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K-12 | Higher Education | Healthcare | Legends
K-12
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Frank Brown
CEO
Communities in Schools of Atlanta
As CEO of Communities in Schools (CIS) of Atlanta, Frank Brown oversees the organization’s mission of surrounding students with a community of support, empowering them to stay in school and achieve in life. The organization offers initiatives such as emergency financial assistance for students and families and programming supporting college students, Latinx populations, and foster care youth. CIS of Atlanta has programs in 72 public schools in Atlanta and Fulton, Clayton, DeKalb, and Spalding counties, reaching more than 49,000 students daily. Previously, Brown was the first executive director of the Butler Street Community Development Corporation (formerly the historic Butler Street YMCA).
EDUCATION Johnson C. Smith University, University of South Carolina School of Law (JD)
INSPIRING PERSON Neal Aronson
TOUGHEST CHALLENGE Expanding CIS of Atlanta’s College/Career Alumni Program to serve 1,000 students by the year 2026
WHAT I’D TELL A RECENT GRADUATE Great leaders are great adapters.
Photograph courtesy of individual
Ron Clark
Founder, Mathematics Teacher, and Author
The Ron Clark Academy
“America’s educator” Ron Clark is the cofounder of The Ron Clark Academy, an Atlanta middle school that serves as a demonstration school for educational best practices. Clark and his staff have provided professional development for more than 100,000 educators. Ninety-one percent of the school’s alumni attend college. Known for his innovative teaching methods and work with children from various educational and socioeconomic backgrounds, Clark is the author of The Essential 55: An Award-Winning Educator’s Rules for Discovering the Successful Student in Every Child, a New York Times bestseller which has sold over 1 million copies.
EDUCATION East Carolina University
HOMETOWN Chocowinity, North Carolina
NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENTS Andrew J. Young International Leadership Award (2017), NAACP President’s Award (2011)
LESSON LEARNED As long as I am helping others and seeking to be a good person, what others think isn’t worth a hill of beans.
FEW PEOPLE KNOW I won the Showcase Showdown on The Price Is Right.
Brandon P. Fleming
Founder and CEO
Veritas School of Social Sciences
An at-risk youth and college dropout turned award-winning educator, Brandon P. Fleming is the founder, president, and CEO of the Veritas School of Social Sciences. Veritas, formerly known as the Harvard Debate Council Diversity Project, is expanding to Washington, D.C., in 2026 and Los Angeles in 2027. Fleming, a former teacher at The Ron Clark Academy and debate coach at Harvard University, has raised over a million dollars to enroll over 150 students of color into the Ivy League’s international summer debate residency on full scholarships since the project’s inception in 2017. He recruits underserved youth with no debate experience and trains them to compete against elite debaters from all over the world. In 2018, Fleming’s students became the first all-Black team to win Harvard’s summer debate tournament. His students have now matriculated to Harvard, Yale, Stanford, and the like. Fleming’s story, which begins with a failed suicide attempt, is told in Miseducated: A Memoir, published by Hachette Books.
EDUCATION Liberty University, University of Georgia (MFA)
NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENTS Commencement speaker for Western Governors University (2024), Forbes 30 Under 30 (2020), The Root 100 (2020), Atlanta Business Chronicle 40 Under 40 (2019)
FIRST JOB Factory assembly line worker
Chris M. Freer
President
Woodward Academy
Chris M. Freer became the eighth president of Woodward Academy on July 1, 2025. Freer came to Woodward in 1994 to teach U.S. government and economics, coaching at the varsity level for football, wrestling, and track and field. Since then, Freer has served in several roles including dean of student life in the upper school, upper school assistant principal, vice president and dean for student life, principal of the upper school, and vice president for advancement. As vice president for advancement, Freer raised more than $7 million in capital gifts, established new endowment funds, and led the design and development of the Stephen A. Belin ’72 GMA Woodward Academy History Center. A member of Leadership Atlanta’s class of 2014, Freer serves on the board of directors for The ATL Airport Chamber, and is past president of the Atlanta Airport Rotary Club.
EDUCATION Davidson College (BA), University of Georgia (MEd), Georgia State University (PhD)
FIRST JOB At the age of 22 at Woodward Academy as a teacher and coach. I was originally going to law school, but quickly fell in love with the teaching profession, and 31 years later, I was recently elected the eighth president in Woodward Academy’s 125-year history.
Tori Jackson Hines
Founder and EB.A., Davidson College
M.Ed., University of Georgia
Ph.D., Georgia State Universityxecutive Director
Lead with Excellence
Founder and Executive Director
Resurgence Hall Inc.
Tori Jackson Hines founded Lead with Excellence, a values-driven leadership development program in 2022 to empower Georgia charter school founders to lead community-based schools. Since 2022, Lead with Excellence has supported founders across eight public charter schools in Georgia. Additionally, in 2016, she founded Resurgence Hall Charter School, which has been recognized as a Title I Distinguished School by the Georgia Department of Education with over 91 percent of scholars performing at or above grade level in literacy.
EDUCATION University of Maryland, Loyola Marymount University (MA), Teachers College, Columbia University (MS)
HOMETOWN Richmond, Virginia
FIRST JOB My first job was as a grocery bagger at Ukrop’s. It taught me how to engage with people from all walks of life and to treat everyone with respect and curiosity.
REASON FOR CHOOSING THIS WORK I was inspired by the power of an excellent education to transform communities. Atlanta is a world-class city, and it deserves world-class leaders who reflect its potential. It’s a true joy to help raise the next generation of those leaders.
Bonnie Holliday
President and CEO
Georgia Charter Schools Association
Bonnie Holliday began her new role at the Georgia Charter Schools Association on July 1, 2024, succeeding Tony Roberts. Previously, Holliday served as the chief strategy officer at GCSA where she oversaw all organizational programming and service offerings. She also led GCSA’s policy and advocacy work for five years and successfully shepherded the passage of critical legislation to increase charter school funding, autonomy, and flexibility. Recognized as a leading education policy expert, she has advised top elected officials at the state level for over a decade. During the 2023-2024 school year, there were 64,579 students enrolled in Georgia’s 96 charter schools. And there are more than 21,000 known students on waiting lists to attend these charter schools.
EDUCATION University of Georgia (MEd, PhD)
Bryan Johnson
Superintendent
Atlanta Public Schools
Bryan Johnson serves as superintendent of Atlanta Public Schools, bringing a unique blend of corporate and educational leadership to the role. Prior to this role with APS, he served as the executive vice chancellor and chief strategy officer at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. He has also served as chief transformation officer for U.S. Xpress Enterprises. While serving as superintendent of Hamilton County Schools from 2017 to 2021, the district became the fastest-improving school district in Tennessee. Johnson has received numerous accolades, including the 2021 Tennessee Superintendent of the Year by the Tennessee Organization of School Superintendents, National Superintendent of the Year finalist, and 2020 Outstanding Young Alumnus by Austin Peay State University.
