The Alabama Community College System Board of Trustees has announced that Goodrich “Dass” Rogers has been elected as the new president and Valerie Gray has been appointed the new vice president.

Rogers was appointed to represent the state's 5th District by Gov. Kay Ivey in 2021. He is a retired colonel in the Army National Guard and Army Reserve. He also works as executive vice president of customer support and business development for Farmers Telecommunications Cooperative in Rainsville.

Ms. Gray was appointed by Governor Ivey in 2021 to serve District 3. Born and raised in Chambers County, Ms. Gray retired from the Chambers County Development Authority after 22 years as Executive Director, and will be the agency's first female Vice Chair.

The Board is made up of the Governor, seven Governor-appointed directors, one statewide director, and one non-voting director appointed by the Governor who serves on the State Board of Education. The Governor serves as the Board's chair.

In addition to Ivey, Rogers and Gray, the ACCS Board of Directors includes JEB Shell from District 1, John Mitchell from District 2, Briton Lightsey from District 4, Ron Houston from District 6, Revelyn Rhone from District 7 (a past president), At-Large Member Tim McCartney and Ex-Officio Member Dr. Yvette Richardson.

The organization is the governing body of ACCS, which seeks to create “a unified system of community colleges and programs that provide excellence in academic education, adult education and workforce development to meet the needs of citizens, businesses and industry.”

Our directors are experienced business leaders who are familiar with the day-to-day experiences and challenges of recruiting and training a skilled workforce.

Austin Shipley is a staff writer for Yellow Hammer News.