Recently, we have had new faces join the Alabama 811 team to further develop and enhance the services we provide for our members and users of the 811 program.
Derek Day became part of the Alabama 811 team as our GIS Specialist, bringing with him 13 years of GIS experience with a focus on performance, automation, and data integrity. A graduate of Jacksonville State University, he’s passionate about practical geospatial engineering and creating systems that make statewide datasets accessible, reliable, and ready for decision-making.
Derek is also an accomplished musician, having enjoyed life as a touring musician. He is now passionate about recording and spends much of his free time in his home studio. He and his wife, Bailey, have been together for 14 years and live in Vestavia Hills with their two cats, Cagney and Lacy. Their daughter Rumsey lives in Orlando, where she works for Disney.
Jay Owens joined us this July as our Managing Director – Technology. Jay brings over 30 years of Information Technology experience, having worked across the manufacturing, healthcare, government, and nonprofit sectors. He currently also serves as Chief Information Officer for Alabama Boys State, having continued a passion for this organization after attending as a high school student. Jay is a former healthcare executive with deep experience in both technical leadership and operational strategy. Jay’s broad expertise and forward-thinking approach will be a tremendous asset as we continue modernizing and strengthening our technology infrastructure.
Jay enjoys life with his wife, three sons, and the family dog. You can find him on the lake whenever he finds some free time.
Courtney Monette also joined Alabama 811 in July as our Managing Director – Operations. Courtney has over 25 years of leadership experience in education and workforce training, most recently serving as Special Programs Director for the Alabama Community College System. Her background spans key industries and statewide initiatives such as multimillion-dollar workforce initiatives, and she developed a statewide training program — including the rollout of a soft skills program now used by colleges and high schools across Alabama. Her experience will help move our educational and training efforts forward, both internally and externally. Courtney’s background in strategic planning, process improvement, and team development strengthens Alabama 811’s ongoing commitment to efficiency, safety, and customer service. Her passion for leveraging technology, data, and partnerships to enhance operations and deliver exceptional service closely aligns with Alabama 811’s mission to protect lives, property, and infrastructure through safe digging practices. In addition to these new team members, McKay Lyvers has moved to Managing Director – Public Awareness and Membership.
This builds out a solid, strategically based management team structure for Alabama 811 to better prepare for the technology and operations improvements and enhancements impacting the damage prevention industry.