By Ryan Michaels
The Birmingham Times
Woodlawn United Executive Director Mashonda Taylor has been appointed to fill a four-month long vacancy on the embattled Birmingham Water Works Board (BWWB), the city announced on Tuesday.
Taylor fills the seat left by former city representative Chris Rice.
“It is an honor to be appointed to the Birmingham Water Works Board, and I’m excited to work alongside fellow board members and staff to serve and address the needs of our customers and provide the highest quality of service,” said Taylor.
Mayor Randall Woodfin said his appointee has proven her ability to work on the BWWB through her dedication to residents of Birmingham.
“The [BWWB] performs a major role in the oversight of the utility for our residents. Mashonda Taylor is a committed leader in our community with a proven record of cultivating and nurturing relationships for the greater good,” said Woodfin in a statement.
Taylor joins board chair Tereshia Huffman, William “Butch” Burbage, Jr., CPA, Ronald Mims, Raymond “Larry” Ward, Carl Dalton Nesmith, Esq., Thomas E. Henderson, Lucien B. Blankenship, Esq., and George Munchus, PH.D. in directing the water utility that serves nearly 800,000 customers in a five-county area.
Taylor has served as chief executive of Woodlawn United, a nonprofit which coordinates to improve Birmingham’s Woodlawn community, since 2020 and first began working for the organization in 2012.
Taylor earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Loyola University in New Orleans, Louisiana in 2006 and a master’s in organizational leadership from Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington in 2009.
Taylor’s appointment, effective immediately and set to expire on Dec. 31, 2024, fills a vacant seat left by former BWWB Director Chris Rice, who left the organization after the body was criticized by many residents, including Woodfin.
Taylor has also served as a member of the Birmingham Planning Commission since 2018 and serves on a number of boards, including Jones Valley Teaching Farm, where she is currently treasurer, as well as the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute and the James Rushton Early Learning Center.
She is also a director for the Rotary Club of Birmingham and previously served as the chair of the Junior League of Birmingham’s Diversity and Inclusion Task Force.
