Photograph courtesy of Spelman College
K-12 | Higher Education | Healthcare | Legends
K-12
Photograph courtesy of individual
Frank Brown
CEO
Communities in Schools of Atlanta
As CEO of Communities in Schools of Atlanta, Frank Brown oversees the organization’s mission to surround students with a community of support, empowering them to stay in school and achieve in life. CIS of Atlanta has programs in 65 public schools in Atlanta and Fulton, Clayton, and DeKalb Counties. Previously, Brown was the first executive director of the Butler Street Community Development Corporation (formerly the historic Butler Street YMCA) and director of civic engagement and activation at Points of Light.
Education: Johnson C. Smith University, University of South Carolina School of Law (JD)
Inspiring person: Thurgood Marshall
Toughest challenge: Restoring CIS of Atlanta back to prominence after the organization nearly closed in 2013
Few people know: I love practicing yoga.
What I’d tell a recent graduate: Life is more difficult if you’re not prepared to seize opportunities that present themselves.
Bucket list: To lead a national nonprofit that has impact across the country
Photograph courtesy of individual
Meria Carstarphen
Superintendent
Atlanta Public Schools
As the superintendent of Atlanta Public Schools, Meria Joel Carstarphen leads a district with nearly 52,000 students, 6,000 full-time employees, and 89 schools, and oversees the system’s $1 billion annual budget. Formerly, she was superintendent in diverse, major metropolitan public school districts including Austin, Texas, and Saint Paul, Minnesota. Since coming to APS in 2014, she has worked to restore organizational integrity and create a student-focused culture not driven by adult agendas.
Education: Tulane University, Auburn University (EdM), Harvard University (EdM, EdD)
Notable achievements: American Federation of State and County Municipal Employees and the Georgia Federation of Public Service Employees Superintendent of the Year (2018), Tulane University Outstanding Alumna Award (2018), Anti-Defamation League Torch of Liberty Award (2017)
Hidden talent: I can fly a plane.
What I’d say to a recent graduate: Study and do what you love.
Bucket list: To see the aurora borealis
Who’d play me in a biopic: The Rock (Dwayne Johnson)
Photograph courtesy of individual
Ron Clark
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—in the past 10 years, Clark and his staff have provided professional development for more than 50,000 educators. Known for 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.
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.
Who’d play me in a biopic: I guess I should say Matthew Perry [who played Clark in the 2006 biopic The Ron Clark Story]. But today I’d go with Neil Patrick Harris or Sean Hayes.
Photograph courtesy of individual
Steve Dolinger
President
Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education
Steve Dolinger became the third president of the Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education in 2002, leading the organization as it promotes education reform across the state through research and communication, including strong advocacy through its EdQuest Coalition. Dolinger previously served for seven years as superintendent of schools in Fulton County and was a teacher and administrator in Fairfax County, Virginia.
Education: Wake Forest University, George Mason University (EdM), Vanderbilt University (EdD)
Notable achievements: Georgia PTA Visionary Award (2010), Georgia Superintendent of the Year (2001), Georgia School Public Relations Association Leadership Award (2001)
First job: Concrete construction
Why I chose this work: I’ve always enjoyed helping prepare students for the next steps in their lives. Education is the ticket.
Best advice received: From a sergeant major in the U.S. Army Reserve: “Take care of your troops and the troops will take care of you.”
Photograph courtesy of individual
Mark Elgart
President and CEO
AdvancED/Measured Progress
Mark Elgart, founding president and CEO of AdvancED, transformed a small, regional accrediting agency into a global nonprofit focused on improving education through accreditation, research and innovation, and policy and advocacy. Following a recent merger with Measured Progress, a New Hampshire-based company focused on student assessment, the combined organization serves 28 million students in more than 40,000 schools in every state and more than 70 countries.
Education: Springfield College, Westfield State College (EdM), University of Massachusetts (EdD)
First job: High school math teacher
Why I chose this work: Education is the most important profession in the world besides parenting. There is no greater joy or accomplishment than to help a child learn and be prepared for their future.
Toughest challenge: Leading a school through a crisis due to teen suicide
What I’d tell my 18-year-old self: With patience and persistence, you can create the future you believe in.
