James_March-April_2026_web - Flipbook - Page 19
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SARA BLAKELY
FOUNDER, SPANX
Twenty-eight years ago, a door-todoor fax machine saleswoman cut
the feet off her pantyhose to
smooth out the look under her
white pants. Fourteen years later she became
the world’s youngest self-made female billionaire, and today Blakely enjoys the spotlight as a reality TV star, renowned philanthropist, and even one of Time magazine’s 100
most influential people in the world.
ARTHUR BLANK
BUSINESSMAN, PHILANTHROPIST
This Home Depot co-founder and
longtime owner of the Atlanta Falcons has been one of the most influential Georgians since the late
1970s. In that time, he brought soccer to the
South in the form of Atlanta United and the
U.S. Soccer Federation headquarters, and became one of the state’s most prolific philanthropists, donating more than $800 million
to local causes including Piedmont Hospital
and Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.
RILEY BLOUNT
PRESIDENT, AT&T GEORGIA
Since being named president of
AT&T Georgia last year, Blount has
made expanding investments in
fiber and 5G infrastructure and
working to close the “digital divide” a priority.
G OV E RNOR
Brian Kemp Athens
Well-regarded amongst the Atlanta business
community, she serves on numerous nonprofit boards including the Atlanta Convention
and Visitors Bureau, Council for Quality
Growth and the Grady Hospital Foundation.
PRE SI DEN T
KEISHA LANCE BOTTOMS
DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE FOR GOVERNOR
An attorney and former Atlanta
city councilwoman, she was Atlanta’s 60th mayor (2018-2022). She
joined the Biden Administration as
a senior advisor and director of the White
House Office of Public Engagement after declining to run for a second term.
HENRIQUE BRAUN
Braun succeeds the outgoing James
Quincey as CEO at the end of
March. He brings institutional
knowledge and an international
background to Atlanta’s most famous brand,
having served as president of the soft drink
giant’s Brazil, Latin America and China/South
Korea units over the course of his 30-year
career with the company.
CAMERON BREADY
In 2019, when he was the CFO,
Bready helped orchestrate Global
Payment’s massive $21 billion
merger with TYSYS that created
one of the largest financial technology companies in the world. Now as CEO he isn’t
slowing down. With this year’s $24 billion
acquisition of Worldpay, the company will
serve more than six million merchant locations and process a staggering $3.7 trillion in
payment volume each year.
JULIE BROWN
Burt Jones Jackson
One of the world’s busiest airports
and two of the nation’s most trafficked ports make Georgia a heavyweight when it comes to international trade. Brown and her team at GFTZ
help local businesses navigate complex global
supply chain, a web that’s trickier than ever
with the advent of the Trump Administration’s tariff policies.
Johns Creek
AT TO RN E Y G ENERAL
Chris Carr Atlanta
LA B O R CO M M ISSIONER
Bárbara Rivera Holmes Albany
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
MAJORITY LE A D E R
Jason Anavitarte Dallas
MAJORITY CAUC U S C H A I R
Shawn Still Suwanee
MAJORITY W HI P
Randy Robertson Cataula
MI NORITY LE A D E R
Harold Jones Augusta
MI NORITY CAUC U S C H A I R
Elena Parent Atlanta
MI NORITY W HI P
Kim Jackson Stone Mountain
CEO, GLOBAL PAYMENTS
PRESIDENT & CEO, GEORGIA FOREIGN-TRADE ZONE
Brad Raffensperger
PRE SI DENT PRO T E M P O R E
Larry Walker, III Perry
COO, THE COCA-COLA COMPANY
L I E U T E N AN T GOVERNOR
S EC R E TA RY OF STATE
Burt Jones Jackson
KEVIN BROWN
PRESIDENT & CEO, PIEDMONT HEALTHCARE
Since Brown took the reins in 2013
the Piedmont system has more
than quadrupled in size, now serving over 4.5 million Georgians in
more than 1,800 locations across the state. It
has also grown from five to 27 hospitals, serving markets that represent over 85 percent of
the state’s population. And all that while actually decreasing operating costs per unit.
OTIS BRUMBY III
NEWSPAPER PUBLISHER
Journalism is in the blood for this
Cobb County native, who serves on
boards ranging from the Georgia
Press Association to the Cobb
Chamber of Commerce. His center-right political bent is a rarity in Georgia’s journalism
world, giving his 25 papers operated by the
Times-Journal company (the flagship being
the Marietta Daily Journal) an influential
news/editorial voice in the Peach State.
ANDREW CATHY
CEO, CHICK-FIL-A
Chick-fil-A’s third CEO (after his
father and grandfather) is taking
this iconic Georgia-born fast-food
restaurant to new heights with an
aggressive expansion strategy that’s still
maintaining the company’s classic emphasis
on hospitality. The UGA grad also serves on
the board of councilors for the Carter Center
and the board of directors for the Atlanta
Committee for Progress.
CHRIS CLARK
PRESIDENT & CEO, GEORGIA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
It’s no coincidence that Georgia’s
economy has undergone one of its
most prolific periods of growth
during Clark’s 16 years leading the
state’s largest business advocacy organization. He works well with Gov. Brian Kemp
