President
Vince Wallace

Vince is a Tuscaloosa County farmer. He currently tends to approximately 70 colonies. He finds great enjoyment and challenge being involved with the ABA. Staying on the cutting edge of relevance in beekeeping requires deep involvement, dedication and continued study.
He lives in Fosters, AL with his wife Karen, he has 3 children, 7 grandchildren, a cat, 3 dogs and at least 100 chickens.

Vice President
Hal Hendrix

Hal Hendrix....

Secretary
Heather Sinyard

I have been married to my husband Byron for over 27 years and we live in Cullman where we have raised 3 wonderful boys who we are very proud of. I am a full time wife, mom and stylist and enjoy keeping bees as a hobby. I began keeping bees in 2012 and became a Master Beekeeper in 2019 and I also enjoy working as the Secretary for the ABA. I have volunteered many hours teaching children of all ages about honeybees at our local schools and adults at some other local organizations. 

Treasurer
Wynelle Milstead

Wynelle lives in Walker County.  She is Treasurer of The ABA Association and the Walker County Beekeepers Association. She has been a beekeeper since 2010 and became a Alabama Master Beekeepers in 2020. She is a small business owner and works part time for the USPS. She volunteers at a local organization and mentors them in beekeeping.  Wynelle has 2 sons and is active in her community.

North Region (Director)
Ricky Grace

Ricky is a lifelong resident of Walker County & retired coalminer. He has been beekeeping for about 25 years. He is the current President of the Walker County Beekeeper Association, serving in this position for the past 4 years. He has been a member of the Walker County Beekeeper Association for 13 years. He has been a member of The Alabama Beekeepers Association (ABA) for 12 years, and was elected to serve as a Director of the North Region Board of the ABA in 2021. He is always ready to help fellow beekeepers and people trying to learn about beekeeping.

Central Region (Director)
Celena Bennett

Celena was born and raised in Germany and moved to the United States in 2010. The past 12 years she has lived in Tuscaloosa, Alabama and fell in love with the idea of keeping honey bees. In 2013 she acquired her first colony of bees and started attending local bee clubs. Since then she has become specialized in bee removals. She is currently serving her second year as President of West Alabama Beekeepers Association, is a mentor in the Alabama Young Beekeeper Scholarship Program, achieved her Alabama Master Beekeeper Certificate and is involved with the Bee Informed Partnership Sentinel Apiary Program.

Central Region (Director)
Scott Lucas

A Birmingham native, Scott has lived in Alabaster for over 20 years where he has been keeping honey bees since 2016 and currently has 40 colonies.   He has served as vice president and president for the Shelby County Beekeepers Association.   Employed at a local insurance company, Scott has two sons, one grandchild and two Boston Terriers.

Southern Region (Director)
Kate Pugh

A beekeeper since 2014, Kate is currently Vice President & Secretary of Lower AL Beekeepers Association and a 2020 Alabama Master Beekeeper. She has taught beginner beekeepers at the annual ACES conference, has visited multiple local schools through the 4 H program to educate children about the importance of honey bees, routinely gives classes at her local bee association & has mentored many new beekeepers.

Residing in Lowndes Co along the beautiful Alabama River, Kate and her husband, Ralph, own Sweetgum Ridge Apiaries. A 70 acre farm, they manage over 35 hives for honey production, raise and sell Nucs & Queens and nurture free range chickens for egg production.

Southern Region (Director)
Richard Woodham

During his work career, Richard served in International Operations with Fruit of the Loom, Russell Athletic and Swedish Match.  He  retired in 2012 to full-time volunteering with Hillcrest Baptist Church, Boy Scouts, Beekeeping, Fishing and, Community Service.  Richard serves as Vice President of the Southeast Alabama Beekeepers Association in New Brockton, Co-Manages the apiary at Landmark Park (Alabama’s Agriculture Museum), speaks at schools and civic organizations and, mentors online and in-person.