Tuesday, November 3, 2015

Dontá L. Wilson
Group/State President - BB&T-Branch Banking & Trust Co. – Atlanta GA

Dontá Wilson has more than 20 years of banking experience.  He joined BB&T in 1995 as an intern in bank operations.  From 1995 to 2005, Mr. Wilson held several key management functions in retail and commercial banking.  Mr. Wilson has spent most of his banking career leading mergers and acquisitions.  In 2005, at the age of 28, he was appointed as the youngest Regional President in the company’s history. In 2009, with the acquisition of Colonial Bank by BB&T, Mr. Wilson was selected to lead the company’s largest acquisition and appointed President of BB&T of Alabama. While leading the Alabama Region, Mr. Wilson was also responsible for West Georgia and Northwest Florida.  In 2014, Mr. Wilson was appointed Group/State President in Georgia.  As the state’s senior bank executive, Wilson serves as BB&T’s local liaison for Georgia’s government relations, community relations, and economic development initiatives. He directly leads corporate banking, commercial banking, retail banking, wealth management, mortgage, operations, marketing and credit administration for BB&T’s Northern Georgia Region headquartered out of Atlanta GA.  The Northern Georgia Region is the largest of BB&T’s 23 community bank regions based on assets. There are over 1,900 BB&T employees in Georgia. BB&T is 5th in market share in the state.

Mr. Wilson graduated from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte with a BS in Management and further received a MBA at the University of Maryland.  He is a graduate of the Tuck Executive Program at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth and the BB&T Banking School at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

Mr. Wilson’s affiliations include:  Wilson has served as a board member for Baptist Health System; the board of directors and executive committee for Birmingham Business Alliance; the board of visitors for Culverhouse College of Commerce and Business, University of Alabama; the Business Council of Alabama (state chamber); the Woodlawn Foundation; and the Birmingham Downtown Rotary Club. He is the founder and chairman of I Am My Brother’s Keeper inner city mentoring program; a member of The Executive Leadership Council; a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Inc.; and a member of Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity. Wilson is a past board member of Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, United Way of Central Alabama, Birmingham Education Foundation, Alabama Banker’s Association and graduate of Leadership Alabama.  He also serves on the following boards in Georgia: Ron Clark Academy, Buckhead Coalition, GA Chamber of Commerce, Metro Chamber of Commerce, YMCA of Metro Atlanta and member of Atlanta Rotary Club.

Dontá and his wife, Bonika are the proud parents of two sons and reside in Atlanta, Georgia.

Friday, April 10, 2015

E. Jenner Wood, III
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of SunTrust Bank, Atlanta Division

Jenner began his career with SunTrust Banks, Inc. in 1975 as a member of the commercial banking training program and was elected an officer in 1977. He has advanced through various management positions in the Correspondent and Corporate Banking Divisions before being named Executive Vice President and head of Corporate Banking in 1989. In 1991, he was elected EVP and head of Trust and Investment Management for the Atlanta bank. In 1993, he was elected EVP of SunTrust Banks, Inc. serving as the line of business manager for Trust and Investment Services. He was elected as Chairman, President and CEO of SunTrust Bank, Atlanta and SunTrust Bank, Georgia in 2001.

Today Jenner serves as CEO of the Atlanta Division for SunTrust Banks, Inc., and as a Corporate Executive Vice President of SunTrust Banks, Inc. Jenner received his B.A. in History from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, 1974 and his M.B.A. in Finance from Georgia State University, Atlanta, 1984. Jenner’s civic responsibilities include Robert W. Woodruff Foundation, the Sartain Lanier Family Foundation, Jesse Parker Williams Foundation, Camp Younts Foundation, and the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce Executive Committee, with corporate affiliations including Southern Company, Oxford Industries, Inc. and Genuine Parts Company.

In the past, he chaired the Metro Atlanta United Way Campaign in 2002, and served as a director of Crawford and Company as well as Cotton States Insurance. Jenner is a former Trustee of Trinity School, the Atlanta Speech School, Agnes Scott College and Episcopal High School.

Jenner is married to Libby, and has three adult children and two grandsons. 

Wednesday, September 24, 2014

Mark C. Callaway
Financial Advisor

Comprehensive investment planning has been my focus throughout my almost 30-year career. Mark opened a Robinson – Humphrey & Co office in 1989 in LaGrange, GA which merged with one of the predecessor firms of Morgan Stanley.

