During its regular board meeting on Wednesday, May 10, 2023, the Alabama Community College System Board of Trustees approved District 7 Trustee Llevellyn Rhone as Chairman and District 5 Trustee Goodrich “Dus” Rogers as Vice Chairman.

Each member of the ACCS Board of Trustees is appointed by Governor Kay Ivey and confirmed by the Alabama Senate. Both Rhone and Rogers began their terms May 8, 2021, and are expected to serve through May 7, 2025. Rhone previously served as Vice Chairman.

The independent Board for Alabama’s community and technical colleges was created by the Alabama Legislature in Act No. 2015-125 to create a “unified system of community colleges and programs to deliver excellence in academic education, adult education and workforce development” to meet the needs of citizens, businesses and industries. Board trustees are business leaders who know the day-to-day experience and challenges of running businesses, including the challenges of recruiting and training a qualified workforce.

On Wednesday, Rhone was handed the gavel by Trustee Blake McAnally, whose term as Chairman and as a Trustee came to an end on Wednesday. Both McAnally and Past Chairman Milton Davis, whose term also ended Wednesday, are inaugural members of the first Board of Trustees.

Rhone is a Director for Direct Invest Development – an impact focused, sustainable real estate company. He has extensive experience in operations, community and economic development, project management, entrepreneurship, and management consulting. Combining his executive leadership experiences with Fortune 100 firms, federal agencies, and as entrepreneur, Rhone currently serves on the Industrial Development Board of Hale County; the Hale County Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and as President; as an advisor to the West Central Region of the Economic Development Association of Alabama’s Rural Development Initiative; on the Alabama United, Rural Economic Development Committee; and as a Delta Regional Authority’s Leadership Institute Fellow. An Alabama native and resident, Rhone earned an MBA from The University of Chicago Booth School of Business and a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Duke University.

Rogers works for the Farmers Telecommunications Cooperative in Rainsville as the Business Development and Customer Service Manager. He has had a career in public service, working 16 years for the Alabama Cooperative Extension Service and 15 years in Economic Development with the Jackson County Economic Development Authority. He led industrial recruitment projects and assisted with industrial expansions that, in addition to Google’s $600 million data center, totaled over $500 million in capital investment and the creation of almost 3,000 jobs. Mr. Rogers retired from the Army National Guard and Army Reserves as a Colonel with over 30 years of service. Rogers earned a BS from Auburn University and an MS in Management from the University of Alabama in Huntsville.

“We have had a solid board that has been committed to ushering in a new era of productivity, efficiency, and service for all 24 community and technical colleges,” said ACCS Chancellor Jimmy H. Baker. “We are making incredible strides throughout the state of Alabama. In our 60th year as a System, we are so thankful for who we are today as a result of the success led by our Board of Trustees.”

The ACCS Board of Trustees include: Gov. Kay Ivey (President), J.E.B Shell – District 1; John Mitchell – District 2; Valerie Gray – District 3; Milton Davis – District 6; Llevelyn Rhone – District 7; Blake McAnally – Member at Large, Chairman; and Dr. Yvette Richardson, Ex-Officio Member.

For additional information on the ACCS Board of Trustees, including member bios, please visit: https://www.accs.edu/about-accs/board-of-trustees/.