James_March-April_2026_web - Flipbook - Page 21
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and the state’s economic development team
led by Commissioner Pat Wilson, and he
serves on the board of the U.S. Chamber as
well as its prestigious Council of 100.
the 2026 FIFA World Cup plays eight matches
in Atlanta. It’ll be another notch on the belt
for one of the nation’s most respected sports
commission executives.
TOM CLARK
STUART COUNTESS
EXEC. DIRECTOR, CENTRAL SAVANNAH RIVER
ALLIANCE FOR FT. GORDON
PRESIDENT & CEO, KIA GEORGIA
As the home of the U.S. Army Cyber Center of Excellence, Fort Gordon is the cornerstone of American cyber defense operations. And
that’s more important than ever when it involves our national security. Clark is an effective liaison between the fort and Augusta’s
business community, helping to strengthen a
partnership capitalizing on information technology, communications and cybersecurity.
LORRAINE COCHRAN-JOHNSON
CEO, DEKALB COUNTY
First elected as a DeKalb County
commissioner in 2018, Cochran-Johnson swept into the CEO
chair six years later, receiving a
majority vote in 174 out of 191 voting precincts to become the first black, female CEO
in county history. Her long background in
print media has helped her push a platform
headlined by economic development, public
safety, and education.
DOUG COLLINS
U.S. SECRETARY OF VETERANS AFFAIRS
This former Georgia congressman,
attorney and Air Force chaplain
was named by President Donald
Trump as the nation’s 12th Secretary of Veterans Affairs. He has responsibility
for overseeing the health, education, disability and financial benefits earned by U.S. military veterans. He has pledged to reduce bureaucratic barriers to assistance while ensuring that benefits aren’t being cut.
GRETCHEN CORBIN
PRESIDENT & CEO, GEORGIA LOTTERY CORP.
Last year the Georgia Lottery
crossed the $30 billion mark for
money raised for education, primarily the state’s HOPE Scholarship and Pre-K programs. Its successes have
only ramped up since Corbin became CEO in
2018, with six consecutive years of returns
over $1 billion.
Kia’s U.S. market share has exploded since it completed its West
Point plant back in 2009, and
Countess’ steady leadership has
been a major reason why. This year, he is
serving as chair of the Georgia Chamber,
bringing a unique background in manufacturing to the state’s foremost business advocacy organization.
JOE COWAN
NEWS DIRECTOR, WSB-TV
Cowan returned to the Peach State
last year to head up one of the nation’s highest-rated local TV stations, Channel 2 Action News. A
long career in news media has prepared him
for the job, having worked at WSB and other
Cox Media Group stations as a news producer, senior executive producer and multi-platform managing editor.
PRESIDENT, ATLANTA SPORTS COUNCIL
Just since 2018, Corso’s team helped
secure two College Football Playoff
National Championships, a Super
Bowl, a Final Four and an MLB All
Star Game. And those are just the headliners.
Yet all that pales in comparison to the grandaddy of them all coming this summer, when
Jon Burns Newington
SPE AK ER PRO T E M P O R E
Jan Jones Milton
MAJORITY LE A D E R
Chuck Efstration Mayberry
MAJORITY W HI P
James Burchett Waycross
MAJORITY CAUC U S C H A I R
Bruce Williamson Monroe
MI NORITY LE A D E R
Carolyn Hugley Columbus
MI NORITY W HI P
Sam Park Lawrenceville
MI NORITY CAUCU S C H A I R
Tanya Miller Atlanta
ANGIE COX
PRESIDENT & CEO, AUGUSTA METRO CHAMBER
A leading voice for the business
community in the Central Savannah River Area’s sprawling,
13-county region, Cox has spent
more than a decade in the Chamber industry.
Among her priorities are workforce development via the FastTrack Boot Camp program
and offering tools to small businesses via the
Level-Up Business Academy.
TED DECKER
LISA CUPID
GREG DOZIER
CHAIRWOMAN, COBB CO. BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
COMMISSIONER, TECHNICAL COLLEGE SYSTEM
OF GEORGIA
With a background as an attorney
and an engineer, Cupid is the
voice and face of Georgia’s thirdmost populous county, of which
she became the first black and first female
chair in 2020. Among her accomplishments:
Improving minimum wage for county employees, increasing public transit service
and securing grants for childcare centers for
Cobb working families.
LAUREN CURRY
CHIEF OF STAFF, GOV. BRIAN KEMP
DAN CORSO
SPE AK ER OF TH E H O U S E
A former aide to then-Gov. Sonny
Perdue, Curry held a wide range of
positions in state government before becoming the first woman in
Georgia history to serve as a governor’s
chief of staff. As an advisor she has especially helped guide Kemp’s pro-business legislative agenda, which has scored win after
win over the years.
CHAIR, PRESIDENT & CEO, HOME DEPOT
Since joining the home improvement giant in 2000, Decker has
climbed the corporate ladder all
the way to the very top and now
oversees a thriving company that operates
over 2,350 stores in all 50 states and employs
some 475,000 associates.
Appointed as Georgia’s 6th TCSG
commissioner in 2020, Dozier oversees the state’s nationally lauded 22
technical college system and leads a
team of more than 12,000 employees. Many of
the state’s economic wins in recent years can
be traced directly back to TCSG. It has created
a steady pipeline for talent, nimbly offering
workforce training for new industries as soon
as they arrive in the Peach State.
KEVIN DUVALL
CEO, GEORGIA WORLD CONGRESS CENTER
Despite only becoming CEO in
2024, Duvall has no shortage of
experience at the GWCC having
worked there since 2002 and as
COO for 15 of those years. That institutional
knowledge will be put to good use this year
when Atlanta hosts eight FIFA World Cup
matches, as Mercedes-Benz Stadium and the
