ACHIEVEMENTS
Beasley Allen Attorney Installed as President of American Association for Justice
Navan Ward, an attorney with Beasley Allen, has been installed as the 75th president of the American Association for Justice. He is the second minority to hold the position and the first to hold it in 25 years. As a member of the AAJ, Ward launched the American Association for Justice’s Diversity and Inclusion Leadership Academy in 2012, which trains qualified AAJ members, particularly those underrepresented within the association, to become more effective leaders. Graduates are encouraged to participate in leadership opportunities with the AAJ, including the six-to-seven-year national officer track, helping to retain minority leaders in the future of AAJ.
Balch & Bingham Partner Named President of Alabama Law Institute
Balch & Bingham announced that David Boyd, a partner in both the firm’s Birmingham and Montgomery offices, was elected the sixth President of the Alabama Law Institute (ALI) at the organization’s summer meeting held in conjunction with the Alabama State Bar Annual Meeting. Members of the Alabama Law Institute are selected for their skill and demonstrated ability to craft legislation regarding highly complex legal issues. Fewer than 1 percent of lawyers in the state of Alabama currently hold an ALI term membership.
New Hires at Russell Construction
Russell Construction recently hired six new employees, including Matthew Pruitt as Superintendent, Frank Sullivan as Project Manager, Heath Young in Accounting, Jacob Kintner as an Estimator, Ricky Shaw as a Safety Officer and Tim Rogers as Superintendent.
CB&S Bank Announces Promotions
CB&S Board of Directors recently announced the following promotions in its Alabama offices: Dawn Cherry has been promoted to Senior Vice President. Cherry currently serves as the Chief Analytics Officer in the Pike Road office. Tim Woodard has been promoted to Senior Vice President from a Commercial Relationship Manager in the Tuscaloosa office. Chris Brown has been promoted to Vice President from a Commercial Relationship Manager in the Birmingham office. Jennifer McKay has been promoted to Vice President. McKay currently serves as a Commercial Relationship Manager in the downtown Huntsville office. Jeremy Sprinkle has been promoted to Assistant Vice President from a Commercial Relationship Manager in the Florence office. Sean Plouse has been promoted to Assistant Vice President from Branch Sales Manager in the Huntsville office.
Gibson Vance Installed as Alabama State Bar 2021-2022 President-Elect
Beasley Allen lawyer Gibson Vance was installed as the president-elect of the Alabama State Bar and will serve his term until July 2022. He is on track to become the organization’s next president and will join his law partners Tom Methvin and Cole Portis, who also served as president of the Alabama State Bar. For his entire 28-year career, he has focused on representing individuals who have been injured or mistreated.
AWARDS
Toni Jones Receives Insuror of the Year Award
Toni Jones, Vice President of Transportation Marketing with Palomar Insurance Corporation, recently received the Insuror of the Year Award from the Alabama Independent Insurance Association (AIIA). The award was presented to Jones at the annual convention held at The Grand Hotel in Point Clear on June 15 by Bob Rusbuldt, President and CEO of The Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America, Inc., also known as the Big “I”® or IIABA®. Jones has been actively involved with IIABA® for years and serves as one of six members of the Big “I” National Young Agents Committee representing the Southeast.
This prestigious award was selected through nominations from peer insurance agencies around the state of Alabama. Founded in 1896 and having more than 250 members statewide, AIIA is the state’s largest and oldest association dedicated to property and casualty insurance. The IIABA® is a national association that provides independent insurance agents and brokers with a sustainable, competitive advantage in the insurance marketplace by equipping members with resources, advocacy and support to maintain excellence in business and customer service.
