Following an announcement on May 23 about his plans to resign from his congressional office to take a position with The University of Alabama System, U.S. Rep. Josiah “Jo” Bonner, R-Ala., said he has a wealth of ideas for his new position but first wants to learn from those already in the system’s office.
Starting August 16, Bonner will assume the position of vice chancellor of government relations and economic development with the UA system. Kellee Reinhart, vice chancellor for system relations, said the position was established from the outgrowth and reorganization of the government relations branch of the system under Bill Jones, the recently retired director of the government relations initiative. Bonner’s official salary is unknown but will be determined closer to his start date, Reinhart said.
“First of all, I’m going to look to Dr. Robert Witt (chancellor of the UA system) and the other people in the system’s office for guidance,” Bonner said. “And I want to touch base with Bill Jones. He has been the director of the government relations branch for many years and did a great job with that. He’ll have a wealth of knowledge about that aspect of this job.”
Bonner said he has already discussed the potential of his position with Witt and said he sees economic development playing a much larger role than before with the government relations branch.
“What made this so attractive was, in addition to this opportunity to work for this system,” Bonner said, “it is also exciting to see economic development become an enhanced part of this system.”
He said each campus of the UA system – Tuscaloosa, Birmingham and Huntsville – has something valuable to offer, and it is his hope to figure out how to tie those together to enhance business in the state.
“Dr. Witt was telling me his vision,” Bonner said, “and he was talking about a much more enhanced role for higher education to play and that the UA system could play. When you think about the unique nature of our system, all three universities have programs that overlap, but they also all some programs that they are really good at.”
Reinhart said focusing on the strengths of the three campuses to benefit state economics was part of the intended role of Bonner’s new position.
“By expanding the government relations position to formally include economic development, our goal is to harness the diverse strengths of the three campuses for the economic betterment of the state and nation,” Reinhart said. “By helping our state prosper economically, we are increasing the state’s ability to financially support higher education.”
Bonner also cited the impact government relations could have on individual campus growth for UA system schools.
“There has been remarkable growth,” he said. “That didn’t happen by accident. Working with state government, Robert Witt was able to secure Bryce complex as part of a new campus for the University. That was a long time in coming. Other governors and presidents worked on that. But it was Witt and [former Gov. Bob] Riley that made that happen. You can’t do that without strong partnership in state level.”
Reinhart said the system hopes Bonner’s experience will bring strength to the government relations branch and eventually a positive impact on the state’s economics.
Bonner, who is the brother of current UA President Judy Bonner, will be returning to his alma mater with the position, having graduated from the University in 1982 with an undergraduate degree in journalism and attended law school.
As native and resident of south Alabama, Bonner was first elected in 2002 to represent Alabama’s 1st Congressional District, which includes Baldwin, Clarke, Escambia, Mobile, Monroe and Washington counties. In 2012, he ran unopposed in the general election and was re-elected to his sixth term serving the largely conservative Gulf Coast-area communities.
“Congressman Bonner is a native son of Alabama with extensive experience in diverse areas ranging from public policy and legislative matters to industrial recruitment and job creation,” Reinhart said. “A solid foundation is in place, and we look forward to working with Jo Bonner to expand the system’s economic impact on Alabama and leverage resources to maximum advantage.”
As a congressman, Jo Bonner served on both the House Committee on Appropriations and House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct, also known as the Ethics Committee. His website states he is a staunch defender of taxpayer money and played a role in bringing the assembly plant for aircraft manufacturer Airbus to Alabama in 2012.
