Regions Financial Honors Civil Rights Pioneer Odessa Woolfolk with Fourth-Annual History in Motion Award

Online, March 14, 2012 (Newswire.com) - BIRMINGHAM, Ala.- In celebration of Black History Month, Regions Financial honored civil rights pioneer Odessa Woolfolk and presented her with the company's fourth-annual History in Motion award at a Feb. 28 reception held at Regions' headquarters in Birmingham, Ala.

Bill Horton, North Central Alabama area president for Regions Bank, presented Woolfolk with the award in recognition of her commitment to education and public service, including her leadership role in creating and sustaining the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute.

"Odessa Woolfolk's commitment to making life better in Alabama and beyond continues to be an inspiration to people everywhere," said Horton. "At Regions we know that we are only as successful as the communities we serve and we are pleased to recognize the many contributions that Odessa Woolfolk and countless others have made to promote civil liberty, education and economic justice for all people."

This is the fourth year Regions Financial has presented the "History in Motion" award, which honors prominent African Americans with ties to Regions' headquarters state of Alabama. Previous honorees include Dr. Bernice King, Dr. Richard Arrington Jr., and the Honorable U.W. Clemon.

Woolfolk is recognized nationally for her work as both an educator and civic activist. She played a leadership role in creating and sustaining the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, an internationally recognized museum in Birmingham, Ala. depicting the struggles and victories of the American civil rights movement. Woolfolk was one of the founders of Leadership Birmingham and has served on the boards of dozens of civic, community, corporate, and public policy organizations.

Born in the Titusville community of Birmingham, she graduated from A.H. Parker High School, then earned a bachelor's degree in history and political science at Talladega College and an master's degree in urban studies at Occidental College in California. She has done additional graduate study at the University of Chicago and was a National Urban Fellow at Yale University.

Woolfolk began her career as a teacher at Birmingham's Ullman High School, and then moved into public policy work with the Urban Reinvestment Task Force, Washington, D.C.; New York State Urban Development Corporation, New York City; YWCA, Utica, N.Y.; and Arbor Hill Community Center and Inter-Racial Council, Albany, N.Y. In the 1970s, she returned home to Alabama as executive director of the Birmingham Opportunity Industrialization Center and associate executive director of the Jefferson County Committee for Economic Opportunity. For twenty-one years, she served the University of Alabama at Birmingham as director of the Center for Urban Affairs; lecturer in political science and public affairs; staff associate, Center for International Programs; and Assistant to the President for Community Relations.

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Regions Financial Corporation, with $127 billion in assets, is a member of the S&P 500 Index and is one of the nation's largest full-service providers of consumer and commercial banking, wealth management, trust, mortgage and insurance products and services. Regions serves customers in 16 states across the South, Midwest and Texas, and through its subsidiary, Regions Bank, operates approximately 1,700 banking offices and more than 2,000 ATMs. Its investment and securities brokerage trust and asset management division, Morgan Keegan & Company Inc., provides services from over 90 offices. Additional information about Regions and its full line of products and services can be found at www.regions.com.