From hospitality and healthcare to law, design, and civic leadership, these four Birmingham couples are shaping the city’s future through the way they live, work, give, and show up together.
Raj and Nital Patel
Raj and Nital Patel are active leaders in Birmingham’s healthcare and education spheres. Raj is a physician, and together they invest their time and resources in mentorship, strategic giving, and raising their family in the city they call home.
What’s something about Birmingham right now that energizes you both?
Raj: With our healthcare backgrounds, we are passionate about supporting innovation and advancements in medicine right here in Birmingham. The city is a hidden hub, filled with talented individuals and companies dedicated to researching and developing cutting-edge solutions in the healthcare sector. By sharing our experiences and providing mentorship to companies at various phases of research and development, we believe Birmingham can continue to thrive as a leading center for advancements in medicine and technology.
Where in the city do you find yourselves returning again and again, no matter how busy life gets?
Raj: Life seems always more than full these days. Retreating to the Birmingham Botanical Gardens to find mindfulness and peace, and to recharge, is important to us.
On a completely unscheduled Saturday in Birmingham, how do you like to spend the day together?
Nital: Our Saturdays usually revolve around family. We typically start the morning with a run at Vulcan Park with our two sons, where we catch up on the week and enjoy the fresh air. This is usually followed by brunch at Frothy Monkey or a quick bite at Ladybird Taco. Those three peaceful hours fly by, and soon we’re off to the kids’ fencing practices, golf outings, or school activities.
What’s a moment you still laugh about that says something true about your dynamic?
Raj: We were finishing dinner at Epice with Nital’s family in town from Savannah on a random Friday night. I messaged a friend, and he informed me that he had brought Juvenile to perform at Boutwell and asked if I wanted to come backstage.
Nital: Without any explanation, Raj said we had to go. Next thing I knew, we were watching Juvenile from backstage at a concert I didn’t even know was happening and getting priceless looks. Raj is connected and spontaneous in the most random ways.
What are some local causes and nonprofits that are especially dear to your hearts?
Nital: As we have started our giving journey, we are especially passionate about supporting causes that empower our youth—our future. At the heart of our planning is a commitment to education and making opportunities accessible to all. We’re thrilled to support KultureCity and the Steam Plant project. Being part of a visionary effort that will impact kids and the community for generations is exciting.
In one sentence each: what do you admire most about how the other shows up in this city?
Raj: Nital’s a city girl from Chicago, so I admire how she’s found ways to make Birmingham home over the past 15 years.
Nital: Raj has planted roots in Birmingham and will always choose it—he decides to live in the city, send our kids to school in its heart, and support it fully.
Emily and Rob McDaniel
Emily and Rob McDaniel live in Vestavia Hills but have spent more than two decades immersed in Birmingham’s food community. Partners in life and work, they are the co-owners of Helen and Bayonet and parents to eight-year-old twin girls. Together, they’ve built restaurant spaces rooted in generosity, growth, and intentional hospitality.
On a completely unscheduled Saturday in Birmingham, how do you like to spend the day together?
Emily: Slowly. Coffee at home, then a trip to the farmers market that turns into lunch, time outside with the girls, and dinner on the deck with Rob grilling—no rushing, just a really good family day.
Rob: I’m usually up earlier than the rest of the house, so I make the coffee and check emails before everyone wakes up. We like to shop for dinner at Pepper Place and Son of a Butcher, take care of things around the house while the girls play, then start dinner.
What are some local causes and nonprofits that are especially dear to your hearts?
Emily: Children’s Harbor, Jones Valley Teaching Farm, local organizations that support breast cancer, and the TumTum Tree Foundation are especially close to our hearts. Giving back locally matters to us.
In one sentence each: what do you admire most about how the other shows up in this city?
Emily: Rob leads with integrity. He’s thoughtful and consistent, deeply invested in people, and genuinely committed to helping our team and Birmingham’s hospitality community grow and thrive.
Rob: Emily has a drive that pushes me to be better. She isn’t afraid to jump in the trenches if that’s what needs to be done—but she’ll still be getting her nails done when we’re finished.
What gives you hope about the future of Birmingham?
Emily: The people who choose to stay, build, and invest here, especially the next generation.