EDUCATION Austin Peay State University, Belmont University (MA); Trevecca Nazarene University (EdD)
HOMETOWN Nashville, Tennessee
FIRST JOB Burger King
HOBBIES Watching my son play baseball
FAVORITE GEORGIA PRO SPORTS TEAM Atlanta Braves
Mike Looney
Superintendent
Fulton County Schools
Mike Looney became superintendent of Fulton County Schools in 2019, having served in similar positions in Williamson County, Tennessee, and Butler County, Alabama. Under his leadership in Butler County, the school district realized significant student achievement gains, improved the graduation rate, and established its first magnet school. A public educator since 1994, Looney has also been a classroom teacher, assistant principal, principal, and assistant superintendent. Prior to entering education, Looney was a finance manager and served for seven years in the U.S. Marine Corps.
EDUCATION Jacksonville State University (EdM), University of Alabama (EdS, EdD)
NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENTS Tennessee Organization of School Superintendents (TOSS) Superintendent of the Year (2016), Greenville, Alabama, Citizen of the Year (2008)
HOBBIES Skydiving, wing-walking
Angira Sceusi
Executive Director
RedefinED Atlanta
Angira Sceusi began her new role in 2024, following the retirement of RedefinED Atlanta’s executive director, Ed Chang. A public education nonprofit that engages communities, advocates for equity, and funds critical work to drive systemic level improvement in K-12 public education, RedefinED Atlanta was founded in 2016 by Chang, and Sceusi joined as the second employee not long after its launch. RedefinED Atlanta is the culmination of a series of gatherings in 2015 that included Chang and many of Atlanta’s education champions seeking to promote positive, equitable, and lasting change within Atlanta’s schools and districts. Since then, the organization has grown to 12 staff members and has expanded its impact to include Clayton, Cobb, DeKalb, Fulton, and Henry counties. Prior to stepping into the role of executive director, Sceusi was the vice president and chief of staff for RedefinED Atlanta. Sceusi began her career as a fixed income analyst and spent 10 years in energy finance. Additionally, Sceusi is a member of Leadership Atlanta’s class of 2026.
EDUCATION Carnegie Mellon University (MISM), The Broad Center at Yale School of Management (MEd)
HIGHER EDUCATION
Raheem Beyah
Dean, College of Engineering and Southern Company Chair
Georgia Institute of Technology
Cofounder
Fortiphyd Logic
Raheem Beyah is the dean of the College of Engineering and Southern Company Chair at Georgia Tech. In this role, he works with the associate deans and chairs for each of the college’s eight schools while providing leadership to more than 500 faculty members and more than 18,000 students. Prior to this role, Beyah served as vice president for interdisciplinary research, executive director of the online master’s of cybersecurity program, and as a professor in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering. An internationally recognized expert in the areas of cyber-physical systems security, network monitoring, and network security, Beyah is also cofounder of Fortiphyd Logic, an industrial cybersecurity company. A native Atlantan and a graduate of Atlanta Public Schools, Beyah is also a graduate of Leadership Atlanta.
EDUCATION North Carolina A&T State University, Georgia Tech (MS, PhD)
FEW PEOPLE KNOW I’m a huge fan of mindfulness meditation.
TOUGHEST CHALLENGE The myth of meritocracy
HOBBIES Weight training
M. Brian Blake
President
Georgia State University
M. Brian Blake was named Georgia State University’s eighth president in June 2021. He came to Georgia State after serving over six years combined as executive vice president for academic affairs and provost at George Washington University and Drexel University. His research has received more than $12 million in funding, and he is an author of more than 200 scholarly publications in the areas of software engineering and internet computing. The first Black president in the university’s then 114-year history, Blake is a member of Leadership Atlanta’s class of 2024. In 2025, the Association of College Unions International named Blake President of the Year. Blake grew up in Savannah and attended Benedictine Military Academy. He and his wife, Bridget, have two sons, Brendan and Bryce.
EDUCATION Georgia Tech, Mercer (MA), George Mason University (PhD)
FIRST JOB My first full-time role was a software engineer at Lockheed Martin.
FAVORITE MOVIE Inception
FAVORITE TRAVEL DESTINATION Miami
BUCKET LIST Trip to Scotland to explore the wonders of single malt
F. DuBois Bowman
President
Morehouse College
F. DuBois Bowman, a 1992 graduate of Morehouse College, was named as the college’s 13th president following a national search effective July 15, 2025. Bowman previously served as dean of the University of Michigan School of Public Health, a top-ranked school of public health with more than 1,300 students and an annual sponsored research portfolio exceeding $100 million. A nationally respected scholar, innovator, and academic leader, Bowman is a member of the National Academy of Medicine, a fellow of the American Statistical Association, and a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Prior to his deanship at Michigan, Bowman held academic and leadership positions at Columbia University and Emory University. A member of Phi Beta Kappa and Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc., Bowman has remained closely connected to his alma mater as a two-time Morehouse parent.
EDUCATION Morehouse College, University of Michigan (MS), The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (PhD)
Rosalind “Roz” Brewer
Interim President and Chair Emerita
Spelman College
Roz Brewer is a renowned corporate executive celebrated for her visionary leadership, transformative impact, and unwavering dedication to advancing positive change in global business. As one of the few Black women to reach the C-suite in a Fortune 100 company, her groundbreaking career has cemented her status as one of today’s most influential figures. As president and CEO of Walgreens Boots Alliance, she redefined the company’s strategic direction, guiding it through the complexities of the Covid-19 pandemic and expanding access to essential healthcare services. Brewer also served as chief operating officer of Starbucks and president and CEO of Sam’s Club. As a limited partner in her hometown team, the Atlanta Falcons, the Spelman College graduate is one of only three Black women with an ownership stake in an NFL team, reflecting her far-reaching influence across corporate and community arenas.
Ángel Cabrera
President
Georgia Institute of Technology
In 2019 Ángel Cabrera became the 12th president of the Georgia Institute of Technology, one of the leading and most research-intense public universities in the nation. During his first year as president, he steered the institution through the Covid-19 pandemic and produced a new strategic plan focused on impact, access, and inclusive innovation. Previously Cabrera served a seven-year stint as president of George Mason University. From 2004 to 2012 he was president of the Thunderbird School of Global Management, which is now part of Arizona State University. Born in Madrid, Cabrera is the first native of Spain to serve as president of an American university.
