The Atlanta Wealth Building Initiative (AWBI) has named Courtney Collins as Chief Operating Officer.

Courtney will lead all internal operations, providing critical infrastructure, resource planning, relationship cultivation and staff development to facilitate the organization’s growth as it rises to meet the increased racial disparities created by COVID-19. This support will help AWBI continue its commitment to community wealth building strategies and reach its goal of helping 1,000 Black-owned businesses in Atlanta hire their first full-time employee or pay living wages to those already employed and avoid displacement as part of AWBI’s 1,000 Black Businesses in 1,000 Days Campaign, which launched in March 2021.

“On the heels of COVID recovery, our city has a tremendous opportunity to address the historical inequities faced by Black residents and Black-owned businesses to ensure these disparities are not perpetuated in COVID recovery and rising property values. Courtney’s addition to our team will equip AWBI to scale our work closing the racial wealth gap and hire additional program staff, expanding AWBI’s existing offerings to small businesses and nonprofit business support organizations,” said Latresa McLawhorn Ryan , Executive Director, Atlanta Wealth Building Initiative.

"I am incredibly excited and honored to be a part of the AWBI team,” said Courtney Collins. “AWBI is a unique and bold organization that is truly led by its core values. There has never been a more important time than now to address the longstanding wealth gap in Atlanta."

Courtney joins AWBI with more than a decade of leadership in nonprofit strategy and operations. Courtney specializes in helping nonprofits improve their operations and administrative functions so that nonprofits can focus on their core mission. Her areas of expertise include operational planning, financial planning, policy development, and implementation, compliance, and people management. Before joining AWBI, Courtney served as the VP of Administration & CFO for the Atlanta Police Foundation. The highlight of her time at the APF was securing $4 million funding through New Market Tax Credits to support the building of an additional At-Promise Center. The At-Promise Centers are state-of-the-art learning and community facilities with specialized services providing programming andp wrap-around services for youth and young adults ages 12 to 24 who reside on Atlanta’s Westside. Courtney was also instrumental in leading the post-merger integration for two historied nonprofits in the Atlanta area (Genesis Shelter and Our House) whose missions were to support families experiencing homelessness and generational poverty through community-led interventions. Courtney’s experience at Our House allowed her to engage and connect directly with the community in a meaningful way.

Courtney will report directly to AWBI’s Executive Director.

AWBI is also in the process of recruiting for three full-time staff positions responsible for various elements of programming and small business support. For more information visit atlantawealthbuilding.org/join-our-team.