Andy Tunnell Serves as Board Chair for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society’s Alabama-Louisiana-Mississippi Chapter

Andy Tunnell, partner in the firm’s Birmingham office and member of the Energy Practice, is serving as Chair of the Board of Trustees for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society’s (NMSS) Alabama-Louisiana-Mississippi Chapter. In this role, Andy leads a dedicated group of volunteers tasked with advancing the Society's mission through community engagement, raising MS awareness, expanding financial resources, and fostering involvement in the MS movement.

Andy's two-year term as Board Chair began October 1, 2023. Under his leadership, the board supports initiatives to increase local awareness of MS and the services the Society provides to individuals living with the disease and their caregivers. Additionally, the board spearheads significant fundraising efforts to support these services and fund critical research aimed at developing treatments and, ultimately, finding a cure. 

“This is an exciting time because we are making real progress to help people who have been diagnosed with MS,” Andy said. “In the last seven years, we’ve gotten more treatments approved than in all prior years combined.  We now have approximately 30 FDA-approved treatments, and within the last few years, the MS Society has made significant advancement toward the pathway for a cure.”

At Balch, Andy has represented electric utilities for nearly 30 years with a particular emphasis on the regulation of transmission facilities and systems. This representation encompasses all aspects of such regulation, ranging from the development of initial policy and resulting regulations to compliance with such regulations as well as related litigation and appeals before federal courts.  Andy represents the transmission function of a major utility holding company system in the Southeast and the electric transmission owners in New York.    

Andy is recognized among The Best Lawyers in America® and was named "Lawyer of the Year" for energy law in Birmingham by the publication. 

In addition to Andy’s service to the National MS Society, Brandi Russell, Balch & Bingham’s Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer and Director of Talent Management, and Robert Humphrey, attorney in the firm’s Birmingham office and member of the Corporate & Commercial Practice, recently completed the 2024 Leadership Challenge in Birmingham. Their efforts were dedicated to fundraising, raising awareness, and advocating for programs benefiting the National MS Society.