2016-2017

Advisory Board

ALTON ADAMS Principal and US Lead, Customer Strategy and Growth,

KPMG LLP (US)

Alton Adams is the Consumer Insights Lead Partner for the Customer and Operations Group within KPMG’s Advisory Consulting Practice. He is KPMG’s Global Lead Partner for The Coca-Cola Company, Advisory Lead Partner for Procter and Gamble, and the Management Consulting lead partner for Wal-Mart/Sam’s Club. He has more than 20 years of management and consulting experience specializing in the use of data, analytics and technology to help companies accelerate organic growth. Alton has served in executive sales, marketing, and general management roles for a number of leading information service providers with clients in a number of industries including financial services, communications, and retail. He spent 15 years in the Credit and Marketing Services industry leading the marketing and analytics offerings to major consumer and business-to-business companies. Alton has served on numerous not-for-profit boards including Jobs For Youth Boston, the Georgetown University Board of Regents, Chairman of Georgetown University’s African American Advisory Board and Board Vice Chairman of TechBridge Atlanta. He currently serves on the Board of the Atlanta Chapter of the Boy Scouts of America and on it’s executive committee as the Vice President of Marketing, on the Board of the Atlanta Humane Society and on the Board of the Woodruff Center High Museum of Art. Alton is Co-lead of Diversity for KPMG Advisory and the Advisory partner for Howard University. Alton has a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Georgetown University and an MBA in Marketing/Finance from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

M. KHURRAM BAIG, ESQ. ‘00C Founding Member, The Baig Firm

Khurram Baig, Esq. is the founding member of The Baig Firm. He has a decade of trial experience in the State and Federal courts of Georgia. He has vast and varied experiences in the area of Corporate, Commercial, Small Business, Real Estate and Employment Litigation. Additionally, Atty. Baig's practice includes Criminal litigation and Tort litigation on a select basis. He has routinely represented individuals who have been discriminated against by companies and governing authorities. Atty. Baig also frequently represents individuals in national security sweep interviews conducted by both Federal and Local agencies. He has been selected as a Rising Star by Georgia Super Lawyers for three consecutive years (2012, 2013, 2014) and is a "Barrister" with the Lamar American Inn of Court. Additionally, Atty. Baig currently serves on the board of directors for the State Bar of Georgia's Young Lawyers Division and the Georgia Association of Muslim Lawyers. He is a past president of the South Asian Bar Association of Georgia and also serves on the Georgia Supreme Court's Commission on Interpreters. Atty. Baig is an alumnus of Emory University and Howard University School of Law.

M. BRANTLEY BARROW, SR. Chairman, DPR Hardin Construction Company, LLC

Brantley Barrow recently retired as chairman of DPR Hardin Company LLC. As chairman, Barrow was responsible for the overall strategic direction and executive management of the firm, and also oversaw the company’s financial affairs, human resource, risk management and information technology areas. Barrow serves as a member of many boards including Young Harris College, the University of Georgia Terry College of Business Alumni Association, the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, the Buckhead Coalition, Atlanta Habitat for Humanity, Inc., March of Dimes Georgia Chapter, and Junior Achievement of Georgia, Inc. He is a former national president of the Construction Financial Management Association (CFMA) and former president and a founding director of the Georgia Chapter of CFMA. He is also a certified Construction Industry Financial Professional and Certified Public Accountant. Barrow holds an associate of education degree from Young Harris College and a bachelor of business administration (summa cum laude) from the University of Georgia. He and his wife, Sharon, reside in Atlanta with their two grown children.  

PAUL BECKHAM Chairman & Co-Founder, Hope-Beckham, Inc.

