From Alabama School of Healthcare Sciences
Top Photo courtesy of ASHS, with cutline: L to R: Susanna Speegle, admissions director; Laura Bailey, dean of curriculum and instruction; Dr. Antonio Cooper, Jr., dean of students; Dr. James Martin, school president. (Credit: ASHS)
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Only a month into the job, Dr. Jimmy Martin has recruited three educational leaders to bring their unique skillsets to development of Alabama School for Healthcare Sciences, and the statewide school board has given its unanimous approval — followed by enthusiastic applause.
“With these three leaders, ASHS is moving forward with a ‘Dream Team’ that will help the school, and its students reach their potential — and beyond,” said Martin, as he presented his choices to the ASHS board, meeting in Birmingham at the UAB Heersink School of Medicine on Wednesday. They are:
• Laura Bailey, (of Wetumpka) Dean of Curriculum and Instruction, for the past five years serving as education administrator for Career & Technical Education (CTE) Workforce Development for the Alabama State Department of Education and a director of Alabama Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA);
• Dr. Antonio Cooper, Jr., Dean of Students, director of curriculum and instruction for the Vestavia Hills City School System since 2019, and an adjunct professor of education at Samford University. A longtime administrator in rural and urban settings in Alabama and Mississippi, he specializes in CTE, building dual enrollment programs and partnerships between schools and business and industry; and
• Susanna Speegle, Admissions Director, an enrollment and data specialist currently serving as assistant director of enrollment management at Marion Military Institute, northeast of Demopolis. She has been involved in off- and on-campus recruiting at MMI, including coordination and events management with schools, institutions and families.
“Laura, Antonio and Susanna’s experience and commitment to the concept and mission will inspire everyone they meet and truly change lives,” Martin told the board.
The trustees enthusiastically embraced the choices. They will all be on the job beginning July 1. “We are asking these important people to join us as we take a major leap of faith,” said Mike Warren, board president. “We are initiating a complex new idea with a wide scope and complicated demands and are all entering this exciting venture with high expectations. We are asking these talented experts to commit to creating a new community with the added responsibilities associated with ASHS being a residential campus. As such, these persons will have broader responsibilities than they have had in the past in traditional school settings.
“We applaud these exceptional choices and Dr. Martin’s efforts to meet all of ASHS’s needs.”
Bailey, a resident of Wetumpka, has 17 years of experience as an administrator and secondary teacher. In her current role, she has supervised a state staff in the CTE fields of Health Science, Education & Training, Hospitality & Tourism, and Human Services, overseeing some 200 Health Science and 350 Family & Consumer Science Programs. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Montevallo, and a Master of Education Leadership degree from Auburn University. She is currently enrolled at the Birmingham School of Law, working toward earning a J.D. in December 2026.
“This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to help shape a school that will directly impact Alabama’s healthcare future,” Bailey said. “My experience as a teacher, district administrator and state leader has prepared me to design a curriculum that supports students in discovering their purpose and gaining the skills they need to thrive. I’m excited to work alongside students, educators and industry partners to empower the next generation of healthcare professionals.”
Cooper has been recognized for developing student character education and student- and stakeholder-engagement strategies in his nearly two decades as a teacher and administrator. He earned both his Bachelor of Science degree in elementary education and a Master of Science in K-12 guidance education from Alcorn State University. He went on to earn an educational specialist degree and doctorate in education from Walden University in Minneapolis.
A native of Birmingham and resident of Tuscaloosa, Cooper said: “I’m honored to serve as the inaugural Dean of Students at ASHS and excited about the opportunity to contribute meaningfully to the healthcare landscape of our state. My vision is to cultivate a campus environment where students are inspired to develop their character, confidence and calling in healthcare, while preparing to make an immediate impact in their communities. By bridging academic excellence with personal transformation, we’ll create a close-knit campus family rooted in purpose, resilience, and service. From the moment they walk through our doors to the launch of their careers, I want this to be an experience they’ll carry with pride for a lifetime.”
Speegle, who calls Demopolis home, holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in communications from Jacksonville State University with a concentration in public relations, and last year earned a master’s degree in management from Faulkner University.
“I’m thrilled to be part of ASHS and to contribute to shaping its future,” Speegle said. “This opportunity allows me to not only give back to my hometown community but to help students make a difference in their own. I can’t wait to be a small part of these students’ big future.”
ASHS’ development is in high gear toward welcoming the first freshman class of up to 100 students at its own mini campus on the grounds of the University of West Alabama in Livingston in fall of 2026.
Final decisions are being made on healthcare career pathways and curricula that will enable recruitment of faculty, staff and students, and groundbreaking is expected this fall on the $62 million 10-acre residential campus adjacent to Whitfield Regional Hospital in Demopolis that will open in fall of 2027.
For more information, visit the Alabama School of Healthcare Sciences Foundation website at https://ashsfoundation.org/
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