The Emory University Board of Trustees has elected Billy L. Harbert, chair and CEO of BL Harbert International LLC, a privately held company based in Birmingham, Alabama, which provides construction services throughout the world and is a leader in sustainable and design-build construction.

The Board of Trustees oversees the governance and long-term well-being of Emory by establishing policy and exercising fiduciary responsibility. The board may have up to 45 active trustees and each serves a six-year initial term; four-year renewable terms may follow.

Harbert grew up in the construction industry, serving as project engineer and project manager on pipeline, power and commercial construction projects in the U.S. operations of Bill Harbert International Construction, a company founded by his father, who helped pioneer the industry in Birmingham. In 1992, he shifted his focus to international operations of the company, becoming vice president that year and president in 1996. In 2000, he began construction operations of his own company, BL Harbert International LLC.

Harbert is a graduate of Auburn University with a bachelor’s degree in building science; he earned his MBA from Emory’s Goizueta Business School.

He is actively engaged in his community as a member of the Society of International Business Fellows and the Young President’s Organization. In his free time, he enjoys tennis, sailing, cycling, hiking, and fresh and saltwater fly fishing.