Dec. 12, 2024–Ryan Hankins Ph.D. / PARCA

Ryan C. Hankins

Executive Director, Ph.D.

Ryan Hankins is the Executive Director of the Public Affairs Research Council of Alabama (PARCA). PARCA is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, non-ideological research organization providing policy research, data analysis, and program evaluation to educate the public and equip the leaders of governments, schools, and nonprofits to improve the lives of all Alabamians.

In addition to providing overall leadership to PARCA, Hankins has conducted or led numerous research projects, including analyses of regional demographics, school finances, gambling revenue, and Medicaid expansion.

He is active in local and statewide nonprofit work and serves on numerous boards and committees, including the advisory boards for the Masters of Public Administration at Auburn University and both the Masters of Social Work and Department of Human Development and Family Science at Samford University. He has previously served on the board of the Alabama Association of Nonprofits, the Birmingham—Jefferson Food Policy Council, the Medicaid Citizens’ Advisory Board, the Bold Goals Workforce Development Council, the Executive Team of the Alabama Committee for Grade-Level Reading, the Alabama Counts! 2020 Census Committee, the Kiwanis Club of Birmingham, and is past president of the Alabama Association of Free Clinics.

He is a graduate of Harvard Business School’s Strategic Perspectives in Nonprofit Management Executive Education program, the Nonprofit Executive Leadership Institute, Leadership Birmingham, Leadership Alabama, and a Birmingham Business Journal Top 40 Under 40 Honoree.

Hankins holds a BA in religion and English literature, a Master of Divinity, and a Ph.D. in political science. He has completed additional studies at the University of Alabama Birmingham and Oxford University.

He and his wife, Meredith, a speech-language pathologist at United Ability, are the parents of three children.

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Updated August 2024

Dec. 5, 2024–Sherry Sullivan / Mayor, City of Fairhope

Sherry Sullivan
Mayor of Fairhope| Biography
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Sherry Sullivan, mayor of Fairhope, is serving her first term. Prior to running for Mayor,
Sullivan worked for the City of Fairhope for almost 17 years and worked for Riviera
Utilities as Director of Governmental Affairs and Economic Development.
Mayor Sullivan was awarded the designation as a Certified Municipal Official by the
Alabama League of Municipalities, is a member of the American Public Power Association
Policy Makers Council, a member of the Policy Board for the Eastern Shore Metropolitan
Planning Organization, Electric Cities of Alabama Executive Committee, Vice President of
the Alabama League of Municipalities, past member of the Alabama League of
Municipalities Committee on State & Federal Legislation, a committee member of the
Alabama Municipal Funding Corporation (AMFund), a member of the Eastern Shore
Chamber of Commerce Leaders Council, a member of the Baldwin County Mayor’s
Association and a member of the Kiwanis Club of Fairhope, and a member of Fairhope
Christian Church.
Since taking office Mayor Sullivan, along with the City Council and City Staff, has
completed or are currently managing approximately $60 million in utility upgrades and
quality of life projects.
Mayor Sullivan has one daughter, Abby, who is married and lives in Fairhope with her
husband, Steve May. Steve and Abby have three children and one grandchild.

Nov. 21, 24–Deann Servos / Executive Director, Prodisee Pantry

 

Deann Servos is the Executive Director of Prodisee Pantry, Baldwin County’s largest emergency food pantry that provides thousands of families with groceries and hope! She is one of three women who founded this community ministry in 2003.  She is a graduate of Emerging Leaders – Small Business Administration’s Streetwise MBA program, a graduate of Penn State and was an accomplished broadcast journalist before answering the call to start Prodisee Pantry.  The Eastern Shore Chamber of Commerce presented her with the 2016 Community Leader Award.  She is a member of North Baldwin, Central Baldwin and the Eastern Shore Chambers of Commerce and serves on the Local Emergency Planning Committee of Baldwin County’s Emergency Management Agency, is Past-Chair of Baldwin County Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster, on the North Baldwin Infirmary Foundation Board, on the North Baldwin Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and with twenty years of nonprofit experience she is a mentor and active in several other nonprofits.  She is the proud mom of three children and is married to Mark, her husband of 31years.  They all live on the family farm in Stapleton.

 

Nov. 14, 24–Keith Blackwood / Mobile County District Attorney

A graduate of Auburn University and the Cumberland School of Law, Keith Blackwood has been with the Mobile County District Attorney’s office since 2008. Prior to becoming District Attorney, Keith served as Chief Assistant District Attorney, supervising virtually every division of the office.  Throughout his career, he has prosecuted thousands of cases and was nationally recognized for excellence in complex and capital litigation.

Keith Blackwood is a member of the Alabama Bar Association, Mobile Bar Association, Paul W. Brock Inns of Court and sits on the Penelope House Advisory Board, a local organization that provides support to victims of domestic violence. He’s an Eagle Scout, actively involved with the local Boy Scouts and has been a Big Brother with Big Brothers and Big Sisters for several years. Keith and his wife Tandice have three children.

Oct. 31, 2024–Stephen McNair / Director of External Affairs, City of Mobile “Amtrak’s Return”

Stephen McNair is Director of External Affairs for the City of Mobile with a focus on legislative and governmental affairs and policy initiatives. McNair is the former owner of McNair Historic Preservation, Inc., a national consulting firm with a focus on economic development, government relations, and historic incentives. Prior to establishing the firm in 2015, Stephen served in various government and non-profit roles in Montgomery, New Orleans, and the United Kingdom with a focus on policy and advocacy. McNair received a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Alabama, a master’s degree from Tulane University, and a Ph.D. from the University of Edinburgh. McNair serves on the Board of Wilmer Hall, the History Museum of Mobile, and the Mobile Area Boy Scouts of America. McNair is also a member of the Alabama World Affairs Council, the Small Business Commission of Alabama, and a former member of the Southern Rail Commission.