When Gov. Kay Ivey assumed office last April, following the resignation of scandal-ridden former Gov. Robert Bentley, she pledged the people of Alabama that would work with them to steady the Ship of State and improve Alabama’s image.
“Today is both a dark day for Alabama yet also one of opportunity. I ask for your help and patience as we together steady the Ship of State and improve Alabama’s image. Those are my first priorities as your 54th Governor,” Ivey said following her swearing-in. “There’s no doubt there’s been a dark cloud hanging over our great state. People all over the world had their eyes on Alabama, and not for the right reasons. People have lost trust in government leaders.”
Part of steadying of the Ship of State has meant cleaning house of the Bentley administration as Ivey has dismissed several Cabinet and staff members. Of her 22-member Cabinet, Ivey has currently replaced nine, or 41 percent, of its members.
Ivey’s cabinet as of Jan. 29, 2018:
- Administrator of the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board: H. Mac Gipson
- Superintendent of State Banking Department: Mike Hill
- Secretary of the Alabama Department of Early Childhood Education: Jeana Ross
- Secretary of Commerce: Greg Canfield
- Commissioner of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources: Chris Blankenship
- As of August 11, 2017
- Former: Gunter Guy
- Commissioner of the Department of Corrections: Jeff Dunn
- Director of the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs: Kenneth Boswell
- As of May 5, 2017
- Director of the Emergency Management Agency: Brian Hastings
- As of September 5, 2017
- Former: Art Faulkner
- Director of Finance: Clinton Carter
- Commissioner of the Department of Human Resources: Nancy Buckner
- Commissioner of Insurance: Jim Ridling
- Director of the Office of Information Technology: Jim Purcell
- As of July 15, 2017
- Former: Joanne Hale
- Commissioner of the Department of Labor: Fitzgerald Washington
- Secretary of Law Enforcement: Hal Taylor
- As of August 11, 2017
- Former: Stan Stabler
- Commissioner of the Alabama Medicaid Agency: Stephanie Azar
- Commissioner of the Department of Mental Health: Lynn Beshear
- As of July 10, 2017
- Former: Jim Perdue
- Director of Minority Affairs: Nichelle Nix
- Commissioner of the Department of Revenue: Vernon Barnett
- As of May 12, 2017
- Former: Julie Magee
- Commissioner of the Department of Senior Services: Todd Cotton
- As of July 15, 2017
- Former: Neal Morrison
- Director of the Tourism Department: Lee Sentell
- Director of the Department of Transportation: John Cooper
- Alabama Military Department: Major General Sheryl Gordon
- As of July 28, 2017
* Ivey appointments in red.
