U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Auburn), the leading candidate to be the state’s next governor, recently announced his “Golden Age Action Team,” which will help transition him to the state’s highest office should he win in November’s general election.
In a Thursday release, Tuberville’s campaign announced the team that will “prepare the Tuberville administration to clean up Montgomery and fundamentally change how state government operates.”
The Golden Age Action Team includes Jordan Doufexis, Jonathan Gray, Gibson Vance, Jim McLane, Chad Witcher, Loree Skelton, Bruce Culpepper, Reid Dove and Kyle Burt.
“This is a team of heavy hitters,” Tuberville said. “And each and every member is an Alabamian with deep roots in our state. Most importantly, there are no lobbyists, legislators, or former elected officials involved with this. Instead, the team is made up of successful Alabamians who have led major companies, built businesses, reformed government, managed large organizations, and prosecuted cases at the highest levels. They know how to make hard decisions and cut through the bull. We’re going to streamline our state government and sell Alabama's values, beauty, and southern grit to the world.”
He continued, “We’re going to snap the ball when the whistle blows. That’s why we started preparing in 2025. Most politicians wait until they win to start figuring out how to deliver on what they promised. We’re not going to spend our first year holding meetings and making excuses. We’re going to walk in prepared and ready to win on day one.”
According to Tuberville’s campaign, the team is conducting “top-to-bottom” reviews to find unnecessary spending in multiple state departments, agencies, boards, and commissions. That includes prisons, public safety, transportation, health care, education, energy and economic development.
The group is reportedly consulting with conservative leaders in neighboring states through Southeastern Conservatives, which Tuberville’s campaign called “an SEC of government,” to identify successful reforms Alabama can implement “quickly and effectively.”
A well-known face to Tuberville’s team, Doufexis, Tuberville’s longtime chief of staff, is leading the team.
“Coach has given us a clear assignment: find the waste, expose the duplication, and build a government that doesn’t waste a single cent that comes in from the Alabama taxpayers,” Doufexis said. “We are not coming to Montgomery to maintain the status quo. We’re going to ask the hard questions, make the tough recommendations, and give Coach a plan to clean up the place.”
Gray is a well-known Alabama-based political consultant, public relations strategist and founding partner of the Mobile-based firm Strategy. He has served in and aided multiple political campaigns in the state.
Vance is a long-time trial lawyer who has served as president of the Alabama State Bar. He is currently president of the Southern Trial Lawyers Association and a past president of the American Association of Justice.
Culpepper retired as president and country chair of Shell Oil Company, holding a four-decade career with the company.
Dove, the transportation specialist of the team, is the current chairman of AAA Cooper Transportation and has served on the board of directors of Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings since 2021.
McLane is the founder and owner of NaphCare, a national correctional health care company which recently secured an emergency contract with the Alabama Department of Corrections.
Witcher is chief operating officer, co-founder, and partner of Synergi Partners, a national firm focused on tax incentives. He also serves as the chairman of Tuberville’s gubernatorial campaign finance committee.
Skelton is a health care attorney, businesswoman and real-estate developer with more than four decades of experience. In addition to serving on the Alabama Cannabis Commission, she is the owner and developer of South Haven Surgical Plaza. She has previously served as an administrative law judge and Deputy Attorney General for the state.
Burt is president of KyKenKee, a family-run industrial wood-products company. The company operates its own fleet of trucks and specialized trailers. Tuberville’s campaign says Burt brings experience in rural economic development, forestry, manufacturing, logistics and workforce management.
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