by Alander Rocha, Alabama Reflector
June 5, 2025

The Alabama State Employees’ Insurance Board (SEIB) has narrowed its search for a CEO to three finalists from an initial pool of 49 individuals.

Members of the SEIB executive committee on Wednesday laid out a timeline for the final selection process, which started after William Ashmore, the board’s outgoing CEO of SEIB, which oversees health insurance for state employees, announced his retirement in March. The three remaining candidates were selected after initial screenings and interviews conducted by ITAC Solutions, a Birmingham-based recruiting firm, based on criteria established by the board, including leadership and industry experience.

“I believe that the list does reflect a strong group of individuals who will align competencies,” said Charles Baughman, a consultant with ITAC Solutions, which conducted the candidate search for the board.

After the meeting, Ashmore said that “as far as (he knows),” Sally Corley, chief operating officer of the board, was one of the three candidates selected to interview for the position. Corley has worked for the board since 2013 and was the board director of government affairs before becoming COO.

“With her 12 years of experience (with SEIB), she was one of the most qualified internal candidates we had,” Ashmore said after the meeting, adding that she expressed interest in the position.

Corley would be the first woman to lead the board. Prior to Ashmore’s tenure as CEO, which started in 1988, the board was under the Retirement Systems of Alabama and led by CEO David Bronner.

Corley said in a text message that she applied for the position but still did not know if she was a finalist.

The selection process will proceed as follows:

• Finalist information will be presented to the board chair for distribution to the full board, allowing members to review the materials and prepare questions.
• The executive committee will interview the candidates in an open meeting on June 16, using questions submitted in advance by the full board.
• At the end of the June 16 meeting, the executive committee will vote to select their preferred candidate and present that recommendation to the full board.
• The full board will convene on June 18 to hold a final vote on whether to accept or reject the executive committee’s recommendation.

Ashmore said during the meeting that his timeline for retirement is flexible to allow a smooth transition. A new hire could potentially start as soon as July 1, but the board agreed that an external candidate, especially one from out of state, may need at least a month after being hired.

“If the need is not there, then I’ll go ahead and retire on July 1,” Ashmore said.

Alabama Reflector is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Alabama Reflector maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Brian Lyman for questions: info@alabamareflector.com.

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Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.

Political Bias Rating: Centrist

This article reports factually on the selection process for a new CEO of the Alabama State Employees’ Insurance Board without exhibiting ideological language or framing. It focuses on procedural details, candidate qualifications, and timeline specifics, avoiding political commentary or policy advocacy. The tone is neutral, providing straightforward information about a state government administrative matter without apparent partisan lean or bias.