Southeast Alabama Gas District has named Lori Messick the director of finance and administration and chief financial officer.

She succeeds Brian Dove, who is leaving to work with the Cullman-Jefferson Counties Gas District in Cullman, Ala.

Dove will remain at SEAGD until April to ensure a smooth transition of responsibilities.

“Lori is a talented accountant who has served our company since 2001,” said Greg Henderson, SEAGD’s president and chief executive officer. “She has provided significant financial and operational leadership to the company for more than 15 years, and we are excited to have her assume the role of CFO.”

In her role with SE-AGD, Messick has provided financial over-sight and guidance for some of the company’s largest customers, including Fort Rucker. She was also heavily involved in the company’s implementation of new financial and customer information platforms.

“I’m excited to have this opportunity to further serve our company and our com-muni-ties, and I look forward to working closely with our Board of Dire-ctors and owner cities,” Messick said. “We have a great leadership team, and I’m honored to be moving into this position.”

Also joining the company’s leadership team in 2016 is Shannon Jackson, who assumed her responsibilities as director of marketing and communications in January. Jackson has served the company in the area of marketing and communications since joining SEAGD in November 1998. She developed the company’s marketing strategy from the ground up, and is actively involved at a leadership level with national and state-wide industry associations.

“This is an exciting time in our industry, with more than 100 years of natural gas available in the United States, and technology that is advancing daily, it is more advantageous than ever before to utilize natural gas as an energy source industrially and residentially,” Jackson said. “The opportunity to serve Southeast Alabama Gas District at this level is a privilege, and I look forward to this heightened level of marketing and communications as I spend more time with our board of directors and staff members developing plans for our future.”

“This is a great time in the life of our company,” Henderson said. “With the advancement of Shannon and Lori, we have added to the energy and experience of our leadership team, and we are strongly positioned to serve our communities in new and innovative ways so that they may grow and thrive.”