By NEAL WAGNER / Managing Editor

ALABASTER – The next Alabaster Board of Education meeting will have a new face, as the Alabaster City Council voted during a March 18 meeting to appoint a new member to fill a vacancy on the board.

Council members voted unanimously during the meeting to appoint Misty Johnson to fill the remainder of the term recently vacated by Linda Church after Church moved outside of the city limits and was therefore no longer eligible to serve on the School Board. The term runs through June 2021.

Johnson has an extensive background in finance, and currently is the senior vice president and loan team manager for middle market banking at Wells Fargo. She previously worked at Iberia Bank, PNC Bank, RBC Bank and Regions Bank, and holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from UAB.

Johnson and her husband, Gary, are longtime Alabaster residents who have had multiple children graduate from Thompson High School, and she is active with the Alabaster Sports and Entertainment Foundation.

“I’m excited to be chosen. We’ve spent a lot of time giving back to the high school, and I’m looking forward to bringing my financial background to the School Board to help continue the progress they’ve made over the last several years,” Johnson said after the council meeting.

Johnson will officially begin her term on the School Board during its next meeting, which will be held at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, April 8.

“I want to thank Misty Johnson for being willing to step out and fill the remainder of this term. Misty and Gary love Thompson High School,” said City Council President Scott Brakefield. “Their kids have graduated and been gone, but their love for our city and our community has allowed Misty to throw her hat in the ring. We appreciate everything she is going to do on the school board moving forward.”

Council member Stacy Rakestraw said Johnson’s involvement in the city’s schools over the years makes her a strong addition to the BOE.

“Misty and Gary have been great citizens of our city,” Rakestraw said. “With her financial background, she will be a big asset to our Board of Education.”