EDUCATION Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Georgia Tech (MS, PhD)
WHY I CHOSE THIS WORK Education is the best tool we have to shape the world for the better. I have always been an educator at heart and have always known I would be in education one way or another.
NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENTS Carnegie Corporation of New York Great Immigrant (2017), Aspen Institute Henry Crown Fellow (2008), Businessweek Star of Europe (2004)
George T. French Jr.
President
Clark Atlanta University
In 2019, George T. French Jr. became the fifth president of Clark Atlanta University, the largest United Negro College Fund institution in the country. Prior to his appointment, French served for 13 years as the president of Miles College. A nationally recognized leader in higher education and educational policy, French has served three secretaries of education under two presidents as a congressional appointee to the National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity. He is a three-term board member for the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools’ Commission on Colleges.
EDUCATION University of Louisville, Miles Law School (JD), Jackson State University (PhD)
NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENTS Under French’s leadership Clark Atlanta University has exponentially exceeded all fundraising records in the history of the university; maintained stable enrollment in the midst of the global pandemic; and developed corporate and community relationships to position the university for unprecedented growth. His awards include Birmingham Spotlight Man of the Year, NAACP Man of the Year, and the Higher Education Leadership Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award.
Photograph courtesy of individual
Dan Immergluck
Professor, Urban Studies Institute
Georgia State University
Dan Immergluck, a professor in the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies at Georgia State University, is the author of five books, more than 120 journal articles, book chapters, and research reports. An expert on housing, neighborhood change, real estate, and community development, he’s been a consultant to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the U.S. Department of Justice, testified several times before Congress, and served as a visiting scholar at the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta. His latest book is Red Hot City: Housing, Race, and Exclusion in Twenty-First Century Atlanta.
EDUCATION Northwestern University, University of Michigan (MPP), University of Illinois at Chicago (PhD)
HOMETOWN Detroit, Michigan
WHY I CHOSE THIS WORK I have a passion for making cities more just and equitable.
TOUGHEST CHALLENGE Raising teenagers
FEW PEOPLE KNOW I once wrote a press release for Illinois state senator Barack Obama.
FAVORITE ATLANTA PLACE TO VISIT Buford Highway
Kevin James
President
Morris Brown College
In 2020, Kevin James became president of Morris Brown College, a historically Black college founded in 1881, where he had been interim president since 2019. James, the college’s 19th president, is responsible for the leadership and management of all aspects of college operations and for the college’s strategic direction. A native of Columbia, South Carolina, James has served in various executive-level roles in higher education and within the nonprofit sector. Immediately prior to joining Morris Brown, he was interim CEO of 100 Black Men of America, whose mission is to improve the quality of life and enhance educational and economic opportunities for all African Americans. Additionally, James was named an Atlanta Business Chronicle Most Admired CEO in 2023.
EDUCATION South Carolina State University, Winthrop University, Troy University (MS), Nova Southeastern University (EdD)
FIRST JOB Cook at McDonald’s
FEW PEOPLE KNOW As an avid motorcycle rider, I rode my Harley-Davidson motorcycle from South Carolina to California alone.
BEST ADVICE RECEIVED If possible, find a way to say yes.
Michael L. Lomax
President and CEO
UNCF
Since 2004, Dr. Michael L. Lomax has served as president and CEO of UNCF, the nation’s largest private provider of scholarships and other educational support to African American students. Under his leadership, UNCF has raised more than $4 billion and helped more than 300,000 students earn college degrees and launch careers. Annually, UNCF’s work enables 50,000 students to go to college with UNCF scholarships and attend its 37-member historically black colleges and universities. Before joining UNCF, Dr. Lomax was president of Dillard University in New Orleans and a literature professor at UNCF-member institutions Morehouse and Spelman Colleges. He also founded the National Black Arts Festival, was a founding member of the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of African American History and Culture, and served as chairman of the Fulton County Commission in Atlanta, the first African American elected to that post. In 2025, Lomax received the distinguished GSV (Global Silicon Valley) 2025 Lifetime Achievement Award during the ASU (Arizona State University) +GSV Summit.
EDUCATION Morehouse College, Columbia University (MA), Emory University (PhD)
Linda A. McCauley
Dean
Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing, Emory University
A global leader in environmental health, Linda A. McCauley is the dean of Emory University’s Woodruff School of Nursing. For decades, McCauley has spearheaded innovative research on children’s environmental health, vulnerable workers and occupational health, environmental justice, and the impact of climate change on human health. In 2020, McCauley joined the Environmental Protection Agency’s Children’s Health Protection Advisory Committee and was named an honorary fellow in the Royal Academy of Nursing. She was also elected to serve on the National Academy of Medicine’s Governing Council and received the academy’s David Rall Medal, which is awarded to members who demonstrate distinguished leadership as chair of a study committee, in 2024.
EDUCATION University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Emory University Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing (MSN), University of Cincinnati (PhD)
INSPIRING PERSON My mother was a nurse, and I grew up seeing how her work was such a defining factor of who she was.
Valerie Montgomery Rice, MD
President and CEO
Morehouse School of Medicine
Valerie Montgomery Rice is the sixth president of Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM) and the first woman to lead the freestanding medical institution. Before joining MSM in 2011 as executive vice president, Montgomery Rice was the founding director of the Center for Women’s Health Research at Meharry Medical College in Nashville, one of the nation’s first research centers devoted to studying diseases that disproportionately affect women of color. A renowned reproductive endocrinologist and infertility specialist, Montgomery Rice was elected to the National Academy of Medicine in 2016, and in 2022, she was appointed by President Joe Biden to serve on the President’s Committee on the National Medal of Science.
EDUCATION Georgia Institute of Technology, Harvard Medical School (MD)
NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENTS Montgomery Rice has doubled MSM’s medical student class size from 55 to 110 annually, expanded degree programs from eight to 16, and grew graduate medical education (GME) programs from seven to 14. She also established MSM’s Master of Science in Medical Sciences program, which has produced 233 graduates and become a national model. Her awards include the Atlanta Business Chronicle Health Care Champion Lifetime Achievement Award (2025).
Photograph courtesy of individual
Jere W. Morehead
President
University of Georgia
Jere W. Morehead became the University of Georgia’s 22nd president in 2013. Previously he held other key administrative roles, including senior vice president for academic affairs and provost. Morehead has been a faculty member of the Terry College of Business since 1986, coauthored several books, and published scholarly articles on legal topics ranging from export controls to jury selection. He was an assistant U.S. attorney from 1980 to 1986.
