For immediate release: January 9, 2026
The Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta announces the appointment of Samuel T. “Beau” Benton by the Board of Governors to the Birmingham Branch board of directors. He will serve a three-year term ending December 31, 2028.
Benton is president of LBA Hospitality in Dothan, Alabama, and a graduate of Auburn University. He serves as board chair of the Wiregrass Foundation.
Additionally, L. Davis Ozier has been reappointed by the Atlanta board of directors to a three-year term ending December 31, 2028. Ozier is president of Coosa Composites in Pelham, Alabama, and a graduate of Vanderbilt University and the University of Virginia.
The remaining directors of the Atlanta Fed’s Birmingham Branch include:
Samuel Addy, associate dean for economic development outreach at the Culverhouse College of Business and senior research economist at the Center for Business and Economic Research at the University of Alabama (term expiring December 31, 2026),
Hafiz Chandiwala, executive vice president and chief administrative officer of Coca Cola Bottling Company United Inc. in Birmingham (term expiring December 31, 2026),
Michelle Lewis, chief financial officer of AAA Cooper Transportation in Dothan (term expiring December 31, 2027),
Larry Lewis, president of PROJECTXYZ Inc. in Huntsville (term expiring December 31, 2027), and
Michael D. Ross, president and chief executive officer of CBS Banc-Corp. in Russellville (term expiring December 31, 2027).
Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta branch directors provide economic information from their industries and the branch territory to the district Bank’s president and head office directors, who use the information in discussing monetary policy options and making discount rate recommendations. The Board of Governors appoints three of the Birmingham Branch directors, and the Atlanta head office directors appoint four.