Paul Beckham, chairman and co-founder, has a diversified professional background that includes senior financial and administrative experience, television operations, event and sports marketing and cable television marketing and sales. As chairman, Beckham provides strategic business and financial leadership to Hope-Beckham and its clients. Beckham was employed by Turner Broadcasting System Inc., Atlanta, and retired as president of the company’s cable sales and marketing company. In 1990 Beckham was selected by Ted Turner to manage the Goodwill Games in Seattle, Washington. Hope-Beckham was formed when Beckham and Bob Hope purchased the events division of Whittle Communication LP of Knoxville, Tennessee. Beckham is a member of the Young Harris College board of trustees and served as its chairman from 2000 to 2008. He is chairman of the board of the Technical College System of Georgia Foundation, on the board of advisors for the Emory Center for Ethics, a member of the board of directors for Northside Bank in Adairsville, Ga. and a member of Investments Unlimited LLC.

NORMAN BELLINGHAM Principal, NDB Consulting

Former Olympian, Norman Bellingham is a consultant with NDB Consulting. He also continues to provide consulting services to select sport and media entities. From 2006 to 2011, Norman served as the chief operating officer for the United States Olympic Committee (USOC). Prior to the USOC, Norman served as corporate senior vice president for Turner Broadcasting where he oversaw Turner’s Strategic Planning Group for four years, providing council for the CEO and Executive Committee while also managing all merger and divestiture activities. Norman’s U.S. Olympic Team career includes participating in the 1984, 1988 and 1992 Olympic Games in the sport of kayaking. At the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, Korea, Norman teamed with Greg Barton to take Gold in the two-man 1,000 meter sprint. Norman received his bachelor’s degree, cum laude in Economics, from Harvard College and an MBA from the Harvard University Graduate School of Business Administration. He resides in Colorado Springs with his wife Lori and their two girls, Eloise and Nicole.

JOSEPH O. BLANCO, ESQ. ‘99L Partner, Dentons US, LLP 

Joseph Blanco, Esq. is the Atlanta managing partner for Dentons US, LLP, recently merged with McKenna Long & Aldridge, LLP. He focuses on general corporate counseling with an emphasis on mergers and acquisitions. A member of the Georgia State Bar, Atty. Blanco received his bachelor of arts from the University of Notre Dame and his juris doctor with high honors from the Emory University School of Law. His recognitions include Atlanta Magazine’s lists of Georgia Super Lawyers Rising Stars (2005, 2006, 2007, 2009), Georgia Super Lawyer (2010, 2011, 2012), Leadership Atlanta's Class of 2012, and The Legal 500. Prior to joining MLA, Atty. Blanco clerked for the Honorable Frank M. Hull of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, served as editor-in-chief of the Emory Law Journal and was elected to membership in the Order of the Coif, and served as a naval officer aboard the USS Nicholson and on the staff of the Commander of Destroyer Squadron Four. His professional activities include board of advisors, Emory Law Journal; steering committee, Randolph Thrower Symposium; and member, American Legion Post 140.

J. BRADFORD BRANCH Senior Advisor, Deloitte, LLP 

Brad Branch is currently the senior advisor in the Office of the CEO and had been national managing partner of Deloitte LLP since August 2011. Branch serves as Head of Atlanta Practice of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu. Branch has nearly 30 years of experience with Deloitte. He served as the office managing partner for Atlanta and Birmingham, Ala., at Deloitte LLP since January 2008. Most recently, he served as regional managing director for Deloitte Consulting in the Southeast region and the managing director of the Atlanta office of Deloitte Consulting. Branch joined Deloitte's Atlanta office in 1978 and was admitted as an audit and accounting services partner in 1988, serving some of its most significant telecommunications and utility accounts. He served as European practice director of Deloitte Consulting's telecommunications and media practice, based in London in 1998 and he served as Deloitte Consulting's global practice director for telecommunications and media in 2000. Branch also serves as a teaching fellow on strategy, economy and public policy matters at the London Business School, Regents Park, Great Britain. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of North Carolina, and his MBA from the Keenan-Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina.

