Community Foundation names fundraising veteran John K. White vice president of advancement and philanthropic services, hires directors of Community Impact and operations, research and evaluation

Appointments will accelerate the Foundation’s commitment to diversify its donor base, consistent with its TogetherATL strategy

ATLANTA – August 1, 2022 – The Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta welcomes fundraising and philanthropy veteran John K. White as vice president of advancement and philanthropic services.

White’s addition to the Foundation comes on the heels of a long and successful career in philanthropy at two of the nation’s historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM) and North Carolina Agricultural and Technical Institute (NC A&T).

In his new role, White will focus on business development, particularly with individuals and their business and estate advisors, sharing the unique value proposition of philanthropic investing with the Foundation, and the ability of these investments to address some of the most persistent challenges in the Atlanta region through grantmaking, convening and innovative leadership.

“Key to the Foundation truly realizing TogetherATL’s goal of making equity and shared prosperity for all real in our region is our ability to bridge the gap between the philanthropic community and communities that have historically been left out of that conversation,” said Frank Fernandez, president and CEO of the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta. “John, through his proven successes in business development and his ability to engage donors, will play a pivotal role in helping the Foundation live out its values while providing exemplary donor services. We are tremendously excited to welcome him to the team.”

Prior to joining the Foundation, White served in various roles at MSM, including associate vice president and chief of staff and vice president of Institutional Advancement. During his tenure, White wasresponsible for executing MSM’s first planned giving program, establishing and maintaining the policies and procedures that generated $64.6 million in deferred gift commitments and contributed to the expansion of MSM’s local, regional and national philanthropic and corporate partnerships. Under the leadership of the SVP, White led the Institutional Advancement team to raise $233 million towards a $220 million, 7-year IMPACT Campaign goal within three years.

Prior to Morehouse, White served as executive director and senior development officer for the Victory Club Foundation at the North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University (NC A & T), where he was responsible for directing major gift fundraising for the school’s athletics division with local, regional and national prospects.

White holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and Master of Business Administration from Emory University’s Goizueta Business School.

In addition to welcoming White, the Foundation names two directors to its Community Impact team:

Dr. Kristy Arnold is the new director of Community Impact, responsible for leading the Foundation’s emerging place-based strategy, reporting to Ayana Gabriel, VP of Community Impact. Prior to joining the Foundation, Arnold worked as executive director for DC-LIFT, responsible for promoting LIFT’s mission of breaking the cycle of inter-generational poverty, stewarding long-standing donor relationships while cultivating and diversifying new funding streams, encouraging innovative programming, and promoting an active and broad work environment amongst staff.

Additionally, Arnold served as the director of case management for DC Promise Neighborhood Initiative (DCPNI), a community-based organization addressing the challenges of poverty and as the director of student services for Year Up’s National Capital Region office, providing social services and community resources for young adults seeking employment within the corporate sector. Further, she has worked with youth in both the juvenile justice and foster care systems in Atlanta as the lead case manager at Neighbor to Family, Inc., and as a psychometrist (psychological evaluator) within private clinical practice.

Arnold holds a Bachelor of Science in psychology from the University of Georgia, Master of Education from Howard University and doctorate in counselor education and supervision from Virginia Tech.

Rupal Shah is the Foundation’s new director of operations, research & evaluation, responsible for grants operations, as well as developing the Foundation’s research and evaluation practice, reporting to Ayana Gabriel, VP of Community Impact. Shah joins the Foundation after 18 years in the nonprofit and philanthropic sectors. Most recently, she served as the senior grants manager at the Colorado Health Foundation, where she supported grantmaking and data and systems management, and oversaw special initiatives for approximately $120 million in funding to the Colorado community.

Shah earned her Bachelor of Science in management from the Georgia Institute of Technology and a Master in Public Administration from Georgia State University.

The Foundation also announces three staff promotions:

Muhammed Drammeh is being promoted to assistant controller, where he will continue executing strategic accounting projects and lead the frontline team, among other initiatives. Drammeh holds a Bachelor of Science in accounting from Minnesota State University Moorhead and a Master of Accounting from Kennesaw State University. 

Two members of the Foundation’s Philanthropy team, Jarrod Fleming and Sidney Wise, are promoted to philanthropic officer, responsible for sustaining relationships with donors and their families, providing consultation to donors and their advisors, engaging donors with the Foundation’s priorities to align and influence donor giving, and using community resources and expertise to connect donors to significant causes that address critical community needs.

Fleming holds a bachelor’s degree from Florida A&M University and a Master of Social Work from Hunter College in New York.

Wise earned her bachelor’s degree in religious studies from Davidson College.

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About the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta

The Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta inspires and leads the Atlanta region toward equity and shared prosperity for all who call it home. TogetherATL is the Foundation’s strategic ethos, working through a collaborative approach with community stakeholders, donors, nonprofits and others to examine complex challenges the region faces and create solutions that build a thriving region. Started in 1951, the Community Foundation shepherds approximately $1.4 billion in current assets through its 1,000+ donor funds, while simultaneously raising and deploying more than $120 million annually to thousands of nonprofit organizations. It is Georgia’s second largest foundation. For more information visit: cfgreateratlanta.org or connect with the Foundation via Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter.

Media Contact:

Nichole Owens, 770.383.2307

nowens@cfgreateratlanta.org