Alabama State Port Authority Approves Lyons as Director

James K. Lyons was re-confirmed as Director/CEO during today’s first meeting of the Alabama State Port Authority. The vote of the Board was unanimous. Lyons, who has more than 30 years of experience in the port industry, came to the State Docks in October 1997. He was named Acting Director of Alabama State Docks in July 1999 and Director/CEO in mid-May 2000 by Governor Don Siegelman.

Legislation establishing the Alabama State Port Authority was signed into law by the Governor on May 28. The legislation, which went into effect this month, gives the Authority Board the right to hire the director.

The meeting was held in Mobile at the International Trade Center at 10 a.m.

C. Dwight Jennings, Chairman of the Authority Board, of Huntsville, made committee and co-chair appointments that were approved by the Board. Jennings is Vice Chair, Huntsville/Madison County Airport Authority. Mrs. Celia Ann Harmon Wallace, Chairman of the Board and CEO of Southern Medical Health Services Inc. of Mobile, was named Vice Chair. Selected as Second Vice Chair was Clarence M. Ball Jr., President of Ball Healthcare Services Inc. of Mobile.

The Board authorized the establishment of three committees: Legal, Marketing and Finance. Assignments made by the Board chair to those committees are: Legal - Jennings to chair, Wallace and Ball as members; Marketing - Ex-officio Member Mayor Michael C. Dow of Mobile as Chair, Donald Lee Adams, Business Manager-Financial Secretary of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local Union 505, Mobile, and William C. Taylor, President and CEO, Mercedes-Benz, Tuscaloosa, as members, and Finance – Norman B. Davis Jr., Superintendent of Banks, State Banking Department, Montgomery as chair; Anthony J. Fant, Chairman/CEO of Fant Industries, Birmingham, and the remaining authorized board member not yet named as committee members.

Board members heard former Congressman Jack Edwards discuss the Nov. 7 Amendment One that will provide funding for Alabama State Docks’ expansion as well as build roads and bridges throughout the state, among other needs. The Board unanimously approved the support of this amendment.

In other personnel appointments, Director Lyons named Larry R. Downs, current Secretary/Treasurer of the State Docks to be Secretary/Treasurer of the Port Authority Board and Leslie Stuart Jr. as Manager of Special Projects.