Who’d play me in a biopic: George Clooney
Photograph courtesy of the Georgia Charter Schools Association
Tony Roberts
President and CEO
Georgia Charter Schools Association
Tony Roberts is president and CEO of the Georgia Charter Schools Association. Previously he was executive director of Camp Fire USA, a youth development agency in Dallas, and vice president of development for Texas CAN! Academies, which supports 10 charter high schools serving at-risk youth in five Texas cities. A native Tennessean, Roberts has been a member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals since 1986, and was a founding member of AFP’s Smoky Mountain Chapter.
Education: Carson-Newman College, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (MDiv, ThM, PhD)
First job: Working in a gas station in the days of full service to customers
Hidden talent: I can do plumbing, electrical, and carpentry work with the best of them. I own two power nailers, for instance!
Hobbies: Collecting and playing vinyl records and turntables, travel, home improvement
Favorite book: The Power of Intention by Wayne W. Dyer
Photograph courtesy of Gwinnett County Public Schools
J. Alvin Wilbanks
Superintendent and CEO
Gwinnett County Public Schools
J. Alvin Wilbanks has been superintendent and CEO of Gwinnett County Public Schools since 1996. Under his leadership, the district twice won the Broad Prize for Urban Education, which recognizes urban school districts nationally making the greatest strides in raising student achievement and reducing education gaps. Wilbanks was the first chairman of the Georgia Education Coalition, formed in 2006 to give districts a unified voice on education funding and policy, and the founding president of Gwinnett Technical College in 1984.
Education: Georgia State University, University of Georgia (EdM)
Hometown: Nicholson, Georgia
Notable achievements: Boy Scouts of America Distinguished Citizen Award (2008), Georgia Superintendent of the Year (2005), National Superintendent of the Year Finalist (2005)
HIGHER EDUCATION
Photograph courtesy of individual
Joe Bankoff
Chair, Sam Nunn School of International Affairs
Georgia Tech
Joe Bankoff became chair of the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs in 2012 after an extensive career as a legal and civic leader: previously as president and CEO of the Woodruff Arts Center and, prior to that, in 34 years as senior litigation partner at King & Spalding. Bankoff founded and led the Atlanta firm’s Intellectual Property and Technology Practice Group, and represented the organizing committees of both the Atlanta and Sydney Olympics in the negotiation of television broadcast rights.
Education: Purdue University, University of Illinois College of Law (JD)
Hometown: Terre Haute, Indiana
Notable achievements: Chaired the search committee that brought Robert Spano and Donald Runnicles to the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra
First job: Reporter at the Atlanta Constitution
Hidden talent: I fly light aircraft and gliders.
What I’d tell a recent graduate: “Best wishes for a useful life”—advice given by Ralph McGill, editor and publisher of the Atlanta Constitution from the 1940s to the 1960s
Photograph courtesy of individual
Mark P. Becker
President
Georgia State University
Since becoming president in 2009, Mark Becker has led Georgia State University through a period of growth and transformation. In a consolidation with Georgia Perimeter College in 2016, GSU increased its student population to more than 53,000, making it the largest university in Georgia and one of the largest nationwide. Also one of the most diverse universities in the U.S., GSU has set records for its graduation rates and is recognized for eliminating disparities in student achievement based on race, ethnicity, and income.
Education: Towson State University, Pennsylvania State University (PhD)
Hometown: Havre de Grace, Maryland
Why I chose this work: I wanted to assure American higher education would continue to be an engine of opportunity.
Hobbies: Cycling, ice climbing, mountaineering
Favorite book: Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry into Values by Robert M. Pirsig
What I’d tell a recent graduate: Big Dreams + Hard Work = Opportunity
Photograph by Scott King
Mary Schmidt Campbell
President
Spelman College
Mary Schmidt Campbell became the 10th president of Spelman College in 2015. A major cultural force in New York City before moving to Atlanta, Campbell began her career at the Studio Museum in Harlem, serving for 10 years as director. In 1987 she became the city’s cultural affairs commissioner, followed by more than two decades as dean of New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. In 2009, President Barack Obama appointed Campbell vice chair of the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities.
Education: Swarthmore College, Syracuse University (MA, PhD)
Hometown: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Toughest challenge: I began at the Studio Museum in Harlem when the city was on the verge of bankruptcy and Harlem was in steep decline. Under my leadership, the museum was transformed and later recognized as a linchpin in the economic revitalization of the 125th Street corridor.
