Date: September 21, 2021
By Apryl Marie Fogel via altoday.com –
It’s true, the words “powerful and influential” can be vague and subjective. However, it’s fair to say among the universally accepted definitions within politics and policy is an individual’s ability to create change, start a conversation, influence the public or public officials, move an agenda forward, or stop one in its tracks.
There’s no doubt that a good number of people are moving Alabama forward in politics and business. Recently, Yellowhammer published its 2021 annual list of who they consider the most influential and powerful. They noted it was a “peek behind the curtain.” That it always is—a peek into the mind of the editorial team, writers, and friends of the site.
With the same people on it year after year, often in the same companies and offices, and the standard members of the legislature and statewide offices—dozens of whom certainly would belong on any list of power or influence: Jo Bonner, Katie Britt, Bob Geddie, Dax Swatek. No one can deny the influence any of them have. Others on the list begged the question “why?” while others were glaringly missing. This list purposely does not duplicate any name already appearing on that list.
Not all influencers within the public arena are lobbyists or lawmakers. Some within the media or in advocacy organizations can shape or change public opinion. In addition, some influencers have the ability to position themselves, loved ones, or friends to the front of the line for coveted appointments or jobs.
There’s so much to power and influence; while it may be hard to describe, you know when you see it—and you know who lacks it.
It could be argued that 1–5 are no-brainers and would be list repeats, but heck, I say repeat them until it changes.
So with that, let Alabama Today offer 32 additional notable people who were nominated by a ragtag group of incredibly biased judges. Did I mention how incredibly biased we are? This, combined with the Yellowhammer list, might give one a better view of the movers and shakers with power and influence in the state’s political world.
Worth noting, some of them are the bosses, mentors, elder statesmen, and wise counsel of many on the Yellowhammer list, while a couple of others are up-and-comers.
[Editor’s note: The original article continues with a ranked list of influential individuals. For purposes of this blog post, we focus on the inclusion of Susan Kennedy, listed as #21. Below is her excerpt, reformatted.]
21. Susan Kennedy – Kennedy Consulting LLC
Susan Kennedy is a government relations and policy consultant. She has nearly 20 years of direct legislative experience, with a history of working in economic development, tax policy and compliance, and the business and education fields.
She has a degree from Emory University in Economics and a Doctor of Law (JD), focused in State Tax Law, from Cumberland School of Law.
Susan Kennedy is the former Public Policy and Government Relations Manager for the Alabama Education Association (AEA). She works with various organizations, including NEA and NCPERS, on tax policy.
