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A spirit that is not afraid

Tim Vines confirmed as AU trustee to replace Lloyd Austin

<p>Tim Vines will fill the vacancy left by Lloyd Austin, who resigned after being nominated as the 28th U.S. Secretary of Defense.</p>

Tim Vines will fill the vacancy left by Lloyd Austin, who resigned after being nominated as the 28th U.S. Secretary of Defense.

Tim Vines, the president and CEO of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama, has been confirmed to serve on the Auburn University Board of Trustees as an at-large senator. The Alabama Senate unanimously confirmed Vines to the position on Thursday to replace the seat of Lloyd Austin, who was confirmed as the 28th U.S. Secretary of Defense on Jan. 22 after a nomination from President Joe Biden in December.

Vines was born in LaFayette, Alabama, and is a 1988 Auburn graduate in finance. He played on Auburn's baseball team throughout his studies. He began working for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama in 1994 and was named chief operating officer of the company in November 2017. He was then elected as its president and CEO in March 2018, the first Black executive in the position.

Vines will now complete Austin's unexpired seven-year term which ends on Feb. 8, 2024.

“In addition to his business and management credentials, the Trustee Selection Committee nominated Tim Vines for the position because of his dedication to Auburn University and its students,” said Wayne Smith, president pro tempore of the board of trustees.

Vines is a lifetime member of the Auburn Alumni Association, a member of the 1856 Society and a member of the James E. Foy Loyalty Society. He was the University's 2018 summer commencement speaker. In 2019, the Birmingham Auburn Club awarded him its Distinguished Auburn Alumnus Award.

Vines was nominated to fill the vacant board seat by a selection committee made up of trustees Wayne Smith, James Pratt, Auburn Alumni Association board of directors members Regenia Sanders and Van Henley and Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey.


Tim Nail | Campus Editor

Tim Nail, junior in journalism, is the campus editor for The Auburn Plainsman.

@timmnail

timnail@auburn.edu


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