CHRIS 180, an Atlanta-based nonprofit organization dedicated to healing children, strengthening families and building community through high-quality, trauma-informed behavioral health services and support systems, recently announced the appointment of Chaundra Luckett to the position of Chief Marketing Officer (CMO), effective immediately.  

Since joining the nonprofit in 2018, Luckett has served as the organization’s Director of Marketing and Communications, leading strategic public relations efforts, significantly enhancing the digital infrastructure of the organization and increasing strategic collaboration with the development team. In her new role, Luckett will assume responsibility for all marketing as well as external and internal communications initiatives for CHRIS 180.

“The impact that Chaundra has made in just two short years has been instrumental to the growth of our organization and to our ability to advance our mission,” said Kathy Colbenson, President and Chief Executive Officer of CHRIS 180. “Chaundra has played a critical role in developing and guiding our communications efforts, which have empowered us to help more people, deepen our connections, work in our local community and with digital audiences. We are very excited to see where she leads us next in her new role.”

Luckett has been a strong partner to the CHRIS 180 leadership team and has showcased the growth and impact of the organization through the grand opening of the  Westside Empowerment Center, the debut of new CHRIS 180 programs TREE House and New Generation and the grand opening of the Center of Excellence in Training, Education and Connections. In partnership with development team, Luckett also helped drive a record breaking CHRIStal Ball in 2019 and has significantly increased the effectiveness of CHRIS 180’s social channels, including launching a coronavirus-specific mental health web series, a series on racial injustice and a new blog.

“It is an honor that each day I have the opportunity to change lives and impact my community through my work,” said Luckett. “I am excited to continue to partner with the leadership team at CHRIS 180 to find effective and innovative ways to amplify our voice to speak on the continued needs, benefits and availability of trauma-informed care in our communities.”

Luckett has a proven track record of driving communications and marketing success and effectiveness. She began her career as a journalist and utilized her media relations expertise to pivot to a focus on public relations in 2016, serving as the Public Relations Manager for the Atlanta Community Food Bank. In this role, she led executive positioning and speechwriting, and managed communications strategies for the organization,  including large-scale events, fundraisers, and corporate donations. Prior to this, she gained experience in newsrooms, where she earned industry accolades and awards as a producer for news stations WLOX-TV in Mississippi, FOX Carolina, and FOX 5 Atlanta where she served as the Weekend Executive Producer. Chaundra is the recipient of the Associated Press Award for Best Newscast and is a three-time Southeast Region Emmy Award Nominee.   A graduate of Bennett College, Luckett has been named the college’s Young Alumnae of the Year and has been honored with the Woman on Fire Award from Bennett College’s Metro Atlanta Alumnae Association.

A passion for community outreach and philanthropy extends beyond Luckett’s profession and is further displayed through her civic leadership. Luckett is a member of the LEAD Atlanta Class of 2019 & the LEAD Atlanta Alumni Association, the Scholarship Chairman for the Bennett College Metro Atlanta Alumnae Association, and serves as the Publicity and Rituals Co-Chair for The Ivy League of South Gwinnett Interest Group of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. In addition to her work with CHRIS 180, she shares her marketing expertise with several community organizations, including The Junior League of Atlanta, Inc., where she is the immediate past Vice President of Marketing & Communications (2019-2020) and currently serves as the 2020-2021 Vice President-Elect for Learning and Development; the Atlanta HBCU Alumni Alliance, where she serves as Public Relations and Media Chairman; and the Public Relations Society of Georgia (PRSA), where she was inducted into the 2019 Inaugural 40 under 40 Class.