Rob: You can see the growth, and there’s real diversity in it, which makes living here more interesting and less vanilla.
Elisabeth and Courtney French
Elisabeth French serves as Presiding Judge of Jefferson County, while her husband, Courtney, is a Birmingham attorney, entrepreneur, and community investor. Together, they balance demanding careers, civic leadership, and raising three teenagers while remaining strongly invested in the city’s future.
What’s something about Birmingham right now that energizes you?
Courtney: I’m energized by the business opportunities in Birmingham. In addition to my law firm and radio station (V 94.9), I own several parcels of land on the Northside and Southside. I’m excited about the potential for economic development in our city.
Where in the city do you find yourselves returning again and again, no matter how busy life gets?
Elisabeth: Our children love hibachi at Stix and Surin West. We find ourselves returning there for family celebrations or for takeout when life gets hectic.
On a completely unscheduled Saturday in Birmingham, how do you like to spend the day together?
Elisabeth: We like to go for walks around the neighborhood, looking at houses and getting ideas.
What’s a moment you still laugh about that says something true about your dynamic?
Elisabeth: We laugh at ourselves for re-sharing an idea that was actually thought of by the other, as if it were our own. Or Courtney will say he heard something, and I’ll say, “That was me who told you that last week.”
What are some local causes and nonprofits that are especially dear to your hearts?
Courtney: Liz has spent a lot of time working on the domestic violence court program with two other judges. We’re also longtime supporters of the YMCA, local dance foundations, and our church community.
In one sentence each: what do you admire most about how the other shows up in this city?
Elisabeth: Courtney shows up for his personal injury clients during traumatic moments, guiding them with compassion and emotional strength.
Courtney: Liz carries the responsibility of Presiding Judge with determination and heart, always thinking about both the system as a whole and the individuals moving through it.
What gives you hope about the future of Birmingham?
We have three teenagers, so we spend a lot of time with the 15 to 19-year-old age group. Their ideas, energy, and optimism inspire us. They’ll take Birmingham further than our generation can imagine.
Leigh and Kevin Misso
Leigh and Kevin Misso are the husband-and-wife founders of River Brook Design and Construction, a Birmingham-based architecture, interiors, and construction firm. Together for more than two decades, they’ve built an integrated practice rooted in faith, family, and thoughtful design, while raising three young children.
What’s something about Birmingham right now that energizes you both?
There’s a creative confidence in Birmingham right now. People are building thoughtfully, supporting local talent, and investing with long-term intention instead of quick wins.
Where in the city do you find yourselves returning again and again, no matter how busy life gets?
Mountain Brook and Homewood. Whether it’s walking neighborhoods, meeting clients, or grabbing coffee, those areas remind us why we’re so invested here.
On a completely unscheduled Saturday in Birmingham, how do you like to spend the day together?
With three little ones—seven, five, and three—an unscheduled Saturday usually isn’t very calm. It’s swim lessons, coffee, errands, baseball practice, and lots of movement in between. Those ordinary rhythms are where we feel most together right now.
What’s a moment you still laugh about that says something true about your dynamic?
Leigh: Early on, Kevin would sell a vision before I had fully designed it, and I’d quietly think, okay, now I have to make that real.
What are some local causes and nonprofits that are especially dear to your hearts?
Our church community and organizations that support families and children. Anything that strengthens homes resonates with us. We care about using business as a way to give back locally and be the church.
In one sentence each: what do you admire most about how the other shows up in this city?
Leigh: Kevin shows up with courage and conviction, always willing to invest in Birmingham even when it would be easier not to.
Kevin: Leigh brings beauty, thoughtfulness, and integrity to everything she touches, elevating the city in a meaningful way.
What gives you hope about the future of Birmingham?
The strength of our public school systems. When families feel confident in their schools, they invest more in their homes and neighborhoods. Birmingham still feels like a big city with a small-town heart, and that combination is special.
"The city is a hidden hub, filled with talented individuals and companies dedicated to researching and developing cutting-edge solutions in the healthcare sector." —Raj Patel
"...we spend a lot of time with the 15 to 19-year-old age group. Their ideas, energy, and optimism inspire us. They’ll take Birmingham further than our generation can imagine." —Courtney and Elisabeth French