Birmingham - Jefferson County Port Authority

Spire’s Director of Economic Development for Alabama/Mississippi/Missouri

Mike Swinson is Spire’s Director of Economic Development for Alabama/Mississippi/Missouri. In his natural gas utility career over the past 30 years, he has served in a variety of capacities in large pipeline design and construction, operations management, corporate engineering/regulatory compliance, commercial/industrial business development, research and development administrator, and natural gas procurement/pipeline capacity management. He received his mechanical engineering degree from Auburn and MBA from Samford University and is a certified professional engineer in Alabama. He defines who he is through his personal vision statement – “be the architect of a legacy community of caring and cooperative people capable of high performance in any business environment.

Financial Advisor and Real Estate Investor

Mahari A. McTier is the CEO of Tier 1 Advisors, LLC, a financial services firm. Mahari is a Financial Advisor and Real Estate Investor with many years of experience in the financial services industry servicing clients in the public sector as an Investment Banker, and in the private sector as a Financial Advisor and Structured Settlement Consultant. He focuses on the needs of individuals, municipalities, small businesses, and not-for-profit organizations. He also manages a portfolio of real estate investments under the Tier 1 Property Solutions subsidiary, where he specializes in using creative finance acquisition strategies to offer lease options, rent to own, and owner finance opportunities to individuals seeking to become homeowners. Prior to starting Tier 1 Advisors, LLC Mahari worked as a Financial Advisor with AIG and as an Investment Banker with firms specializing in corporate and public finance.

Before working in the financial services industry Mahari worked as a committee assistant in the Alabama House of Representatives, a top aide to U.S. Congressman Earl F. Hilliard (AL), and worked on special projects for U.S. Congressman John Lewis (GA) through Faith and Politics. He also served his country from 1992- 2000 as a member of the Alabama Army National Guard. He worked for many years with the Chicago Urban League as a Financial Education/Entrepreneurship Instructor. He has received numerous acknowledgments and awards for his work and community services throughout his career. He has been featured and sought-after motivational, business, and financial speaker and seminar facilitator for many organizations across the country. He holds Series 7 (Stock Broker) and 66 (Investment Advisor Representative) securities licenses and is also a licensed life and health insurance professional.

Director of Business Development

Charles Williams II is director of business development at Charles Williams & Associates Inc., an architecture firm based in Birmingham, AL. Charles joined CWA after receiving a Bachelor of Architecture from Auburn University in 2006. He has helped to transform the identity and design culture of the company by seeking out and embracing new technologies and business opportunities. A firm believer in collaboration, Charles strives to foster an environment conducive to high levels of cooperation and communication in CWA’s business model and design approach. Living in Birmingham his entire life (except for his years at Auburn), Charles has seen the transformation of our great city and looks forward to being a part
of the continued change to come.

Senior Vice President of Customer Operations for Alabama Power Company

Jonathan Porter serves as Senior Vice President of Customer Operations for Alabama Power Company. Porter provides strategic leadership over customer operations, including the company’s business offices, Customer Service Center, Business Service Center, and Online Customer Care for the 1.4 million customers in Alabama.

Porter joined Alabama Power in 1991 as a Customer Accounting intern through the INROADS program, where he interned four summers with Alabama Power until graduation. He rejoined Alabama Power in 2000 and has held various positions of increasing responsibility to include Sr. Corporate Recruiter, Sr. HR Business Representative, Customer Service Supervisor, Assistant Business Office Manager, Lead H.R. Business Consultant, Assistant to the Executive Vice President of External Affairs, Birmingham Division Area Manager, Director Customer Service, Vice President of Human Resources & Ethics, and Birmingham Division Vice President.

Prior to joining Alabama Power, Porter worked as an Underwriting Analyst at Protective Life Corporation and as a Manager at INROADS, Inc.

Porter serves as a member of the board of directors for the Jefferson County Education Foundation, Jefferson County Economic and Industrial Development Authority, Birmingham Jefferson Inland Port Authority, United Way of Central Alabama, REV Birmingham Inc., Birmingham Business Alliance, Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, Alabama Power Foundation, Alabama Business Charitable Trust Fund, and A.G. Gaston Boys & Girls Club. Porter is an advisory board member of the Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham’s LGBTQ Fund. Porter is Chairman of the 2021 Birmingham World Games Foundation, serves as a Board Trustee of Tuskegee University, a member of the Tuskegee University Athletic Hall of Fame, and a member of the Newcomen Society of Alabama. Porter is a graduate of Leadership Birmingham, Leadership Alabama has been featured in Who’s Who in Black Alabama, was recognized as a “Top 40 under 40” by the Birmingham Business Journal, and was recognized as one of “20 leaders for the next 20 years” by Bhm Biz magazine.

Porter graduated cum laude from Tuskegee University with a B.S. degree in Business Administration. While at Tuskegee, Porter was a 4-year letterman in football and an

All-Conference Scholar-Athlete. Porter later received his MBA from The University of Alabama at Birmingham.

A native of Bessemer, Ala., Porter and his wife Kima are the proud parents of daughters Laila and Kailyn.

Balch and Bingham LLP

Partner | Birmingham

Education

• Tulane University Law School, J.D., 2007, Moot Court Board
• University of Mississippi, B.A., 2004, Economics, summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, Taylor Medal Recipient, Senior Class President, Ole Miss football and baseball teams

Bar Admissions

• Alabama, 2007

Chad Pilcher works on a wide array of political law and government relations matters. His practice focuses on assisting clients in complying with state and federal ethics and campaign finance law provisions, and he routinely provides advice on a variety of other general corporate compliance issues. Chad represents clients before government agencies and regularly reviews and analyzes legislation. He helps develop and implement workforce development strategies and provides guidance on regulations applicable to lobbyists, principals, and political committees.