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Photos submitted by Mary Ann Appling.
Dr. Audie Woolley.
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Photos submitted by Mary Ann Appling.
John and Gina Henley.
Leadership Vestavia Hills has announced the names of three residents who will be honored at the 2019 Community Awards Dinner.
Dr. Audie Woolley, chief of pediatric otolaryngology at The Children’s Hospital of Alabama, will receive the Distinguished Citizen Award. It is given to a Vestavia Hills resident who has made significant artistic, scientific, social, political, economic or academic contributions regionally, nationally, or worldwide.
Gina and John Henley will be honored with the Citizen of the Year Award. It recognizes the contributions of residents who have contributed to the community and quality of life in Vestavia Hills across many years.
Dr. Woolley is a native Texan who grew up in Cisco. He completed undergraduate studies at Angelo State University and attended medical school at the University of Texas Health Science Center. He then completed his residency in otolaryngology head and neck surgery at Washington University--Barnes Hospital in St. Louis, MO. After graduating residency, he completed a fellowship in pediatric otolaryngology at St. Louis Children’s Hospital.
Dr. Woolley spearheaded the cochlear implant program at Children’s of Alabama in 1995 and since its inception has performed over 700 cochlear implants. He is co-founder of the Alabama School of Hearing, recently renamed WISE (Woolley Institute of Speech and Education). Dr. Woolley has published numerous articles and book chapters in the field of otolaryngology and is a featured speaker nationally and internationally.
He and his wife Ally have four children, who grew up in Vestavia Hills.
John and Gina Henley have been married for 24 years and have been active in numerous city and volunteer activities. They have two college-age daughters.
Gina, who grew up in the Birmingham area, has been involved with the Service Guild and the Vestavia Hills City Schools Foundation, where she chaired their main fundraising event—Dinner and Diamonds—for two years. She was vice-chair of the Vestavia Hills Chamber of Commerce, working as a liaison between the Chamber and the city’s schools and their Parent-Teacher Organizations. She also held leadership positions in the PTOs at the Vestavia Hills schools their children attended.
Active in the Vestavia Hills Beautification Board, she chaired the Dogwood Festival three times.
She and John are members of St. Elias Maronite Catholic Church, where they have given generously of their time in numerous volunteer positions.
Professionally, she has coordinated volunteer activities for The Bell Center for Early Intervention and currently works in development for the St. Vincent’s Foundation.
John served Vestavia Hills as a city councilman for four years. He is the 2020 chair of the Vestavia Hills Chamber of Commerce, a charter member and president of the city’s Sunrise Rotary Club, and has had many leadership roles in Leadership Vestavia Hills, including serving as president.
While their children were growing up, he was a presenter for Junior Achievement, active in the Band Parents Association at the high school, and a coach for Vestavia Hills Girls Softball Association.
John started the Breakfast with Santa event, part of the Holiday in the Hills Coalition Celebration, and is actively involved every year.
From Andalusia, AL, he is a graduate of Mercer University and earned an MBA from Troy University. He has had a career in the insurance and risk management field for almost 30 years and has been a State Farm agent since 2010.
The awards dinner will be held at 6 p.m., on February 25 at a country club in Vestavia Hills. Tickets are $50 and can be purchased at www.leadershipvestaviahills.com or at the office of the Vestavia Hills Chamber of Commerce. For sponsorships, contact Penny Lewallyn at (205) 223-7381. For more information, contact Mary Ann Appling (205) 821-0222 at mary.ann.appling@gmail.com.
Submitted by Mary Ann Appling.
