James_March-April_2026_web - Flipbook - Page 35
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ALANA SHEPHERD
ERIC TANENBLATT
CO-FOUNDER, SHEPHERD CENTER
PRINCIPAL, DENTONS
Shepherd and her late husband
Harold founded a spinal cord rehabilitation center bearing their
name in 1975. It has blossomed
from a six-bed unit to a world-renowned
152-bed hospital at the cutting edge of medical care and research. James’ 2023 “Georgian
of the Year” has been at the forefront of the
Atlanta business community for decades
and brought the International Paralympic
Games to Atlanta in 1996, tying them to the
Summer Olympics where they remain to
this day.
With stints in three separate presidential administrations and as
chief of staff to then-Gov. Sonny
Perdue, few Georgians can boast
the political connections of this Atlanta-based mover and shaker. He heads up
Dentons’ renowned public policy practice
and is a champion for civic engagement
through his work with global nonprofit
Points of Light.
JAMIE SHEPHERD
PRESIDENT AND CEO, SHEPHERD CENTER
While his father and grandparents
guided the Shepherd Center
through its first fifty years, Jamie is
leading the next generation. His
first major accomplishment was managing
$370 million in construction between the
opening of The Arthur M. Blank Family Residences building and the opening of The Marcus Center for Advanced Rehabilitation.
KIRBY SMART
HEAD FOOTBALL COACH, UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA
This Bainbridge native is the highest-paid coach in the sport, a
well-deserved honor earned by his
back-to-back national titles in 2021
and 2022 and perennial playoff appearances.
Smart’s greatest test may be ahead of him as
college football wades into an uncertain future roiled by NIL and the transfer portal.
JEFF SPRECHER
CEO, INTERCONTINENTAL EXCHANGE
What started by Sprecher paying
$1,000 for the Continental Power
Exchange in 1997 has turned into
a company with a market cap of
$98 billion and a team of more than 12,000
employees that owns the New York Stock
Exchange. This Atlanta business titan, billionaire and former James “Georgian of the
Year” (along with wife Kelly Loeffler) is as
major Republican donor and an important
civic leader as well.
KEVIN TANNER
COMMISSIONER, GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF
BEHAVIORAL HEALTH & DEVELOPMENTAL
DISABILITIES
During his four terms in the state
legislature Tanner was known as a
tireless advocate for mental health,
including the creation of the landmark Georgia Mental Health Parity Act. That
made him the perfect appointee for Gov. Brian Kemp upon leaving office, where he’s
transformed DBHDD by reopening previously
offline crisis beds and enabling state hospitals to operate at nearly full capacity.
BEN TARBUTTON, III
PRESIDENT, SANDERSVILLE RAILROAD COMPANY
Tarbutton’s grandfather purchased
the Sandersville Railroad in 1916,
and the short line railroad transformed Sandersville into the “Kaolin Capital of the World.” His family runs
the railroad to this day, and Tarbutton lends
his generational transportation expertise to
the boards of the Georgia Railroad Association and the the Georgia Ports Authority,
among others.
ALEX TAYLOR
CHAIRMAN & CEO, COX ENTERPRISES
MICHAEL “SULLY” SULLIVAN
The great grandson of founder
James M. Cox has modernized this
massive Atlanta company, expanding into everything from clean
technology to advanced recycling, while retaining core operating businesses in broadband, automotive services and media, including the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Cox is an
avid outdoorsman and fly fisherman and has
directed much of his philanthropic efforts
towards conservation.
PRESIDENT & CEO, AMERICAN COUNCIL OF
ENGINEERING COMPANIES OF GEORGIA
GREG TEAGUE
This longtime attorney and lobbyist joined ACECG in 2012, where
he advocates for more than 200
engineering firms in the vital, rapidly growing industry. He serves on boards
including the Council for Quality Growth,
Georgia Chamber and Georgia Transportation Alliance.
CEO, CROY ENGINEERING
With deep Cobb County roots as a
Kennesaw State University grad
and a stint as the public works director for the city of Marietta,
Teague now manages Croy’s impressive project list that includes major infrastructure
ventures across the Southeast.
