DEMOPOLIS, ALA. – Nov. 11, 2024 – Two founding members of the board of the Alabama School of Healthcare Sciences Foundation have stepped up to new leadership positions as the school moves into a critical phase of development.
The board has voted to name Rob Pearson interim president while the search process continues for a permanent leader, and Kirk Stephens has been chosen to succeed Pearson as board chairman.
As founding chairman, Pearson successfully steered ASHS through a challenging legislative approval and funding process. He has also been instrumental securing a $26.4 million national grant and in building local support for the school, which is scheduled to welcome its first class in fall of 2026.
“We’ve realized that the Foundation requires complete focus and attention as we tackle the complexities of building the school,” said Pearson, a longtime Demopolis certified public accountant. “Serving as interim president allows me to dedicate the attention required for a successful launch.” He cited fundraising and partnerships — with a range of efforts in progress from the national to local levels — and legislative efforts as two top priorities.
Stephens praised Pearson for his willingness to take his volunteer commitment to the next level. “We owe it to this project to have someone engaged in all facets full time,” he said.
“Rob’s fundraising leadership is proven, as well as his success building support in Montgomery. With the legislative session starting soon, having someone who understands the political landscape and is known as the face of this project will be key to achieving our goals in the legislature.”
Stephens is a business and industry leader in Demopolis, vice president and owner of Southwest Paper & Cos.
The development of ASHS is moving forward on several levels, including securing partnerships and identifying a STEMM-based (science, technology, engineering, math and medicine) curriculum focused on health professions that will meet the goals of providing educational and career opportunities for underserved youth while addressing the desperate shortfalls in rural healthcare in Alabama.
While a search firm is screening potential permanent leadership for the Foundation, the school has seated a 20-member Board of Trustees that is meeting monthly in Montgomery.
The Alabama School of Healthcare Sciences Foundation is a charitable, 501c3 organization with the sole purpose of providing both financial and educational support for the Alabama School of Healthcare Sciences, scheduled to open in the fall of 2026. This free residential, specialty high school, part of the Alabama public school system, will offer curricula, instruction and work-based training focused on the health sciences to prepare students for career-readiness in the healthcare industry. Among the chief purposes of the school is to alleviate the rural healthcare workforce shortage in Alabama.