COLEMAN BRELAND President, Turner Network Sales

Coleman Breland is president of Turner Network Sales (TNS), the domestic distribution, sales and marketing arm of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. (TBS, Inc.). Breland was most recently chief operating officer for TNS, a role he assumed in 2009 after serving as executive vice president of sales and marketing of the distribution unit since 2003. In 1999, Breland joined the division as senior vice president of marketing and sales. He joined Turner Broadcasting in 1994 as vice president of marketing for Turner Home Satellite (THS). Promoted in 1995 to senior vice president, marketing and sales, Breland was responsible for the strategic development and execution of THS’ marketing and revenue efforts. Prior to joining TBS, Inc., Breland served as director of marketing and communications for Arthur Andersen/Andersen Consulting in Atlanta for more than six years. He holds a master of arts degree in journalism, radio, television and film from the University of Georgia and a bachelor of arts degree in English from Pfeiffer College in North Carolina. In addition, he completed a graduate study program at Edinburgh University in Scotland.

RODNEY BULLARD Vice President of Community Affairs and

Executive Director of Chick-fil-A Foundation

Rodney Bullard is currently Vice President of Community Affairs at Chick-fil-A, Inc. and Executive Director of the Chick-fil-A Foundation where he leads the company’s corporate community and philanthropic strategy, which is focused on fostering youth and furthering education. Before coming to Chick-fil-A, Rodney served as an Assistant United States Attorney prosecuting complex criminal cases. For his service, the United States Attorney General presented him with the Department of Justice Director’s Award. Prior to this role, Rodney was selected as a White House Fellow, the nation’s most prestigious public service Fellowship. Rodney is an alumnus of the United States Air Force Academy, Duke University School of Law, the University of Georgia’s Terry School of Business and the Harvard Business School’s Advanced Management Program. Rodney currently serves on several national and local boards of directors to include: the Salvation Army National Advisory Board of Directors, the University Of Georgia Terry School Of Business Board of Directors, the Junior Achievement USA National Board of Directors, the Professional Association of Georgia Educators (PAGE) Foundation Board of Directors, and the Leadership Atlanta Board of Directors. . A decorated veteran, Rodney also served in the United States Air Force Judge Advocate General Corps eventually working at the Pentagon as a Congressional Legislative Liaison in the Office of the Secretary of the Air Force.

J. CANNON CARR, JR. Chief Investment Officer, CornerCap Investment

J. Cannon Carr, Jr. is CornerCap's Chief Investment Officer. He leads the firm's investment committee and oversees the firm's investment strategies and process, stock and asset class research, and portfolio management. He also comanages the three CornerCap mutual funds (Small Cap Value, Large Cap Value, and Balanced). He joined CornerCap in June 2007, after being a client for over seven years. Prior to joining CornerCap, Cannon was a senior equity analyst at CIBC World Markets (formerly Oppenheimer), covering IT business services (2006-07), wireless services (2001-05), and emerging telecom (1998-05). Cannon has provided commentary on CNBC, CNN, Lou Dobbs MoneyLine, and Bloomberg News. He has also been quoted in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, and Fortune, among other publications. He was rated a five-star analyst by Zachs Research in 2006. Cannon has an MBA from Columbia Business School and a BA from Princeton University in Political Economy. Public service is important to Cannon. He heads the investment committee for the Wesleyan College endowment, serves as Treasurer and head of the investment committee for the Technical College System of Georgia Foundation, is an officer at the Atlanta Rotary Club, and serves as Chair of the Georgia Tennis Foundation, among other nonprofit endeavors.

BEN CHESTNUT CEO, MailChimp 

Ben Chestnut is cofounder and chief executive officer of Atlanta-based email marketing company MailChimp. Along with chief customer officer Dan Kurzius, Chestnut founded MailChimp in 2001 and has built the business into a completely self-funded international brand. Today, MailChimp sends billions of emails a month for millions of customers around the world. Chestnut is a hands-on leader who cares deeply about product design and the customer experience. He is known for building a culture of innovation and growth, and he often tells his employees to "listen hard, change fast." Before founding MailChimp, Chestnut was a designer. He has a bachelor's degree in industrial design from Georgia Tech. He lives in Atlanta with his wife and two sons.