EDUCATION Georgia State University, University of Georgia School of Law (JD)
HOMETOWN Lakeland, Florida
NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENTS Chief Executive Leadership Award, Council for the Advancement and Support of Education District III (2021); William M. Burke Presidential Award for Excellence in Experiential Learning, National Society for Experiential Learning (2019); Josiah Meigs Award for Excellence in Teaching, University of Georgia (2001); Teacher of the Year Award, Terry College of Business (1998, 1988); Russell Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching, University of Georgia (1995)
WHAT I’D TELL A RECENT GRADUATE Never compromise your integrity or trust.
Kathy “Kat” Schwaig
President
Kennesaw State University
Kathy S. Schwaig became the sixth president of Kennesaw State University in 2022 after serving as interim president. Under her leadership, KSU launched the “Taking Flight” strategic plan, the FLIGHT student success program, and dozens of new academic programs. KSU has also made significant investments in academic and research infrastructure, more than doubled research expenditures, and boosted annual fundraising by more than 300 percent. Schwaig has led KSU’s move to Conference USA and relaunched HatchBridge, a business incubator. Schwaig is also a professor of information systems with research focused on the strategic and ethical implications of computer technology. Additionally, Schwaig is the proud mom of her high school daughter, Emma Grace.
EDUCATION Baylor University (MBA), Johns Hopkins University (MLA), University of South Carolina (PhD)
NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENTS Cobb Chamber of Commerce Mack Henderson Public Service Award (2023), Oscar Burnett Award for Distinguished Achievement in Business from the Morris Brown College Foundation, the Cobb Executive Women’s Glass Ceiling Award, and Atlanta magazine’s Women Making a Mark Award
Victoria Seals
President
Atlanta Technical College
Victoria Seals became the sixth president of Atlanta Technical College in 2016. Under her leadership, the college has established effective industry partnerships and student success initiatives—boasting a 100 percent job placement rate. Her service and leadership were recognized in 2020 by the Association of Community College Trustees, who named her Southern Region CEO of the Year. The Atlanta Business Chronicle has twice recognized her as one of their Who’s Who in Education and as a Most Admired CEO in 2020. One of Atlanta Business League’s Top 100 Women of Influence, she has received the South Fulton Chamber Educator of the Year and the Year Up Atlanta Urban Empowerment Awards. She has also been honored by the Urban League of Greater Atlanta. President of Atlanta West End Rotary Club, Seals also serves on boards for the Atlanta Fire Rescue Foundation, the Georgia Public Defender Council, Learn for Life Leadership Council, the ATL Airport Chamber, the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition, Horizons Atlanta, the Aerotropolis Atlanta, Work Source Atlanta, and Hands on Atlanta.
EDUCATION Spelman College, University of Georgia (MA, EdS, EdD)
HOMETOWN Norwood, Georgia
HIDDEN TALENT I am a grill master.
Jagdish N. Sheth
Charles H. Kellstadt Professor of Business
Emory University Goizueta Business School
Jagdish N. Sheth is the Charles H. Kellstadt Professor of Business at Emory University’s Goizueta Business School. The author or coauthor of numerous books and hundreds of scholarly papers, Sheth is known globally for his work in consumer behavior, relationship marketing, competitive strategy, and geopolitical analysis. His latest book, India’s Road to Transformation: Why Leadership Matters, coauthored with the late Gyanendra Singh, was released in 2024. He has over 60 years of combined experience in teaching and research, including at the University of Southern California, Columbia University, and MIT. Sheth and his wife, Madhu Sheth, established the Sheth Family Foundation to support charities in the U.S. and India. In 2020 Sheth received the Padma Bhushan award, one of the highest civilian honors bestowed by the Indian government. In 2025, Goizueta Business School established the Dr. Jagdish N. Sheth Endowed Professorship in Marketing to honor Sheth as a global marketing visionary.
EDUCATION Loyola College, University of Pittsburgh (MBA, PhD)
HOMETOWN Chennai, India
WHY I CHOSE THIS WORK I chose the field of marketing and consumer behavior because I was very interested in what motivated consumers to buy certain products and brands.
Paula S. Wallace
President and Founder
Savannah College of Art and Design
Paula Wallace founded the Savannah College of Art and Design in 1978; and as president has led the university’s expansion to locations in Atlanta and Lacoste, France, and pioneered SCADnow, which provides virtual instruction. Wallace founded the university’s collaborative design studio, SCADpro, and leads one of the foremost community service studios, SCAD SERVE, which harnesses the university’s expertise to address the world’s most pressing social challenges. In 2021, with the opening of the Lofts of Pulaski in Savannah, SCAD SERVE provides affordable workforce housing for frontline workers in its community. Additionally, Wallace created the SCAD Savannah Film Festival, the world’s largest university-run film festival. Widely respected as an author, filmmaker, and podcast host, she is also the founder of four teaching museums including the SCAD Museum of Art in Savannah, SCAD FASH Museum of Fashion + Film in Atlanta, and SCAD FASH Lacoste in France. In 2025, Wallace received the Presidential Citizens Medal, the second-highest civilian award in the United States.
Leah Ward Sears
Interim President
Emory University
Leah Ward Sears, current Emory board of trustees member and former chief justice of the Georgia Supreme Court, was appointed interim president of Emory University in 2025. Ward Sears has been a part of the Emory community for 48 years, starting as an Emory Law student in 1977, then as an adjunct professor at the school, and for the past 15 years, as a valued member of the board of trustees. Ward Sears, who is now a partner with Smith, Gambrell & Russell LLP, has had a distinguished and groundbreaking career in the Georgia judiciary. Mayor Andrew Young appointed her to the City Court of Atlanta in 1982. Three years later, she became the first African American woman to serve as a superior court judge in Georgia. In 1992, Governor Zell Miller appointed her to the Georgia Supreme Court, where she served for 17 years, including four years as chief justice.
EDUCATION Cornell University, Emory University School of Law (JD), University of Virginia School of Law (LLM)
Leocadia I. Zak
President
Agnes Scott College
Leocadia I. Zak was appointed the ninth president of Agnes Scott College in 2018. Under her leadership, the school has achieved record enrollment and fundraising, launched graduate programs and expanded graduate programs to include those with a focus on medical sciences, established the Sophomore Class Atlanta Leadership Experience (SCALE), and been recognized as the most innovative liberal arts college in the country by U.S. News & World Report. Zak has an extensive background in international economic development and international project finance and served as an adjunct professor of law at Georgetown University School of Law. In 2010 she was appointed by President Barack Obama to serve as director of the U.S. Trade and Development Agency.
