BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – (Feb. 1) Business Education Alliance of Alabama Chairman and President Joe Morton, Ph.D., presented Alabama Power Co. Executive Vice president Zeke Smith with the BEA Impact Award for his commitment to education and workforce development at a recent high school ceremony.
Smith was presented the first BEA Impact Award at Holy Family Cristo Rey Catholic High School in the Ensley community of Birmingham on Jan. 25 as part of the observance of National School Choice Week and for the joint work of the BEA and the business model of the high school.
“Our award recognizes Zeke’s commitment to education and workforce partnerships and development in Alabama,” Dr. Morton said. “It takes commitment in education choices that foster better education and lead to success in business.”
Smith is also co-chair of the Alabama Workforce Council, an advisory body that reviews potential policies, recommends structure and alignment, develops innovative educational workforce programming, and discusses issues critical to Alabama’s workforce development needs.
Holy Family Cristo Rey Catholic High School combines academic rigor and a corporate work-study program to empower students from economically challenged families to graduate high school prepared to persist in college and flourish in life.
The Business Council of Alabama, the BEA, and corporate work study partners participated in the program. The guest speaker was 2010 Cristo Rey graduate and Vulcan Materials payments Specialist Katie Boyd.
The BEA was created in 2013 to unite business and education in order to better serve students and parents and to guarantee Alabama employers a trained and effective workforce they need in order to remain in Alabama. The BEA’s goal is to stimulate thoughtful study and constructive discussion of key policy issues facing Alabama and to jumpstart solutions to problems that face us by promoting interactions between the public and private sectors.