Nathan Anderson is executive director of Cullman Parks, Recreation and Sports Tourism. During his tenure, the agency received the State Recreation and Parks Association Agency of the Year, and it’s the first in Alabama to receive National CAPRA accreditation. During the pandemic, Anderson served as CEO of 46 Entertainment and 46 Logistics companies, bringing both through shutdown and restart to record growth and expansion. He is a graduate of Athens State University and serves on the board of Cullman Tourism Bureau, ONE30 and Cullman PEG Station.
Allison Bright is CEO of Cullman Utilities Board, which provides water preservation, water treatment and power distribution for the community. A graduate of Auburn University, she has more than 15 years of utility experience focused on power distribution, transmission and generation. She is a founding member of Les Dames, a nonprofit designed to create meaningful mentorship with women of all ages.
Bonnie Baty is marketing and services manager for Cullman Electric Cooperative’s new broadband subsidiary business, Sprout Fiber Internet. She oversees the sales, customer service, advertising and brand positioning that brings gigabit fiber-optic internet to the co-op’s membership. Since Sprout Fiber Internet went live in January 2021, she has led the rapid expansion of services across Cullman and Winston counties, now serving more than 4,000 subscribers and on pace to reach 5,000 subscribers by the end of year two. In 2021, Baty was recognized by the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association as a Rising Star among electric co-op employees.
Jeff “Clem” Clemons is the chairman of the Cullman County Commission. He graduated from Cold Springs High School and the Jefferson County Law Enforcement Academy. After 32 years in law enforcement, he was elected chairman of the commission in 2020. During his time in office, the commission has set priorities and improved road and bridge infrastructure, recruiting and retention of employees and overall stewardship of public resources.
Rachel Dawsey is executive director of the North Alabama Agriplex in Cullman. Since her appointment in 2011, the agriplex has grown from reaching 35 program participants to more than 20,000 students and public participants annually from surrounding counties and 18 different schools. Dawsey oversees the agriplex’s nine monthly program series, eight summer programs and numerous school and community outreach programs.
Josh Gates is an entrepreneur, serving as chairman and CEO of Saturday Down South until its recent acquisition. Prior to graduating from the University of South Alabama, he served in a military special operations unit as an Army Ranger. He currently serves on the Jasper Industrial Development Board, Synovus Bank Advisory Board, Walker Area Community Foundation Grant Review Committee and is the president of Jasper Main Street.
Joel Hagood is president of Bevill State Community College. He has been Walker County schools superintendent and Oakman High School principal. He was chosen District 7 Superintendent of the Year, State of Alabama Superintendent of the Year finalist and District 5 Alabama Secondary of School Principals president. He holds undergraduate and master’s degrees from the University of Alabama and a doctorate from Samford University, with specialist credentials from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Hagood serves on the Chamber of Commerce of Walker County board and is active with Leadership Walker County, Rotary Club and the East Walker Chamber of Commerce.
Christopher “Boo” Haughton is sales manager for Winston Homebuilders, a manufactured home company in Double Springs, which expects to generate $80 million in sales in 2022. He also has worked in sales with Southern Homes and Franklin Homes. He is a graduate of the University of Alabama and a member of the Haleyville Board of Education.
Roger Hayes is chairman of the Winston County Commission, a role he has held since 2008 and also from 1993-2004. He also served as an associate member of the commission from 2006-2008. He owns and operates Razor’s Edge barber shop in Haleyville. He attended Athens State College, Bevill State Community College and the University of North Alabama, as well as the state’s Commisioners College. He has led the boards of the Association of County Commissioners of Alabama, the North Alabama Council of Local Governments and the Resource, Conservation & Development Council and been vice chairman of the state insurance board.
Woody Jacobs is mayor of Cullman. He is a graduate of Cullman High School, attended Cullman College at Sacred Heart and graduated from the University of Alabama. He was an accountant with his family business for 18 years, then joined Eidson & Associates, where he spent 20 years. Jacobs has been president of the city council, the local American Red Cross, the Cullman County Fair Association and the Cullman Parks & Recreation Board, and treasurer of the Cullman Lions Club. He is on the Fixed Point Foundation board and coaches youth sports.
Kyle Kallhoff is superintendent of the Cullman City School System. Earlier, he was superintendent in Demopolis and in Chickasaw. He began his career at Satsuma High School in 1997 as a classroom teacher before moving into administration and worked as assistant superintendent in two different school systems.
Dale Greer is director of the Cullman Alabama Economic Development Agency. Cullman County traditionally ranks annually as one of the most successful development agencies in Alabama for capital investment and job creation. Cullman ranked as the No. 4 Micropolitan in America in 2021 out of 550 nationwide. He is a past president of the Economic Development Association of Alabama.