Hobbies: Skiing, travel, writing, arts
Favorite travel destinations: Paris, my ranch in Montana
Photograph courtesy of individual
Gretchen Corbin
President and CEO
Georgia Lottery
Created to enhance educational funding, the Georgia Lottery currently provides $1.2 billion annually for the state’s HOPE and Pre-K programs—revenues that Georgia Lottery president and CEO Gretchen Corbin works to maximize, ensuring continued access for Georgia students. Before coming to the Lottery in January 2018, Corbin served as commissioner of the Technical College System of Georgia, which comprises 22 colleges and myriad economic development and workforce training programs. Previously she was commissioner of the Georgia Department of Community Affairs.
Education: Clemson University
First job: Lifeguard
Favorite book: Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen by Christopher McDougall
What I’d tell a recent graduate: To focus on their soft skills as much as their education
Bucket list: I would love to go to Wimbledon.
Who’d play me in a biopic: Reese Witherspoon
Photograph courtesy of individual
James Curran, MD
Dean and Professor
Emory University Rollins School of Public Health
Before becoming dean of Emory’s Rollins School of Public Health in 1995, James Curran spent 24 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 five cases of a mysterious new disease now known as AIDS. The author of nearly 300 scientific publications, Curran led the CDC’s research and public health activities in response to the worldwide HIV/AIDS pandemic.
Education: University of Notre Dame, Harvard University (MPH), University of Michigan (MD)
Notable achievements: American Public Health Association John Snow Award (2003), Surgeon General’s Medal of Excellence (1996)
Toughest challenge: Understanding and combating the AIDS epidemic in the early 1980s
Few people know: I love pizza and craft IPAs.
Favorite travel destination: Walkable cities around the world
What I’d tell a recent graduate: Know yourself, respect others, and always do your best.
Photograph courtesy of individual
Dan Immergluck
Professor, Urban Studies Institute
Georgia State University
Dan Immergluck, a professor in the Urban Studies Institute at Georgia State University, is the author of four books, more than 50 scholarly articles, numerous book chapters, and scores of 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.
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
Photograph courtesy of individual
Erika Hayes James
Dean
Emory University Goizueta Business School
As dean of Emory University’s Goizueta Business School, Erika James oversees the operations of a top-25 business school with eight degree-granting programs and a portfolio of nondegree executive-education offerings. A published researcher and award-winning educator, James is an expert in workplace diversity and crisis leadership. Before coming to Goizueta in 2014, she was senior associate dean for executive education at the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business.
Education: Pomona College, University of Michigan (MA, PhD)
First job: Cashier at Burger King
Best advice received: From my mother: “Don’t get married too young.”
Thoughts on diversity: At some level, organizations recognize the need to create an inclusive environment, if for no other reason than we’ve become more global as a society.
Favorite books: The Trumpet of the Swan by E.B. White, Men and Women of the Corporation by Rosabeth Moss Kanter
Charities: Alliance Theatre, East Lake Foundation, Junior Achievement of Georgia
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: University of Georgia Josiah Meigs Award for Excellence in Teaching (2001), University of Georgia Richard B. Russell Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching (1995), Terry College of Business Teacher of the Year Award (1988, 1998)
What I’d tell a recent graduate: Never compromise your integrity or trust.
Charities: Student scholarships
G.P. “Bud” Peterson
President
Georgia Institute of Technology
G.P. “Bud” Peterson became the 11th president of Georgia Tech in 2009, and has overseen an expansion of the campus infrastructure and new strategic partnerships and collaborations. Georgia Tech also exceeded its $1.5 billion fundraising goal by 20 percent, while increasing enrollment by 45 percent. A scientist by training, Peterson was previously chancellor of the University of Colorado Boulder, provost at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and a faculty member at Texas A&M University. He chairs the NCAA Board of Governors.
Education: Kansas State University (MS), Texas A&M University (PhD)
Notable achievements: Named to the National Science Board by Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama. An expert in phase-change heat transfer, Peterson holds 16 patents, with three pending. He has authored or coauthored 17 books or book chapters, 240 refereed journal articles, and 146 conference publications.
Photograph courtesy of individual
Valerie Montgomery Rice, MD
President and Dean
Morehouse School of Medicine
Valerie Montgomery Rice is the sixth president of Morehouse School of Medicine and the first woman to hold the position. Before joining Morehouse in 2011 as executive vice president, Montgomery Rice was 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. An infertility specialist and researcher, she was elected to the National Academy of Medicine in 2016.