WALTER M. “SONNY” DERISO, JR. ‘68C ‘72L Chairman, Atlantic Capital Bank

Sonny Deriso is the chairman of Atlantic Capital Bank and Atlantic Capital Bancshares, Inc. He is a retired vice chairman of Synovus Financial Corporation in Columbus, Georgia. Deriso began his business career as a practicing attorney in Albany, Georgia in 1972, and was a partner in the law firm of Divine, Wilkin, Deriso, Raulerson & Fields until 1991, when he became president of Security Bank and Trust Company of Albany, a Synovus bank. In 1997, he was elected vice chairman of the board of Synovus, a position that he held until his retirement on February 1, 2005. Deriso graduated from Emory University College where he received the Marion Luther Brittain Award. He received his J.D. with Distinction from Emory University School of Law where he was a member of the Order of the Coif and served on the Editorial Board of the Journal of Public Law (now the Emory Law Journal). He also completed the Duke Advanced Management Program of the Fuqua School of Business.

PAUL GENNARO Senior Vice President, Voya Financial, Inc.

Paul Gennaro joined Voya Financial in 2015 as senior vice president, corporate communications, and chief communications officer. He oversees all internal and external communications and serves as a strategic advisor to senior management. Most recently, Gennaro was senior vice president, corporate communications, and chief communications officer of AECOM, where he led all aspects of the firm’s global corporate communications. During his tenure at AECOM, which Gennaro joined in March 2006, he developed and executed communications strategies in support of more than 40 acquisitions, the company's initial public offering and its global rebrand. Prior to joining AECOM, Gennaro managed all global corporate and marketing communications for Johns Manville, a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway, Inc. He has also held communications leadership roles for global brands such as Ingersoll-Rand, Dell, and American Express. Gennaro began his career as a print/broadcast journalist and public affairs officer for the U.S. Navy. Gennaro received a bachelor of science degree in aeronautics from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.

Jack Harris President & CEO, Junior Achievement of GA

Jack Harris has been with JA since 2002, beginning with the International organization, and was promoted to VP-International Operations for JA Worldwide following the merger of Junior Achievement Inc (U.S.) and Junior Achievement International in 2004. Jack moved to JA of Georgia in 2005 where he served in progressing roles until 2008, at which time he was named President. Prior to JA, Jack worked with Smith Barney and also taught for two years at the Wesleyan School in Norcross, Georgia. Jack holds a degree in Politics and a certificate in Political Economy from Princeton University. Within the community, Jack was recognized for his work with JA as one of the Atlanta Business Chronicle’s 40 under 40 award recipients in 2009, and serves on the Boards of the Metro Atlanta Chamber, the Georgia Chamber of Commerce and the Emory University Board of Visitors. He is a member of the Rotary Club of Atlanta, and a 2010 graduate of Leadership Atlanta.

J. RAWSON HAVERTY, JR. Senior Vice President, Haverty Furniture Companies, Inc.

Rawson Haverty has been senior vice president of real estate and development at Haverty Furniture Companies, Inc. since 1998. Haverty served as vice president of real estate and insurance divisions at Haverty Furniture Companies, Inc. from 1992 to 1998 and its assistant vice president from 1987 to 1992. Haverty has over 20 years of experience with Haverty Furniture. He joined Haverty Furniture Companies Inc. in 1984 and has been its director since 1992. He serves as a member of the board of directors of StarPound Technologies and is a member of the board of trustees of the World Children’s Center.

DOUGLAS J. HERTZ President & CEO, United Distributors, Inc.

Doug Hertz is the president and CEO of United Distributors, a position he has held since 1984. Under his leadership, United, a privately held beverage distribution business, has grown to be listed as one of the top 25 private companies in Atlanta. Hertz began his professional career with KPMG in New Orleans, working in the accounting and consulting services area. In addition to his responsibilities at United, Hertz is chairman of Camp Twin Lakes, a camping facility designed for chronically ill and disadvantaged children that he founded in 1989. He sits on the boards of The Marcus Foundation, Inc., Atlantic Capital Bank, Georgia Research Alliance, Westminster School and serves on the board and executive committee of Tulane University. A native Atlantan, Doug graduated from Westminster High School and went to Tulane University in New Orleans where he earned a BA in history, did graduate work in organizational psychology, and earned an MBA in marketing and finance.

