About Ken
BIOGRAPHY OF KEN GUIN
Representative Ken Guin was born on January 23, 1962. He is married to the former Tanya McGough, an Assistant Principal in the Walker County School System. Representative and Mrs. Guin have two children, James Kenneth (age 5), and Emma Grace (age 2).
Representative Guin was elected to serve the 14th Legislative District (Walker, Tuscaloosa, and Winston Counties) in 1994. Representative Ken Guin serves as House Majority Leader, Chair of the Rules Special Order Calendar Subcommittee, Chair of the Elections Committee, and a member of the Committee on Tuscaloosa County Legislation. During his tenure as a member of the Alabama House of Representatives, Mr. Guin has sponsored a number of important pieces of legislation, including: the Alabama Coal Production Act (1995); the Alabama Safe Schools Act (1999); Coal Mining Tax Credit Legislation (2000); the Alabama Electronic Transactions Act (2001); and the creation of the Alabama Constitutional Revision Commission (2001). Additionally, Mr. Guin serves as a member of the Alabama Law Institute Review Committee, the Alabama Legislature Internet Review Committee, and the Alabama Child Foster Care Interim Committee. Nationally, he serves on the Board of Directors for the Council on State Governments and the State Legislative Leaders Foundation.
In 2001-2002 Representative Guin as Majority Leader and Chair of the House Elections Committee was instrumental in Alabama successfully reapportioning the legislative, school board and congressional districts. Alabama is the only state of 16 states covered under Section 5 of the 1965 Voting Rights Act to have received pre-clearance by the United States Department of Justice for all of its redistricting plans. This is the first time in modern history Alabama has successfully reapportioned itself without court intervention.
In 1997 Representative Guin was selected as the first Alabama Legislator to attend an educational conference at the University of Virginias Darden School of Government for emerging legislative leaders. In 2000 Representative Guin became the 4th Alabamian to be selected as a Henry Toll Fellow by the Council of State Governments.
Mr. Guin works as an attorney in Carbon Hill. He is a member of the Carbon Hill First United Methodist Church where he serves as a Lay Leader, Lay Speaker and Young Adult Sunday School Teacher. He also serves as Chair of Board of Trustees for the Jasper District of the United Methodist Church and a former member of the Board of Laity for the North Alabama Conference of the United Methodist Church. In addition, Mr. Guin serves on the Walker County Cooperative Extension Service Advisory Board and a member of the Board of Directors for the Walker Baptist Medical Center.
Representative Guin graduated from Carbon Hill High School in 1980 where he was president of the Walker County Young Democrats, Alabama State 4-H President, and Alabama Honor Society Vice President. In 1984, Mr. Guin graduated from Auburn University with a B.A. in English. While at Auburn, he was inducted into the Phi Eta Sigma and Omicron Delta Kappa Honor Societies. Upon graduating from Auburn, Mr. Guin attended the Cumberland School of Law, where he graduated in 1987. While in law school, he made the Dean's List 4 of 6 semesters and in 1987 was distinguished as the "Best Advocate in the Southeastern United States Trial Competition" and advanced to the quarterfinals of the National Trial Competition.