Sally Howell, J.D.
Executive Director
E-mail: showell@AlabamaSchoolBoards.org

Sally joined AASB’s staff in 1986 and previously served as assistant executive director, director of public relations, director of communications and director of research and special projects. She was promoted to executive director in June 2007.

In her leadership capacity, she manages the association’s affairs, directs legislative efforts, advises the AASB membership and oversees efforts to build public support for schools and to expand learning opportunities for school board members. She also represents school boards’ positions before the Alabama Legislature, the state Board of Education and Congress and coordinates Alabama Council of School Board Attorneys’ activities.

On the national level, she has been named as a commissioner to the Education Commission of the States and a member of the National School Boards Association’s Liaison Committee for Executive Directors.

The former newspaper reporter has received awards for her writing and publications from the National School Public Relations Association, the Public Relations Council of Alabama and the Alabama Press Association.

A native of St. Louis, Sally earned her bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Missouri and her law degree from the Birmingham School of Law. She was admitted to the Alabama State Bar in 2003.

She has a son and daughter.

Ken Roberts Jr., C.P.A.
Chief Operating Officer & Director of Research
E-mail: kroberts@AlabamaSchoolBoards.org

Ken joined the AASB staff in 2007 as chief operating officer and director of research. He previously served as the chief education financial officer for the state Department of Education and as chief school finance officer for the Autauga County Board of Education. Roberts’ career also has included stints with the state Department of Examiners of Public Accounts and as a city councilman and county commission administrator.

A licensed C.P.A., he holds a bachelor’s in accounting from Auburn University and a master’s in business administration from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Roberts helps coordinate AASB’s long range financial planning, day-to-day fiscal operations and facilities maintenance. He also provides training, helps drive AASB’s legislative agenda and researches education finance issues.

He and his wife, Dely, have a son.

Susan Rountree Salter
Director of Board Development
E-mail: ssalter@AlabamaSchoolBoards.org
Susan first joined the AASB staff in 1995 and served as the association's director of public relations for a decade. From 2005 to 2008, she served as director of membership services and oversaw the School Board Member Academy. She also provided training on a variety of topics, worked with school boards on self-evaluation and planned AASB's conferences.

After a three-year stint as director of university relations for Auburn University at Montgomery, she rejoined the AASB staff as director of board development. In that position, she works with school boards involved in Alabama's Governing for Achievement/Lighthouse research, oversees the academy and provides training both during conferences and one-on-one with boards.

While at AASB, Susan received the National School Public Relations Association’s Gold Medallion Award and the American Society of Association Executives’ Award of Excellence in Education for a campaign she created to educate Alabama school board members and the public about changes in the state’s graduation exam. She is a former member of the Governor’s Commission on Quality Teaching, the Learning First Alliance of Alabama and the National School Boards Association’s Federation Trainers Group. She also is a past president of NSBA’s Council of School Board Association Communicators and served two terms on the executive committee of the Alabama School Communicators Association. She is a graduate of Leadership Montgomery and a former volunteer mediator with Montgomery Community Dispute Resolution Center.

Denise L. Berkhalter
Director of Public Relations
E-mail: dberkhalter@AlabamaSchoolBoards.org

Denise joined the AASB staff in 2005. She is editor of AASB's flagship publication, Alabama School Boards, and writes and coordinates publication of the twice-monthly newsletter, For Your Information. She also is AASB's liaison to the state Board of Education and reports on the board's activities for AASB publications. She handles all news media inquiries, oversees AASB's other public relations activities and assists with lobbying efforts.

Prior to joining AASB, she served as director of public and media affairs and coordinator of marketing and communications at Tuskegee University. Denise has also worked as assistant managing editor of the Montgomery Advertiser newspaper and as lifestyles editor of The Dothan Eagle. She was a neighbors desk intern with the Commercial Appeal in Memphis and has free-lanced for the NAACP's Crisis magazine. She earned a master’s degree in management at Troy University-Montgomery and a bachelor’s degree in mass communications from Jackson State University in her native Mississippi. She is a member of Leadership Montgomery (Class 28).

Denise is an officer of the Council of School Board Association Communicators and is a member of the Alabama School Communicators Association (2011 Communicator of the Year), the National School Public Relations Association and Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc. She is a former officer and member of the Alabama Association of Black Journalists and former member of the National Association of Black Journalists and of Phi Kappa Phi national honor society. On behalf of the association, she has won an award of excellence and an award of merit from NSPRA. She has a daughter and son.

