Lester D. Smith, Jr.

Chief Financial Officer

Prior to his time at Southern Research, Lester served as the chief financial officer for the City of Birmingham, where he managed the city’s $452 million budget. In his time at the City, Smith’s accomplishments included modernizing the business license system, stabilizing the pension system, refinancing substantial debt, and restructuring budget items to save taxpayer money. He joins SR after most recently serving as North America finance director for Kysor Warren. Lester has also held leadership positions at YMCA of Greater Birmingham and at Honda Manufacturing of Alabama. He has a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Auburn University.