The R. Howard Dobbs, Jr. Foundation, dedicated to improving the lives of Georgians through education, health, and environmental initiatives, is pleased to announce Jason Terrell will begin as the Foundation’s next President on September 9, 2024.

Jason is an experienced nonprofit executive and philanthropic leader in the Southeast. He joins the Dobbs Foundation from the Walton Family Foundation, one of the largest family philanthropies in the United States, where he serves as a Program Officer with a focus on education. Jason co-founded Profound Gentlemen, a national nonprofit dedicated to increasing the representation of male educators of color and served as Co-Founder and Executive Director from 2014 to 2021. The Dobbs Foundation was an early funder of Profound Gentlemen’s expansion to Atlanta. 

In 2023, the Dobbs Foundation announced the plans for its current President, David Weitnauer, to retire in 2024 following a 17-year career leading the Foundation. The Board of Trustees partnered with Good Insight, an executive search firm with an exclusive focus on mission-driven organizations, to conduct an extensive national search for David’s successor. David will serve as a senior advisor to the Foundation through the remainder of the year. 

“We are thrilled to welcome Jason to the Dobbs Foundation as its next President. Innovation has always been at the heart of our Foundation, and at this moment of change, we have found a passionate and entrepreneurial leader to carry this work forward,” said C. Mark Crosswell, Chair, Board of Trustees. “We are deeply grateful to David for his years of leadership and thoughtful stewardship of the board’s philanthropic priorities, which have truly shaped our Foundation’s legacy and the local grantmaking community.”

Born and raised in southwest Atlanta, Jason comes to the Dobbs Foundation with a shared passion for supporting low-income residents and families through strategies for building community, shaping collective impact partnerships, and investing in sustainable solutions. In addition to directing the Dobbs Foundation’s philanthropic efforts, Jason will work closely with the board and staff to identify and foster innovative and equitable strategies to address systemic challenges faced by urban, suburban, and rural communities in Georgia. Building on nearly two decades of work by David and the board, Jason’s leadership will focus on scaling the Dobbs Foundation’s commitments to increasing access to affordable healthcare, enhancing quality K- 12 teaching and learning, and protecting Georgia’s environment.

“I am thrilled by the opportunity to leverage my expertise in philanthropy, social entrepreneurship, and nonprofit administration to support the foundation’s investments in programs and leaders making a real difference in the lives of Georgia’s residents,” said Jason. “As a past grantee of the Dobbs Foundation, I have witnessed our important role in the community and I am energized by the opportunity to work alongside the board and staff team to continue to expand our impact.”