Gov. Robert Bentley this week appointed Andalusia Mayor Earl V. Johnson to the board of trustees of Troy University.

The Board of Trustees has full management over Troy University. There are 13 voting members elected for 12 year terms. Members serve without compensation.

“Mayor Earl Johnson has been the model TROY alumnus, serving as a member of our Foundation Board of Directors, chairman of our Sports Hall of Fame Board of Advisors, and a driving force behind the creation of our planned giving society. His family’s generosity led to the complete redesign and upgrade of our main Quad on the Troy Campus. His leadership and expertise in matters of policy will enhance an already strong Board of Trustees,” said Dr. Jack Hawkins Jr., chancellor.

Johnson said, “It is indeed an honor to receive an appointment to the Troy University Board of Trustees. It has always been a goal of mine to serve on that board, and I look forward to looking with all the other great board members and with the outstanding administration, including Dr. Jack Hawkins Jr., to make Troy University the best it can be.”

Johnson’s ties to Troy date back to his childhood, when his mother decided to pursue an education degree. She and her three young sons lived in Troy during the week while she attended school, and they came home to Andalusia most weekends.

“Our family’s associations with Troy are strong,” he said, adding that he also had a brother, cousins and a nephew who are Troy grads.

“But you see this all over this area,” Johnson said. “This university has had a tremendous impact. A lot of people, like my family, have been touched in a very positive way by Troy University.”

Johnson enrolled in Auburn as an undergraduate, but later transferred to Troy where he earned a bachelor’s degree in economics in 1970. He went on to earn a law degree from Samford University’s Cumberland School of Law.

He entered politics in 2000, when he was first elected mayor of Andalusia. He was elected again in 2008 and reelected in 2012.

The Alabama Senate will be asked to confirm Johnson’s appointment in its 2016 session.