Photo by Erin Nelson.
Alice Womack stands along the Jemison Park walking trail. Womack is this year’s Jemison Visionary Award winner.
Alice Womack learned about community involvement and service from her parents and, as a mom, did the same for her children.
“There has always been something instilled in me to give back,” Womack said. “It's not just that it's something good to do; I truly enjoy it. Our city is fabulous, and the people I’ve worked with are very passionate about what they do.”
Womack’s more than 20 years of giving back to the Mountain Brook community are now being recognized, as she is the 2022 recipient of the Jemison Visionary Award recipient. It is the highest honor to be bestowed to a resident and community leader in Mountain Brook and recognizes someone who has gone the extra mile to make Mountain Brook a great place to live, work and raise a family.
Upon moving to the city in 2000, Womack’s first involvement came with the Mountain Brook Chamber of Commerce. She was president of the organization from 2007 to 2008. She said her biggest accomplishments there were hiring former chamber director Suzan Doidge and being on the search team for the current executive director, Emily Jensen.
Womack was chosen for the award due to the substantial role she has played as a servant leader in the Mountain Brook Community. She is a past president and current board member of the Mountain Brook Chamber of Commerce and is currently in her second term serving on the Mountain Brook City Council, where she is the liaison between the council and the chamber.
“It was kind of a natural gravitation to continue to stay involved and [the City Council] was another avenue by which to serve,” she said.
Womack is also the past president of the Mountain Brook City Schools Foundation and was a member of the 2022 class of Leadership Birmingham. She has held other board positions with community nonprofits including the Junior League of Birmingham as volunteer vice president and the Service Guild of Birmingham.
She has previously served as finance chair and is currently on the board of trustees at Canterbury Methodist Church. She is a 2010 Momentum graduate, was honored in 2013 as the Synovus REACH Volunteer of the Year and received the 2016 Girl Scouts of North-Central Alabama Woman of Distinction Award.
“I learned so much and you get exposed to things you would not otherwise be exposed to,” Womack said. “By getting involved, you get to see things and be exposed to new ideas and new people, and often you get back more than what you give.”
A career banker of more than 30 years, Womack obtained a bachelor’s of science in finance at Auburn University and later a master’s of business administration from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
When you have someone of her character and integrity participate in your community, and in your life, to quote a line from one of my favorite Broadway shows [“Wicked”], you are changed for good. Alice has changed Mountain Brook for good.”
Lloyd Shelton
She spent more than 20 years of her career with Synovus Financial, where she served as vice president of private banking. In 2015, Womack joined Oakworth Bank and currently serves as the associate managing director in private banking. She said she loves the people she works with and loves her job.
She credits her banking career for the many professional relationships she has formed over the years.
“We were greatly encouraged to get involved [in the community], and we have flexibility to do that,” Womack said. “That's really my passion. I love getting out in the community, getting to know people and love serving.”
SERVANT LEADERSHIP
Womack said that Mountain Brook is full of servant leaders. She recalls riding with Ronnie Vaughn, the city’s public works director, and they passed a bag of trash in the road and he stopped the truck, got out and picked it up. Another example was meeting a city worker on a ladder truck who climbed down to shake her hand.
“The city is very intentional about hiring those kinds of people,” Womack said. “It's been really really nice to see the caliber of people who are serving our city.”
In a letter to Womack from Mountain Brook Chamber President Walter Crye announcing her as the recipient of the Jemison Visionary Award, he said Womack has “led with grace and humility that is a lesson to us all.”
Former chamber Executive Director Suzan Doidge described Womack as a servant leader who has demonstrated this characteristic in every area of her professional and personal life.
Womack has served alongside Lloyd Shelton in the city for the past 15 years. Shelton said he has been fortunate to watch Womack in action and is proud to call her a friend.
Shelton said he is glad that Womack’s years of hard work and service are being recognized by receiving the Jemison Visionary Award, adding that no one could deserve it more.
The two currently serve together on the Mountain Brook City Council and have also worked together for the Mountain Brook Chamber of Commerce, Mountain Brook City Schools Foundation and the City Council’s finance committee.
“When I find myself in need of encouragement, or seek a voice of reason, Alice is at the top of the list,” Shelton said. “Repeatedly, I find myself seeking her counsel or trying to find ways to engage her on another venture. Her steady presence and spirit have benefited me and many others.”
Shelton said that Mountain Brook is better for having Womack as a part of the community, and she has proven to be hardworking, committed to the service of others and doggedly dedicated to whatever cause she finds herself invested in.
“When you have someone of her character and integrity participate in your community, and in your life, to quote a line from one of my favorite Broadway shows [“Wicked”], you are changed for good,” Shelton said. “Alice has changed Mountain Brook for good.”
Mountain Brook Mayor Stuart Welch III said after five years of working with Womack in her position on the city council, his observation is that she is a consummate professional in all matters and is what he describes as an all-in person.
“She never gets flustered no matter what is thrown her way,” Welch said. “She is thoughtful, deliberate, and always fully prepared. When she accepts a job, role, or responsibility, she is 100% all in. I attend many ribbon cuttings for new businesses and guess who is always there? Alice! She is a wonderful person and will be dearly missed at our city council meetings. Knowing Alice, she will remain active in city events so we will all continue to benefit from her continuous upbeat personality and smiling face.”
DESERVING RECOGNITION
Womack will receive her award at the Mountain Brook Chamber’s annual meeting on Jan. 25, 2023, at The Country Club of Birmingham. This event is the one time of the year when the city of Mountain Brook, The O'Neal Library, Mountain Brook School System and the Mountain Brook Chamber of Commerce come together to honor those that are making a difference in our community.
Along with the Jemison Visionary Award, The O'Neal Library will present the Tynes Award and the city of Mountain Brook will honor its Employee of the Year. The Leadership Mountain Brook Class of 2023 will be announced.
Womack said if she could convey one thing, it is how appreciative she is to be receiving this award for something she truly loves to do, with people she loves doing it with.
“I have built relationships with some of the most wonderful people in our community and I feel that the opportunity to serve has been a gift,” she said.
