Richardson Elected to Lead Library Board for Second Year, City Council Reappoints One and Approves Three New Trustees
At its February 2016 meeting, the Birmingham Public Library (BPL) trustee board elected Kimberly Richardson as its president and Georgia Morgan Blair as its vice president. A member of the board since 2013, Richardson will lead the board for a second year. She appointed Gwendolyn R. Amamoo to serve as the board’s parliamentarian—Amamoo is also the board’s immediate past president. Additionally, the Birmingham City Council reappointed Judge John Scott Vowell to a second five-year term and named three new library trustees—Willie S. Davis III, Eunice Johnson Rogers, and James A. Sullivan.
About the Board President and Vice President
Kimberly Richardson is the president and owner of Kimberly Richardson Consulting, LLC, specializing in the provision of federal grant writing, management, and training to municipal, nonprofit, and faith-based organizations. With over 20 years of grants experience gained from working in the nonprofit and public sectors, Kim has successfully secured funding from every segment of the grant-making community, and her portfolio includes projects from Alabama to South Africa. She is credited with leveraging her experience to benefit her clients and has secured and successfully managed over $65 million in grant awards. Kim holds a bachelor’s degree from Baldwin-Wallace University and a Master of Science in Urban Studies from Cleveland State University. She is the author of The Official Federal Grants Prep Guide and is the only grant professional in the State of Alabama to be awarded the Grants Professional Certified (GPC) credential awarded by the Grants Professional Certification Institute.
Georgia Morgan Blair is a Miles College graduate and also attended the University of Alabama at Birmingham. She is retired after having worked as a placement interviewer and social worker. Blair has volunteered with organizations including Birmingham Public Schools (Jones Valley PTA, treasurer); Jones Valley Neighborhood Association (secretary); Alabama Literacy Council (volunteer); Jefferson County Progressive Democratic Council, Inc. (secretary and member); Our Lady of Fatima (PTO president and vice president); Our Lady of Fatima (school board member); NAACP, Junior Achievement; and the Miles College Boosters Club. Her professional memberships include Alabama Retired State Employees Association; International Association of Personnel in Employment Security; American Library Association; Southeastern Library Association; Public Library Association; and the Alabama Library Association. Blair is the recipient of the Big Brothers Big Sisters of America award for ten years of service, as well as the Junior Achievement award for five years of service. Blair is married to Lewis Blair and is the mother of one son, Gregory L. Blair.
The City Council Reappoints One
The Honorable John Scott Vowell was first appointed as a trustee of the Birmingham Public Library in January 2011. His second appointment will end December 2020. Born in Calhoun County, Alabama, he was educated in the public schools of Anniston, Jacksonville, and Calhoun County, Alabama. Vowell received his BS degree from Auburn University in 1959, and a JD degree from the University of Virginia in 1961. From 2003 until his retirement from the bench in 2013, he served as presiding judge for the Tenth Judicial Circuit in Birmingham. Previous positions have included circuit judge, civil division, Tenth Judicial Circuit (1995-present), and general civil trial practice in Birmingham (1961-1994). He is a member of the American Bar Association, National Conference of State Trial Judges; Alabama State Bar Association; Birmingham Bar Association; Inns of Court, Birmingham Inn (past president); American Judicature Society; American Judges Association; Alabama Pattern Jury Instruction Committee (civil); Alabama Circuit Judges Association (president elect); chairman, Alabama Circuit Judges Judicial Education Committee; fellow, Alabama Law Foundation; and the American Law Institute. John Scott Vowell is married to Cameron McDonald Vowell. They have one son, John Scott Vowell Jr.
The City Council Approves Three New Trustees
Willie Samuel Davis III currently serves as program assistant for Youth Management Information System and event center manager for The Dannon Project, a nonprofit organization located in downtown Birmingham serving youth and adults through multiple outreach programs, including reentry and educational programs. Prior to joining The Dannon Project, Davis worked for Xerox Corporation in Birmingham, Alabama, for nearly 15 years as equipment financial analyst and community involvement coordinator. Currently, he serves as vice chair on the executive board for Community Kitchens of Birmingham and the Exchange Club Family Skills Center Young Leadership Board; and on the junior board for Impact Family Counseling. Davis is a member of Birmingham Museum of Art Junior Patrons, Birmingham Urban League Young Professionals, and a volunteer for New Pilgrim Bread of Life Ministry. Some of Davis’s former board commitments include American Lung Association’s Leadership Board, board of director for Children’s Village, Ronald McDonald House Charities Young Leadership Board, Birmingham Civil Rights Institute Leadership Council, and United Way Young Leaders Society. He has received multiple awards and recognition for his continued commitment to the community. Davis exemplifies a passionate spirit towards community improvement and is a proven leader. Davis is the product of the Birmingham School System and is a graduate of Holy Family High School and Talladega College. He is a resident of District 6, a member of New Pilgrim Missionary Baptist Church in Titusville, and a devoted uncle to his nieces, Madison and Melanie, and nephew William Drake.