EVE HOFFMAN Writer

Eve Hoffman is one of thirty alumna honored as “Remarkable Women” by her alma mater, Smith College. She has been identified as one of Georgia’s one hundred most influential leaders. She is known as a strategic thinker, social entrepreneur, writer and poet. Hoffman has been published by the Georgia Humanities Council, Emory University Center for Ethics, New Southerner, Southern Women’s Review and online. Her work is included in performances of the Senior Ensemble of The Academy Theatre. Hoffman founded and published three anthologies of Georgia K-12 public school student writing. She has worked with Georgia’s Poet of the Year, North Carolina’s Poet Laureate, as well as internationally honored poets in Paris. She has been a part of numerous intensive poetry workshops and participated in readings at Shakespeare & Co. in Paris. Hoffman recently published Red Clay, her first book of poetry.

JOEL KOBLENTZ Senior Partner, The Koblentz Group

Joel Koblentz is nationally recognized for resolving the most sensitive, critical and confidential client situations. Koblentz advises corporate boards on succession and recruitment of new board members, the recruitment of CEOs and executive leadership. Previously, Koblentz was a senior partner at Egon Zehnder. During his tenure, he was the managing partner of its New York and Atlanta practices as well as led its Service Sector Practice Group for the Americas. Earlier, he held senior strategic management and financial positions at Cox Cable Communications (Atlanta) and Tiger International (Atlanta and Los Angeles) with previous experience in financial roles at Occidental Petroleum and as a senior consultant at Ernst and Young. Currently, Koblentz is a trustee of The Chick-Fil-A Bowl Foundation and a board member of Junior Achievement. He also advises Triton Value Partners as well as sits on several advisory boards of emerging companies. Koblentz is a CPA and holds an MBA from the University of Southern California. He has lectured at various educational institutions and societies and has authored numerous articles on corporate governance and various aspects of corporate leadership.

DENNIS P. LOCKHART President and CEO, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta 

Dennis Lockhart is the president and chief executive officer of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta. In this role, Lockhart is responsible for all the Bank's activities, including monetary policy, bank supervision and regulation, and payment services. Previous positions include faculty of Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service; adjunct professor at Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies; chairman of the Small Enterprise Assistance Funds; president of Heller International Group at Heller Financial; and chairman of the advisory committee of the U.S. Export-Import Bank. Lockhart served as an officer in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve early in his career while earning a bachelor of arts in political science and economics from Stanford University, a master's in international economics and American foreign policy from the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies, and an honorary doctoral degree by Georgia State University. Community commitments include director of the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce and the Commerce Club; trustee of Agnes Scott College, the Atlanta International School, and the Georgia Research Alliance; and advisory board member of the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies at Georgia State University.

MARC PANTON, D.V.M. Chief Operating Officer, Panton Capital Holdings

Dr. Marc Panton is the chief operating officer for Panton Capital Holdings. He served as the chief technical director in the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries in Jamaica for four years, where he also directed the operations of several technical divisions including the Veterinary Services, Plant Quarantine, Research and Development, Project Management, Rural Physical Planning and Public Gardens divisions. Panton has been a managing director of several agricultural, development, and real estate organizations including Barkeith Limited, Butterfly Dreams Farm, Colmar Developments, Cashoo Ostrich Park, and Friendship Farms. He has also been a director on a number of school boards such as the College of Agriculture Science and Education (CASE), the All American Institute of Medical Sciences (AAIMS) and chairman of the Lewisville High School. Dr. Panton holds a bachelor of science degree in animal science from Cornell University, a master of business administration degree from the Northern Caribbean University, and a doctorate in veterinary medicine from the University of Florida. He is married to Coleen Panton and has three children, Elijah, Sarah, and Samara.

