Board of Directors

The Board of Directors meets quarterly and is comprised of up to 26 members. Six members are appointed by the Governor of Alabama; the remaining members are elected by the Board. Meetings are open to the public, whether held virtually or in-person. For details, please visit our events calendar or contact [email protected].

*Governor’s Appointee

Ed Mizzell, Birmingham, Chair

Ed Mizzell earned a B.S. in marketing from Auburn University and an MBA from Samford University before embarking on a career with the pharmaceutical maker Novartis, which led to successful stints in South Africa and Venezuela launching new products. Ed returned to the United States in 1981 and joined the Birmingham-based marketing solutions firm Luckie & Company, where he is EVP managing director and a member of the board of directors.

Having served many roles at Luckie, Ed now helps guide agency operations and maintains Luckie’s longtime reputation for fiscal responsibility and strategic growth. His civic and community involvement includes United Way Campaign 2011, Birmingham Sunrise Rotary Club, Greater Alabama Council of the Boy Scouts of America, Canterbury United Methodist Church, and the Monday Morning Quarterback Club.

Dr. Dorothy W. Huston, Huntsville, Vice Chair

Dorothy W. Huston, Ph.D., is founder and CEO of Technology Management Training Group, Inc., a provider of information technology, program management, and training solutions. She previously served as vice president for research and development at Alabama A & M University, during which the growth in research funding and contracting grew from $13 million to over $30 million annually.

Dorothy earned her undergraduate degree at AAMU in 1979 and her master’s and doctorate degrees from The Ohio State University in 1980 and 1983. She is a 2006 graduate of Harvard University’s School of Business Executive Development Institute, and has participated in management development in Canada, Netherlands, Belgium, France, New Zealand, and British Columbia. Dorothy’s a graduate of Leadership Huntsville/Madison County Class 12 and Leadership Alabama Class XXI. She is executive director of the Tennessee Valley Diversity Leadership Colloquium and publishes The Valley Weekly. Dorothy is also a life member of Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority.

Dr. Mark D. Nelson, Birmingham, Secretary

Mark D. Nelson, Ph.D., joined the University of Alabama in 1991, where he served as as dean of the College of Communication & Information Sciences until his retirement in 2022. He now provides consulting services for organizations and government agencies throughout the Southeast. Mark’s research interests include leadership, interpersonal communication, and diversity. He is co-author of the book Applied Organizational Communication and has authored numerous publications for presentation at national and regional conferences. Mark’s professional awards include the University of Alabama Outstanding Commitment to Teaching Award, the Lambda Pi Eta National Advisor of the Year Award, and the Delta Sigma Rho-Tau Kappa Alpha Outstanding Alumnus Award. Most recently, he received the Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award in recognition of excellence of character and service to humanity.

Chandra Brown Stewart, Mobile, Treasurer

Chandra Brown Stewart is the executive director of Lifelines Counseling Services, a United Way multi-service, nonprofit organization since 1958. Lifelines Counseling Services provides crisis, emotional, financial, and housing counseling and education to community members in southwest Alabama. She became executive director in 2005. Chandra earned her undergraduate degree as a dual major in pre-medicine and psychology at Xavier University in New Orleans. She has a master’s degree in community counseling from the University of South Alabama.

Chandra is the co-founder of the Society of Clotilda, a joyful health and wellness collective that is dedicated to the celebration, development, and prosperity of Black women and their children. She serves as a member of the University of South Alabama Board of Trustees, member of the regional advisory board for BB&T Bank, past board president for the Alabama Coalition Against Rape, and 2019 class dean for Leadership Mobile. She is also a participant in Leadership Alabama Class XXX, served as Junior League of Mobile president in 2014-2015, and as board advisor for the Junior League of Mobile 2018-2019 Board of Directors.

