Governor, Athens State president share stage and history-making moments

ATHENS — It was a brief moment of time but it was a significant event when viewed from the standpoint of Alabama history.

Gov. Kay Ivey gave her annual address to members of the Athens-Limestone County Chamber of Commerce on the campus of Athens State University last week on the significant progress in the community as well as the state.

While the governor’s message was largely economic, her visit to the campus could be seen as noteworthy to the significance of this moment in state history. Also sharing the stage during the luncheon, Athens State University President Dr. Catherine Wehlburg provided a welcome to the gathering of community leaders.

This event was noteworthy in Alabama’s history because of the leadership qualities of Ivey and Wehlburg, which have led them to their lofty place in their own right among state institutions. 

Ivey is only the second woman to hold the office of governor of Alabama in its 205-year history. She was elected lieutenant governor in 2010, becoming the first Republican woman to hold the office in Alabama’s history. She again made history in 2014 by becoming the first Republican lieutenant governor re-elected to the office.

In 2017, Ivey was sworn in as the 54th governor of Alabama and, following a successful 19 months in office, the people of Alabama made history again in 2018 when she was elected to a full term. 

She is in very rare company. Lurleen Wallace, the wife of former governor George Wallace, was the only other woman elected to the high office in 1967 when her husband was prohibited by state law from seeking a third term.

For Wehlburg, her consequential appointment to the presidency of Athens State University in 2024 made her only the third female president in the 202-year history of the campus, which held its first classes in 1822. She is the 39th president in the school’s history; the other female presidents were Jane Hamilton Childs in 1858 and Mary Norman Moore in 1909.

Wehlburg joined the Athens State ranks in June 2021 as provost and served as interim president since January 2023. The board of trustees named her president this past May.

She has more than three decades of experience in higher education and is known nationally for her scholarly work in teaching, learning, and the assessment of student learning outcomes.

Wehlburg has published articles, books, and chapters and has always had a focus on educating the whole student as the essential role in higher education. Her most recent book is “The Courage to Learn: Honoring the Complexity of Learning for Educators and Students.”