Liz Fillmore is the first woman to serve as Chief of Staff to the Governor of Alabama in the state's more than 200-year history.

“I was so excited,” she recalls, sitting at her desk inside the state Capitol in Montgomery. She said: “Being the first woman to hold this role is very humbling.”

“For the most part, the room is entirely male except for Governor Ivey and me. You have to have an expectation that you are respected and worthy of a seat at the table,” Fillmore says.

“When I took on this role, [in December 2021], it was an election year and the governor was on the ballot for a second term. I had a baby between the primary and general elections, and then I took my 6-month-old to the inauguration and my first Congress. I hope that while I'm here I can pave the way for others to be in this position, and we can do the same. ”

Fillmore's path to public service began when the Montgomery native was a high school senior attending Alabama Women's State University at Troy University.

“Through that experience, I blossomed into the person I am today,” she says.

It also influenced her decision to attend Troy University and participate in many leadership organizations on campus. “The mentor students that were my peers have helped me get to where I am today,” Fillmore says.

Another dream took shape during Fillmore's time at Girls State. That meant working for Ivy, whom she cited as a role model. While earning a master's degree in public administration from Troy University, a professor encouraged Fillmore to apply for an internship with the Alabama State Legislature.

“My work in the legislative session laid a foundation of knowledge about the political process and state government as a whole,” she said.

It also gave him the opportunity to reintroduce Fillmore to Ivey, who was then lieutenant governor, before joining his 2013 re-election campaign. Along with Ivey, Fillmore's career blossomed from there.

“The Governor believed in me and my work from day one. For her to have that kind of trust in me has given me confidence in my day-to-day work and in leading my team. “It became,” Fillmore said. “Empowering the team around me speaks to our success.”

No two days are the same at the State Capitol, but Fillmore approaches her work with the same spirit each day. “No matter what happens, I approach each day with the energy to make a difference,” she says. She describes her role as Ivey's right-hand man as a “strategic visionary position” that helps prepare the governor to accomplish everything he sets out to do. .

Ms. Fillmore also credits the government's achievements to the hard-working team around her.

“I am proud of the dedicated and passionate people who get up every day to do the right thing and make Alabama the best it can be,” she says. Just as Ivey puts her trust and confidence in her Filmore, her chief of staff leads the team around her in a similar way.

“I would describe myself as someone who gives people around them the flexibility to be creative and work. I see my role as empowering people. If you hire someone to serve in your office or in your cabinet, it's because you “trust the work they do,” she says.

“The Governor has a deep respect for the work we do, and that guides me every day. I lead and create the strategic vision, but everyone else also works to develop it. is.”

Fillmore's future is bright because of her passion for serving the state of Alabama and her dedication to making our state the best it can be.

She attributes her success to her role model and mentor, Governor Ivey.

“This award would not have been possible without her. I credit Governor Ivey with giving me this opportunity, trusting me, and having confidence in my work. Her visionary leadership. and our commitment to this state, we would not be able to do the work we do every day,” Fillmore said.