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In the News
The ASHS Foundation has appointed Dr. Mark McIlwain — a nationally recognized oral and maxillofacial surgeon, physician and healthcare leader — to its Board of Directors, adding one of Alabama’s most accomplished medical professionals to the governing body supporting the school’s development.
Dr. Mark McIlwain
An expert in oral and maxillofacial surgery, facial trauma, emergency medicine and anesthesia safety, Dr. McIlwain lectures nationally and across the Southeast. He has received the Fuller Award and the UAB School of Dentistry Distinguished Dentist Award — the two highest honors in Alabama dentistry — and will be inducted this year into the Alabama Healthcare Hall of Fame.
Raised in Butler in Choctaw County, Dr. McIlwain graduated as an Honor Graduate of Patrician Academy in 1974. He earned a Bachelor of Science, magna cum laude, in Biology and Psychology from the University of Alabama New College in 1978, where he was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa and received both the Robert Allen Foote Scholarship and the Governor of Alabama Academic Scholarship.
“Growing up in the Black Belt made me well aware of the difficulties in rural healthcare, and I have urged and encouraged those looking at healthcare careers to consider efforts to improve rural access to care,” said Dr. McIlwain. “Working with Doctors in all 67 Alabama counties gives me the privilege of contacting and soliciting a broad range of possible funding sources for this statewide healthcare high school.”
Dr. McIlwain went on to earn both a Doctor of Dental Medicine (DMD) and M.D. His received his DMD from the University of Alabama School of Dentistry in 1982, where he earned the the school’s highest student honor, the Dean’s Medal, served as a class officer, and participated in multiple honor societies. Following graduation, he operated a private general dentistry practice in Tuscumbia from 1982–1987 and served as First Assistant in General Surgery at Helen Keller Hospital from 1983–1986.
He earned his Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) in 1990 from the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, where he was inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society and received the Lux Scholarship for Academic Excellence and the Excellence in Emergency Medicine Award. Dr. McIlwain completed a General Surgery internship at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and subsequently served as Resident and Chief Resident in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery.
Returning to the Shoals in 1992, he established Oral and Facial Surgery of the Shoals in Sheffield and Florence, where he continues to practice. He has been board certified by the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery since 1997 and maintains memberships in numerous professional organizations including the AMA, MASA, ALDA, ADA and AAOMS.
“Dr. McIlwain is one of the most respected honored professionals in his fields in Alabama, and we are thrilled to welcome him to the Foundation board, to benefit from his abilities to lead and inspire,” said ASHS Foundation President & CEO Scott Huffman.
Dr. McIlwain’s leadership and service extend well beyond clinical practice. He served as Chief of Staff at Helen Keller Hospital (2003–2005) and as Colbert County’s 911 Medical Director from 2010–2025, coordinating trauma response during the devastating 2011 Phil Campbell and Hackleburg tornadoes. He has been team physician for Deshler High School since 1992 and Medical Director for Keller Sports Medicine and athletic trainer supervisor for Colbert County since 2005. He also served 12 years on the Tuscumbia City Schools Board of Education.
He has also served on the Alabama Board of Dental Examiners (member 2015–2020 and 2022–present; president 2019, 2020 and 2025).
For nearly half a century, the Westervelt Warner family helped shape the Demopolis community through their direct community involvement and the economic impact of their state-of-the-art paper mill. Following the sale of Gulf States Paper Corporation’s pulp and paper business, the Westervelt Warner family’s organization, The Westervelt Company, has provided stewardship for hundreds of thousands of acres of the region’s forests.
Now, Cade Warner is representing the current generation of the Westervelt Warner family by carrying on the family’s legacy of commitment to the area’s future as he joins the board of the Alabama School of Healthcare Sciences Foundation (ASHS) Board of Directors.
A native of Tuscaloosa, Warner is President and Chief Executive Officer of The Westervelt Company, the 141-year-old family business formerly known as Gulf States Paper Corporation. The Westervelt Company specializes in sustainable forestry, wood products, ecological services, recreation, real estate, and natural resource conservation with much of their portfolio residing in western Alabama. Warner brings extensive corporate, civic and philanthropic leadership to the Foundation, which supports development of the ASHS in Demopolis. ASHS is the nation’s first free, public, residential high school dedicated exclusively to preparing the next generation of medical professionals in partnership with educational and healthcare institutions.