Lissa Astilla Tucker
Director of Governmental Relations
E-mail: Ltucker@AlabamaSchoolBoards.org

Experienced lobbyist Lissa Astilla Tucker joined AASB’s staff as director of governmental relations in January 2001. A former vice president of the Washington-based American Tort Reform Association, she spearheads AASB’s legislative program. She monitors the progress of legislation in both the state House and Senate and writes AASB’s weekly legislative newsletter, LegAlert. She also coordinates the work of AASB's Leader to Leader program, the Multicultural Committee and Alabama’s participation in the National School Boards Association’s national lobbying effort, the Federal Relations Network.

In addition to having served as vice president of ATRA, Tucker also served for several years as ATRA’s director of legislative affairs.

A native of New Orleans, Tucker earned a law degree from Louisiana State University. She completed her master’s coursework in public policy at Duke University and received her bachelor’s degree at the University of Notre Dame. She is married to Skip Tucker, executive director of Alabama Voters Against Lawsuit Abuse. They have one son.

Angela N. Ing
Meeting/Marketing Coordinator
E-mail: angela.ing@AlabamaSchoolBoards.org

Angela N. Ing joined the association staff in November 2009 as meeting/marketing coordinator. She is responsible for helping to execute plans for AASB’s conferences, convention, district meetings and School Board Member Academy events; for assisting with targeted marketing efforts; and for ensuring the publication of AASB’s promotional materials.

Ing, former deputy director for the Alabama State Chiropractic Association, worked with that association for more than nine years in a variety of capacities, including: meeting planning, membership services, technology development, budget management and hotel contract negotiations. She is a cum laude graduate of Troy State University, where she majored in print journalism/public relations.

She and her husband have two daughters.

Debora Hendricks
Membership Coordinator/AA
E-mail: dhendricks@AlabamaSchoolBoards.org

Debora joined the AASB staff in 2000 as administrative assistant in the areas of membership services and governmental relations. In July 2008, her duties expanded when she was promoted to membership coordinator.

She ensures the best possible maintenance and use of the association’s database. In addition, she handles correspondence, executes plans, oversees event registration and coordinates administrative duties related to AASB’s grassroots and membership training efforts.

Prior to joining AASB’s staff, she was an accounts specialist for Trinity Industries for three years and for BellSouth for 17 years. A native of Montgomery, she holds a secretarial certificate from the Montgomery Area Skills Center.

Donna Norris
Administrative Assistant
E-mail: dnorris@AlabamaSchoolBoards.org

Donna joined the AASB staff in 1989. She performs administrative duties for the association and is secretary for the director of public relations.

A graduate of Robert E. Lee High School in Montgomery, she also is a serious Auburn fan.

She is the mother of one son and also has one grandson.

Kay Shaw
Bookkeeper
E-mail: kshaw@AlabamaSchoolBoards.org

Kay joined the AASB staff in 1987. She handles the financial transactions for the association.

She is a graduate of Hooper Academy in Montgomery and attended Auburn University at Montgomery.

She has three daughters.

Lashana Summerlin
Staff Assistant
E-mail: Lsummerlin@AlabamaSchoolBoards.org

Lashana Summerlin joined AASB as a receptionist in September 2001 and now serves as staff assistant with special duties related to office technology.

A native of Wetumpka and a graduate of Sidney Lanier High School in Montgomery, she attended Troy State University in Montgomery. At AASB, she is responsible for answering phones, greeting visitors and overseeing association mailings. Prior to joining the association’s staff, she was a receptionist for an orthopedic surgeon.

She has three children, Kayla, Irving and Tabitha.

Tammy Wright
Executive Assistant
E-mail: twright@AlabamaSchoolBoards.org

Tammy joined the AASB staff full-time in 1990, after briefly working here part-time. She essentially serves as office manager for AASB. She also is the executive director's secretary.

She serves as the office's liaison with the AASB Board of Directors, responding to their needs and concerns and relaying those to the executive director.

A graduate of George Washington Carver High School in Montgomery, she also holds a secretarial certificate from Auburn University at Montgomery.

She has two daughters, Stephanie and Kirsten, and a son, Michael.

Tanja Rains
Administrative Assistant
E-mail: trains@AlabamaSchoolBoards.org

Tanja joined the AASB staff as an administrative assistant in September 2011. She provides assistance in the areas of board development, field services, training and Alabama's Governing for Achievement Project.
She received her associate’s degree in office administration at JF Drake State Technical College in Huntsville and is currently working on her bachelor’s degree at Columbia Southern University. She previously worked as an education technician and administrative assistant at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo. Tanja is married to Loren Rains. They have a daughter and a son.