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Two men with deep backgrounds in business leadership and nonprofit service in Alabama have joined the board steering the Alabama School of Healthcare Sciences Foundation.

Edward A. (Ted) Hosp and Alfred (Freddy) Padilla Jr. join the board at a critical juncture — following a hard-fought approval in the Alabama Legislature that Gov. Kay Ivey formalized last month and as the Foundation accelerates its push to have the school educating future healthcare professionals by the fall of 2026.

Hosp is an attorney and vice president of governmental affairs for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama, which he joined in 2018. Before that, he spent 20 years as chair of Maynard Cooper & Gale’s Governmental & Regulatory Affairs legal practice group and has also taught government ethics and election law as an adjunct professor at the University of Alabama School of Law.

His nonprofit service has included the boards of the Legal Services of Alabama, the Children First Foundation, the Children’s Aid Society, and The Frank M. Johnson Foundation. He also formed the 7th Project, a nonprofit that facilitates internships in the office of U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell, D-Selma, for deserving college students.

Hosp views ASHS as another vehicle to open doors. “There is a real need for talented young people to join the healthcare workforce around the country but especially here in Alabama,” he said. “I am incredibly honored and excited to be a part of the Foundation as we help make this opportunity a reality.”

Padilla has worked in external affairs for Alabama Power for 13 years, currently serving as assistant to the senior vice president. Before that, he was federal affairs manager in Washington, D.C., having started in public relations and government affairs in the company’s western division.

He serves on the board of directors of Alabama Black Belt Adventures, the ZeroZero Foundation, and the Alabama Business Coalition in Washington, D.C., and is an active member of the Alabama Wildlife Federation.

Padilla, a Demopolis native, sees the long-range potential of the ASHS. “The recent plans and collaboration to address workforce needs across our state are exciting,” he said. “I look forward to helping focus on ASHS’s mission of training the healthcare workforce of tomorrow and helping students activate employment through partnerships that will benefit the entire state of Alabama.”

The Alabama High School of Healthcare Sciences will provide a STEM-focused curriculum and hands-on training that will enable students to enter in-demand healthcare professions directly in areas of critical need or to pursue more advanced medical education. It is being created conceptually and physically from the ground up, according to Foundation Chair Rob Pearson.

“Both Ted Hosp and Freddy Padilla bring leadership skills and a strong network to our Foundation’s board,” Pearson said. “More important, they care deeply about the youth of our state, and they are committed to helping our organization support a school that will serve Alabama’s rural healthcare workforce needs.”

About the ASHS Foundation

The Alabama School of Healthcare Sciences Foundation is a charitable, 501c3 organization with the sole purpose of providing both financial and educational support for the Alabama School of Healthcare Sciences, scheduled to open in the fall of 2026. This residential, specialty high school, part of the Alabama public school system, will offer curricula, instruction and work-based training focused on the health sciences to prepare students for career-readiness in the healthcare industry. Among the chief purposes of the school is to alleviate the rural healthcare workforce shortage in Alabama.