Education: Georgia Institute of Technology, Harvard Medical School (MD)
Hometown: Macon, Georgia
Notable achievements: Atlanta Business League Visions of Excellence Award (2018), Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans Horatio Alger Award (2017), Trumpet Awards Foundation Vanguard Award (2015), American Medical Women’s Association Elizabeth Blackwell Medal (2011)
Photograph courtesy of individual
Claire E. Sterk
President
Emory University
Claire E. Sterk became the 20th president of Emory University in 2016, following stints as the institution’s sixth provost and its executive vice president for academic affairs. A strong advocate for increased access and inclusion at research universities, she is known for championing collaboration and innovation within the academy as well as through external engagement. The Netherlands native is a widely regarded public-health scholar and the author of three books and more than 125 peer-reviewed articles.
Education: Free University Amsterdam, Utrecht University (Drs), Erasmus University Rotterdam (PhD)
First job: Buying groceries and delivering those on my bike
Inspiring person: President Jimmy Carter, who as a faculty member at Emory for more than three decades has shared the power of using one’s moral compass
Charities: Homelessness, mental health, human rights
Photograph courtesy of individual
David A. Thomas
President
Morehouse College
After a 30-year academic career spent largely at Ivy League institutions, David Thomas became the 12th president of Morehouse College in 2018. He seeks to grow the college’s endowment and brings a successful track record in fundraising. Before coming to Morehouse, Thomas was H. Naylor Fitzhugh Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School, and previously served as dean of Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business, where he led a $130 million capital campaign.
Education: Yale College, Columbia University (MA), Yale University (MPhil, PhD)
Hometown: Kansas City, Missouri
Notable achievements: Nationally known for his research on managing diversity in the workplace, Thomas has written two books and numerous academic articles.
Photograph courtesy of SCAD
Paula S. Wallace
President and Founder
Savannah College of Art and Design
Paula Wallace is president and founder of the Savannah College of Art and Design, a comprehensive art and design university with locations in Atlanta, Savannah, Hong Kong, and Lacoste, France. As president since 2000—she served previously as academic dean and provost—Wallace has led SCAD to unprecedented growth, created popular annual events, and founded three teaching museums. Wallace has published books on interior design, children’s books, and a memoir, The Bee and the Acorn.
Education: Furman University, Georgia State University (EdM, EdS)
Notable achievements: American Society of Interior Designers McClelland Merit Award (2017), Institute of Classical Architecture & Art Ross Award for Stewardship (2016), National Trust for Historic Preservation du Pont Crowninshield Award (2016)
First job: Teaching piano when I was 12.
Favorite book: A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle
Favorite Atlanta place to visit: A store in Little Five Points called Wish
What I’d tell a recent graduate: Start journaling to help you reflect and plan.
Photograph courtesy of individual
Steve Wrigley
Chancellor
University System of Georgia
As the 14th chancellor of the University System of Georgia, Steve Wrigley oversees 26 public colleges and universities, with 47,000 faculty and staff, more than 325,000 students, and an annual budget of $9.11 billion. He has focused on three core goals: affordability, efficiency, and graduating more students. Before becoming chancellor in 2017, Wrigley served as executive vice chancellor of administration. Previously, as chief of staff to former governor Zell Miller, he helped create the Georgia Lottery and HOPE scholarship.
Education: Georgia State University, Northwestern University (MA, PhD)
Hometown: Hutchinson, Kansas
Notable achievements: Reduced administrative costs by $32 million; increased the number of students earning degrees and held tuition steady in 2018-2019
First job: Mowing grass
Why I chose this work: Higher education changed my life.
Best advice received: Take what you do seriously, but don’t take yourself too seriously.
Charities: Georgia Wildlife Federation, higher education
HEALTHCARE
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Tom Andrews
President and CEO
Saint Joseph’s Health System and Mercy Care
In 2003 Tom Andrews became president of Mercy Care, a healthcare provider that serves Atlanta’s homeless population, and in 2012 he was named president and CEO of Saint Joseph’s Health System, comprising Mercy Care, Mercy Care Foundation, and Mercy Care Rome. Mercy Care met the needs of more than 13,500 patients in 2017, and Andrews has been recognized for his leadership in combating tuberculosis. Previously he was president of the consulting firm Independent Physician Strategies.
Education: Ohio State University
Why I chose this work: I was drawn to healthcare at a very young age when I witnessed my mother die unnecessarily due to the nonmanagement of a chronic disease.