“Demopolis holds a special place in Westervelt’s history, and it is an honor to help build something so important here for Alabama’s future,” Warner said. “The Alabama School of Healthcare Sciences will not only provide high-quality education for students from across the state, but it will also create a powerful pipeline to meet critical healthcare workforce needs for our state’s rural communities.”
Scott Huffman, President and CEO of the ASHS Foundations, said Warner’s direct ties to the Demopolis community, combined with his relationships across the nation, make him a natural fit for the ASHS Foundation board.
“Cade Warner's experience and leadership will have an immeasurable impact on our foundation and school,” said Scott Huffman, President & CEO of the ASHS Foundation. “If I was compiling a profile on the perfect board member, I would copy and paste Cade's resume. His love of Alabama, particularly the Black Belt region, and his desire to transform education and healthcare will serve this school and our foundation immediately.”
Warner became CEO of The Westervelt Company in 2024 after holding a series of leadership roles with the company, including Chief Operating Officer, Chief Sustainability Officer, Director of Business Development and Improvement, and Continuous Improvement Manager. Prior to joining Westervelt, he worked with Conservation Forestry and gained additional experience in forestry and investment through roles with Hancock Natural Resource Group, the U.S. Senate Banking Committee, and the Alabama Forestry Association.
He holds a bachelor’s degree in commerce and business administration and an MBA from the University of Alabama, as well as a master’s degree in forest resources with a specialization in forest business from the University of Georgia. Warner has also pursued advanced professional training through Harvard Extension, is a certified Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, and maintains multiple professional designations including Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA®), Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA®), and Financial Modeling and Valuation Analyst (FMVA®).
Warner’s civic and professional leadership roles include the West Alabama Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, Leadership Tuscaloosa, United Way of West Alabama’s Young Leadership Society, Rotary International, World Forestry Center, the Tuscaloosa Rotary Foundation Board, and the University of Alabama’s Culverhouse College of Business Board of Visitors.
He has also served on national and industry boards including the Wood Products Council | WoodWorks, American Wood Council, National Alliance of Forest Owners, and the Alabama Productivity Center.
Warner and his wife, April, have two children and enjoy traveling and exploring natural wonders around the world.
ASHS will welcome its first freshman class in August 2026 at a separate mini-campus on the grounds of the University of West Alabama in Livingston.
A groundbreaking ceremony for the permanent 10-acre residential campus in Demopolis is scheduled for Oct. 14, with the first phase scheduled to open in fall of 2027.
Final decisions are being made on healthcare career pathways and curricula that will enable recruitment of faculty, staff and students. For the latest news on ASHS campus and curriculum developments and to stay informed about recruitment events around the state and application deadlines, visit www.alheathcarehs.org.
About the Alabama School of Healthcare Sciences Foundation
The ASHS Foundation supports the mission of the Alabama School of Healthcare Sciences by creating awareness, raising funds, and building institutional, business, educational and philanthropic partnerships that foster innovation in medical education and equity in Alabama healthcare.
For more information, visit the Alabama School of Healthcare Sciences Foundation website at https://ashsfoundation.org/ . Follow us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ashsfoundation and on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/alabama-school-of-healthcare-sciences-foundation/
Alabama Political Reporter
Trustees for the Alabama School of Healthcare Sciences Foundation have chosen Birmingham-based Brasfield and Gorrie as general contractor and construction manager to build the specialized 10-acre campus that will teach, train and house high school students from throughout the state.
Alabama Daily News
MONTGOMERY, Ala. — The Board of Trustees for the Alabama School of Healthcare Sciences, a first-of-its-kind, specialized public school in Demopolis designed to train future health care workers, voted Wednesday to hire what they called a “dream team” of administrators ahead of the school’s anticipated launch next year.
Yellowhammer News
Alabama School of Healthcare Sciences (ASHS) has hired a new president on the heels of a nationwide search, according to the future school’s foundation’s board. At a meeting on Friday, the ASHS announced Dr. James “Jimmy” Martin, current superintendent of schools in Pell City and St. Clair County, has been hired for the job to lead the continued development of the specialized high school which is scheduled to open in the Fall of 2026.