Eunice Johnson Rogers is the daughter of the late Howard Johnson and Odessa P. Johnson. She graduated with honors from Bessemer High School. With a degree in engineering from Vanderbilt University, this Birmingham native was a trailblazer at a time when few African American women could be found in the field, and she was a charter member of the Birmingham, Alabama, chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers. Eunice worked for nearly 20 years for BellSouth before becoming the CEO of NRS, which was chartered in 1996. She has served on several local, regional, and national committees both professionally and civic based. For 18 years, she was a member of the City of Birmingham Planning Commission where she eventually rose to the office of chairman. Currently serving as the chairman of the board of the Alabama Asset Building Coalition, she is working to promote financial stability for individuals and families. She is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Upsilon Eta Omega Chapter where she has served as assistant financial secretary and works on several committees. She is a member of the New Rising Star Missionary Baptist Church of Eastlake where she serves in various capacities. Her greatest love and gift of church work is teaching Sunday school. She is the proud wife of Bernard Rogers Jr., the mother of two children, Dr. Tamara Rogers and Daniel Rogers, and has two granddaughters. An avid reader, Rogers was first exposed to libraries in elementary school and has continued to vigorously explore the world of books throughout her life.
James A. Sullivan is from the small town of Maplesville, Alabama. He currently works at Alabama Power Company as a senior buyer in the Purchasing Department. In recent years, he became inspired and founded Sullivan’s High Aspiration and MILLEN Forward. He takes great pride in his businesses: High Aspiration, a business in which he specializes in buying, selling, and leasing residential real estate; and MILLEN Forward, a nonprofit that sparks the conversation and action among millennials to identify entrepreneurial ventures in the community and abroad. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Management from Stillman College, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and a Master of Science in Management from Faulkner University, Montgomery, Alabama. He has affiliations with the Birmingham Public Library Young Professionals, the Birmingham Change Fund, Associated Investors of Alabama Inc., and he is a member of The Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc. In his spare time, he enjoys networking, business mentoring, real estate investing, spending time with family, drawing, and painting.
The Library’s Trustee Board includes:
Kimberly Richardson, President
Georgia Morgan Blair, Vice President
Gwendolyn R. Amamoo, Parliamentarian and Immediate Past President
Willie S. Davis, III
Patty Pilkerton
Eunice Johnson Rogers
Dora Sims
James A. Sullivan
Judge John Scott Vowell
Gwendolyn B. Guster Welch
Dr. Regina Ammon, President of the Friends (Advisory Board Member)
Angela Fisher Hall, Library Director
Sandra Vick Lee, Deputy Director
About the Board President and Vice President
Kimberly Richardson is the president and owner of Kimberly Richardson Consulting, LLC, specializing in the provision of federal grant writing, management, and training to municipal, nonprofit, and faith-based organizations. With over 20 years of grants experience gained from working in the nonprofit and public sectors, Kim has successfully secured funding from every segment of the grant-making community, and her portfolio includes projects from Alabama to South Africa. She is credited with leveraging her experience to benefit her clients and has secured and successfully managed over $65 million in grant awards. Kim holds a bachelor’s degree from Baldwin-Wallace University and a Master of Science in Urban Studies from Cleveland State University. She is the author of The Official Federal Grants Prep Guide and is the only grant professional in the State of Alabama to be awarded the Grants Professional Certified (GPC) credential awarded by the Grants Professional Certification Institute.Georgia Morgan Blair is a Miles College graduate and also attended the University of Alabama at Birmingham. She is retired after having worked as a placement interviewer and social worker. Blair has volunteered with organizations including Birmingham Public Schools (Jones Valley PTA, treasurer); Jones Valley Neighborhood Association (secretary); Alabama Literacy Council (volunteer); Jefferson County Progressive Democratic Council, Inc. (secretary and member); Our Lady of Fatima (PTO president and vice president); Our Lady of Fatima (school board member); NAACP, Junior Achievement; and the Miles College Boosters Club. Her professional memberships include Alabama Retired State Employees Association; International Association of Personnel in Employment Security; American Library Association; Southeastern Library Association; Public Library Association; and the Alabama Library Association. Blair is the recipient of the Big Brothers Big Sisters of America award for ten years of service, as well as the Junior Achievement award for five years of service. Blair is married to Lewis Blair and is the mother of one son, Gregory L. Blair.The City Council Reappoints One
