'Southern Winter 2019

CAMILLE SPRATLING ’98 (MPPM ’07)
Before Camille Spratling joined Railroad Park as the foundation’s executive
director, she was a Birmingham resident who shared the dream for an urban green
space – one that could bridge the north and south sides of the city.
Spratling saw the idea for a park move from this dream to a 19-acre landmark, and
she grew with the process. First serving as her neighborhood association’s president,
she soon became a Railroad Park Foundation board member before stepping in as
director a few months after the park opened in September 2010.
“There was a long history of people dreaming about the park, and so many different
people in the community made this dream a reality. The hope was that it would
be a place where all of Birmingham could come together — a tangible sign that
Birmingham was on the move,” Spratling says.
Her job involves a wide array of industries, from fundraising to event planning to
landscaping, and Spratling says her BSC education prepared her to juggle these roles.
“There’s no one track of study that could have prepared me for this role, but the
liberal arts education did. I was constantly pushed to see things in a new way or to
look at a problem from many different perspectives,” she says. “BSC also helped me
see how important service in the community is.”
As a student, Spratling was involved in service learning locally through Alpha
Omicron Pi and honor societies and abroad in Zimbabwe on an E-term trip. She
remembers experiencing what good service looks like as volunteers let go of themselves
and focused on the heart of the project. Now a director of a nonprofit, Spratling
frequently must do the same, and she encourages her volunteers to hold that mindset.
Prior to her current position, Spratling worked at Children’s of Alabama and in
the president’s office at BSC. She moved out of the city for a bit after graduation, but
she recognized Birmingham’s potential and saw the way the city was digging into
problems, working on issues, and growing rapidly.
Spratling herself had a part in Birmingham’s
revitalization through Railroad Park. Its
opening marked a surge of energy in the city’s
downtown. The green area, located between the
I knew we were going to
look back and see this shift
in Birmingham.
financial and health districts, introduced a new
vitality through a diverse range of activities and
events, from summer concerts to the holiday
magic of a winter ice skating rink.
“The park was a splash in the city. People
were stunned by how top-notch it was,” she
says, remembering the early days. “It caught
hold in a viral way. I knew we were going to
look back and see this shift in Birmingham.”
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