Former Alabama secretary of state John Merrill joins engineering firm

John Merrill, Alabama's former secretary of state, has joined a Jackson, Mississippi-based engineering firm as its director of public policy.

According to a Thursday news release from Waggoner Engineering, Merrill will work at the firm's office in Birmingham. Waggoner provides services in engineering, economic development, planning and program management.

"Merrill will be responsible for building client relationships and developing opportunities for Waggoner in Alabama, adding value to our clients through extensive experience working with state and local government," the news release states.

Merrill earned a bachelor of arts degree in history and political science at the University of Alabama, where he was also elected Student Government Association president. He served as Alabama's secretary of state from 2014-2022. In that role, Merrill was responsible for overseeing Alabama's business filings and the state's elections process.

In 2010, Merrill was elected to the Alabama Legislature as representative of House District 62, which includes parts of Tuscaloosa County.

Before launching a political career, Merrill worked as director of business development for the Chamber of Commerce of West Alabama and the director of community relations and community education for the Tuscaloosa County Board of Education.

Wes Allen, the son of state Sen. Gerald Allen, replaced Merrill as secretary of state by winning the post in the November 2022 general election. The elder Allen represents District 21, which includes parts of Lamar, Pickens and Tuscaloosa counties.

Reach Ken Roberts at ken.roberts@tuscaloosanews.com.

This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Former Alabama secretary of state John Merrill joins engineering firm