Hollie Cost

Hollie Cost, Ph.D., is the Assistant Vice President of University Outreach and Public Service at Auburn University in Auburn, Alabama. She was the mayor of the Montevallo, Alabama, from 2012 until 2020, beginning her civic service as a Montevallo city council member in 2004. Her current projects include remapping Alabama’s system of providing government identifications to individuals who are incarcerated and increasing healthcare access across rural Alabama. She is a graduate of Leadership Alabama XXVIII and serves on the boards of directors for the National Issues Forum Institute and the David Mathews Center for Civic Life.

Main Hall Montevallo

Democracy Rising 19: Dialogue in Dixie

The literal heart of Dixie (the U.S. Deep South) is the very last place one might expect to see a community rallying around the idea of acceptance and inclusivity—especially if the community is a small town in Alabama declaring itself a safe, nurturing, and inviting space for LGBTQ+ individuals.

May 19, 2022