Samarria Dunson Named Community Hero by Montgomery Advertiser

Samarria Dunson, Of Counsel in the firm’s Montgomery office and member of the Health Law Practice, has been honored as Montgomery Advertiser's Community Hero for January, recognizing her significant contributions to the greater Montgomery community.

The publication praised her unwavering dedication to community involvement throughout the years. She has actively contributed to leadership boards spanning from the University of Alabama to the Alabama Shakespeare Festival and the Central Alabama Community Foundation. Moreover, she has been instrumental in mentoring local youth, exposing them to STEAM careers through her participation in the Montgomery Area YMCA and Alabama State University's Upward Bound programs. Notably, Dunson was honored as the 2023 Montgomery Area YMCA Person of the Year. 

“I think Montgomery is an amazing city, and I wanted to be a part of ensuring that it continued to be. One of the reasons that I work really hard right now is I want it to be the type of city that my children have that same attitude towards and want to come back to, ” Samarria said in an interview with Montgomery Advertiser about her award. 

This Montgomery Advertiser, part of the USA TODAY Network, is owned and operated by Gannett Co., Inc. The publication invites nominations from the community for its Community Heroes Montgomery initiative, recognizing a new hero each month. 

Samarria’s practice focuses on healthcare compliance and ensuring that healthcare entities attain and maintain compliance with HIPAA and HITECH regulations. She develops policies and procedures, risk assessments, negotiates business associate agreements, and provides training to healthcare providers. Samarria has a partnership with the Alabama Medical Association to provide education on HIPAA-related issues to over 7,000 physicians statewide. She is certified by the Health Care Compliance Association in both Health Care Compliance (CHC) and Health Care Privacy Compliance (CHPC). Additionally, she has extensive experience in healthcare administrative law and healthcare facility regulation.

Additionally, Samarria serves as a part-time Municipal Judge for the City of Montgomery. She is a member of the Fellows of the Alabama Law Foundation, an exclusive group with no more than 1% of Alabama bar members being invited to join.