Gov. Kay Ivey has appointed Ann Forbes Sirmon of Mobile and Paul Kennedy of Jasper to the Alabama Commission on Higher Education.
The nine-year terms are pending Alabama Senate approval next year. Sirmon will represent the 1st Congressional District, Kennedy will represent the 4th Congressional District on the 12-member board.
“The professional experience that commissioners Sirmon and Kennedy will bring to ACHE will be invaluable during these unprecedented times in higher education,” ACHE Executive Director Jim Purcell said in a written statement. “As we continue to navigate uncharted territory, we will need strong leadership to expand and explore new challenges. I feel totally confident in their ability to provide that leadership.”
Sirmon is the executive director of the Mobile Bar Association and Mobile Bar Foundation. Her career has included management positions with the Mobile County District Attorney’s Office, Distinguished Young Women, and Mobile Convention and Visitors Corporation.
She has a bachelor’s degree in tourism and commercial recreation from the University of South Alabama.
Kennedy is president of the Walker Area Community Foundation in Jasper. He has extensive experience in watershed management, historic preservation, economic development and environmental education through the U.S. Department of Agriculture, according to ACHE. His work has included conservation planning assistance to both landowners and government entities throughout Alabama.
He has a bachelor’s degree in forestry from North Carolina State University.
The ACHE board is the coordinating body for public institutions of higher education.