A.J. ROBINSON ‘77B President, Central Atlanta Progress & Atlanta Downtown

Improvement District

A.J. Robinson is the president of Central Atlanta Progress (CAP) and the Atlanta Downtown Improvement District (ADID). Robinson was formerly the president of Portman Holdings. During his 22-year career with Portman, he managed the operations of the multi-dimensional real estate company, which had offices in Atlanta, Charlotte, Shanghai, and Warsaw. Earning a bachelor’s degree in business administration in 1977 from Emory University, Robinson furthered his education and, in 1980, graduated from the Harvard School of Business with master’s degree in business administration. A native of Knoxville, Tennessee, Robinson is married to Dr. Nicole Ellerine, a pediatrician, and they reside in Atlanta with their three children.

JEFFREY ROSENSWEIG, PH.D. Professor, Emory University Goizueta Business School

Jeff Rosensweig is an associate professor of International Business and Finance and the director of the Global Perspectives Program. Previously, he served for six years as an associate dean. Dr. Rosensweig specializes in global strategy, global economics, and international finance. Prior to joining Emory in January 1988, he was senior international economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta. Dr. Rosensweig has also taught at M.I.T. and in the economics department and the School of Management at Yale University. He received his M.A. and B.A. in economics (summa cum laude) from Yale University and a Ph.D. in economics from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Further, he received a master's degree in philosophy, politics, and economics as a result of two years of study at Oxford University as a Marshall Scholar.

Ross R. Rossin, Artist President and CEO, Conrad Floyd Communication

Ross R. Rossin is a portrait artist known for his large-scale, realist portraits of modern and historical figures. His oil-on-canvas paintings can be found on the walls of the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery in Washington, DC; The High Museum of Art, The Center for Civil and Human Rights and the Carter Presidential Library and Museum in Atlanta, Georgia; The Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York; as well as in the private collections of Andrew Young, Morgan Freeman, and Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, among others. In 2001, after multiple portrait commissions and exhibitions in Japan, France, England, Germany and Greece, Rossin relocated to the US . In 2014, the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery added Rossin's portrait of Dr. Maya Angelou to its permanent collection, his fourth painting in the prestigious institution. In 2015 the United States Postal Service chose Rossin's portrait of Dr. Angelou as the image for its Maya Angelou Forever Stamp. Heavily involved in Rotary, Rossin has made impactful contributions through both speaking engagements and fundraising. Rossin received his classical training in painting in his native Bulgaria. He has been privately tutored in the arts since the age of six. He attended the prestigious Sofia High School of Fine Arts and in 1990 he received his MA from The Sofia Academy of Fine Arts.

David Rubinger Market President & Publisher, Atlanta Business Chronicle

David Rubinger is market president and publisher of Atlanta Business Chronicle as of November 2015. He rejoined the Atlanta Business Chronicle and parent company American City Business Journals after 16 years in private business. He originally joined Atlanta Business Chronicle in 1989 as a staff reporter, managing editor and eventually editor from 1995 to 1998. He also served as a senior vice president for the Atlanta office of public relations firm Ketchum, was vice president of corporate communications for Equifax Inc., and most recently ran Rubinger Inc., his own marketing firm based in Atlanta.

JENNIFER SHERER, PH.D. Vice President, Metro Atlanta Chamber

Jennifer Sherer is the vice president of innovation and entrepreneurship for the Metro Atlanta Chamber (MAC). Prior to joining MAC, Dr. Sherer served as the executive director of Southeast BIO (SEBIO), a regional non-profit organization that fosters the growth of the life sciences industry in the Southeastern U.S. Before joining SEBIO, Dr. Sherer was a licensing associate in the Office of Technology Transfer at Emory University. She is a member and volunteer of the Association of University Technology Managers (AUTM). She earned a Ph.D. in molecular physiology and biological physics at the University of Virginia and a B.S. in biochemistry at Lehigh University.