The Honorable John Scott Vowell was first appointed as a trustee of the Birmingham Public Library in January 2011. His second appointment will end December 2020. Born in Calhoun County, Alabama, he was educated in the public schools of Anniston, Jacksonville, and Calhoun County, Alabama. Vowell received his BS degree from Auburn University in 1959, and a JD degree from the University of Virginia in 1961. From 2003 until his retirement from the bench in 2013, he served as presiding judge for the Tenth Judicial Circuit in Birmingham. Previous positions have included circuit judge, civil division, Tenth Judicial Circuit (1995-present), and general civil trial practice in Birmingham (1961-1994). He is a member of the American Bar Association, National Conference of State Trial Judges; Alabama State Bar Association; Birmingham Bar Association; Inns of Court, Birmingham Inn (past president); American Judicature Society; American Judges Association; Alabama Pattern Jury Instruction Committee (civil); Alabama Circuit Judges Association (president elect); chairman, Alabama Circuit Judges Judicial Education Committee; fellow, Alabama Law Foundation; and the American Law Institute. John Scott Vowell is married to Cameron McDonald Vowell. They have one son, John Scott Vowell Jr.The City Council Approves Three New Trustees
Willie Samuel Davis III currently serves as program assistant for Youth Management Information System and event center manager for The Dannon Project, a nonprofit organization located in downtown Birmingham serving youth and adults through multiple outreach programs, including reentry and educational programs. Prior to joining The Dannon Project, Davis worked for Xerox Corporation in Birmingham, Alabama, for nearly 15 years as equipment financial analyst and community involvement coordinator. Currently, he serves as vice chair on the executive board for Community Kitchens of Birmingham and the Exchange Club Family Skills Center Young Leadership Board; and on the junior board for Impact Family Counseling. Davis is a member of Birmingham Museum of Art Junior Patrons, Birmingham Urban League Young Professionals, and a volunteer for New Pilgrim Bread of Life Ministry. Some of Davis’s former board commitments include American Lung Association’s Leadership Board, board of director for Children’s Village, Ronald McDonald House Charities Young Leadership Board, Birmingham Civil Rights Institute Leadership Council, and United Way Young Leaders Society. He has received multiple awards and recognition for his continued commitment to the community. Davis exemplifies a passionate spirit towards community improvement and is a proven leader. Davis is the product of the Birmingham School System and is a graduate of Holy Family High School and Talladega College. He is a resident of District 6, a member of New Pilgrim Missionary Baptist Church in Titusville, and a devoted uncle to his nieces, Madison and Melanie, and nephew William Drake.
Eunice Johnson Rogers is the daughter of the late Howard Johnson and Odessa P. Johnson. She graduated with honors from Bessemer High School. With a degree in engineering from Vanderbilt University, this Birmingham native was a trailblazer at a time when few African American women could be found in the field, and she was a charter member of the Birmingham, Alabama, chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers. Eunice worked for nearly 20 years for BellSouth before becoming the CEO of NRS, which was chartered in 1996. She has served on several local, regional, and national committees both professionally and civic based. For 18 years, she was a member of the City of Birmingham Planning Commission where she eventually rose to the office of chairman. Currently serving as the chairman of the board of the Alabama Asset Building Coalition, she is working to promote financial stability for individuals and families. She is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Upsilon Eta Omega Chapter where she has served as assistant financial secretary and works on several committees. She is a member of the New Rising Star Missionary Baptist Church of Eastlake where she serves in various capacities. Her greatest love and gift of church work is teaching Sunday school. She is the proud wife of Bernard Rogers Jr., the mother of two children, Dr. Tamara Rogers and Daniel Rogers, and has two granddaughters. An avid reader, Rogers was first exposed to libraries in elementary school and has continued to vigorously explore the world of books throughout her life. 
James A. Sullivan is from the small town of Maplesville, Alabama. He currently works at Alabama Power Company as a senior buyer in the Purchasing Department. In recent years, he became inspired and founded Sullivan’s High Aspiration and MILLEN Forward. He takes great pride in his businesses: High Aspiration, a business in which he specializes in buying, selling, and leasing residential real estate; and MILLEN Forward, a nonprofit that sparks the conversation and action among millennials to identify entrepreneurial ventures in the community and abroad. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Management from Stillman College, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and a Master of Science in Management from Faulkner University, Montgomery, Alabama. He has affiliations with the Birmingham Public Library Young Professionals, the Birmingham Change Fund, Associated Investors of Alabama Inc., and he is a member of The Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc. In his spare time, he enjoys networking, business mentoring, real estate investing, spending time with family, drawing, and painting.The Library’s Trustee Board includes:
Kimberly Richardson, President
Georgia Morgan Blair, Vice President
Gwendolyn R. Amamoo, Parliamentarian and Immediate Past President
Willie S. Davis, III
Patty Pilkerton
Eunice Johnson Rogers
Dora Sims
James A. Sullivan
Judge John Scott Vowell
Gwendolyn B. Guster Welch
Dr. Regina Ammon, President of the Friends (Advisory Board Member)
Angela Fisher Hall, Library Director
Sandra Vick Lee, Deputy Director
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