James_March-April_2026_web - Flipbook - Page 22
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neighboring World Congress Center welcome
hundreds of thousands of visitors and soccer
fans from around the world.
counsel to numerous large and small companies as they navigate legal problems.
WALT FARRELL
PENNY ELKINS
PRESIDENT & CEO, ATLANTA GAS LIGHT
PRESIDENT, MERCER UNIVERSITY
Farrell worked for the Georgia Department of Economic Development before coming to Georgia
Power, where he served as vice
president of economic development before
becoming CEO of Atlanta Gas Light and
Chattanooga Gas last year. An active community leader, he sits on the boards of the
Georgia Lottery, Georgia 4-H Foundation,
and Georgia Chamber.
The first Mercer graduate to serve
as president since the 1970s, Elkins also made history as the first
female president when she was
elected at the start of this year. She’s also a
former chair of the Georgia Professional
Standards Commission, appointed by thenGov. Sonny Perdue to the influential organization that oversees all educator certification for the state.
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Jason Shaw
Lakeland
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Alicia Johnson
Savannah
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Peter Hubbard
Atlanta
STEPHANIE FISCHER
JAKE EVANS
PRESIDENT & CEO, GEORGIA RESTAURANT ASSN.
SHAREHOLDER, GREENBERG TRAURIG LLP
The restaurant industry represents
more than 11 percent of Georgia’s
workforce as the state’s second-largest private-sector employer. GRA
has long served as the industry’s leading advocate, and Fischer’s long career both in hospitality and government affairs make her an ideal voice for the state’s nearly-22,000 food service and drinking establishments.
This politically-connected Atlanta-based attorney is an experienced
first-chair litigator who has handled
complex cases across practice areas
in federal and state courts throughout the
country. He once chaired the Georgia ethics
commission and is serving as outside general
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Lauren “Bubba” McDonald
Clarkesville
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Tricia Pridemore
Marietta
STEVE GREEN
CHAIRMAN, SAVANNAH AIRPORT COMMISSION
ROBBY FOUNTAIN
CHAIRMAN, MACON-BIBB COUNTY INDUSTRIAL
AUTHORITY
AT LA NTA
Andre Dickens
AU G U STA
Garnett Johnson
CO LU M BU S
Skip Henderson
A key figure in Middle Georgia’s
economic development growth,
Fountain has helped secure more
than $2 billion in private investment and over 4,300 jobs since being named
chairman in 2017. Companies like Amazon,
Kumho Tire and Embraer are all putting
down roots in and around Macon and Fountain’s leadership is a big reason why.
B R O O K H AV EN
John Park
AT HE N S
Kelly Girtz
SA N DY S P R INGS
Rusty Paul
M ACO N
Lester Miller
J O H N S C REEK
John Bradberry
A LBA NY
Bo Dorough
A L P H AR E T TA
Jim Gilvin
S M Y RN A
Derek Norton
SAVA NN AH
Van Johnson
DAN GARCIA
PRESIDENT, C.W. MATTHEWS
C.W. Matthews has been building
roads, bridges, runways and more
in Georgia since 1946, and today is
the state’s largest heavy highway
construction contractor. The Venezuelan-born Garcia has an extensive background
in construction management, serving as a
board member for the Georgia Department of
Natural Resources and the Georgia Highway
Contractors Association.
WILLIAM C. GENTRY
PRESIDENT-ELECT, STATE BAR OF GEORGIA
If the State Bar of Georgia’s 56,000
members could be viewed as a family of sorts, then Gentry is a savvy
choice to guide them as the head of
one of the state’s most prestigious family law
and divorce firms. The Marietta attorney has
decades of experience in the courtroom and
has previously served as chairman of the Cobb
County Bar Association.
The prominent Savannah businessman and civic leader was the point
man for the major Savannah Harbor Expansion Project that turned
the city’s port into one of the busiest on the
East Coast. Green now heads up the commission for the state’s second-largest airport,
which has been furiously adding new flights
and racking up awards under his leadership.
KIM GREENE
CHAIRMAN, PRESIDENT & CEO, GEORGIA POWER
Starting her career as an engineer
for Southern Company in 1991,
Greene has worked her way up
through the energy industry to the
top of Georgia Power, Southern Company’s
largest subsidiary which serves more than 2.8
million customers statewide. She lends her
expertise to a range of boards including the
Metro Atlanta Chamber, Woodruff Arts Center and Georgia Historical Society.
ERNEST GREER
CO-PRESIDENT, GREENBERG-TRAURIG
Instrumental in the growth of
Greenberg Traurig’s Atlanta presence, Greer is a fixture in the city’s
business and law communities but
also casts a broad net in running day to day
operations for the international firm’s 3000
attorneys across 51 locations. He was the first
lawyer to serve as chairman of the Georgia
Chamber and continues to lend his expertise
to the boards of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and Equal Justice Works.