EDUCATION Mount Holyoke College, Northeastern University School of Law (JD)
NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENTS Atlanta Business Chronicle Power 10 in Education (2023), YWCA of Greater Atlanta Academy of Women Achievers (2022), INSIGHT Into Diversity Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award (2022, 2021)
HEALTHCARE
Chris Appleton
Founder and CEO
Art Pharmacy
Chris Appleton is the founder and CEO of Art Pharmacy, a healthcare services company that provides social prescribing services to address the dual mental health and loneliness crises in the United States. Appleton and his work have been featured by The New York Times, San Francisco Chronicle, CNN, ABC, CBS, NPR, TEDx, Fast Company, and more.
EDUCATION Georgia State University, Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management (MBA)
HOMETOWN Atlanta
NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENTS Atlanta Business Chronicle Health Care Champion Award, Americans for the Arts National Emerging Leader Award, Emory Center for Creativity & Arts Community Impact Award, Atlanta Business Chronicle 40 Under 40, Georgia Trend 100 Notable Georgians, 2025 Top 40 Innovative Companies in Georgia – TAG Online, World Economic Forum’s Global Shapers, New Leaders Council Alumni Award, 2019 class of Leadership Atlanta, 2014 class of Outstanding Atlanta
REASON FOR CHOOSING THIS WORK I chose this field because mental health touches everything — our ability to live, connect, and succeed. It’s too important to silo, and too complex to solve through one lens alone.
Photograph courtesy of individual
Kevin Brown
President and CEO
Piedmont Healthcare
Kevin Brown joined Piedmont Healthcare as president and CEO in 2013. Through an operating model that places the patient at the center of decision-making, Piedmont has produced outcomes that rival some of the best in the country. Under Brown’s watch, Piedmont has frequently earned more A grades from the Leapfrog Group, a nonprofit industry watchdog that rates hospitals on quality, than any other system in Georgia. Since 2013, the Piedmont system has quintupled in size, growing from five to 26 hospitals, now serving over 4.5 million Georgians in more than 2,100 locations across the state. During his tenure, net revenues have grown from $1.5 billion to $8.8 billion in fiscal year 2025. Piedmont provided more than $607 million in community impact in fiscal year 2024, expanding access to care and improving the health of those who live in Georgia. He serves on boards for the Buckhead Coalition, the Metro Atlanta Chamber, and the Georgia Alliance of Community Hospitals.
EDUCATION University of Wisconsin Eau Claire, Arizona State University (MHSA)
Robert H. Bunch
President
Anthem BlueCross BlueShield of Georgia
Robert Bunch was named president of Anthem BlueCross BlueShield of Georgia in 2022. He joined Anthem, Inc. in 2001 and most recently served as chief operating officer and chief client officer for Anthem National Accounts. Previously, he was the regional vice president of sales and account management, where he was responsible for profitable membership growth for the individual and small group market and the state of Georgia health benefit plan. Throughout his career at Anthem, Bunch has held various leadership positions including sales, account management, and product development; government and regulatory compliance; systems integration; and business migration activity, along with responsibility for various systems and application programming teams. Before coming to Anthem, Bunch was a consultant in the government and public services sector, working with multiple state Medicaid agencies. He also previously worked as an application programmer in the banking and credit card industries.
EDUCATION Columbus College, Kelley School of Business, Indiana University (MBA)
Nkem Chukwumerije, MD
President and Executive Medical Director
The Southeast Permanente Medical Group
Nkem Chukwumerije, MD, MPH, FACP, serves as president and executive medical director for The Southeast Permanente Medical Group (TSPMG). TSPMG is one of Georgia’s largest multi-specialty medical groups, with more than 1,000 clinicians caring for approximately 325,000 Kaiser Permanente members. Chukwumerije also serves as the national leader in access to care, health equity, and innovations in hospital medicine for the Permanente Medical Groups. Additionally, he serves as president and chair of the board of directors of the Association of Nigerian Physicians in the Americas. He is a senior lecturer with the Kaiser Permanente School of Medicine and a member of the 2026 class of Leadership Atlanta.
EDUCATION University of Nigeria (MD), UCLA Fielding School of Public Health (MPH)
NONPROFITS Faith Alive USA and the Isuochi Progressive Union, organizations providing medical care and support to underserved areas of Nigeria
Douglas Graham, MD, PhD
Chief, Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center
Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta
Douglas Graham is chief of the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. A physician-scientist with clinical expertise in the treatment of leukemia, he has been actively involved in the design of clinical trials for pediatric cancer. One of the drugs developed by Graham’s research team has advanced into clinical trials for children with relapsed and refractory leukemia. He is a past president of the American Society of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology and was recently elected to the Association of American Physicians. As leader of the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Graham is committed to developing a comprehensive program that will provide outstanding clinical care for children in Georgia and throughout the Southeast. He is responsible for recruiting cancer and hematology clinicians and researchers who will be able to improve the outcomes for children with cancer and blood diseases.
EDUCATION Wake Forest University, University of North Carolina (MD, PhD)
HOMETOWN Carthage, North Carolina
HIDDEN TALENT I play the alto saxophone.
Andre Greenwood
Market Lead, Georgia Interim CEO
Aetna Better Health of Georgia
Andre Greenwood serves as market leader and Georgia interim CEO for Aetna Better Health of Georgia, a diversified, multibillion-dollar healthcare enterprise that provides a portfolio of services to government-sponsored healthcare programs. Most recently, he held the role of chief operating officer at Aetna Better Health of Louisiana. He has significant experience in healthcare operations for both the insurance and provider sides of the industry. He previously held the role of vice president of Field Network Management at Centene Corporation. He led the network’s contracting and expansion strategies for Georgia, including identifying and cultivating strategic alliances and building new network models with over 35,000 provider organizations to ensure that the healthcare needs of Centene members were met. Prior to joining Centene he was executive director of Managed Care for WellStar Health System in Atlanta, where he was responsible for 11 hospitals and over 2,500 physicians. He has also held multiple leadership roles with WellCare of Georgia and Humana. Outside of professional interests, he enjoys spending time with his wife, Naima, and their daughters, Ava and Aubree.
