Alabama Power Co. executive Clay Ryan is scheduled to give the keynote address for Jefferson State Community College’s 60th commencement ceremony on May 8 at the Alabama Theatre.
Ryan, Alabama Power’s senior vice president of external affairs, is responsible for governmental affairs, corporate affairs, charitable giving and Alabama Power’s six geographical business divisions.
Prior to joining Alabama Power, he served as the senior vice chancellor of external affairs for the University of Alabama System, where he was responsible for federal, state and local governmental affairs activities for the University of Alabama, University of Alabama in Huntsville, University of Alabama at Birmingham and UAB Health System. Additionally, he coordinated economic and workforce development activities across the UA System and was intimately involved in crisis communications.
Prior to his UA system role, Ryan chaired the governmental and regulatory affairs practice group at Maynard Nexsen, an Alabama-based law firm with 24 offices across the United States. Ryan represented clients in the energy, utility, health care, biotech, financial services, telecommunications, information technology, higher education and land management sectors, among others. He also provided counsel on ethics and compliance to numerous clients, managed statewide campaigns and advised elected and other public officials on legal and public interest matters.
He earned a bachelor’s degree with honors from Birmingham-Southern College and received his law degree with honors from the University of Alabama School of Law, where he was editor of the Alabama Law Review.
Ryan is a graduate of Leadership Birmingham, Leadership Alabama and the Energy Executive Program at the University of Idaho. He is a member of the board of directors of Southern Research, Opportunity Alabama, the Business Council of Alabama and Junior Achievement. He has served as a board member of the Glenwood Autism & Behavioral Health Center and chair of the Public Affairs Research Council of Alabama’s Roundtable.
Ryan and his wife, Sisi, live in Vestavia Hills and have three children.
Jeff State’s graduation ceremony is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. on Friday, May 8. It will include graduates from all of the college’s campuses, including the Shelby-Hoover campus on Valleydale Road.
