Senator Rodger Smitherman

 

Sen. Rodger Mell Smitherman, a Montevallo graduate, is serving his fourth term in the Alabama Senate. He represents District 18, which includes Jefferson County. He chairs the Judiciary Committee and the Local Legislation No. 2 Committee. He is a member of several other committees in the Senate, including Business and Labor, Confirmations, Finance and Taxation Education, Industrial Development and Recruitment, Rules and Tourism and Marketing.

Smitherman is a past president of the Alabama Legislative Black Caucus. In addition, he was elected treasurer of the National Conference of Black State Legislators.

Born in Montgomery, Smitherman received a bachelor of business administration degree from UM in1976 and in 1986 graduated with honors from Miles Law School with a juris doctorate degree. He is a constitutional law professor for Miles Law School.

Smitherman, a Democrat, has been a practicing attorney with Smitherman and Smitherman law firm in Birmingham for some 20 years. He is active in the Birmingham Chamber of Commerce, the Alabama Trial Lawyers Association and the Birmingham Bar Association.

He has served as head junior varsity girls’ basketball coach and as assistant girls’ varsity basketball coach for perennial state champions Ramsey High School. At W. J. Christian School, he has served as assistant soccer, softball and girls’ basketball coach. Earlier in his career, he served as personnel director at Stockham and as dean of students at Southern Junior College. The governor of Alabama appointed Smitherman to the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame. He has served on the Metro YMCA board of directors and on the executive committee of Southern Legislative Conference and National Energy Council. He also serves as an elder in the Presbyterian Church.

Smitherman is the recipient of many awards and honors. Most recently, he received the Birmingham Board of Education Partner of the Year Award.

He is married to the former Carole Catlin of Birmingham, and they have four children.