Governor Ivey Taps Small Business Champion and Former Air Force Captain Stacia Robinson to Lead Alabama Office of Minority Affairs

MONTGOMERY – Governor Kay Ivey on Tuesday announced she is tapping Stacia Robinson to serve as director of the Alabama Office of Minority Affairs. Nichelle Nix, who has served in the role for the last six years, is moving to the private sector to practice law.

Robinson comes to the post from BeneChoice Companies, LLC, a benefits and financial choices company. She also serves as district manager of Colonial Life Insurance Company. The governor describes Robinson as a small business champion. Robinson’s expertise in business involvement includes employee benefits design and administration, as well as advertising consulting and professional speaking.

“As we prepare to turn the page and reset state government with the upcoming Inauguration in January, I am proud to assemble the strongest team possible to serve every Alabamian to the best of our abilities. Today in 2022, we can reflect on the significant progress we have made during my first term and can be excited for what work remains ahead, and I am proud to have Stacia Robinson be part of that effort,” said Governor Ivey. “From looking to engaging our students at Alabama’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities to supporting minority and women-owned businesses to ensuring every Alabamian has the opportunity to provide for their families, we are setting important and necessary goals and having Stacia at the helm of the Alabama Office of Minority Affairs will be instrumental. I am sure that good things are in store for our folks.”

Robinson also recently sold her BNI-Business Network Int’l Franchise, which she owned for 25 years. Further reiterating the fact that Robinson is a champion of small business, her involvement locally in Montgomery includes serving on the Industrial Development Board of Montgomery, the Leadership Council of the NFIB, the Alabama Small Business Commission, among many other ventures. She was also the first African American female to serve on the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce’s Board of Directors. As chairman of the Marketing & Promotions Task Force for the Council of Small Business Enterprises (COSBE), she won an ADDY award for the “Buy Greater Montgomery” campaign. Robinson is excited to bring her experience to the Ivey Administration.

“I am looking forward to serving the great state of Alabama in this role on behalf of women and minorities,” said Robinson. “I hope to bring my own experiences and curiosity of others to the role as this Administration strives to make ‘Alabama the Beautiful’ also Alabama the better for its citizens, especially for its women and all minorities.”

A military career brought this Denver, Colorado native to Alabama. While spending seven years in the Air Force as a communications-computer officer, she completed her Master of Science degree in Counseling and Human Development at Troy University in Montgomery. Prior to that, she received her Bachelor of Science in Mathematics degree from Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia. Governor Ivey remains focused on keeping Alabama innovative and preparing the state’s students and workforce for the economy of tomorrow, and she believes that Robinson will be a helpful hand in that effort.

Outgoing director, Nichelle Nix, added, “It has been an absolute honor to lay the foundation for the Alabama Office of Minority Affairs and to serve the people of Alabama for more than six years in this role. I am truly grateful to Governor Ivey for giving me this tremendous opportunity and look forward to all the good things I know are still to come from the Ivey Administration.”

Robinson’s appointment is effective January 1, ahead of the governor’s second term. Governor Ivey will be inaugurated Monday, January 16, 2023.