TROY, Ala.—Al Head, executive director of the Alabama State Council on the Arts, will be honored on Saturday, March 29 with Troy University’s ninth annual Distinguished Leadership Award.

Head, a 1971 TROY graduate, will receive the award from Chancellor Dr. Jack Hawkins, Jr. at the annual Alumni Reunion Dinner beginning at 6 p.m. in the Trojan Center Ballroom on the Troy Campus. For more information on the banquet, contact the Office of Alumni Affairs at 334-670-3318.

“I’m very flattered to receive this award,” Head said. “There are numerous TROY graduates that are worthy to be recognized for the tremendous leadership they have shown, and I’m honored to have been selected this year. This honor is particularly rewarding because Troy University is, indeed, at the forefront of higher education in the 21st century and provides leadership in many areas at the local, state, national and international levels.”

Troy University recognizes alumni leaders each year with the Distinguished Leadership Award who are committed to working hard for their alma mater and who go the extra mile in either their careers, public service or devotion to Troy University, said Faith Ward, director of alumni affairs. 

“Al Head has shown tremendous leadership as executive director of the Alabama State Council on the Arts and his contributions to our state in this role are unmatched,” said Faith Ward, director of alumni affairs. “Mr. Head has long been a champion for Troy University, and we are pleased to honor him for his exemplary leadership, dedication and love for our University.” 

Head, an Andalusia native who grew up in Troy and graduated from Charles Henderson High School, has served as the executive director of the Alabama State Council on the Arts since 1985. Head also previously served as executive director of the Division of Arts for the Arts Council of Louisiana, executive director of the Stephen Foster Folklife Center in White Springs, FL and as assistant director of the Florida Arts Council’s Division of Cultural Affairs.

Following his graduation from TROY, Head began his career teaching art and art history at Charles Henderson High School in Troy. A former quarterback for the TROY football team, Head also coached football, basketball and golf during his time at Charles Henderson.

In addition to the bachelor’s degree from TROY, Head holds a Master of Liberal Arts degree with a concentration on Southern literature from Auburn University at Montgomery.  He also received a National Endowment for the Arts fellowship in 1974 to attend Harvard’s Arts Administration Institute. 

Head has served two terms on the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies board and has been a member of the Southern Arts Federation board for 30 years and presided as its chair from 1981-83.  He has served on numerous panels for the National Endowment for the Arts and has chaired the Folk Arts and Arts in Education panels.  In 1998, Head received the Gary Young Award presented by the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies for his leadership and achievements in promoting the arts nationally.

Head and his wife, Judy, have two children, Albert Branscomb Head III and Allison Head Pace.

Past winners of the Distinguished Leadership Award are: Alabama Attorney General Troy King; former Congressman Earl Hutto; McDowell Lee, secretary of the Alabama Senate; Bob Howell, longtime television reporter and anchor; the late Earl Watson, former TROY athletic director; Harrel McKinney, founder of Alabama Reference Laboratories and sponsor of the McKinney Medical Technology Scholarship at Troy University; and, Earl Johnson, former Andalusia mayor and the driving force behind the Bibb Graves Quadrangle renovation project, and Larry Hughes, president of ICON.

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