Meet your team of health and wellness experts with the know-how to help you move more, eat smarter, and be well.
Your Empowered Health Team
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.
Your Wellness Team
Cindy Manwaring
Cindy Harmon-Manwaring is a seasoned wellness professional with over a decade of experience in employee health and wellbeing. From 2011 to 2023, she served as the Wellness Coordinator for Alabama Power Company, where she designed, promoted, and managed programs that empowered employees and their families to lead healthier lives. Her work included program and campaign design plus one-on-one and group counseling in nutrition, fitness, and overall wellness.
In 2023, Cindy continued as an Alabama Power Company employee but transitioned into her current role as a Wellbeing Strategist for Southern Company, where she applies her expertise to support wellbeing initiatives across the system. She continues to champion holistic health strategies that make a meaningful impact on workplace culture.
Cindy has also contributed to the broader wellness community as a member of the Birmingham Wellness Committee, offering guidance to regional companies developing their own wellness programs.
Her earlier career reflects her creative and community-focused spirit—she danced with a concert performance company, launched outreach programs for youth tennis and cross-country camps, taught food science-based cooking classes to children at St. Vincent’s 119, and provided personalized services including nutrition counseling, healthy menu planning, kitchen makeovers, grocery store tours, and personal training.
Cindy graduated summa cum laude from the University of Alabama with a Bachelor of Science in Human Environmental Sciences, focusing on Food and Nutrition. (Roll Tide, y’all!)
She is married to Chandler Manwaring and is the proud mom of a son. They have a golden retriever named Sunny, and two cats, Sal and LJ. Cindy enjoys longboarding with her family and currently serves with the youth in her church.