On Leadership

Jean Douglas is Executive Director of the Women’s Resource Center to End Domestic Violence, a nonprofit organization at which she’s spent 30 years, first as a volunteer and then as an employee. It aims to create a world where domestic violence does not exist, through intervention, prevention, education and advocacy. Demand for the center’s services is up. Calls to its hotline increased 35% from last year. It handles about 4,700 calls to the crisis line a year. Last year, it provided 2,200 people with legal advocacy services. 

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Sarah Morrison had a 40-year-career working at the Shepherd Center before retiring as its president and CEO in September 2024. A catastrophic diving accident in college and the arduous path to recovery led her to the field of physical therapy and the Shepherd Center. She has seen the Atlanta-based rehabilitation hospital grow from 40 beds to 152. Last year, it launched its “Pursuing Possible” campaign which aims to raise $350 million for new buildings and upgrades to existing space to help patients recover from spinal cord injuries, brain injuries and other neurological illnesses. 

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Grace C. Fricks founded Access to Capital for Entrepreneurs in her laundry room 24 years ago. What started off as a $50,000 loan fund to help small business owners in North Georgia, has become a force to help underserved entrepreneurs across the state of Georgia start and scale their businesses. Since 2000, ACE has loaned $200 million. It’s served 2,600 businesses and created or retained 21,000 jobs. 

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Milton Jones has amassed a wealth of knowledge from his decades-long career in the banking sector. The Atlanta-native is considered a pioneer, having been the first African-American to hold the title of Georgia market president for Bank of America. He also forged a path in his civic involvement. He was elected chairman of the UNCF board, becoming the first African-American to hold that position. He co-founded the consulting firm Peachtree Providence Partners in 2014. 

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Kirk Halpern launched Farmers & Fishermen Purveyors with his son Ben in 2019. While the business is only four years old, it seems the duo has hospitality in their DNA. Halpern’s maternal grandfather and father were food purveyors. Now he’s charting a path forward with the next generation of family and customers in mind. 

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When Erica Qualls-Battey applied for a position at Marriott in 1993, she was just looking for a part-time job. More than 30 years later, she is Area General Manager for Marriott International’s Atlanta market, overseeing the company’s properties in the metro area. She is also GM at Atlanta’s largest hotel—the Atlanta Marriott Marquis which has 1,663 rooms and more than 125,000 square feet of meeting space. 

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For Alex Urban, working as the Executive Director of the PGA TOUR Championship is nothing short of his dream job. The annual tournament takes place at the historic East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta where 30 of the PGA Tour’s top golfers compete for the FedEx Cup. The Atlanta community also scores big from the event. Since 1998, the tournament has raised more than $54 million for nonprofits.  

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For the past four decades, Atlanta Habitat for Humanity has been building and improving single family homes in 100 neighborhoods across the metro area. Now, it’s renovating its mission. Rosalyn Merrick, president and CEO of Atlanta Habitat for Humanity says her objective is to also build master planned communities with more than 100 homes. Its first development, Browns Mill Village, is set to be completed in 2025.

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Dr. Patrick O’Carroll decided early in his career that public health, and its long-term, collaborative approach to problem solving, suited him. An epidemiologist by trade, he is president and CEO of the Task Force for Global Health, a $100 million nonprofit whose mission is to advance health equity by working with partners across the world to eliminate diseases, ensure access to medicines and strengthen health systems “so that people can achieve their full potential.”

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As President and CEO of the YWCA of Greater Atlanta, Danita Knight is dedicated to the organization’s mission: “Eliminating racism, empowering women and promoting peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all.” She’s leading the nonprofit in a $19.5 million fundraising campaign to renovate the historic Phillis Wheatley YWCA to uplift women on Atlanta’s westside. 

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