Southern Company provides $100K donation to MTSU Daniels Center

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — For the third consecutive year, Atlanta, Georgia-based Southern Company has provided a substantial donation to the Charlie and Hazel Daniels Veterans and Military Family Center at Middle Tennessee State University.

Through its Alabama Power, Georgia Power and Southern Company Gas foundations, Southern Company collectively donated $100,000 to the Daniels Center in mid-August in Nashville.

Representing the Daniels Center, Keith M. Huber, MTSU senior adviser for veterans and leadership initiatives, accepted the check from Jim Kerr, Southern Company chairman, president and CEO; Brandon Dillard, Alabama Power senior vice president of resource strategy and stakeholder engagement; Lindsay Hill, Georgia Power senior vice president of human resources; and Sloane Drake, Southern Company executive vice president and chief human resources officer.

Huber, a retired U.S. Army lieutenant general, marked the occasion by saying “the actual level of (Southern Company) support is simply significant over the last three years.”

Huber noted that Southern Company, which actively recruits veterans, service members and spouses by participating in military recruitment events, is known for its partnership with military transition centers.

During Southern Company executives’ time with MTSU representatives in Nashville, Dillard presented Huber with an Alabama state flag and certificate of recognition and commendation from Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey, acknowledging the state flag was flown at the Alabama Capitol on Aug. 1, honoring Huber’s “38 years of distinguished service in the U.S. Army.”

On behalf of Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey, Brandon Dillard, left, Alabama Power senior vice president of resource strategy and stakeholder engagement, presents a certification of recognition and commendation to Keith M. Huber, Middle Tennessee State University senior adviser for veterans and leadership initiatives and retired U.S. Army lieutenant general, earlier this summer in Nashville, Tenn. The certificate of recognition said Huber “exemplifies the highest ideals of leadership, courage and commitment. … Your life’s work is a testament to selfless service and unwavering dedication.” (Photo by Bass Photography)

“You exemplify the highest ideals of leadership, courage and commitment. Lt. Gen. Huber, your life’s work is a testament to selfless service and unwavering dedication,” the governor wrote in the certificate of recognition. “The State of Alabama extends its profound gratitude for your invaluable service to our nation’s security and your continued dedication to supporting and empowering our veterans.”

Huber said he and the Daniels Center “have received numerous inquiries for assistance from the veterans and military family employees. I have traveled to Alabama and to Georgia to make presentations and offer encouragement to their veteran population.

“We have been cited as the possible level of success, and our actions have shaped the creation of their Veterans Center in Alabama. We have been a realistic role model.”

The 3,200-square-foot Daniels Center, located in Keathley University Center Rooms 124 and 316 in the heart of campus, assists approximately 1,100 student veterans and family members annually. It is the largest and most comprehensive veterans center on any Tennessee higher education campus.

The Daniels Center’s mission is to provide transition services for veterans and their families as they return to civilian life after military service.

For more information about the Daniels Center, visit https://www.mtsu.edu/military/ or call 615-904-8347.

— Randy Weiler (Randy.Weiler@mtsu.edu)