Robert McGhee, Atmore, Executive Committee, At-Large

Robert McGhee is an enrolled member of the Poarch Band of Creek Indians, and has been an advocate for Native American issues at all levels of government. In his fifth term on the Poarch Band of Creek Indians Tribal Council, he holds the position of vice chairman. In this capacity, he represents his people “government-to-government” at the local, state, and federal levels on a range of vital issues. Robert worked in Washington, D.C., for five years at the Department of Interior-Bureau of Indian Affairs, the U.S. Senate, and Troutman Sanders LLP-Indian Law Practice Group. Robert holds undergraduate degrees from University of South Alabama and the University of Alabama, a MSW from Washington University in St. Louis, and an executive master’s in business administration from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville.

Brett Shaffer, Birmingham, Executive Committee, At-Large

Brett Shaffer joined Regions Bank in 2005 and since 2018 has served as head of community relations. His team is the liaison between Regions market executives and nonprofit community partners. Brett loves his job because it offers him the opportunity to bring people together, encourage inclusive growth in our communities, and make a difference in people’s lives. Brett started his career at Regions in the Consumer Bank, working every position in the branches before stepping into management in 2010. He has achieved recognition for sales performance, associate engagement, and community involvement. Brett currently serves as co-chair of Operation Hope’s Southeastern Board of Directors and on the board of Positive Maturity, Inc. Brett also serves in an advisory capacity to the Sidewalk Film Festival and the Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham’s LGBTQ Fund.

Bob Barnett, Pell City

Bob Barnett founded the structural engineering firm now known as Barnett Jones Wilson, LLC. He is an adjunct professor in the University of Alabama School of Civil Engineering. He serves as chairman of the Pell City Industrial Development Board, is past chairman of St. Vincent’s Health System Board of Directors, and is a member of Pell City Center for Education and Performing Arts board of directors. At his alma mater, the University of Alabama, Bob has been honored as Keith-Woodman Fellow, Distinguished Fellow of the School of Civil Engineering, Distinguished Fellow of College of Engineering, and College of Engineering Outstanding Alumni.

Diane Clouse

Diane Clouse*, Ozark

Diane Clouse is a 2021 gubernatorial appointee from Ozark, Alabama. She holds a B.S. degree in marketing and management from Troy University. Diane is retired from a successful career in the performing arts as a teacher and choreographer. She also enjoyed a second career as a family and consumer science teacher at the Carroll High School Career Tech Center, having earned a secondary teaching certification through Athens State University.

Diane was owner of a performing arts center in Ozark, Alabama. She served as teacher and choreographer for the Flowers Center for the Performing Arts, Carroll High School Musical Theatre, and the Dale County Young Woman of the Year programs. She has served on numerous boards, including the Wallace College Foundation Board, the Dale County Library Board, and the Flowers  Center Board, and has also served as chair of various committees at First United Methodist Church in Ozark.

Trey Granger*, Montgomery

Trey Granger has been a longtime advocate for AHA and was instrumental in creating the Alliance’s annual event, The Alabama Colloquium. He is a graduate of the University of Alabama School of Law and serves as Clerk of Court for the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Alabama. Previously, he was general counsel to the Alabama Secretary of State and led a bipartisan initiative implementing the Help America Vote Act in Alabama. Trey earned a B.A. from Birmingham-Southern College and has a lifelong passion for historic preservation, civic engagement, and the humanities. He served on the Alabama Historical Commission and on the boards of the Central Alabama Red Cross, the Alabama Shakespeare Festival, and Leadership Montgomery. Trey and his wife Lilla reside in Montgomery and are active members of First United Methodist Church.

Janice Hawkins*, Troy

Janice Hawkins, the First Lady of Troy University, is a gubernatorial appointee to the Alabama Humanities Alliance board. She received an M.A. in special education from the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). Janice is a specialist in services for the blind and has served as a consultant with the Alabama Department of Education. Her civic involvement includes serving on boards of the Alabama Shakespeare Festival, the Alabama Transliterates for the Deaf, the Pike County Child Advocacy Center, the Alabama Historical Commission — of which she is a past chair — and the board of governors for the Rosa Parks Museum.

