News & Insights

Ashby Pate Elected Chair of Birmingham Airport Authority Board

September 24, 2024

On September 17, the Birmingham Airport Authority (BAA) board of directors elected Lightfoot, Franklin & White LLC partner R. Ashby Pate as chair for the 2024-2025 term. Pate joined the BAA board in 2020 and has been secretary since 2022. 

Pate’s involvement in several BAA committees has contributed to the successful execution of critical projects for the airport. Among other initiatives, Pate spearheaded the Fred Shuttleworth mural installation in the airport concourse, a project done in collaboration with his 2022 Leadership Birmingham class and globally recognized artist Rico Gatson. 

“This is an exciting time for the airport,” said Pate. “Passenger traffic is nearing record levels, having fully recovered from the pandemic, and we are preparing to welcome a new airline to BHM in October. “It’s an honor to serve as chair, and I look forward to continuing our work to grow the airport and serve this community.”

Pate focuses his practice on complex government investigations, commercial plaintiffs litigation, appellate work, and catastrophic injury. He routinely takes on some of the firm’s most controversial matters, including prosecuting a high-profile case that led to the suspension of a former chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court. As an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of Palau, Pate helped design the island nation’s first-ever jury trial system. He is one of 50 distinguished lawyers and judges in Alabama currently serving on the American Law Institute and was inducted as a Fellow into the Alabama Law Foundation in 2020.