Secretary of the Board
MICHAEL A. BOWNES
Secretary of the Board of Trustees
Executive Assistant to the Chancellor
Deputy General Counsel
Prior to joining the UA System in October 2004, Mr. Bownes served for 16 years as General Counsel for the State of Alabama Insurance Department. From 1983-1988 he was an attorney in the Alabama Attorney General’s Office, including a three-year tenure as Director of the Attorney General’s Office of Consumer Protection. As an adjunct faculty member at Huntington College, he has taught paralegal courses since 1985.
A native of Cullman, Mr. Bownes earned a bachelor’s degree in speech communication from The University of Alabama in 1980, where he received the National Alumni Association’s Outstanding Senior Award. He received his law degree from Samford University’s Cumberland Law School in 1983. Mr. Bownes and his wife Karen have two daughters, Laura and Elizabeth, and two sons, Chris and Mac.
In addition to staffing the Board, other duties and responsibilities of the Secretary of the Board of Trustees and Executive Assistant to the Chancellor of The University of Alabama System include but are not limited to the following: cause notice of meetings of the Board and committees to be given to the members thereof; prepare and distribute agenda; attend Board meetings; make, record, and retain complete records and minutes of all official actions of the Board and its committees; and maintain all other deeds, contracts, books, and documents and records of the Board and its committees. The Secretary is custodian of the corporate seal. The Secretary of the Board of Trustees is appointed by the Board and serves at its pleasure.
ADDRESS
The University of Alabama System
The Board of Trustees
401 Queen City Avenue
Tuscaloosa, AL 35401
Tel: 205-348-8341
Fax: 205-348-9788