Cade Warner, president and CEO of the Westervelt Company, has been tapped to join the Alabama School of Healthcare Sciences Foundation, ASHS, Board of Directors. The foundation is constructing the nation’s first “free, public, residential high school dedicated exclusively to preparing the next generation of medical professionals in partnership with educational and healthcare institutions” in Demopolis, with a groundbreaking ceremony scheduled for next month.
The foundation celebrated Warner joining the board in a recent press release, touting his family’s legacy in western Alabama.
“Cade Warner is representing the current generation of the Westervelt Warner family by carrying on the family’s legacy of commitment to the area’s future as he joins the board of the Alabama School of Healthcare Sciences Foundation (ASHS) Board of Directors,” the release states. “A native of Tuscaloosa, Warner is President and Chief Executive Officer of The Westervelt Company, the 141-year-old family business formerly known as Gulf States Paper Corporation.”
“The Westervelt Company specializes in sustainable forestry, wood products, ecological services, recreation, real estate, and natural resource conservation with much of their portfolio residing in western Alabama,” it continues. “Warner brings extensive corporate, civic and philanthropic leadership to the Foundation, which supports development of the ASHS in Demopolis.”
Warner himself expressed excitement about joining the ASHS Foundation Board.
“Demopolis holds a special place in Westervelt’s history, and it is an honor to help build something so important here for Alabama’s future,” said Warner. “The Alabama School of Healthcare Sciences will not only provide high-quality education for students from across the state, but it will also create a powerful pipeline to meet critical healthcare workforce needs for our state’s rural communities.”
President and CEO of the ASHS Foundation Scott Huffman described Warner as a natural fit for the foundation.
“Cade Warner’s experience and leadership will have an immeasurable impact on our foundation and school,” said Huffman. “If I was compiling a profile on the perfect board member, I would copy and paste Cade’s resume. His love of Alabama, particularly the Black Belt region, and his desire to transform education and healthcare will serve this school and our foundation immediately.”
Warner became CEO of the Westervelt Company in 2024 after previously serving as chief operating officer, chief sustainability officer, director of Business Development and Improvement, and Continuous Improvement manager. Warner also has previous experience working with Conservation Forestry, Hancock Natural Resource Group, the U.S. Senate Banking Committee, and the Alabama Forestry Association.
Warner holds a bachelor’s degree in commerce and business administration and an MBA from the University of Alabama, as well as a master’s degree in forest resources with a specialization in forest business from the University of Georgia.
In addition to his new role on the ASHS Foundation Board, Warner also serves on the West Alabama Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, Leadership Tuscaloosa, United Way of West Alabama’s Young Leadership Society, Rotary International, World Forestry Center, the Tuscaloosa Rotary Foundation Board, and the University of Alabama’s Culverhouse College of Business Board of Visitors. He has also served on national and industry boards including the Wood Products Council | WoodWorks, American Wood Council, National Alliance of Forest Owners, and the Alabama Productivity Center.
ASHS is set to welcome its first freshman class in August of 2026 at a separate “mini-campus” on the grounds of the University of West Alabama in Livingston before the permanent 10-acre residential campus in Demopolis opens in fall of 2027. According to ASHS, final decisions are currently being made on “healthcare career pathways and curricula” that will allow the organization to begin recruiting faculty, staff and students.
