40 Years, 40 Alumni: Andrew Jennings on Giving Back What Leadership Gave Him

 

Andrew Jennings had already lived in Huntsville for several years by the time he joined LGH's L-27 class. But between constant work travel and the busyness of everyday life, he'd never really gotten to know the city he called home.

"When I went through Leadership, I had lived in Huntsville for a few years, but traveled a lot for work and never felt I knew the city," says Andrew, Chief Commercial Officer at Transcend.

That changed fast.

 

Understanding Who Makes the Decisions — and Meeting Them

For Andrew, the real value of LGH wasn't abstract civic education. It was specific, practical, and personal.

"Going through Leadership gave me an opportunity to really understand our city, how decisions are made and more importantly who makes them, and meet them personally," he says.

That shift — from being a resident of Huntsville to genuinely understanding how it works — opened a door to something Andrew clearly values even more: the chance to give back.

"The best gift has been to give back by volunteering and watching others go through the same change I had time and time again," he says.

 

A Lesson About the People of Huntsville

When asked what single lesson from his LGH experience has stuck with him, Andrew points not to a strategy or a skill, but to the character of the community itself.

"Huntsville is full of great people trying to do the right thing," he says, "and most of them have been through a Leadership Program!"

It's an observation that doubles as a quiet endorsement of the program's reach — four decades in, LGH alumni are woven throughout the fabric of the city's civic and business life.

 

(L-27 Small Group Project)

 

A Hall of Fame Honor

Since completing his LGH program, Andrew has racked up plenty of professional wins. But the accomplishment he's most proud of is one tied directly back to the organization that changed how he saw his city: being named an inaugural member of the LGH Hall of Fame.

"It means a lot to me personally to be recognized by such an impactful organization," he says.

 

Deep Connection, Not Small Talk

Asked to sum up what Leadership Greater Huntsville means to him in one sentence, Jennings doesn't hesitate to draw a distinction between the connections LGH builds and the kind of networking most people are used to.

"Leadership Greater Huntsville means connection — not superficial connection, but deep connections with highly engaged and influential members of our community."

For Andrew, that's the throughline of his entire LGH story: a program that turned a place he lived into a city he truly knew, and turned acquaintances into the kind of relationships worth building a career — and a community — around.

(Andrew receiving Hall of Fame Award in May 2026)