EDUCATION Florida A&M University (BS), Georgia State University (MBA)
Gulshan Harjee, MD
Cofounder
Mosaic Health Center
Following three decades in private practice, Gulshan Harjee cofounded Mosaic Health Center, formerly Clarkston Community Health Center in 2015. Mosaic Health Center is a nonprofit free health clinic serving the immigrant, refugee, and uninsured populations of metro Atlanta. The clinic has since had more than 10,000 patient visits, provided free mammograms, insulin, and dental care to asylum seekers, refugees, and immigrants, and offered educational experiences to hundreds of area medical and nursing students. Harjee and Mosaic’s executive director Jeremy Cole were Health Equity Leaders of the Year honorees for Atlanta Business Chronicle’s 2025 Health Care Champion Awards.
EDUCATION Morehouse School of Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine (MD)
REASON FOR CHOOSING THIS WORK I grew up in a village in Tanzania, a healthcare desert, acres to vaccines could be a challenge, survived deadly cases of malaria, typhoid: It was a realization how fortunate I had been.
WHAT I’D TELL MY 18-YEAR-OLD SELF My 18-year-old self would be very naive. She would want to know not to be afraid to speak your mind, and to hold your cool no matter how urgent a task may be.
GREATEST ACCOMPLISHMENT My greatest accomplishment is to have raised my kids to be good human beings and to be community and charitable minded.
Corwin Nathaniel Harper
Regional President
Kaiser Permanente Georgia
Corwin Nathaniel Harper is the president of Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of Georgia. As regional health plan president, Harper leads the organization’s focus on providing integrated, high-quality healthcare and coverage for more than 327,000 Kaiser Permanente members in Georgia. He has held multiple leadership roles at Kaiser Permanente in Northern California, including senior vice president, medical group administrator, area manager, and director of hospital operations with The Permanente Medical Group. Most recently, Harper served as CEO of Ochsner LSU Health North Louisiana, an integrated academic health system with three acute care hospitals, a behavioral health hospital, and 20 clinics with over 600 students, residents, and faculty. He is also a preceptor for the U.S. Army Baylor Residency Program.
EDUCATION The Citadel, Baylor University (MHA)
REASON FOR CHOOSING THIS WORK My desire to serve and to help others gain access to healthcare. My own bout with asthma at an early age ignited a fire in my parents to help shepherd me in the path of healthcare.
DE-STRESS AND RELAX Prayer, gospel music, and walking along the beach with my wife of 36 years, Terrye.
LESSON LEARNED Honor your mother and father all the days of your life, and your life shall be long. The first commandment with a promise.
Photograph courtesy of individual
John M. Haupert
CEO
Grady Health System
As CEO of Grady Health System since 2011, John Haupert leads the safety-net healthcare system that serves DeKalb and Fulton Counties and operates the primary Level I trauma center and burn center for metro Atlanta. Previously chief operating officer at Parkland Health & Hospital System in Dallas, Haupert began his career in healthcare management at Dallas’s Methodist Health System, where he became president of one of the system’s hospitals and executive vice president for corporate services and business development. A 2023 Atlanta Business Chronicle Most Admired CEO, Haupert was named chair of the board of directors for The Atlanta Opera in 2025.
EDUCATION Trinity University (MS)
HOMETOWN Fort Smith, Arkansas
NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENTS 2023 board chair of the American Hospital Association, Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives, recipient of the ACHE Regent’s Award, 2018-2019 board chair of the Georgia Hospital Association, former board chair of America’s Essential Hospitals
Jason Hudgins
Senior Consultant – Leadership Development
Wellstar Health System
Lead Pastor
Calvary United Methodist Church Atlanta
Jason Hudgins serves as a leadership development senior consultant for Wellstar Health System, contributing to the Coaching Development Program, a strategic initiative designed to enhance leadership capabilities across the organization. His work emphasizes key performance indicators such as retention rates, internal promotions, coach match satisfaction, and behavioral change outcomes. In addition to his corporate leadership work, Hudgins serves as the lead pastor of the 153-year-old historic Calvary United Methodist Church in Atlanta, where he applies his expertise in leadership training to develop church governance models, mentor emerging leaders, and facilitate community engagement initiatives.
EDUCATION University of Louisville, Howard University (MBA)
NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENTS Pharrell’s Black Ambition Prize – Expert Evaluator, Tony Hsieh Award finalist, 2024 Counter Narrative Project Service Award winner, Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Inc. Executive Leadership Council Committee, Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Inc. Social Action Director, Inaugural Truist Inspire Award winner
BEST ADVICE RECEIVED At 23, someone here in Atlanta told me something I’ll never forget: “Build a life and not a lifestyle.”
Monica A. Hum, MD
CEO
Piedmont Rockdale Hospital
Monica Hum is a pioneering colorectal surgeon who became CEO of Piedmont Rockdale Hospital in 2023. She previously served as chief medical officer, successfully improving the hospital’s quality and safety scores. During her time as managing partner of ATL Colorectal Surgery, a specialized practice she founded in 2007, she was the first woman elected as president of the medical staff of Piedmont Atlanta Hospital dating to its founding in 1905. A native of New York, Hum began practicing in Atlanta in 2003 after fellowship training at the Cleveland Clinic Florida and general surgery residency at Saint Luke’s–Roosevelt Hospital.
EDUCATION Boston University, Emory University Goizueta School of Business (MBA), State University of New York Downstate Medical Center College of Medicine (MD)
NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENTS Georgia Alliance of Community Hospitals 2024 Outstanding Woman in Healthcare. The first in Atlanta to perform transanal endoscopic microsurgery in 2008 and first in Georgia to implant an Interstim sacral nerve stimulator for bowel leakage in 2011
WHY I CHOSE THIS WORK During my freshman year in college, my mother quit smoking. One year later, she was diagnosed with lung cancer. She died during my senior year.
Donna W. Hyland
President and CEO
Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta
Donna Hyland has overseen monumental growth and achievement at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, first as chief financial officer, then as chief operating officer, and now as president and CEO. She was instrumental in the 1998 merger of Egleston Children’s Health Care System and Scottish Rite Children’s Medical Center, the additions of Hughes Spalding Hospital, Marcus Autism Center, Center for Advanced Pediatrics and, most recently, the opening of Arthur M. Blank Hospital, creating what is now one of the preeminent and largest pediatric healthcare systems in the country. Under Hyland’s leadership, Children’s and Emory University School of Medicine Department of Pediatrics has achieved top-five ranking in federal research grant dollars from the National Institutes of Health since 2018. Hyland is also a Class of 2025 member of YWCA of Greater Atlanta’s Academy of Women Achievers.
EDUCATION Western Kentucky University
FIRST JOB An intern for a judge
FAVORITE BOOKS Anything on personal growth, either mental or physical
FAVORITE TRAVEL DESTINATION Mountains or beach
WHAT I’D TELL A RECENT GRADUATE Try new experiences and push yourself to keep learning. Build relationships.
