MONTGOMERY, AL, October 23, 2024 – City of Montgomery District 7 City Councilor Andrew Szymanski was selected to Leadership Alabama’s Class VII of the Alabama Leadership Initiative for 2024-2025. 

The Alabama Leadership Initiative program, a division of Leadership Alabama, was originally introduced in 1995. The programming is designed for emerging leaders and complements Leadership Alabama’s existing leadership networks and programs. 

“I am excited to be accepted into the newest Alabama Leadership Initiative class,” Szymanski said. “This is going to give me the opportunity to grow my own understanding of leadership while developing relationships with other young leaders who are working hard for the betterment and future of Alabama.” 

The Leadership Alabama Board of Directors expanded the ALI program in 2017 to a six-month program comprised of three two-day sessions to offer young professionals the opportunity to develop personal leadership skills and establish ongoing relationships with other young leaders across the state. 

During the upcoming program year, ALI Class VII members will meet in Montgomery, Auburn, and Birmingham, led by Leadership Alabama’s new ALI Director, Lydia Barnett.  

The program has three goals—education, connections, and personal development—and Leadership Alabama is thrilled to bring together outstanding young leaders each year to meet these objectives.  

Presentations and group discussions will encourage members to critically examine their preconceptions about their state, their communities, and themselves, and inspire personal growth. Current class members were chosen through a very competitive process conducted by an ALI Advisory/Selection Committee comprised of ALI alumni.  

About Leadership Alabama: 

Since it’s founding in 1990, over 1,700 citizen leaders in Alabama have participated in the Leadership Alabama program. These members are selected based on their leadership abilities, career accomplishments, volunteer activities, contributions to their communities, and commitment to help shape a better Alabama. They do not share a common age, gender, lifestyle, career, or hometown. What they do share is a vision of what Alabama can and must be as we move into the 21st century. And they share the ability to lead our state to that visionary future.  

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