Dr. Robert Bentley

 

Dr. Robert Bentley began serving as Alabama’s governor in January 2011. A native of Columbiana, Bentley is a founding partner of Alabama Dermatology Associates, one of the largest practices of its kind in the Southeast.

An alumnus of Shelby County High School, Bentley earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Alabama, majoring in chemistry and biology and graduating in just three years. He continued his studies at the University of Alabama School of Medicine, graduating with the M.D. degree in 1968.

In 1969, during the Vietnam conflict, Bentley joined the United States Air Force, where he was commissioned as a captain and served as a general medical officer. Following his military service, Bentley began his three-year residency in dermatology at the University of Alabama.

Upon completing his residency, he and his wife, the former Martha Dianne Jones of Montgomery, whom he met and married while in medical school, decided to make Tuscaloosa home to begin their family together and for Robert to start his dermatology practice. Together they raised four sons.

In 2002, Bentley was elected to the Alabama State House of Representatives from Tuscaloosa County. In the State House, he quickly established a record fighting for fiscal conservatism, strong traditional family values and limited government. In 2006, Bentley ran unopposed for re-election. During his time as a Representative in Montgomery, he served on the Education Appropriations Committee, the Boards and Commissions Committee, the Agriculture and Forestry Committee and as Vice-Chairman of the Internal Affairs Committee. He also helped establish the Alabama Medical Educational Consortium, which reserves a number of medical-school education spots for students committed to one of the primary care fields. In addition, he supported funding for the Rural Medical Scholars program, which trains doctors committed to serving the people of rural Alabama.

In 2008, Bentley was elected as a Republican Presidential Delegate for Gov. Mike Huckabee. At the Republican National Convention he represented Alabama on the Republican Platform Committee.

Bentley is the chief sponsor of the Alabama Reemployment Act of 2010, which is estimated to create at least 5,000 new jobs in Alabama without increasing taxes or government spending.

Bentley is a member of First Baptist Church Tuscaloosa, where he has served as a deacon and a Sunday school teacher, and as a member of the Youth for Christ Advisory Board, as well as the Family Counseling Advisory Board. He is a life member of the Vietnam Veterans of America and is a member of the American Legion.