Vicki Karolewics is president of Wallace State Community College in Hanceville, which has won honors for its nursing, cyber defense and Achieving the Dream programs. It is ranked among the Top 3 in the South for workforce development, rated the most preferred community college in Alabama by high school students taking the ACT and the No. 1 Online Community College in Alabama, and it is one of 30 colleges chosen to lead the American Association of Community Colleges Pathways Project, Karolewics serves on the Alabama STEM Council and the Alabama Commission on Artificial Intelligence and Associated Technologies.
Paul Kennedy is president of the Walker Area Community Foundation in Jasper, which works to foster philanthropy and address needs in the Walker County area. Kennedy is a graduate of North Carolina State University and worked with the U.S. Forest Service, private forestry, Proctor & Gamble and the Natural Resources Conservation Service before joining the foundation. Since he joined the foundation, it has grown from $10 million and one advised fund to more than $120 million and more than 40 advised funds. The foundation grants more than $3 million to more than a hundred nonprofits each year.
Kenneth Nail is mayor of Hanceville, serving his fourth term. A Cullman native, he was a police officer in the community for 25 years, retiring as a lieutenant. He attended Hanceville School and Wallace State Community College and is a graduate of the Alabama Criminal Justice Center in Selma. He has served on the Hanceville City Council and received the Advanced Certified Municipal Official certificate. He has served on the Cullman County 911 board, Cullman County Mental Health Authority, Cullman/Jefferson Gas District, Cullman County Red Cross, Cullman Area Chamber of Commerce, Cullman County Community Development Commission and Cullman County Mayors Association as president.
David O’Mary is mayor of Jasper. A graduate of the University of Alabama and LSU’s Graduate School of Banking of the South, he worked nearly 40 years with First National/Synovus Bank. Prior to becoming mayor, he served as chair of the Jasper City Board of Education and chair of the Jasper Industrial Development Board. He was also active with the American Red Cross, United Way of Central Alabama and Beacon House.
Joey “Gordo” Sanders, a Walker County native and Dora High School graduate, earned an aviation degree from the College of the Ozarks. He founded Sanders Aviation in 1996 and has grown it into one of the largest military transition flight schools in the nation, Sanders Flight Training Center. Recently, his school partnered with Liberty University to offer a degree option. Sanders served 23 years as an Alabama Air National Guard pilot, deploying overseas multiple times and retiring as a lieutenant colonel. He is also retired from FedEx as a Boeing 777 captain. He is an FAA pilot examiner and a race pilot at the National Championship Air Races.
Bart Shannon is an administrator for Winston County Schools. He currently oversees federal programs and the child nutrition program. Earlier in his 20-year career in education, Shannon served as the director of the Winston Career Academy for six years. He is a two-time graduate of the University of North Alabama, receiving his Education Specialist degree in 2011.
John Dominey (JD) Snoddy is Winston County Circuit Court clerk. Earlier he served on the Double Springs Town Council and worked as a police office and teacher. He worked for Coach Bear Bryant while enrolled at the University of Alabama. He has worked to bring state funding to the Winston County schools and civic projects and with Wallace State Community College to reinstate GED classes and the Ready to Work program. He sits on nine nonprofit boards and is chairman of three, including the local food bank and Main Street Ministries. He represents the county on the Alabama Mountain Lakes Tourism Association and the Northwest Alabama Mental Health Board.
Ken Sunseri is mayor of Haleyville. A Vietnam veteran, he retired from Command Military Service as a colonel. He served as the local coordinator for Haleyville through the Alabama Communities of Excellence program, where he was named 2005 Outstanding Volunteer. He was the 2004 Civitan Citizen of the Year recipient. Among his many honors, he received the 2011 Haleyville High School Alumni Service and Dedication Award and the 2015 Outstanding ACE Mayor award. In 2017 he was named Council Member of the Year of the Alabama Resource, Conservation and Development Council.
Holly Sutherland is superintendent of Haleyville City Schools, where she is an advocate of STEAM education. The district became the first in the nation to have all four schools COGNIA STEM Certified at the same time. She has served as a principal, assistant principal, teacher and basketball coach during her career. A graduate of Auburn University, she holds master’s degrees from Auburn University and the University of Alabama at Birmingham and a doctorate from Samford University. She serves on the boards of Haleyville Chamber of Commerce, the 911 Festival, Heart of Haleyville Park and Christmas in the City.
Melinda Weaver is the community relations manager for Alabama Power’s Northwest Alabama region. Weaver serves on the boards of North Alabama Workforce Council – Region 1, Alabama Workforce Innovation & Opportunity, North Alabama Council of Local Governments, Northwest-Shoals Community College and is vice chair of the Winston County Industrial Development Board. She also works closely with the Northwest Alabama Economic Development Alliance and Franklin County Development Authority. Weaver is a local coordinator with Alabama Community of Excellence and works in leadership development throughout the region. She is a past participant of the Economic and Community Development Institute at Auburn University.
This appeared in the November 2022 issue of Business Alabama.