Kim H. Jones
Executive Director
NAMI Georgia
Kim H. Jones is the executive director of NAMI Georgia and, more importantly, the proud mother of a child with a mental health condition. NAMI is the largest grassroots advocacy organization representing people affected by mental health conditions. Jones is also a cofounder of the Georgia Mental Health Policy Partnership. Appointed to the state’s Behavioral Health Reform and Innovation Committee by late Speaker of the House David Ralston, her expertise drives policy and legislative reform efforts statewide, including the landmark passage of the Mental Health Parity Act. Previously Jones was part of the senior-level management team of Goodwill of North Georgia. Jones has more than 25 years of experience in nonprofit management, education, training, marketing, and business development.
EDUCATION University of Georgia
HOMETOWN Dunwoody, Georgia
BEST ADVICE RECEIVED What gets measured gets done.
Kathryn Lawler
CEO
Saint Joseph’s Health System
Kathryn Lawler is CEO of Saint Joseph’s Health System and Mercy Care, Atlanta’s federally qualified health center. Lawler came to Saint Joseph’s Health System from the Atlanta Regional Collaborative for Health Improvement (ARCHI), where she had served as executive director since 2017. She is known for helping both health systems and local organizations remain agile and relevant in their service delivery. With a background that integrates strategic planning, partnerships, and policy, she is implementing a strategy that addresses both the direct needs of clients and communities and social determinants of health.
EDUCATION University of Notre Dame, Harvard University’s J. F. Kennedy School of Government (MPP)
NONPROFITS Advisory positions include Atlanta Neighborhood Development; Enterprise Community Partners, Southeastern Council of Advisors; Greenlight Fund, Atlanta Site Review Team; Hope Atlanta, Advisory Council; Local Initiatives Support Corporation, Atlanta Advisory Team
Joon S. Lee, MD
CEO
Emory Healthcare
Executive Vice President for Health Affairs
Emory University
Joon S. Lee joined Emory Healthcare as the CEO in July 2023. In July 2025, Emory University unified its leadership under a more streamlined structure, naming Lee executive vice president for Health Affairs of Emory University and vice chair of the Emory Healthcare board of directors, along with continuing his current position as CEO of Emory Healthcare. Lee came to Emory after a 27-year career at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) as a clinician, clinical researcher, academic leader, and physician executive. While there, Lee’s scope of responsibility continuously increased, culminating in his position as the executive vice president, UPMC, and president, UPMC Physician Services. He was responsible for more than 5,200 employed physicians, including all clinical faculty of University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, and over 3,500 advanced practice providers. As a full-time faculty member, he served as the vice dean for Clinical Affairs at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.
EDUCATION Dartmouth College, Duke University School of Medicine (MD)
FAVORITE MOVIE E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial
WHY I CHOSE THIS WORK My father is a physician, which drove me to and made me wary of medicine at the same time. While my father’s profession had some influence, I was always interested in science.
Jayne Morgan, MD
Vice President of Medical Affairs
Hello Heart
Owner and Creator
The Stairwell Chronicles
Jayne Morgan is a cardiologist and the vice president of Medical Affairs at Hello Heart, a digital leader in preventive heart health. Most recently, Morgan was the executive director of Health and Community Education at Piedmont Healthcare where she played a pivotal role in addressing health literacy and disseminating information both within the organization and to external stakeholders. Widely recognized for her exceptional skills in interpreting complex medical data, Morgan created the popular social media series, The Stairwell Chronicles, through which she delivers scientific and medical information in a brief and easy-to-understand format to a multitude of followers. She covers topics from Covid, to cardiology, to women’s health, to clinical trials, and more. A recognized medical expert for several media outlets including CNN and Scripps News, with over 500 media appearances in recent years, she is also an adjunct associate professor at Morehouse School of Medicine.
EDUCATION Spelman College, Michigan State University College of Human Medicine (MD)
HOMETOWN Atlanta
FIRST JOB I was a Break Girl at Six Flags Over Georgia. I walked around and gave people on ice cream carts their breaks and filled in while they were away. Then later I got my own ice cream cart to work.
Ketul J. Patel
President and CEO
Wellstar Health System
Ketul J. Patel was named Wellstar Health System’s president and CEO in 2025 following the retirement of Candice L. Saunders earlier in the year. Patel previously served as CEO of Virginia Mason Franciscan Health (VMFH) and president of the Pacific Northwest Region of CommonSpirit Health, where he was responsible for 12 hospitals, more than 300 patient care locations, and 20,000 team members, including more than 5,600 employed and affiliated providers. Under Patel’s visionary leadership during the global pandemic, two of the Pacific Northwest’s leading healthcare organizations – CHI Franciscan and Virginia Mason Health System – merged to form Virginia Mason Franciscan Health in January 2021. VMFH is one of Washington state’s largest premier healthcare providers, and under his leadership, VMFH became the only health system in Washington state to earn all “A” Leapfrog patient safety grades, ranking among the best facilities in the nation.
EDUCATION Johns Hopkins University, University of Pittsburgh School of Business (MBA), University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health (MHA)
Robert Quattrocchi
President and CEO
Northside Hospital
Robert Quattrocchi is president and CEO of the Northside Hospital health system, which provides care to more than 5.5 million patients annually; Quattrocchi oversees a system reaching across 25 counties with five acute-care hospitals, over 300 outpatient facilities, 4,000 providers, and 32,000 employees. In 2017 the Atlanta Business Chronicle named Quattrocchi one of the area’s Most Admired CEOs, and he was included in a list of the country’s top 100 CEOs in the 2019 Glassdoor Employees’ Choice Awards. He was also one of the best CEOs for diversity in 2022, ranked by employees of color across large companies, on the career website Comparably. Quattrocchi has been part of Northside Hospital’s senior management team since 1987; prior to assuming the top job in 2004, he served as chief operating officer and executive vice president of finance and administration, chief financial officer, and director of fiscal services.
Suresh S. Ramalingam, MD
Executive Director
Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University
Dr. Suresh Ramalingam serves as executive director of Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University, Georgia’s only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center. Additionally, Ramalingam serves as associate vice president for cancer at Woodruff Health Sciences Center. Ramalingam is past president of the Georgia Society of Oncology and a member of the board of Georgia CORE. He is a fellow of the American Society of Clinical Oncology and a Georgia Cancer Coalition Distinguished Cancer Scholar. The Chennai, India, native’s present research involves developing immune checkpoint inhibitors and improving outcomes for patients with EGFR mutation. He has authored more than 350 scientific publications. He serves as editor-in-chief of Cancer, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society. Additionally, he was named among the Time100 Health 2025.