Few people know: I love dogs. I want to buy a farm and adopt 100 of them.
Best advice received: Always do the right thing.
Toughest challenge: Losing my mother at age 12
Hobbies: Tennis, golf, hiking
Photograph courtesy of individual
Kevin Brown
President and CEO
Piedmont Healthcare
Kevin Brown became president and CEO of Piedmont Healthcare in 2013, leading the community health system’s growth and improvements in access and clinical quality. Piedmont is the largest healthcare system in Georgia; with nearly 600 locations, including 11 hospitals, it provides care to 2 million Georgians. Under Brown’s tenure, the Piedmont Clinic network also expanded from 800 to more than 2,000 physicians. Brown was previously CEO of Swedish Health Services in Seattle.
Education: University of Wisconsin Eau Claire, Arizona State University (MHSA)
Hometown: Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin
Why I chose this work: I have an inherent desire to help people. I also grew up in the industry. My father was a rural hospital CEO, and my mother was a nurse-practitioner who worked in the small rural town where we lived.
Few people know: When I was a kid, I competed in rodeo barrel racing.
Best advice received: Listen more than you speak.
Favorite travel destination: Iowa, to see my parents on their 120-acre farm
Photograph courtesy of individual
Jeff Fusile
President
Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield
Jeff Fusile has served as president of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Georgia since 2015, overseeing the largest insurer in the state (which is changing its name to Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in 2019). BCBS covers most members of the State Health Benefit Plan, including teachers and state employees. Before joining Anthem in 2011 as senior vice president, Fusile spent 22 years as a strategic management consultant, most recently as a managing partner of PricewaterhouseCoopers and a national leader of the firm’s healthcare consulting group.
Education: Florida State University
Photograph courtesy of individual
Patrice A. Harris, MD
President-Elect
American Medical Association
Atlanta psychiatrist Patrice Harris became president-elect of the American Medical Association in June 2018. She has held numerous leadership positions in the AMA, the American Psychiatric Association, the Georgia Psychiatric Physicians Association, and the Medical Association of Georgia. She was also founding president of the Georgia Psychiatry Political Action Committee. As former chief health officer for Fulton County, Harris spearheaded efforts to integrate public health, behavioral health, and primary care.
Education: West Virginia University (MA), West Virginia University School of Medicine (MD)
Hometown: Bluefield, West Virginia
Why I chose this work: I was inspired to go into medicine by Marcus Welby, M.D.
Few people know: I was a majorette/twirler in junior high and high school.
What I’d tell a recent graduate: Stay true to your values and trust your inner voice.
Favorite Atlanta place to visit: Mercedes-Benz Stadium on a Sunday
Photograph courtesy of individual
John M. Haupert
President and CEO
Grady Health System
As president and 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.
Education: Trinity University (MS)
Hometown: Fort Smith, Arkansas
Notable achievements: Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives, recipient of the ACHE Regent’s Award, immediate past chairman of the board of directors of America’s Essential Hospitals
First job: Working in a warehouse, unloading semitrucks filled with 500-pound oil drums for $1.93 an hour
Favorite travel destination: Sante Fe, New Mexico
Bucket list: A trip to Eastern Europe, including Prague and Budapest
Photograph courtesy of individual
Monica A. Hum, MD
Colorectal Surgeon, Managing Partner, and Founder
ATL Colorectal Surgery
Monica Hum is managing partner and founder of ATL Colorectal Surgery and president-elect of the Piedmont Atlanta Hospital medical staff—the first woman to hold that position. She is a member of the MD Anderson Cancer Network and a fellow of the American College of Surgeons and the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons. She’s also on the Piedmont Healthcare board, chair of the Piedmont Healthcare Women Physicians Network, and chair of the Piedmont Atlanta Perioperative Governance Committee.
Education: Boston University, Emory University Goizueta School of Business (MBA), State University of New York Downstate Medical Center College of Medicine (MD)
Notable achievements: The first to perform several endoscopic surgeries at Piedmont
First job: Soda girl
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.
Few people know: I helped raise a penguin as my college work-study job at the New England Aquarium.
Photograph courtesy of individual
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, and the later additions of Hughes Spalding and Marcus Autism Center, into what is now one of the largest pediatric healthcare systems in the country.
Education: Western Kentucky University
First job: An intern for a judge
Favorite books: Patrick Lencioni’s leadership books
Favorite travel destination: Italy or the beach
What I’d tell a recent graduate: Try new experiences and push yourself to keep learning.
