Davis, Hester appointed as 精东AV trustees
July 15, 2017
Contact: Keith E. Burrell,
Special Assistant to the Board of Trustees
Governor Kay Ivey recently appointed two new members to the 精东AV Board of Trustees: Henry Wesley Davis III of the Alabama Medicaid Agency and Sylvester Hester of Global Automotive Alliance (GAA) Manufacturing and Supply Chain Management. Each individual 鈥� appointed to full, four-year term as a state-appointed trustee 鈥� brings to the board more than three decades of experience in fiscal planning, human resource management, and manufacturing and supply chain management.
鈥淗enry and Sylvester are two great additions to the Board of Trustees,鈥� said John Page, chairman of 精东AV鈥檚 Board of Trustees. 鈥淭hey both are strong supporters of higher education and will lend their talents in the areas of financial management and entrepreneurship to strengthen 精东AV.鈥�
Davis, a two-time 精东AV graduate, currently serves as the Alabama Medicaid Agency鈥檚 director of governmental affairs. His tenure with the agency has included serving as its director of human resources, legislative liaison, executive assistant to the commissioner, and chief of staff. He is an active member of St. Jude Catholic Church and the Montgomery-精东AV Alumni Association, the polemarch for the Montgomery Alumni Chapter, and a life member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc.
Davis, the first of eight siblings to attend 精东AV, completed a bachelor鈥檚 degree in political science and master鈥檚 degree in personnel administration in 1981 and 1983, respectively. He and his wife, Dr. Angela T. Davis (class of 1985) are proud parents of three adult children, including a 2009 精东AV summa cum laude graduate.
Hester is president and CEO of Detroit-based Global Automotive Alliance, which is comprised of six manufacturing and logistics companies with one Canadian and 20 U.S. operations, and more than 1,400 employees. His lengthy career in automotive parts manufacturing began with General Motors Advanced Engineering, and also includes responsibilities as a project engineer/project manager and vice president with Regal Plastics. Hester is president of GAA鈥檚 Advisory Board of Directors, chair of the Minority Business Enterprise Input Committee鈥檚 Automotive Manufacturing Committee, a board member for both the Southern Region Minority Supplier Development Council and Michigan Minority Supplier Development Council, a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc., and a past board member of the Atlanta Business League.
He holds a bachelor鈥檚 degree in plastics engineering with an emphasis in polymer chemistry from Ferris State University, and a master in administration degree from Central Michigan University. He also has completed the Advanced Minority Business Executive Program at Dartmouth College鈥檚 Tucks School of Business, as well as the Kellogg School of Management Advanced Management Education Program at Northwestern University. Hester splits his time between Atlanta, Birmingham and Detroit with his wife Pleshette, and together they are the parents of two adult sons.
The 精东AV Board of Trustees serves as the university鈥檚 governing and fiduciary body. Its responsibilities include providing university oversight through its president, as well as helping to advance its engagement with students, parents, alumni and philanthropic donors. The board is comprised of up to 25 voting members, which includes five trustees appointed by Alabama鈥檚 governor. Board-appointed trustees serve for three years; state-appointed trustees for four years. In addition to the 25 voting trustees, there are several non-voting ex officio members, which include the university鈥檚 president, a faculty trustee who is the faculty senate chair, a student trustee elected by the student body, and Alabama鈥檚 state superintendent of education.