Darren L. Hicks, Birmingham

Darren Hicks has more than 25 years of human resources management experience with Vulcan Materials Company, the leading aggregate producer in the U.S. He’s currently the vice president of Human Resources and Talent Management. He joined Vulcan Materials in 1994, and has held a variety of positions. Prior to returning to Birmingham in 2011, Darren served as director of Human Resources for the Southwest Division, based in San Antonio, Texas. Earlier roles at Vulcan include: manager of Human Resources/Safety and Health in the SGC Division, and human resources specialist at corporate headquarters in Birmingham. Darren earned his bachelor’s degree and an MBA from the University of Alabama. He lives with his wife Teresa and two daughters in Birmingham. In his spare time, he enjoys traveling, golf, and spending time with his family.

Dr. Elliot A. Knight*, Montgomery

Elliot A. Knight, Ph.D., is the executive director of the Alabama State Council on the Arts. An Opelika native, he earned three degrees from the University of Alabama, including a bachelor of arts in visual communication from New College, a master of arts in American studies and a Ph.D. in interdisciplinary studies. Elliot is a Blackburn Fellow and member of the Montgomery Rotary Club. He serves as a board member for the Alabama Tourism Department Advisory Board, the University of Alabama Community Affairs Board of Advisors, and the Montgomery Area Business Committee for the Arts. He serves as the treasurer for South Arts and previously served as a member of the Montgomery Public Art Commission and the Montgomery Museum of Fine Art Junior Executive Board.

Dr. John F. Kvach, Brownsboro

John F. Kvach, Ph.D., is executive director of Singing River Trail, a planned 70-mile regional greenway that will connect North Alabama. He previously served as vice president of the Liberty Learning Foundation. John has written numerous articles, conference papers, and book chapters on the antebellum and postbellum South. He received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from West Virginia University and his Ph.D. from the University of Tennessee. John serves on several regional and statewide boards, including the Alabama Bicentennial Commission. 

Clay Loftin, Montgomery

Clay Loftin is manager of governmental affairs for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama. He is responsible for legislative advocacy and healthcare policy efforts to ensure access to quality, affordable healthcare to more than 2 million Alabamians. He has previously worked with a lobbying firm, as director of constituent affairs to Alabama’s attorney general, and on numerous state and national campaigns. Clay has served on many boards and committees in his community, including the Girl Scouts of Southern Alabama Board of Directors, the Children’s Trust Fund Leadership Council, Leadership Montgomery Torchbearers Class XIV, Children’s Hospital Committee for the Future, and in the current Alabama Leadership Initiative Class VI.

Raised in Prattville, Clay graduated from Auburn University at Montgomery in 2010 with a B.A. in political science. He is married to Rachel Grierson of Moss Point, Mississippi, and together they have one daughter.

Sheryl Threadgill-Matthews, Camden

Sheryl Threadgill-Matthews is a native of Camden, and she and her family have a legacy of fighting for civil rights and social justice. Sheryl was educated at Camden Academy and Knoxville College in Tennessee, graduating with a B.A. degree in sociology. She worked for the Wilcox County Department of Human Resources for 29 years. After her retirement, she served as director of the Wilcox Area Chamber of Commerce. Her life’s work has been spent in her hometown in Alabama’s Black Belt. Sheryl feels that her greatest accomplishment was the co-founding of BAMA Kids, Inc., a community-based nonprofit youth development organization that has served thousands of youths and their families for more than 28 years. She is executive director of BAMA Kids and a member of numerous organizations and boards. She considers herself an advocate for children, the community, and human rights.

