Katie Boyd Britt

MONTGOMERY — A staffer in the office of Sen. Richard Shelby will be the next president of the Business Council of Alabama.

The Montgomery-based organization says Shelby chief of staff Katie Boyd Britt will take over the job on Jan. 2.

She will replace Billy Canary, who was forced out earlier this year after some of the group’s largest members withdrew in dissatisfaction over leadership.

Alabama Power Co. chief executive Mark Crosswhite says in a statement that Britt has worked with many elected officials and businesses as Shelby’s top staff member.

The Business Council has an influential lobbying presence at the Statehouse.

Britt becomes the first female named as president of the Business Council. The Enterprise native is a former student government president at the University of Alabama. She’s married to Cullman native Wesley Britt.