Shelby, St. Clair, Talladega
Education Policy, Finance & Taxation Education, Finance & Taxation General Fund, Healthcare, Rules
Dr. McClendon is a graduate of the University of Houston and did his undergraduate work at Birmingham-Southern College. He served in the U.S. Navy Medical Service Corps in Vietnam and was an assistant professor at the Medical Center at the University of Alabama in Birmingham.
He lives in Springville on their family farm with his wife El, a dog, three cats, and four horses. He is the fifth generation to grow up on the family farm in St. Clair County and graduated from Springville High School, as did his father and grandfather.
His daughter Lara is a public school teacher, as will be his granddaughter Natalie upon graduation from Troy University in spring 2022.
He is a licensed ham radio operator, a marathoner, world traveler, certified scuba diver, and an experienced blue water sailor, sailing throughout the Caribbean. As an avid photographer, he has displayed many of his photographs taken across the world in his office.
Senator McClendon retired from private practice in Moody and Leeds when elected to the Alabama House of Representatives in 2002. He served as chairman of the Health Committee in the House and was chairman of redistricting in the House. He was elected to the Alabama Senate in 2014 and is currently chairman of the Senate Health and Redistricting and Reapportionment Committees. He is also a member of the Rules Committee and both the Education Trust Fund and General Fund Budget Committees.
During his two decades in the Alabama legislature, Senator McClendon has been a champion for expansion of professional health services. The goal is to increase patient access to providers, especially benefitting rural Alabamians. Among those provider groups, he has either sponsored or supported legislation for certified registered nurse anesthetists, optometrists, pharmacists, physical therapists, podiatrists, and nurse practitioners.
Senator McClendon's district includes portions of St. Clair, Talladega, and Shelby counties.