On Wednesday, May 13, Alabama Governor Kay Ivey spoke to business and community leaders during the Huntsville/Madison County Chamber’s 2026 Alabama Update luncheon at the Von Braun Center.

During her speech, Ivey highlighted economic development, education gains, and infrastructure investment across the state.

Ivey began her address by stating that her administration’s focus on key areas had led to unprecedented success for Alabama.

“Since I took office in 2017, Alabama has seen record investments totaling more than $69 billion dollars, which has created 100,000 jobs and counting. A great deal of that activity is happening right here in the Huntsville/Madison County area,” she said.

Ivey pointed to several recent North Alabama projects as examples of that momentum.

“Just last week, Blue Origin announced they were adding another 100 jobs to their Huntsville facilities. I joined you all in December to announce that Eli Lilly was making the largest initial investment in our state’s history by locating that new facility here,” she said.

The governor also credited North Alabama leaders, businesses, and workers for helping drive the state’s economic success.

“This type of success happens because of everyone here today, your local leaders, your legislative delegations, your chamber, your companies, your workforce,” Ivey said.

Education was another major focus of Ivey’s address. She told the crowd that statewide literacy initiatives, funding, and turnaround school efforts have contributed to measurable improvement in Alabama’s education system, even pointing out one area school.

“Thanks to our turnaround school initiative, some of the most challenged schools are improving at twice the statewide rate. That includes Huntsville’s MLK Jr. Elementary School,” Ivey said.

She continued, “Together with the legislature this past session, we passed the largest ever education budget in our state’s history. We are investing more today in public education than at any point in our state’s history.”

Infrastructure investment remains critical to Alabama’s continued growth, according to Ivey. During the event, she highlighted road, bridge, and broadband projects funded through the Rebuild Alabama program.

“We have to continue investing in our infrastructure,” Ivey said.

While speaking about transportation funding, the governor said projects across the state, including the widening of I-565, would not have been possible without Alabama’s fuel tax revenue increases.

“These projects, to put it simply, would not be possible without the gas tax proceeds,” Ivey said.

Ivey also praised Alabama’s affordable standard of living, saying the state continues to receive national attention for its economic policies.

“Here in Alabama, we put our nose to the grindstone and implement major policies so much so that when I’m at these types of gatherings, other governments want to know our recipe for success,” she said.

The governor also encouraged attendees to support strong leadership at the state level, and again, noted the strength of local government leaders.

“To that end, to have success, we must continue to have good leaders in elected office. I can make a case that your North Alabama legislative delegation is the strongest in the state,” Ivey said.

Ivey is currently the longest continuously serving governor in Alabama history and was sworn into office on April 10, 2017.

At the end of the luncheon, Ivey was recognized for her decades of service and her role in supporting economic growth across Huntsville and the surrounding area.

Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle thanked Ivey for her partnership on major economic development initiatives in North Alabama. Battle pointed to projects including Mazda Toyota, Blue Origin, and Redstone Arsenal, Amazon and others as examples of the strong alliance between local and state leaders.

“Governor Ivey, on behalf of the people of Huntsville and the whole labor shed across North Alabama, 1.2 million people who have jobs at those places that you brought here, thank you for your work and thank you for the great partnership,” Battle said.

Battle, City of Madison Mayor Renee Bartlett, and Madison County Commission Chairman Rex Vaughn presented a joint resolution declaring May 13, 2026, as Governor Kay Ivey Day.

Ivey’s term will end in January 2027. Alabama voters will elect the state’s next governor during the November 2026 midterm election.