Leadership Hoover welcomes 10th class

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Businesses

Leadership Hoover welcomed its Class of 2027 at an opening retreat Sept. 15, the 10th group to enter the community leadership program since its first class formed in 2017.

The class has 30 members who work in banking, health care, education, local government, housing, nonprofits, construction, real estate and small business.

"This class marks the 10th cohort milestone for Leadership Hoover," said Kathy Boswell, the organization's strategic leadership advisor. "Something that began as an idea has now been part of the city's history for 10 years."

Leadership Hoover was organized in 2017 by the Hoover Area Chamber of Commerce at the request of Mayor Frank Brocato, with the Hoover City Council providing $50,000 in startup money. The inaugural class of 34 met monthly for a program year that covered education, health care, public safety, nonprofits and city government, and its members completed group projects for the city before graduating in June 2018.

More than 300 people have since gone through the program, according to Boswell. Membership is open to Hoover residents and business owners as well as people who work in the city but live elsewhere.

Boswell said the relationships formed within each class are the program's most lasting product in a city where many people otherwise connect only through their children, schools and youth sports.

"Every time a new cohort begins, people build relationships, and those relationships build a community that lasts long after the cohort ends," Boswell said. "Leadership Hoover gives residents, business owners, and those who may not live in Hoover but work here, a space to come together and learn about city governance, public safety, education, and the other things that contribute to our quality of life. We also celebrate and acknowledge Hoover's diversity of people, landscapes, cultures, and subdivisions."

The opening retreat included a new partner this year. Clearview Strategy Partners, a certified partner for the Predictive Index workplace assessment, joined the program, and facilitator Stacia Gaines led the class through its assessment results and how the tendencies they reveal shape decision-making and working relationships.

"Stacia gave our members some great insight," Boswell said. "It was a wonderful way to kick off the getting to know ourselves and each other a little better."

The members of the Leadership Hoover Class of 2027 are:

  • Denita C. Bearden, chief administrative officer, Housing Authority of the Birmingham District
  • Kelli Bjornstad, OSA II, Garver USA
  • Ethan Boswell, business development director, EverThrive Financial Group
  • Brock Burkhalter, vice president and relationship manager, River Bank and Trust
  • Mo Deeb, owner and broker, Mo Deeb Realty Group
  • Tameka Dixon, senior risk advisor, PNC
  • Aastha Gandhakwala, owner, Aastha's Dance Classes
  • Jan Harris, substitute teacher, Hoover City Schools
  • Anna Helova, deputy director and chief operations officer of the Sparkman Center for Global Health and assistant professor, University of Alabama at Birmingham
  • Cory Jackson, transformation management services lead and senior manager, Clarkston Consulting
  • Ryan Jones, branch experience manager, Avadian Credit Union
  • Janie B. Mauter, client service leader, Barge Design Solutions
  • Scott Mooney, branch manager, Alabama Credit Union
  • Martin A. Nalls, chairman, College Admissions Made Possible
  • Shaheen Noorani-Valliani, vacation consultant, Expedia Cruises
  • Faye Oates, financial analyst, Alabama Power
  • Janylisse Quiles, vice president of corporate security, Regions Bank
  • Heidi Ramey, senior communications specialist, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama
  • Jason Reinneck, consumer banking manager, Regions Bank
  • Tom Scott, president and owner, TS3 Technologies LLC
  • Dhiraj Sharma, senior vice president of data governance and management, Regions Bank
  • Quez Shipman, director and consulting expert, CGI
  • Jennifer R. Smith, director of Medicare product, UnitedHealthcare
  • Kiran Sunkavalli, owner, Bourbon House and Eatery
  • Tangela V. Thomas, senior litigation counsel, Allstate
  • Nicholas Thomas, financial advisor, 2065 Wealth Management
  • David L. Williams Jr., director of modernization and development, Jefferson County Housing Authority
  • Jason Wilson, owner and manager, T&C Construction
  • Katherine Woods, executive director, Birmingham Cross Cultural Connections
  • Jordan Yarbrough, recreation programs supervisor, Hoover Parks and Recreation Department