strategic Planning Committee, the Alabama Articulation and General Studies Committee, Alabama’s Statewide STEM Ecosystem Committee and the North Alabama Council of Local Governments. He was recognized as Alabama’s Superintendent of the Year in 2020 and received the Phi Theta Kappa Paragon Award for New Presidents in 2023. Goodwin earned his undergraduate and master’s degrees from Jacksonville State University and doctoral degree and education specialist degree from the University of Alabama.
Bill W. Hopkins Jr. is superintendent of Florence City Schools. He has more than 35 years of experience in public education. His accolades include the Blue Ribbon Schools of Excellence Superintendent Award, Alabama Superintendent of the Year (District 8), an honorary doctorate from Athens State University and induction into the Morgan County Leadership Hall of Fame. Hopkins earned his undergraduate degree at Athens State University, a master’s degree at Alabama A&M University and an education administrator certificate from the University of North Alabama.
Kevin Jackson is president of The Shoals Economic Development Authority. He also serves on the boards of the Economic Development Association of Alabama, the Northwest Alabama Regional Airport and the University of North Alabama Foundation. Jackson earned a degree in business administration from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
Chris King is vice president and director of marketing at Bank Independent. King also teaches marketing to other bankers at the Alabama Banking School. He serves on the board of Bank Independent’s Helping Hands Foundation and has previously served on the Tuscumbia City Council and the Tuscumbia Civil Service Board as well as on the boards of several nonprofits. King is a graduate of Auburn University and attended the American Bankers Association’s Bank Marketing School and the executive program for marketing leadership at the Wharton School of Business.
Ken Kitts is in his 12th year of service as president of the University of North Alabama, where his efforts have focused on expanding degree programs, enhancing the student experience and advocating for the university through his Progress 208 initiative. Kitts also serves on a variety of boards, including the Business Council of Alabama and the Shoals Regional Council of Leadership. Kitts earned a Ph.D. in political science from the University of South Carolina and also holds a post-graduate certificate from Harvard University’s Institute for Educational Management.
Josh Looney is director of athletics at the University of North Alabama, where he has elevated UNA’s Division I profile through major athletic facility investments, led by the launch of Bank Independent Stadium. His early career experience with the Kansas City Chiefs and Orlando Magic has helped him usher Lion Athletics through significant competitive and structural growth. Looney earned degrees from Washburn University, the University of Missouri-Kansas City and Creighton University.
Kyle Mangum, a Florence native, is vice president and sales officer at Bank Independent. He serves on the boards of Children’s Museum of Muscle Shoals, the University of North Alabama Foundation, the Florence-Lauderdale Tourism Board, the Florence Education Foundation and several other local organizations. Mangum graduated from the University of North Alabama.
Evelyn “Evie” VanSant Mauldin is senior vice president and of counsel at Bank Independent, where she has served for more than 45 years. An attorney and longtime civic leader, Mauldin also serves as a trustee of the University of Alabama System, representing Alabama’s Fourth Congressional District. She has been active in the American Cancer Society, Muscle Shoals District Service League, United Way and the Tornado Recovery Action Council of Alabama. Mauldin earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Alabama and Juris Doctor from the University of Alabama School of Law.
Alex Ruggles is supply chain senior director at Martin Supply, a national distributor of safety, industrial, fastening and integrated supply services in Florence. He also serves on the Shoals Chamber of Commerce board, volunteers at his church and coaches youth sports. Ruggles earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Alabama and a master’s degree from Texas A&M University.
Greg Taylor is executive vice president and northwest regional president for CB&S Bank, where he oversees operations across northwest Alabama, north Mississippi and southwest Tennessee. Taylor earned his undergraduate degree in business management from the University of West Florida and is currently attending the Graduate School of Banking at Louisiana State University. Taylor serves as chairman of the Shoals Chamber of Commerce board, is a member of the Cramer Children’s Center board and is a member of the Florence Rotary Club.
Heather Wright is regional manager at the Alabama Small Business Development Center (SBDC), Office of Business Engagement at the University of Alabama, and is a small business owner. She is a board member for Alabama Main Street, the Shoals Chamber of Commerce, the KFK Foundation, the Powers Foundation and Home Right Now Shoals and won the America’s SBDC Top 40 Under 40 award. Wright earned her undergraduate degree from Auburn University and an MBA from the University of North Alabama.
This article appears in the October 2026 issue of Business Alabama.
