When you think of service – getting your hands dirty comes to mind quickly. There are clean up days, garden days, home build days, etc. But Wardine Alexander (CLS, 1978), who today serves as the District 7 representative and President Pro Tempore of the Birmingham City Council, may have had the dirtiest service job of all. Or at the least – the smelliest service job of all.

“One of my first jobs was for my dad who was the basketball coach at Wenonah High School – I was in charge of washing uniforms for the players,” she said with a big laugh. “That was really my first introduction to community service. I was fortunate – both of my parents were in the Birmingham City School system, so they were always servant leaders in the community working with the families and their students.”

It is fitting that a service story that begins with athletics and dirt and sweat is set in Birmingham’s District 7, which is home to Red Mountain Park and the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail at Oxmoor Valley.

“It is a great place to live, work and play,” said Alexander.

And she would know better than anyone. Home to 17 of Birmingham’s 99 neighborhoods, District 7 is located just south of I-20/59 and west of I-65. It is where Alexander was born and where she lives today.

“A lot of us now live in the homes that we grew up in and is also home to our kids and our grandkids – so my dedication to service has centered around the revitalization of our community,” she said. “We do not just talk about the issues. We work together to find solutions. We have some very dedicated neighborhood leaders. We have people who have lived here for most of their lives. I serve to make sure we continue to improve our quality of life.”

Alexander began her career as a certified medical technologist who specialized in blood banking, and this included a stint as president of the Alabama State Association of Blood Banks.

But with both parents serving in education – her mom was school secretary at Birmingham’s historic Tuggle Elementary which was founded in 1903 – it was inevitable she would move toward education.

She says, “People today still reflect on my dad and the service he gave to the community and the same for my mother – I have always been in awe of that and seeing the service that they provided to families and students gave me the sense of wanting to give back to the community. That is really what jump started all of this for me.”

Rather than teach though, she became a servant leader to teachers as the District 7 representative for Birmingham City Schools from 2013 – 2017. She spent two terms as president of the school board and her tenure saw BCS receive AdvancED full accreditation, an increase in Pre-K classrooms, and the launch of Dual Enrollment for qualified students.

Following her terms on the school board, Alexander was appointed to represent District 7 on the Birmingham City Council in October 2018.

There she receives annual updates from UAB administration. They provide her with details and statistics that show exactly how many patients are served, how many people are employed, and how much service is done for District 7. She is grateful to UAB for all they do for her community and the impact it has on her constituents. Yet, she is more thankful for all UAB is doing for the future of her community, Birmingham at-large, and beyond.

“UAB wants to instill service into their students and that is very important,” said Alexander. “We each have a role to play in our communities and if that can be fostered while you are a college student, then that will stay with you throughout the rest of your lifetime.”