Secretary Greg Reed Alabama Department of Workforce
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Kyle South
The Chamber of Commerce of West Alabama
FEATURED SPEAKERS
FEATURED SPEAKERS
Dr. Mike Daria
Dr. Daria serves as the superintendent of the Tuscaloosa City Schools. The school system has 11,000 students and is located in Tuscaloosa. Prior to becoming superintendent in 2016, Daria served as an English teacher, principal, human resources director, and assistant superintendent.
Daria graduated from The University of Alabama with a doctorate in educational leadership. He earned his National School Superintendents Certification from the American Association of School Administrators in 2019. Daria serves on various local agencies such as the Tuscaloosa Education Foundation and Junior Achievement of Tuscaloosa County.
Mr. Eric Wilson
Eric Wilson, chair of the Tuscaloosa City Schools Board, grew up in Tuscaloosa and graduated from Central High School in 1989. He received a bachelor’s degree in economics from Vanderbilt University in 1993.
Wilson then returned to Tuscaloosa to attend law school at The University of Alabama. He received his J.D. from The University of Alabama in 1996 where he served as editor of the Alabama Law Review.
Wilson has practiced law in Tuscaloosa since that time and currently is the owner of the firm Eric Wilson Law, LLC.
He has one son, Ethan. Wilson is a member of Christ Episcopal Church.
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Dr. Keri C. Johnson
Dr. Johnson has been the superintendent of the Tuscaloosa County School System since June of 2020. She is in her 25th year of service in public education and has also served as teacher and administrator in various positions at the school and district level across the state.
Dr. Johnson has a Bachelor’s degree from Jacksonville State University in Special Education, a Master’s degree from The University of Alabama at Birmingham in Special Education, an Ed.S. from the University of Montevallo in Educational Leadership, and an Ed.D. from Samford University in Educational Leadership. She currently teaches graduate level special education courses at The University of Alabama. She serves on the State of Alabama Accountability Taskforce and is a proud advocate of public education in Alabama.
She is currently a member of the Alabama Transformational Leadership Academy and recently completed the School Superintendents Association’s National Superintendent Certification Program. She also recently founded the first group for women superintendents in Alabama – LeadHERship Alabama.
Mr. Bill Squires
Bill Squires took the oath of office on Feb. 8, 2021 to fill the vacant District 7 seat on the Tuscaloosa County School System Board. He currently serves as Board President.
Squires is a lifelong resident of District 7 and a graduate of Brookwood High School. He is retired from Warrior Met Coal. He is a member of the Brookwood Town Council and served as president of the Brookwood Park Board. Squires is also a Leadership Tuscaloosa graduate and a Tuscaloosa County Economic Development Authority member.
FEATURED SPEAKERS
Secretary Greg Reed
Greg Reed was appointed to serve as the Senior Advisor to Workforce Transformation by Governor Kay Ivey on January 1, 2025, after fourteen years of service in the Alabama Senate representing Senate District 5.
Greg Reed was born in Jasper and grew up in Cordova in south Walker County. The son of Rufus and Patsy Collier Reed of Jasper, Greg graduated from Walker County public schools. Greg attended Walker College, which is now Bevill State Community College, before earning his bachelor’s degree at The University of Alabama.
In 1988, Greg married his high school sweetheart, Mitsy Harbison, daughter of Charles and Betty Black Harbison of Cordova. The Reeds have three sons: Andrew, James (Annika), and John Michael (Kalei).
In 2010, first-time candidate Greg Reed was elected to the Alabama Senate. In 2014, he was re-elected, without opposition, by the voters of Senate District 5. At the start of the new legislative term in 2015, his Republican colleagues elected him Majority Leader of the Alabama Senate and continued to serve until 2021.
In 2021, the Alabama Senate unanimously elected Senator Greg Reed to serve as the President Pro Tempore of the Alabama State Senate where he served with distinction until his appointment from Governor Ivey.
Greg Reed was officially sworn in as the state’s first Secretary of Workforce on February 3, 2025.
