In June 2021, Josh Carpenter was [https://www.al.com/news/birmingham/2021/05/southern-research-selects-new-president-and-ceo.html named president and CEO of Southern Research.] Before joining Southern Research, Carpenter served as director of the Innovation and Economic Opportunity Department for the City of Birmingham, where he led the city's efforts in workforce development, COVID recovery and business expansion. Previously, he worked as the director of External Affairs at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, as an assistant professor of economics at UAB and as a non-resident senior fellow at The Brookings Institution.