Lt. Governor Will Ainsworth announced Friday that former State Rep. Connie Rowe will serve as his new Chief of Staff following Catherine Gayle Fuller’s departure into the private sector after years of service in the Lt. Governor’s office.

Lawmakers will to Montgomery on Tuesday when the Alabama Legislature reconvenes for the 2026 regular session and the final year of the current quadrennium.

“Connie Rowe is a veteran of the Alabama State House, and she has certainly demonstrated the leadership skills and experience necessary to guide my staff through the end of the quadrennium,” Ainsworth said on Friday.

“Catherine Gayle served our office well throughout her tenure, and we wish her God’s blessings as she accepts the opportunity that has been offered to her.”

Rowe is already a familiar face in Ainsworth’s inner circle. After serving two terms representing Walker County in the Alabama House, she announced in 2022 she would not seek reelection and instead joined Ainsworth’s office as a top advisor.

“From day one, Lt. Gov. Ainsworth promised Alabamians that his office would be the most active, engaged, and hardest working in the history of our state, and I remain committed to helping him fulfill that mission,” Rowe said.

“With issues ranging from workforce development to military infrastructure to aerospace industry expansion and others, the lieutenant governor has given us a full plate to keep us busy throughout the coming year.”

Before Rowe arrived in the Legislature, she built a career in law enforcement in Walker County.

She served as an investigator in the Walker County District Attorney’s Office, becoming the first woman to hold that role, and later became the first female police chief in the City of Jasper.

In Montgomery, she developed a reputation as a leader within the Republican Caucus.

Fellow members elected her Vice Chair of the Alabama House Republican Caucus, another post she became the first woman in state history to hold.