BRAD SIEGEL President, TV One

Brad Siegel was recently named the president of TV One. He was previously the vice chairman and director of UP Entertainment, which he helped to co-found in 2004 as Gospel Music Channel. In 2012, UP partnered with Magic Johnson Enterprises (MJE) to launch ASPiRE. Siegel led the team that conceived and developed ASPiRE with MJE. Previously, Siegel served as president of Turner's Entertainment Networks of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. Siegel was responsible for overseeing some of cable television's biggest brands, including TBS Superstation, Turner Network Television (TNT), Cartoon Network, Turner Classic Movies (TCM), and Turner South. In a prior role with Turner, he served as president and general manager of TNT, TBS, and TCM. Siegel joined TBS, Inc. in 1993 from American Movie Classics (AMC), where he was vice president of programming and production. Siegel holds a bachelor of arts degree in history and art history from Washington University in St. Louis.

William “Bill” Taggart Chief Operating Officer, Morehouse College

Bill Taggart currently serves as Executive-In-Residence and COO of Morehouse College in Atlanta, GA. He is responsible for instituting management best practices across the 149- year-old institution with primary focus on Institutional Advancement, Human Resources, Information Technology and Operations. Before joining the Morehouse executive team, Taggart served as CEO of Atlanta Life Financial Group (ALFG). Prior to joining Atlanta Life Financial Group, Taggart served as Chief Operating Officer for the Office of Federal Student Aid (FSA), appointed by U. S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. Taggart’s experience also includes several leadership posts with Wachovia Corporation, First Union Corporation and International Business Machines (IBM). Taggart, an Atlanta native, earned his BBA from Howard University and received MBA from Harvard Business School. He also holds an honorary doctorate in business from Morris Brown College. He is active in various business and civic organizations to include: the Rotary Club of Atlanta, the Atlanta Business League, 100 Black Men of America, The Carter Center, Woodruff Arts Center and Children Healthcare of Atlanta. In addition, Taggart is a life member of National Black MBA Association and Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Incorporated.

KIRBY A. THOMPSON Senior Vice President, SunTrust Bank 

Kirby Thompson is the senior vice president of government affairs for the Central Group of SunTrust Bank. He is the owner of KAT Consulting, Inc., a public affairs company. Thompson earned a bachelor of business administration degree in marketing from the University of Georgia. Previously, Thompson was the vice president of community and legislative affairs for Equifax, and spent three years as vice president of Georgia government relations and six years as vice president of community relations for Citizens at Southern National Bank (predecessor of NationsBank/Bank of America). He was Senator Sam Nunn’s legislative assistant in Washington, D.C., from 1978 until 1981. Thompson is chair of the Georgia 4-H Foundation Board of Trustees, board member for the Georgia Council on Economic Education and Eagle Ranch, member of Rotary Club of Decatur, and serves on various committees for both the Georgia Chamber of Commerce and Metro Atlanta Chamber. 

PAT UPSHAW-MONTEITH President & CEO, Leadership Atlanta 

Pat Upshaw-Monteith is the president and CEO of Leadership Atlanta. Prior to Leadership Atlanta, Upshaw-Monteith served as an associate general manager of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra for 13 years, where she was one of the first African-Americans hired in management by a major symphony orchestra. She serves as a member of Advisory Board at Private Bank of Buckhead. She is also a member of the Rotary Club of Atlanta, and serves on the board of Oglethorpe University. Her other board appointments include: The Salvation Army, The Ron Clark Academy, St. Pius X Catholic High School and Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce’s Board of Advisors. On the national level, she served on the board for the Community Leadership Association. She was a recipient of the Business to Business 2008 Woman of Excellence award. Upshaw-Monteith holds a bachelor’s degree from Albany State University and a master’s degree from Bowling Green State University. She is a Leadership Atlanta graduate (1984) and a graduate of the Regional Leadership Institute (1998).