2015 Notable Georgians
Robert Balentine
Chairman and CEO, Balentine, Atlanta
Brandon Beach
State Senator (R-21); CEO, Greater North Fulton Chamber, Alpharetta
Freddy Bensch
Big Kahuna, SweetWater Brewing Co., Atlanta
Mohammad Bhuiyan
President and CEO, Yunus Creative Lab Inc.; CEO, 2015 World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates, Atlanta
Sanford Bishop
U.S. Congressman (D-2), Albany
Karen Bremer
Executive Director, Georgia Restaurant Association, Atlanta
Alex Brewer, aka “Hense”
Contemporary Public Artist and Painter, Atlanta
Matt Bronfman
CEO, Jamestown Properties, Atlanta
Bobby Cagle
Director, Division of Family and Children Services, Atlanta
Mónica Campana
Co-founder and Executive Director, Living Walls, Atlanta
Dr. Meria J. Carstarphen
Superintendent, Atlanta Public Schools, Atlanta
Don Cope
President and CEO, Dalton Utilities, Dalton
Ann Cramer
Senior Consultant, Coxe Curry & Associates, Atlanta
David Cummings
Founder, Atlanta Tech Village, Atlanta
Hardie Davis
Mayor of Augusta
Ralph de la Vega
President and CEO, AT&T Mobile & Consumer Markets, Atlanta
Nancy Denson
Mayor of Athens-Clarke County
Stephen Dolinger
President, Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education, Atlanta
Zippy Duvall
President, Georgia Farm Bureau, Macon
John Eaves
Chairman, Fulton County Commission, Atlanta
Earl Ehrhart
CEO, LakePoint Sporting Community, Emerson
Robert Farris
Director, Georgia Forestry Commission, Dry Branch
Shirley Franklin
Chair and CEO, Purpose Built Communities, Atlanta
Dr. Tom Frieden
Director, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta
Jennifer Frum
Vice President for Public Service and Outreach, University of Georgia, Athens
Sharon Gay
Partner, McKenna Long & Aldridge LLP, Atlanta
Mike Giles
President, Georgia Poultry Federation, Gainesville
Amy Glennon
Publisher, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Dunwoody
Jerry Gonzalez
Founder and Executive Director, Georgia Association of Latino Elected Officials, Atlanta
Steve Gooch
State Senator (R-51), Dahlonega
Toby Graham
University Librarian and Associate Provost, University of Georgia, Athens
Ryan Gravel
Creator of the Atlanta BeltLine, Senior Urban Designer, Perkins + Will, Atlanta
Ernest Greene
Record Producer and Musician, Washed Out, Athens
Sheffield Hale
President and Executive Director, Atlanta History Center, Atlanta
Lee J. Harrop
Program Director, Atlanta BeltLine, Atlanta
John Haupert
CEO, Grady Health System, Atlanta
Virginia Hepner
President and CEO, Woodruff Arts Center, Atlanta
Doug Hertz
President and CEO, United Distributors Inc., Smyrna
Helen Ho
Founding Executive Director, Asian American Legal Advocacy Center, Norcross
Al Hodge
President and CEO, Greater Rome Chamber of Commerce, Rome
Dr. Bonita Jacobs
President, University of North Georgia, Dahlonega
Philip Jacobs
Founding Partner, The Pendleton Consulting Group, Atlanta
Steve Justice
Director, Georgia Center of Innovation for Aerospace, Eastman
James Cox Kennedy
Chairman, Cox Enterprises, Atlanta
Ami Klin
Director, Marcus Autism Center; Professor of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta
Jeffrey Lorberbaum
Chairman and CEO, Mohawk Industries, Calhoun
Mike Luckovich
Editorial Cartoonist/ Pulitzer Prize Winner, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Atlanta
Nick Masino
Senior Vice President of Economic Development and Partnership Gwinnett, Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce, Duluth
Brooks Mathis
Senior Vice President of Economic Development, Cobb Chamber of Commerce, Atlanta
Col. Mark McDonough
Commissioner, Georgia Department of Public Safety, Atlanta
Brian McGowan
Executive Vice President and COO, Metro Atlanta Chamber, Atlanta
Penny McPhee
President and Trustee, The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation, Atlanta
Ceasar Mitchell
President, Atlanta City Council, Atlanta
Dan Moody
Co-chairman, The Essential Economy Council, Atlanta
Emory Morsberger
CEO, Morsberger Group, Lawrenceville
William Nuti
Chairman, CEO and President, NCR Corp., Duluth
James Pannell
Partner, Gray Pannell & Woodward, Savannah
Sunny Park
CEO, General Building Maintenance Inc., Atlanta
William Pate
President and CEO, Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau, Atlanta
Karen Paty
Director, Georgia Council for the Arts, Atlanta
Tyler Perry
Actor, Director, Screenwriter and Founder of Tyler Perry Studios, Atlanta
Alicia Philipp
President, The Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta, Atlanta
Chuck Reese
Founder and Editor, The Bitter Southerner, Atlanta
Malaika Rivers
Executive Director, Cumberland Community Improvement District, Atlanta
Alice Rolls
Executive Director, Georgia Organics, Atlanta
Mark Rosenberg
President and CEO, The Task Force for Global Health, Decatur
Maria Saporta
Journalist, The Saporta Report/Atlanta Business Chronicle, Atlanta
John Schuerholz
President, Atlanta Braves, Atlanta
Laura Turner Seydel
Philanthropist, Environmental Advocate and Chairperson, Captain Planet Foundation, Atlanta
Alana Shepherd
Co-founder, Shepherd Center, Atlanta
Doug Shipman
CEO, National Center for Civil & Human Rights, Atlanta
Walter Sprouse Jr.
Executive Director, Augusta Economic Development Authority of Richmond County, Augusta
David Stockert
President and CEO, Post Properties, Atlanta
Ben Tarbutton III
Assistant Vice President, Sandersville Railroad Co.; Board of Regents Member, Sandersville
Stu Thorn
President and CEO, Southwire Co., Carrollton
Sara Totonchi
Executive Director, Southern Center for Human Rights, Atlanta
Roger Tutterow
Economist and Director of the Econometric Center, Kennesaw State University, Kennesaw
Paula Wallace
Founder and President, Savannah College of Art and Design, Savannah
Chuck Warbington
Executive Director, Gwinnett Village Community Improvement District, Norcross
Yvonne D. Williams
President, Perimeter Community Improvement Districts, Atlanta
John Silvanus Wilson Jr.
President, Morehouse College, Atlanta
Woody Woodside
President, Brunswick-Golden Isles Chamber of Commerce, Brunswick
Sam Zamarripa
Co-chairman, The Essential Economy Council, Atlanta
