Meet your team of health and wellness experts with the know-how to help you move more, eat smarter, and be well.
Your Health & Wellbeing Team
Cindy Manwaring
Cindy Harmon has been the Wellness Coordinator for Alabama Power Company since 2011. She specializes in conceptualizing, developing, promoting and managing programs which assist employees and their families in adopting healthier lifestyles. She also provides nutrition, fitness and wellness counseling to employees in a one-on-one setting or by way of group presentations. Cindy sits on the SLS Committee where she plays a role in developing wellness-based programs for Southern Company as a whole. Externally, she is an active member of the Birmingham Wellness Committee where she helps provide guidance to regional companies as they work to develop their own successful wellness programs. Prior to working with Alabama Power Company, Cindy founded and directed the Athletes and Artists program, danced with a concert performance dance company, created and taught food science-based cooking classes to children at St. Vincent’s 119 and also had clientele for whom she provided healthy menu planning and meal preparation, kitchen clean-outs, grocery store tours, nutrition counseling and personal training. She graduated summa cum laude from The University of Alabama (Roll Tide, y’all!) with a Bachelor of Science degree in Human Environmental Science with a focus on Food and Nutrition. She is a CPT with the National Strength and Conditioning Association.
Sherry Smith
Sherry Smith is an Advocate I, HR Quality Healthcare. She joined the Empowered Health Team in April, 2024. In her role, she serves as the Advocate for APC and SCS-Alabama based employees and retirees, consults with vendors and advocates for the health and well-being of our employees.
Sherry began her career at Alabama Power in 2011 where she held previous roles as the Disability Leave of Absence Program Administrator and then as the Workers’ Compensation Program Administrator. Sherry has an extensive background in Human Resources and Disability Management, was a small business owner managing medical billing and transcription and was a Personnel Officer at UAB Hospital.
She is very passionate about fitness, wellness and living a healthy lifestyle. In her leisure time, Sherry enjoys yoga, hiking, working out and playing with her four grandchildren. She lives in Hoover and has two adult children.
Cole Billingsley
Operations Wellness Coordinator
Cole Billingsley supports our wellness program for SCS employees and is based at the Energy Center. He graduated with his degree in Sports Management from the University of South Alabama, while simultaneously playing collegiate baseball. Since 2016, after being drafted by the Baltimore Orioles, he has and continues to pursue a career in professional baseball. He has a deep background in fitness, exercise, nutrition and working with a team. Before Cole’s current role in wellness, he spent most of his time working with athletes in specific training, including physical and mental conditioning. He is passionate about helping others reach their goals and full potential in their health and wellness journey.
Michelle Smith
HR Analyst I, Health and Wellbeing
Vessa Michelle Smith works as an HR Analyst at Alabama Power Company. She joined the Health and Wellbeing team in May 2022. In her role, she supports quality and operations for Alabama Power Human Resources and contribute to a wide variety of people initiatives. As a Human Resources professional, Vessa focuses on establishing trust and building meaningful relationships with everyone she meets.
She is known for her amiable nature and enjoys engaging in conversations and getting to know people. Prior to joining Alabama Power in 2022, Vessa worked for Siemens Industry for 24 years, where she held various financial roles.. In 2010, Vessa graduated from Faulkner University with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration.
During her leisure time, Vessa enjoys activities such as traveling with her family, cooking, and, above all, shopping.
Angie Vilchez
HR Business Partner, Staff
Angie Odom Vilchez is a HR Business Partner, Staff that joined the Health & Wellbeing team in March 2023. She is responsible for providing answers to benefit inquiries from employees and retirees, serving as the vendor manager for VIVA Health, and working on special projects such as annual Safety Renewals, the Flu Tour and the Payroll Advocacy line.
Angie is a graduate of Samford University in Birmingham and holds a SHRM-SCP Certified Professional certification. She has over twenty-five years of HR and legal experience and began her career as a Litigation Paralegal with the law firms, Burr & Forman and Bradley, Arant Rose & White. Afterwards, she worked as a Project Manager for Fios, an electronic discovery company in Portland, Oregon. She later returned to Alabama as the Director of Corporate Partnerships at the Birmingham Regional Chamber of Commerce. Angie was then chosen to serve as Executive Coordinator to senior staff at the Birmingham Business Alliance where she managed Blueprint Birmingham, a long-term strategic planning process for the region.
Angie began her career at Alabama Power Company in 2011 and during her eleven years in HR Delivery she focused on performance management, workforce planning, and organizational realignments. She also served as a coordinator for the system-wide COVID accommodation project and facilitated the Power Delivery Student and Utility Assistant Hiring projects in 2022 and 2023.
She and her husband, Miguel live in Hoover and have two daughters, Lucia and Gabriela.
Our Instructors
Jennifer Berman
Jennifer’s love for moving her body began at the early age of 6 when she was introduced to her first classical ballet class at the School of Fine Arts. From that moment forward, Jennifer was hooked on being physically active. She continued dancing until the age of 20 and then began to lead private and group fitness classes at local gyms. She has worked in fitness for 20 years. With a desire to try something new, she attended her first yoga class in 2000. In 2001, Jennifer began teaching a vinyasa style yoga and has been teaching yoga ever since.
Brian Burns
Brian Burns is the Founder and CEO of Cahaba Fitness Inc. that he started in 2005. A Psychology/Sociology major and collegiate baseball player at the University of Montevallo, Brian has always enjoyed progressing and thriving Athletically, Physically and Intellectually. A Body Mechanics Expert by trade, Brian enjoys helping clients reach their full potential by studying/learning what truly motivates them, as well as knowing the right “teaching method” for each individual client to achieve ultimate success.
Crystal Evans
Crystal Evans is the founder and CEO of Revamp Health where she has been empowering men and women to meet their health and fitness goals since 2009. She is well known for her energetic classes that will get you moving and sweating, while still having fun. She is a National Council on Strength and Fitness certified trainer and specializes in personal training, boot camp, hip hop and boxing classes. Crystal emphasizes to her students that there are no quick fixes, but a healthy lifestyle is key.