James March-April 2025 web - Flipbook - Page 19
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ARTHUR BLANK
BUSINESSMAN, PHILANTHROPIST
The Home Depot co-founder may
be best known for owning the
Atlanta Falcons and Atlanta United
and helping to build their home in
Mercedes-Benz Stadium, but his philanthropy
will be his real Georgia legacy. Blank’s charitable foundation has given more than $800
million to Georgia causes over the years,
including massive donations to Piedmont
Hospital and to the Shepherd Center for a
buildng that doubles its housing capacity.
RILEY BLOUNT
PRESIDENT, AT&T GEORGIA
Succeeding the recently-retired
Venessa Harrison is no easy task,
but Blount’s impressive resume
says she’ll be up for it. Her first
mission is to work on expanding investments
in fiber and 5G infrastructure, further closing
the digital divide. Meanwhile she’s already
well-known in the Atlanta business community, serving on boards including the Atlanta
Convention and Visitors Bureau and Grady
Hospital Foundation.
Administration official, with his background
in economics and public policy, has often had
his name floated as a possible candidate for
even higher roles in government.
CAMERON BREADY
CEO, GLOBAL PAYMENTS
As CFO Bready helped oversee
2019’s massive $21 billion merger
with TYSYS that turned Global
Payments into a Fortune 500
company and one of the largest financial
technology companies in the world. Now as
CEO he continues to direct the company’s
27,000 employees across North America,
Europe, Asia Pacific and Latin America.
PRESIDENT & CEO, GEORGIA FOREIGN TRADE ZONE
Featuring the world’s busiest
airport and one of the nation’s
most trafficked ports, Georgia is a
heavyweight when it comes to
international trade— close to $200 billion
worth annually. Brown and the GFTZ help
Peach State businesses navigate the complex
legal and regulatory waters that swirl around
the international economy.
The first African-American to lead
a regional Fed bank, Bostic is
something of a pioneer amongst
his peers. The former Obama
L I E U T E N AN T GOVERNOR
Burt Jones Jackson
S EC R E TA RY OF STATE
Brad Raffensperger
Johns Creek
AT TO RN E Y G ENERAL
Brown has overseen a period of
tremendous growth since coming
on in 2013, quadrupling the
Piedmont system’s size. It now
serves over 3.4 million Georgians in more
than 1,400 locations across the state all while
operating costs per unit have decreased.
The Brumby name carries an
immense amount of weight in the
Georgia journalism world, especially as seen in the various newspapers operated by the Times-Journal company
(the flagship being the Marietta Daily Journal).
This civic-minded Cobb Countian serves on
boards ranging from Wellstar Health System
to the Georgia Press Association.
Chris Carr Atlanta
IVY N. CADLE
LA B O R CO M M ISSIONER
The State Bar’s 62nd president
practices law at Baker Donelson in
Macon, where he also teaches
classes at his alma mater, Mercer
Law. As Bar president Cadle represents the
interests of more than 42,000 active Georgia
lawyers, oversees compliance with the
organization’s code of ethics and is a advocate for the industry as a whole.
Louis DeBroux (Interim) White
STAT E SC H O O L SU PERINTENDANT
Richard Woods
Tifton
AG R I C U LT U RE CO MMISSIONER
Tyler Harper
Ocilla
I N S U RA N C E CO MMISSIONER
John King
Doraville
Macon
MAJORITY LE A D E R
Steve Gooch
Dahlonega
MAJORITY CAUC U S C H A I R
Jason Anavitarte
Dallas
MAJORITY W HI P
Randy Robertson
Cataula
MI NORITY LE A D E R
Harold Jones
Augusta
MI NORITY CAUCU S C H A I R
Elena Parent
Atlanta
MI NORITY W HI P
Kim Jackson
Stone Mountain
PRESIDENT & CEO, PIEDMONT HEALTHCARE
NEWSPAPER PUBLISHER
Brian Kemp Athens
PRE SI DENT PRO T E M P O R E
KEVIN BROWN
OTIS BRUMBY III
G OV E RNOR
Jackson
John F. Kennedy
JULIE BROWN
RAPHAEL BOSTIC
PRESIDENT & CEO, FEDERAL RESERVE BANK OF ATLANTA
PRE SI DEN T
Burt Jones
PRESIDENT, STATE BAR OF GEORGIA
STEVE CANNON
VICE CHAIRMAN, ARTHUR M. BLANK SPORTS
& ENTERTAINMENT
The former Mercedes-Benz USA
CEO now oversees the day-to-day
operations of Mercedes-Benz
Stadium, the Atlanta Falcons and
United Soccer Properties (Atlanta United),
the crown jewels of Arthur Blank’s vast
entertainment empire. A veteran of the US
Army, Cannon has also increased the Falcons’
military outreach and funded the Johnny
Mac Soldiers fund which provides scholarships to the children of our nation’s fallen
and disabled.
ANDREW CATHY
CEO, CHICK-FIL-A
Cathy has taken the iconic
Georgia-born fast-food restaurant
to new heights with an aggressive
expansion strategy that’s set it as
the third-largest restaurant chain in the
country. He’s ably filling the shoes of his
father and grandfather, who founded
Chick-fil-A in Hapeville in 1946.
PEDRO CHERRY
PRESIDENT & CEO, ATLANTA GAS LIGHT
The 2024 chairman of the Georgia
Chamber serves more than 1.8
million customers in Georgia and
Tennessee overseeing the largest
