Alabama School of Healthcare Sciences hires Dr. James Martin to serve as its first president

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February 28, 2025

Alabama School of Healthcare Sciences (ASHS) has hired a new president on the heels of a nationwide search, according to the future school’s foundation’s board.

At a meeting on Friday, the ASHS announced Dr. James “Jimmy” Martin, current superintendent of schools in Pell City and St. Clair County, has been hired for the job to lead the continued development of the specialized high school which is scheduled to open in the Fall of 2026.

“We are delighted to find someone who not only understands the complexity of ASHS but who is so willing to commit to its development and to attracting the students, faculty and staff who will fulfill its mission from the outset,” said Mike Warren, president of the ASHS board of trustees.

Located in rural Demopolis, the first class — expected to be between 100-110 freshman — arrives less than a year from now.

ASHS is the fourth school in the state network of tuition-free, residential specialty high schools in the Alabama public school system and one of just 10 healthcare focused high schools in the entire nation.

In partnership with Whitfield Regional Hospital, a member of the UAB Health System, the ultimate goal of the school is to help the state’s rural healthcare crisis.

“When you can make education relevant, students will buy in,” said Martin. “We will be offering something far beyond a traditional high school, and that kind of engagement and the experiences at our school will be what attract and retain students. The pathways and curriculum that are being developed right now are what will inspire students and their families to commit, and what will ultimately get the healthcare pipeline flowing into rural communities in a way that will transform the quality of life.”

The goal for the school as described by Martin is not just to train more healthcare providers in rural Alabama, but to create a growing passion for the field.

“[Our goal is] creating a passion for the work and for being exposed to the rewards of healthcare and meeting the needs of people in rural Alabama,” he said.

In addition to Pell City, Martin has worked as the superintendent for multiple districts in Georgia – Harris County and Chattahoochee County – where he guided both to honors for academic achievement and received the Georgia School Superintendents Association President’s Award.

Michael Brauner is a Senior Sports Analyst and Contributing Writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @MBraunerWNSP and hear him every weekday morning from 6 to 9 a.m. on “The Opening Kickoff” on WNSP-FM 105.5, available free online.