Department of Commerce

Ellen McNair was appointed as secretary of the Alabama Department of Commerce on January 1, 2024 by Governor Kay Ivey. Prior to joining Commerce, McNair served as the chief economic development officer for the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce.

While at the Chamber, she successfully located 600 national and international projects with a combined capital investment exceeding $8 billion, resulting in the creation of almost 30,000 new jobs for the community. During her tenure, the Montgomery Chamber’s Corporate Development Division was named a Top 20 Economic Development Organizations in the U.S. by Site Selection Magazine four times.

Additionally, with 40 years of economic development experience, she holds the designation of Certified Economic Developer (CEcD) by the International Economic Development Council, making her one of a handful of economic development professionals in Alabama with this designation.

McNair attended Auburn University and is a graduate of the Economic Development Institute at the University of Oklahoma.

She is married to Joe McNair. The couple has two children and six grandchildren.