Photograph by Jack Kearse, Emory University
Jonathan S. Lewin, MD
EVP, Health Affairs of Emory University
President, CEO, and board chair of Emory Healthcare
Jonathan Lewin, a radiologist and pioneer in interventional and intraoperative magnetic resonance imaging, came to Emory University in 2016 as executive vice president for health affairs and as president, CEO, and board chair of Emory Healthcare. An inventor on more than 25 patents related to MR technology, he has published more than 200 peer-reviewed scientific manuscripts. Previously he was senior vice president of integrated healthcare delivery for Johns Hopkins Medicine and radiology chair at Johns Hopkins University.
Education: Brown University, Yale School of Medicine (MD)
Hometown: Cleveland, Ohio
Why I chose this work: There is no privilege greater than the opportunity to improve human health and well-being.
First job: Movie theater usher (at the age of 14!)
Hidden talent: Playing jazz saxophone
What I’d tell a recent graduate: Never waste the opportunity to make someone feel valued and respected.
Robert R. Redfield, MD
Director
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Robert Redfield, a virologist with expertise in HIV/AIDS, is director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and administrator of the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. He was founding director of the Department of Retroviral Research in the U.S. Military HIV Research Program, and he cofounded the University of Maryland’s Institute of Human Virology. Redfield made important early contributions to the scientific understanding of HIV, including the demonstration of active HIV replication in all stages of infection.
Education: Georgetown University, Georgetown University School of Medicine (MD)
Notable achievements: Past member of the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS (2005-2009) and advisory boards within the National Institutes of Health and Food and Drug Administration
Photograph courtesy of individual
Candice L. Saunders
President and CEO
WellStar Health System
As president and CEO of Marietta-based WellStar Health System, Candice Saunders oversees the largest integrated health delivery system in Georgia. Under her leadership, WellStar acquired six additional hospitals and expanded its clinically integrated network, WellStar Clinical Partners. Formerly the company’s executive vice president and chief operating officer, Saunders joined WellStar as president of Kennestone Hospital in 2007. She began her career as a critical care nurse. Saunders serves on the Board of Trustees of the American Hospital Association.
Education: University of South Florida, University of Alabama at Birmingham (MBA, MHA)
Hometown: Fort Lauderdale, Florida
First job: Administrative assistant
Notable achievements: Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives, Georgia Hospital Association W. Daniel Barker Leadership Award (2017), National Association of Female Executives Healthcare Champion (2015)
Why I chose this work: I have always had a passion to help others and it was this purpose that called me to nursing and healthcare.
Anne Schuchat, MD
Principal Deputy Director
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
First joining the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 1988 as an Epidemic Intelligence Service officer, Anne Schuchat has filled a number of leadership roles within the organization, including acting director; she’s currently principal deputy director. The author of more than 230 scientific articles, chapters, and reviews, Schuchat has played key roles in CDC emergency responses including to the 2009 H1N1 flu pandemic and the 2003 SARS outbreak in China. She was elected to the National Academy of Medicine in 2008.
Education: Swarthmore College, Dartmouth Medical School (MD)
Toughest challenge: Testing an Ebola vaccine in Sierra Leone in the midst of an epidemic
Few people know: Hiked the length of Vermont (on the long trail) after high school
Who’d play me in a biopic: Kate Winslet already did (see Contagion).
LEGENDS
William Foege, MD, MPH
Considered a titan of epidemiology, Dr. William Foege was instrumental in the successful campaign to eradicate smallpox in the 1970s. At Emory University, he holds the title of Emeritus Presidential Distinguished Professor 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 husband Harold cofounded Atlanta’s Shepherd Center in 1975. The facility has grown from a six-bed unit to a world-renowned rehabilitation 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, Dr. Louis Sullivan was president of Morehouse School of Medicine for more than 20 years. Today, he’s the chairman and CEO of the Sullivan Alliance to Transform the Health Professions and chairman of the board of the National Health Museum in Atlanta.
Beverly Tatum
A noted scholar, teacher, author, administrator, and race relations expert, Tatum became the ninth president of Spelman College in 2002. 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.
Comer Yates
A champion of education and literacy, Emory Law graduate and former high school teacher Comer Yates has served since 1998 as executive director of the Atlanta Speech School. Yates serves as chair of the Georgia Commission on Hearing Impaired and Deaf Persons.
