Community Foundation announces five new Board members

Advisors elevate healthcare, law and diversity expertise as Foundation continues equity-focused initiatives

ATLANTA – March 12, 2024 – The Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta announces five new Board members who will continue the Foundation’s mission to build a more equitable and  prosperous Atlanta for all who call it home. Committing to a three-year term, these new advisors will  serve on and lead volunteer committees that bolster the Foundation’s work.

New members include:

• Janine Brown, partner-in-charge, Alston & Bird Atlanta office
• Roxana Chicas, assistant professor, Emory University School of Nursing
• Soumaya Khalifa, founder, Khalifa Consulting and Islamic Speakers Bureau of Atlanta
• Tiffany McKenzie, partner, Harrison LLP
• Natosha Reid Rice, global diversity, equity and inclusion officer, Habitat for Humanity International

“For us to achieve our promise of an equitable Atlanta we need advisors who are close to the solutions and the change we intend to drive,” said Frank Fernandez, president and CEO, Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta. “We are deliberate about building a Board that adds layers of context and expertise that align with our commitment  to our community. Under the continued leadership of our Board Chair, Doug Hooker, our advisors, internal staff and external partners are positioned for progress.”

These new members join a returning cohort of 22 advisors who are immersed in the Community Foundation’s TogetherATL promise to drive a more equitable Atlanta region. Board members’ complete biographies can be found online here. The Foundation also recognizes the contributions of three Board members whose term of service has been completed – Susan Grant, Jerry Wilkinson and Studie Young.

Through TogetherATL, the Foundation is focused on the most pressing issues facing Atlanta residents including affordable housing, economic mobility and equity in the arts, using a data-driven approach to identify both broad and hyper-local challenges and, in turn, work toward collective and scalable solutions. In 2023 the Foundation made strides, including:

• more than $160 million committed to affordable housing in a milestone public-philanthropic investment;
• more than $191 million in grants to support nonprofit organizations caring for neighborhood residents, amplifying the arts, addressing income disparities and boosting neighborhood empowerment;
• the launch of a pilot student loan debt program that paid off more than $280,000 in student loans for 13 borrowers from three neighborhoods within the Foundation’s focus of work – South Cobb’s Fair Oaks, South Fulton’s East Point and Atlanta’s Thomasville Heights. The Foundation also received $272 million in 2023 contributions, a 139% increase over the previous year.

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Pictured:

Back row: Marc Pollack, Julia Houston, Ron Alston, Lovette Russell, Natosha Reid Rice, David Roemer

Middle row: Bert Clark, Janine Brown, Frank Fernandez, Doug Hooker, Soumaya Khalifa,  Ryan Wilson

Front row: Richard Courts, Jewel Burks Solomon, Kelli Stewart, Roxanna Chicas, Tiffany McKenzie

Board members not pictured: Jen Bennecke, Peter Berg, Julie Ann Crommett, Fran Gary, Jeffrey Hines, M.D., Debra Lam, Wonya Lucas, Dantes Rameau, Johanna Reisinger, Dekia Scott, Marjy Stagmeier

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 $1.5 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. For more information visit: cfgreateratlanta.org or connect with the Foundation via Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

Media Contact:

Nichole Owens, 770.383.2307

nowens@cfgreateratlanta.org