On the heels of its 70^th anniversary and finalizing its five-year strategic plan, TogetherATL, focused on building a more equitable region, the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta announces that seven new members of the Board of Directors (Board) are joining the effort to help drive the Foundation’s work forward. Each member will serve a three-year term and will champion volunteer committees that provide counsel and oversight to the Foundation staff’s work. With these appointments the Foundation board expands to 22 members, representing the region’s deep tapestry of talent, culture and leadership. A full list of the Board with their complete biographies are available online here. 

New members appointed for a three-year term and joining returning leaders are:

• Jen Bennecke, Community Volunteer

• Julie Ann Crommett, Google

• Jeffrey Hines, MD, Wellstar Health System

• Debra Lam, Partnership for Inclusive Innovation 

• Marc Pollack, RangeWater Real Estate

• Dantes Rameau, Atlanta Music Project

• Dekia Scott, Southern Company 

“As we embark on our TogetherATL strategic plan we understood that this plan would require active participation from experienced leaders to help us achieve the impact our metro Atlanta region needs,” said Frank Fernandez, president and CEO of the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta. “We welcome these voices to the conversation, some of whom have been among our Foundation community for years and others who may be new on our radar but who are laser focused on achieving our ambitious goal to make our region welcoming and prosperous for those who make their home here.”

These appointments follow a December 2021 announcement that Doug Hooker, executive director of the Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC), has stepped into the role of Vice-Chair of the Board in 2022 and will become Board Chair for a three-year term, from January 2023 to December 2025. As Vice-Chair, Hooker, who will retire from the ARC in March, will work closely with current Board Chair, Susan Grant, to mobilize the Foundation’s 2022-2026 TogetherATL plan and support the operationalized annual priorities to achieve the desired impact over the next five years.

“In my role at ARC I have worked alongside the Community Foundation for more than 10 years to drive ambitious goals for our region,” Hooker said. “As I enter this next phase of my professional life, I’m eager to immerse myself in the Foundation’s work that combines both a high-level regional perspective as well as neighborhood-to-neighborhood focus to identify our greatest challenges and lift up those bright spots that are impacting change.”

TogetherATL, the Foundation’s touchstone for the next five years, is focused on place-based work that goes deep into communities working with, and for, residents to identify and drive positive change forward. The plan also focuses on systems change, examining broader issues like affordable housing, voting rights and equity in the arts that are each essential to building a thriving region.