Paul D. Bussman (born December 7, 1956) is an American dentist, businessman, and former politician who served as a member of the

Alabama Senate The Alabama State Senate is the upper house of the Alabama Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Alabama. The body is composed of 35 members representing an equal number of districts across the state, with each district con ...

for the 4th district from 2011 to 2018.

Early life and education

Bussman was born in

New Orleans, Louisiana New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

and lived there until age three, when his family moved to

Cullman, Alabama Cullman is the largest city and county seat of Cullman County, Alabama, United States. It is located along Interstate 65, about north of Birmingham, Alabama, Birmingham and about south of Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville. As of the 2020 United ...

. His mother moved Paul, his sister, and his three brothers back and forth several times before settling permanently in Cullman, where he graduated from

Cullman High School Cullman High School is the only public high school in the city of Cullman, Alabama as well as the largest high school in Cullman County, Alabama. The school is classified as a 6A school and belongs to the Cullman City School District. As of ...

in 1975. He then attended

Troy State University Troy University is a public university in Troy, Alabama, United States. It was founded in 1887 as Troy State Normal School within the Alabama State University System, and is now the flagship university of the Troy University System. It was one ...

where he was a four-year letterman in

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

and completed his Bachelor of Science degree in 1979. Later, he attended the

UAB School of Dentistry The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) is a Public university#United States, public List of research universities in the United States, research university in Birmingham, Alabama, United States. Founded in 1969 and part of the University ...

, where he earned his Doctor of Dental Medicine degree in 1983.

Career

After graduating from dental school, he returned to Cullman to practice dentistry. He also owns FUNZONE, a family entertainment center in Cullman.

Career

On November 2, 2010, Bussman was elected to the 4th of the

, defeating incumbent

Zeb Little Zeb Little is a former Democratic politician from Alabama who served as a state senator for District 4 from 1998 to 2010. He made history by becoming the youngest person to serve as the Majority Leader of the Alabama Senate, a role he held from ...

. The district covers

Cullman County Cullman County is a county located in the north central portion of the U.S. state of Alabama. As of the 2020 census, the population was 87,866. Its county seat and largest city is Cullman. Its name is in honor of Colonel John G. Cullmann. C ...

Lawrence Lawrence may refer to: Education Colleges and universities * Lawrence Technological University, a university in Southfield, Michigan, United States * Lawrence University, a liberal arts university in Appleton, Wisconsin, United States Preparator ...

and Winston Counties. Bussman is active in the state and local chapters of both the

American Dental Association The American Dental Association (ADA) is an American professional dental association. Established in 1859 and with over 159,000 current members, ADA is the world's largest and oldest national dental association. The organization lobbies on behal ...

and the

Academy of General Dentistry The Academy of General Dentistry (AGD) is a professional association of general dentists from Canada and the United States. History and mission The academy was incorporated on August 2, 1952. Paula Jones became its first female president in 200 ...

. He has held five national appointments in the Academy of General Dentistry, was president and executive director of the Alabama office and serves as a spokesdentist for the Academy with national consumer media outlets. Bussman was an organizer and past board member of the Good Samaritan Health Clinic- a free medical, optical and dental clinic for uninsured, employed individuals in

, and continues to provide free dental care to clients. He was the first president and organizer for the "Volunteers in Public Schools" program, a mentoring program for at-risk elementary children throughout the county. He was a past board member and volunteer of

Habitat for Humanity Habitat for Humanity International (HFHI), generally referred to as Habitat for Humanity or Habitat, is a U.S. non-governmental, and tax-exempt 501(C)(3) Christian nonprofit organization which seeks to build affordable housing. The international ...

and the Alabama Judicial Systems' Juvenile Conference Committee, a past chairman of the

Chamber of Commerce A chamber of commerce, or board of trade, is a form of business network. For example, a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to a ...

, the Cullman Regional Medical Foundation, Cullman

Kiwanis Club Kiwanis International ( ) is an international service club founded in 1915 in Detroit, Michigan. It is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States, and is found in more than 80 nations and geographic areas. In 1987, the organization ...

and the Leadership Cullman County Class of 2000. He once chaired and currently serves as a board member for the Cullman Savings Bank and the Cullman Savings Bank Foundation.

Personal life

Bussman lives in Cullman with his wife Holly, their son Noah and their daughter Kendall. The Bussman family attends Daystar Church in Good Hope, Alabama.

References

External links

The Alabama Senate: Senator Paul Bussman (R-Cullman)
''official page''
capitolconnect.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bussman, Paul People from Cullman, Alabama Republican Party Alabama state senators 1956 births Living people 21st-century members of the Alabama Legislature