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Helena Duncan Bio
Helena Thomas Duncan was born and raised in Opelika, AL and is the youngest of five
children. She received her Bachelor of Science in Finance degree from Auburn University
Montgomery.
Duncan began her professional career as a teller at Southtrust Bank. Throughout her
career in the financial sector, Duncan was able to offer support to individuals and main street
businesses to help them succeed. In 1994, Duncan became Executive Vice President of Colonial
Bancgroup, Inc in Montgomery, AL. During her time at Colonial, she oversaw Human
Resources of over 5,000 employees in five states and was responsible for executive level
recruitment. Her additional responsibilities included directly managing corporate security;
development and management of private banking; and was a part of the group that prepared the
strategic plan and planned mergers and acquisitions.
In 2005, Duncan opened American Legacy Mortgage in Montgomery. As Owner and
Broker, she helped identify mortgage loan clients and find the best product to meet their needs,
while establishing and maintaining excellent relationships with real estate agents. Two years
later, Duncan joined First Tuskegee Bank in Montgomery as the Executive Vice President.
During her time at First Tuskegee, she was responsible for the branch growth of both loans and
deposits, and corporate governance relationships with federal, state, local supervisory authorities.
She also oversaw IT; operations; bank security; the compliance department; Human Resources;
and supervised all bank legal matters.
Prior to joining the team at BCA, Duncan was the Regional President of Liberty Bank &
Trust, where she was responsible for the overall growth, development, and safety of all Alabama
branches. Duncan joined BCA as Director of Strategic Operations and Growth, later moving to
Senior Vice President of Operations and Investor Relations. Her focus as BCA Senior Vice
President of Operations and Investor Relations was membership growth, which included member
satisfaction and enhancement of the BCA membership experience. She oversaw all functions of
Human Resources; Finance; Operations; and coordination of all communications, marketing, and
events.
The veteran businesswoman began her role as BCA President and CEO in December
2022 and has continued to strengthen the organization’s advocacy efforts as the voice for the
Alabama business community.
Duncan was recently named a Yellowhammer ‘2022 Woman of Impact’ for her
influential role and contribution to business and the community across Alabama. She has served
as Chairman of the Board for Saint James School, as board member for the Montgomery
Chamber of Commerce, Child Protect, and Board of Controls Committee of 100. She currently
serves as a board member for Dixie Electric Cooperative, YMCA, the Montgomery Committee
of 100 and Synovus Bank.
Duncan is married to Clarence Duncan; they have two sons: CJ and Collin. Helena and
Clarence reside in Montgomery

Bud McCrory has nearly three decades of water and wastewater experience and is currently the Director for the Mobile Area Water and Sewer System.  He began his career with MAWSS 29 years ago as a summer worker before returning as a full-time employee in 1994.  “Growing up in this organization has taught me many things and I am thankful to all those individuals who I have had the pleasure of working with,” McCrory says.

 

He worked his way up through the system holding positions of Unskilled Laborer, Public Service Worker I and II, Crew Chief, Public Service Supervisor I, and Maintenance Management System Coordinator.  Mr. McCrory served as Water and Sewer Director for the City of Satsuma from 2005 to 2015.  He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from Faulkner University and a Master of Business Administration from the University of South Alabama.

 

He is a native and active member of the Semmes community where he enjoys coaching youth sports and is married to his wife Danielle of 25 years, and they share three children.  He is a faithful member of the Orchard Assembly of God.

David serves at the Vice President of Economic Development at the Mobile Area Chamber of Commerce. He joined the economic development department in January 2015. David’s department is the lead economic development agency for the City of Mobile and Mobile County. Under his role, David oversees the day-to-day operations of the department that consist of industrial recruitment, international trade, foreign direct investment, workforce development, talent attraction, and existing industry relations. Prior to his role as Vice President, David served as the Senior Project Manager and Project Manager where he managed lead generation, project recruitment activity, and industrial site development for the Mobile area. Some of David’s recent projects to announce in Mobile include the Walmart Imported Distribution Center, the expansion of the Airbus and Bombardier Final Assembly Line expansion, and the reinvestment of AM/NS Calvert. David serves on the Board of Directors for the South Alabama Regional Planning Commission, USA Center for Real Estate and Economic Development, and the South Alabama Workforce Development Council, where he currently serves as Chairman. David was born and raised in Mobile and attended the University of Southern Mississippi. He has completed the University of Alabama Economic Honors Program and Oklahoma University’s Economic Development Institute.

Rendi Murphree, MS, PhD, returned to the Gulf Coast after retiring as a Captain in the U.S. Public Health Service with 20 years of service at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  Dr. Murphree has extensive experience in public health surveillance and outbreak investigation as a CDC Epidemic Intelligence Service and Career Epidemiology Field Officer.  She joined the Mobile County Health Department just months before the COVID-19 Pandemic reached Alabama.  With her colleagues, Dr. Murphree worked tirelessly to guide COVID-19 response.  She personally analyzed data and published reports that informed city and county leaders and informed the community.  Dr. Murphree consulted with nursing homes, detention centers, homeless shelters and group homes to slow COVID-19 outbreaks in these high-risk settings.  She became a reluctant and trusted spokesperson for the MCHD and feels blessed to serve Mobile community.

 

Meg McCrummen Fowler is director of the History Museum of Mobile. She holds a BA in history and French from The University of Alabama and an MA in the History of Art from Tulane University, where she is currently a Ph.D. candidate in Art History & Society.  Before joining the History Museum of Mobile, Meg served as a visiting scholar in the Center for the Study of War and Memory at the University of South Alabama and taught in the Art & Art History department.  In 2018, she completed a curatorial fellowship at the Musée d’Orsay in Paris.