Huntsville-based financial adviser Phil Dotts has been appointed to the Alabama Commission on Higher Education by Gov. Bob Riley. Dotts appointment, which runs through 2018, is still subject to Senate confirmation next year.
Dotts is the president of Public FA Inc., which serves as financial adviser to the state and the Alabama Public School and College Authority.
The ACHE is a statewide 12-member commission appointed by the governor, lieutenant governor, and speaker of the House. It’s responsible for the planning and coordination of higher public education in Alabama, including the administration of various student aid programs.
“I may have to abstain from certain votes if it involves an institution that we have worked for, but ACHE is not involved in debt issuance or approving building plans, mostly approving new programs and that sort of thing,” Dotts said. “I will avoid conflicts, of course, but don’t really expect any at this point.”
Dotts formed Public FA in 2000 after 25 years in corporate and public finance work including stints with bank holding companies in North Carolina and Alabama, and as a partner in a regional investment banking firm.
His firm does independent advisory work for public, nonprofit, and corporate debt issuers in more than 30 states.
