(l to r) Governor Nathan Deal, J. Veronica Biggins, Sandra Dunagan Deal

The Foundation of Wesley Woods announced today that Governor Nathan Deal, the late First Lady Sandra Deal, and J. Veronica Biggins will be the 2023 honorees of the Heroes, Saints & Legends Award.   Wesley Woods will present the awards, including the posthumous tribute to Sandra Deal, at their Heroes, Saints & Legends Gala on September 21, 2023. The long-standing event honors notable individuals who have transformed Atlanta's community through a lifetime of achievement and commitment to leadership, service, and philanthropy.  

The 2023 honorees are:

• Gov. Nathan Deal served as the 82nd governor of Georgia from 2011 – 2019. During his tenure as Governor, Deal led Georgia to become the No. 1 state in the nation for business for five years in a row and helped create more than 675,000 private sector jobs. He vastly implemented investments in Georgia's education and transportation systems and championed bipartisan criminal justice reform. His public service to the State spans four decades as a prosecutor, judge, state senator, U.S. Congressman, and Governor.  

• The late Sandra Dunagan Deal served as first lady of Georgia from 2011 to 2019. As an education advocate and former public-school teacher, she championed reading and literacy across the State, appearing at over 800 schools and reading to students in all of Georgia's 159 counties. She co-chaired Georgia's Literacy Commission, chaired the Georgia Children's Cabinet and Georgia Older Adults Cabinet, and partnered with the Get Georgia Reading Campaign and Read Across Georgia Month.  

• J. Veronica Biggins served as Assistant to the President of the United States and Director of Presidential Personnel under William Jefferson Clinton. She has a vast four-decade span of corporate and civic board experience throughout Atlanta, including current board chair of Savannah College of Art and Design and board member of the Woodruff Arts Center Foundation, Metro Atlanta Chamber, and the Carter Center Board of Councilors.  She is currently the Managing Partner of Diversified Search Group’s Atlanta office.  Upon her retirement from Citizens and Southern, Biggins was among the highest-ranking women in the banking industry.

“Our 2023 honorees are true icons of Georgia and embody the very best of what it means to be true leaders and public servants, said Diane Vaughan, president of the Foundation of Wesley Woods. "From Gov Deal’s work on criminal justice reform and Sandra Deal’s tremendous literacy efforts in their beloved State to Veronica Biggins's unwavering commitment to Atlanta's civic leadership, they have all shown what it takes to be true heroes in our community. It is an honor to recognize their lifelong service and leadership with the Heroes, Saints, and Legends Award."

Since the event's inception in 1990, 112 of Atlanta's most exemplary leaders have been celebrated including Andrew Young, Ivan Allen, Jr., and Rosalyn Carter.  More than $7.8 million has been raised for charitable care, pastoral care, and wellness programming at Wesley Woods.    

"More than ever, Wesley Woods’ role as an affordable housing provider for our region's older adults is critical," said Vaughan. "Funds raised through Heroes, Saints & Legends opens the door to housing and meals to those who have outlived their resources, on-site chaplains providing pastoral care, and innovative wellness programming to help seniors live independently for as long as possible."

Phil Jacobs, a prior Heroes, Saints & Legends honoree and Founding Partner of The Pendleton Consulting Group, will chair this year's event, and WSB's Condace Pressley will serve as emcee.

The 34th annual Heroes, Saints & Legends will be held on Thursday, September 21, at Flourish by Legendary Events, 3143 Maple Drive, Atlanta, Ga. For additional information on the 2022 honorees, visit here. For sponsorship and ticket information, please visit www.wesleywoods.org/heroes.