Susan Yvette Price, Montgomery

Susan Y. Price, J.D., is senior vice chancellor for system development and strategic advancement and chief of staff of the Alabama Community College System. She earned her bachelor’s in English Literature/Creative Writing from Princeton University and a law degree from the University of Virginia. Following a brief, pre-law school career as an English teacher, Price served as a federal judicial law clerk in the Middle District of Alabama and launched her legal career as a litigation attorney in Seattle. She later served as assistant attorney general/trial counsel for the Washington State Department of Revenue, eventually becoming director of its Appeals Division.

In 2004, Susan returned to Montgomery and the Alabama Community College System Office; since that time, she has served as system vice chancellor for instructional and student services, deputy chancellor, and interim chancellor. She is a former president of the Montgomery chapter of The Links, Inc., a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority and a member of the CARATS, Inc. She serves on the boards of numerous organizations, including the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts, the Montgomery Symphony Orchestra, and the Southern Coalition for Social Justice.

Ansley Quiros, Florence

Ansley Quiros, Ph.D., an Atlanta native, is an associate professor of history and chair of the Department of History at the University of North Alabama, where she studies the twentieth century United States, with a focus on race, politics, and religion. Her award-winning first book, God With Us: Lived Theology and the Black Freedom Struggle in Americus, Georgia, 1942-1976 (UNC, 2018), examined the struggle over race and Christian theology in the civil rights struggle in Southwest Georgia. She is currently working on Committed: The Lives, Work, and Love of Charles and Shirley Sherrod, a dual biography of the activist couple.

Ansley serves on the board of Common Ground Shoals and Project Threadways, and, along with Brian Dempsey, Ph.D., co-directs the Civil Rights Struggle in the Shoals Project, funded through a National Park Services grant awarded to UNA.

Dr. Anne M. Schmidt*, Birmingham

Anne M. Schmidt, M.D., a 2021 gubernatorial appointee, is vice president of medical management for UPMC Health Plan. She is a graduate of Clemson University and received her doctorate of medicine from the Medical College of Georgia. She completed residency training at the University of Tennessee in Memphis and is board-certified in family medicine.

Anne has practiced primary care in both rural and urban settings and served as medical director at United Cerebral Palsy of Greater Birmingham, developing a medical home model of care for people with disabilities. From 2015-2022, Anne was the senior medical director at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama. In that role, Anne coordinated and implemented clinical programs that focused on improving the overall health and wellness of Blue Cross members and all Alabamians.

R.B. Walker*, Birmingham

R.B. Walker, a Montgomery native, is a 2016 gubernatorial appointee. In his professional life, he serves as director of legislative affairs for Alabama Power Company. He formerly served as director of government relations at the University of Alabama. R.B. graduated from the University of Alabama with a degree in political science and studied politics at Oxford University in England. He has also served as deputy director of the Tornado Recovery Action Council. During his senior year of college, R.B. served as the 93rd president of the UA Student Government Association.

Andy Weil, Montgomery

Andy Weil received a B.S. degree in Business Administration from the College of Charleston in 1979 and earned an MBA from the University of Alabama in 1987. He enjoyed a 31-year career in international cotton merchandising with his family’s company, Weil Brothers – Cotton, Inc. From 1995 through 2009, Andy was the company’s president and COO. He served on the board of directors of the American Cotton Shippers Association, a cotton merchant trade association, from 2005 to 2009 and served as its president 2007-2008. Andy also serves on the boards of directors of River Bank & Trust and Goodwill Industries. He is also president of Temple Beth-Or in Montgomery.

AHA is accepting board nominations

Any resident of the state of Alabama may submit nominations for Alabama Humanities Alliance’s Board of Directors.

If you are interested in joining AHA’s Board of Directors, email your résumé and contact information to the Nominations Committee at [email protected].

To nominate someone you know, email a letter of recommendation and resume to the Nominations Committee at [email protected].

Or mail to: Nomination Committee
c/o Alabama Humanities Alliance
1100 Ireland Way, Suite 202
Birmingham, AL 35205