EDUCATION Kilpauk Medical College, India (MBBS)
NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENTS Developed new treatment options for lung cancer
MOST INSPIRING PERSON Mahatma Gandhi
LESSON LEARNED No success is everlasting, and no setback is permanent.
FAVORITE TRAVEL DESTINATION Alaska
NONPROFIT India Literacy Project
Bassam Tomeh, MD
CEO
First Medical Care
Bassam Tomeh became the CEO of First Medical Care after acquiring the practice from his mentor, Dr. Gulshan Harjee. Tomeh, whose practice serves refugees and immigrants from Middle Eastern, African, and Asian countries with cultural sensitivity and care, has a special interest in disease prevention and primary care for ages 15 and up. An Atlanta native, Tomeh served as an active voting member on the Emory Healthcare Board of Managers and DeKalb Physicians Hospital Organization board and is an active member and a fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians and a member of the National Arab American Medical Association. He was an assistant professor at Mercer University School of Medicine.
EDUCATION Emory University, Medical College of Georgia (MD)
INSPIRING PEOPLE My father, Dr. Mohammed Tomeh, and Dr. Gulshan Harjee. These two invaluable public servants taught me that it is vitally important to be an active part of our patients’ lives and that compassion and commitment should be foremost in our daily work.
NONPROFITS Al Farooq Masid of Atlanta and RAKSHA, which advocates for the South Asian community
Kathleen E. Toomey, MD
Commissioner and State Health Officer
Georgia Department of Public Health
As commissioner of the Georgia Department of Public Health, Kathleen E. Toomey oversees 159 county health departments in 18 health districts and helped lead the response to the coronavirus pandemic in Georgia, fostering critical partnerships with hospitals, physicians, and other healthcare organizations, business leaders, the agricultural community, and statewide public health and community organizations. Formerly she was director of Fulton County’s Department of Health and Wellness. She is an epidemiologist and board-certified family practitioner with a long career in national and global public health, including a stint as Botswana country director for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
EDUCATION Smith College, Harvard Medical School (MD), Harvard School of Public Health (MPH)
Jonathan Watkins
President and CEO
City of Hope Atlanta
Jonathan E. Watkins serves as president of City of Hope Cancer Center Atlanta, which is part of City of Hope, a world-renowned institution. Under Watkins’ leadership, City of Hope Cancer Center Atlanta is bringing many of the most promising and groundbreaking cancer therapies to the local region. Previously, Watkins was CEO of Broward Health Imperial Point in Florida and COO with Kaiser Foundation Hospitals & Health Plan in California and Methodist North Hospital in Tennessee, where he drove strategic growth and daily operations. He is a certified Six Sigma Black Belt, a fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives, and has garnered honors including NAHSE Young Healthcare Executive of the Year and recognition in Legacy Magazine. Active in the community, he serves on multiple boards, including chambers of commerce, the American Cancer Society Georgia Area board, and local youth organizations.
EDUCATION Tennessee State University (MPA)
DE-STRESS AND RELAX Popcorn and a family movie with my wife and 7-year-old daughter
WHAT I’D TELL MY 18-YEAR-OLD SELF I would tell 18-year-old Jonathan that it’s perfectly fine to outgrow not only clothes, but relationships as well. Doing so will assist him in realizing his full potential and accomplishing his goals.
Sandra L. Wong, MD, MS
Dean
Emory University School of Medicine
Chief Academic Officer
Emory Healthcare
An accomplished surgical oncologist and researcher, Sandra L. Wong joined Emory University School of Medicine as dean in March 2024. Wong, who is the first female medical school dean at Emory, also serves as the chief academic officer for Emory Healthcare. Prior to joining Emory, Wong was the chair of the Department of Surgery at the Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center and the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth. During her tenure at Dartmouth, she developed an interest in studying and eliminating rural health disparities, and her efforts helped spur the creation of the federally funded Center for Rural Health Care Delivery Science, which provides infrastructure to train junior investigators focused on solving challenges associated with the provision of equitable healthcare. As a surgical oncologist specializing in the management of soft tissue sarcomas, melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancers, Wong is among the most widely recognized health services researchers in academic surgery.
EDUCATION University of California Berkeley, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine (MD)
HOMETOWN Stockton, California
FIRST JOB Sold ceramic tile
BEST ADVICE RECEIVED Adopt a mindset of curiosity.
LEGENDS
James Curran, MD
Curran was formerly dean of Emory’s Rollins School of Public Health. Previously, he spent 25 years at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, reaching the rank of assistant surgeon general. In 1981, he was tapped to lead the investigation into the first cases of AIDS. The author of nearly 300 scientific publications, Curran led the CDC’s research in response to the worldwide HIV/AIDS pandemic.
Walter J. Curran Jr., MD
Curran is the former executive director of Emory University’s Winship Cancer Institute, the first and only cancer center in Georgia designated by the National Cancer Institute; Curran was also the first radiation oncologist to serve as director of an NCI-designated cancer center.
William Foege, MD, MPH
Considered a titan of epidemiology, Foege was instrumental in the successful campaign to eradicate smallpox in the 1970s. At Emory University, he holds the title of Presidential Distinguished Professor Emeritus of International Health, in addition to being a Gates Fellow and former Carter Center leader.
David Satcher, MD, PhD
A renowned physician, public health leader, and scholar, Dr. David Satcher is best known for serving as the 16th U.S. Surgeon General. Prior to that, he was director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. He is the founding director of the Satcher Health Leadership Institute at Morehouse School of Medicine.
Alana Shepherd
Shepherd and her husband Harold cofounded Atlanta’s Shepherd Center in 1975. The facility has grown from a six-bed unit to a world-renowned hospital specializing in research, medical treatment, and rehabilitation for people with spinal cord and brain injuries and other neurological conditions.
Louis W. Sullivan, MD
With the exception of his four-year tenure as secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which ended in 1993, Sullivan was president of Morehouse School of Medicine for more than 20 years. He also founded the Sullivan Alliance (now part of the Association of American Medical Colleges), which aims to increase the numbers of ethnic and racial minorities in health care, and is chairman of the Georgia Global Health Alliance.
Beverly Tatum
A noted scholar, teacher, author, administrator, and race relations expert, Tatum was the ninth president of Spelman College. Tatum is a licensed clinical psychologist with an MA and PhD from the University of Michigan, as well as an MA in religious studies from Hartford Seminary, and is the author of the acclaimed 1997 book Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? And Other Conversations about Race.
