Thomas B. Solomon, President

Thomas B. Solomon is a native of Headland, Alabama and attended public schools there graduating from Headland High School in 1970. He received a B.S. degree in Education from Troy State University in Troy, Alabama in 1974. He is also a graduate of the Alabama Banking School at the University of South Alabama, Mobile, Alabama, the Economic Development Institute at the University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma, the American Economic Development Council’s Basic Economic Development Program at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, Georgia and the National Development Council’s Economic Development Finance Professional (EDFP) certification program.

After a brief career in the insurance and financial services field, Mr. Solomon joined the Southeast Alabama Regional Planning and Development Commission in 1991 as an Economic Development Specialist with responsibility to implement and manage a new seven-county regional small business revolving loan fund program. While at SEARP&DC, he has also been involved in the establishment of four additional regional economic development small business loan funds; a $2,000,000 re-capitalization of the commission’s EDA Revolving Loan Fund (RLF); the State of Alabama’s first USDA Intermediary Relending Program (IRP); Alabama Regional Commission’s only USDA/Rural Development Microloan program and a City of Dothan/Houston County Microloan Fund Program. The SEARP&DC/ RLF program is currently the largest and most active loan program among the other eleven regional commissions in Alabama. Currently, the combined SEARP&DC loan programs have participated in projects exceeding $53,000,000 and have assisted in the creation and or retention of over 3,800 regional jobs.

In 1996, Mr. Solomon was promoted to the Economic Development Director at SEARP&DC. Mr. Solomon has developed and managed numerous regional economic and community development projects utilizing State and Federal funding sources since 1991 exceeding $26,000,000.

In November, 2005, Mr. Solomon was promoted to Executive Director of SEARP&DC, his current position. Mr. Solomon is a member of the Alabama Association of Regional Councils (AARC) Executive Committee and currently serves as President. He is also a member of the State of Alabama Revolving Loan Fund Bond Authority and is an active member of the Economic Development Association of Alabama.

He may be reached at SEARP&DC, P.O. Box 1406, Dothan, AL  36302; (334) 794-4093 Extension 1417 or by E-mail: tom@sanman.net.

Russell J. Wimberly, Vice President

Russ was born and grew up in the Greater Mobile, Alabama area.  He graduated from the University of South Alabama in Mobile with a baccalaureate in mathematics.  Following his graduation he was commissioned as an officer in the United States Army and remained in the Army for twenty years as a career officer.

Russ traveled extensively and undertook a diversity of responsibilities during his tenure with the US Army.  It was while serving in the Army that Russ attended Georgia Tech in Atlanta and received a Masters of Operation Research degree.  Russ also was selected by the Army to undertake a sabbatical, during which he spent a year with Coca-Cola USA employed in its marketing and advertising department.

Russ permanently returned to the Mobile area in 1992 and joined the staff of the South Alabama Regional Planning Commission.  He has held positions of Regional Planner and Assistant Executive Director.  In January of 1998, the Commission appointed him as its Executive Director.

Charles Ball, Secretary

Charles Ball is a native of Birmingham.  He completed his undergraduate work at Birmingham-Southern, and he received his Masters of Community Planning from Auburn University in 1992. 

Since then, he has held various positions in the planning departments of the City of Auburn, Albany, Georgia and most recently with the City of Gadsden where he served as Director of Planning for seven years. 

Charles was appointed Executive Director of the RPC in December 2006.

Bill Tucker, Treasurer

Bill Tucker is married to the former Denise K. Mann of Elmore County and has four children and three grandsons all residing in the Central Alabama area. He is a graduate of Lanier High School in Montgomery and attended John Patterson State Technical College and Auburn University at Montgomery. His areas of study are both technical drafting and pre-engineering. He is an accomplished grant writer with 30 years experience as a private consultant and project Administrator. He operated his own consulting firm (Southland Concepts) for twelve years generating more than $50,000,000.00 in grant funding for numerous public work projects throughout Alabama. He is very active in both church and community service and is presently Executive Director of the Central Alabama Regional Planning and Development Commission. His office specializes in Community Planning, Economic Development, grantsmanship, project Management and GIS Applications.