Mark serves as the Senior Portfolio Manager in our group. His area of concentration is helping clients set investment objectives, develop an asset allocation strategy, making stock and fund selections and establishing customized investment strategies.

He has managed “SRI/ESG/ Impact Investing style” discretionary strategy within the Morgan Stanley Portfolio Management platform since 2000. Over the past decade, He has seen the growth of Impact Investing in other areas of the world and now, finally, in mainstream America. Mark was recognized by Smith Barney, prior to the merger, as a “Green” financial advisory professional. The more involved he became in SRI/ESG the more interested he became in the actions of the corporations headquartered in his own backyard. So in 2009, he co-founded the Southeast Corporate Sustainability Ranking. It ranks publicly traded companies according to standardized environmental, social and governance scores. Recently, Mark was asked to serve on the Morgan Stanley Advisory Board to champion the Investing with Impact platform at Morgan Stanley.

Mark brings a personal perspective to multi-generational planning and multifaceted issues that arise for families needing guidance in the area of legacy planning. He has served as a third-generation trustee on two of the Callaway Family Foundations. In addition, to help foster and pass on appreciation for philanthropic involvement to his children, Mark created a family foundation on which four of my five children currently serve with me as trustees.

In 2013 Mark worked with his partner PJ Younglove Hovey to spearhead the formation of the MountainFilm on Tour ATL festival. This curated festival of films from the Telluride MountainFilm Festival connects his values directly to the art of film. It provides a vehicle to inspire the community to explore protecting the environment, working towards social justice, and sustainable living and investing.

Mark’s educational background includes studies in both political science and theater, as well as an MBA from La Grange College. After graduation from that program, he served as an adjunct professor teaching Investment Analysis and Portfolio Management. Mark holds the position of Senior Vice President of Wealth Management at Morgan Stanley. In addition, he is a Senior Investment Management Consultant, Senior Portfolio Manager and Financial Planning Specialist. Mark has served in a number of leadership capacities on the boards of The University of Georgia, the Georgia Institute of Technology, Berry College, and LaGrange College. 

Tuesday, April 8, 2014

Ed Baker has been Publisher of Atlanta Business Chronicle for 28 years, one of the country’s largest business journals with over 169,000 readers each week. In addition to his local responsibilities, Ed is Chief Strategic Officer of American City Business Journals, the parent company. 

Ed grew up in Atlanta and is very active in the community. He serves on the boards of the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau, Junior Achievement of Georgia, Georgia State University’s Robinson College of Business, Atlanta Business League Foundation, Arby’s Foundation, the Atlanta Sports Council, and the Atlanta Federal Reserve’s Inflation Panel. 

Prior to joining the Chronicle, Ed was a senior executive in the advertising agency business, having worked on the launch of cellular for BellSouth, The Weather Channel, and the Kawasaki Jet Ski at J. Walter Thompson and D’Arcy MacManus and Masius. 

Ed has two degrees from Georgia State University. He has been happily married to his high school sweetheart for 39 years. They have one married son and one grandson who live in Atlanta. 

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Ms. Denise Quarles
City of Atlanta 
Director, Mayor's Office of Sustainability

Denise Quarles serves as the director of the City of Atlanta Mayor's Office of Sustainability.  Denise's most recent milestone, a refresh of Atlanta's sustainability plan Power to Change, sets the pathway for realizing Mayor Kasim Reed's goal of making Atlanta a top-tier city for sustainability.  Her office's priority is to foster an environmentally and economically sound government while merging a multi-stakeholder collaborative that will foster the achievement of both short and long-term sustainability goals.

Prior to joining the Reed administration, Denise served as vice president of environmental affairs for Southwire, North America's leading producer of electric wiring and cabling.  Prior to her tenure at Southwire, Quarles was a senior manager at DaimlerChrysler, where she gained extensive experience in business and operations management during her 12 years with the company.

Denise has also taught Operations Management part-time at the University of West Georgia, Richards College of Business.  She is a member of the Institute for Georgia Environmental Leadership Board of Directors and maintains memberships with many professional organizations.

A Michigan native, Denise holds a Master of Business Administration degree as well as a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering from Wayne State University. 

Thursday, October 11, 2012

Mr. Danny W. Jett
Douglas County Bank
Chief Executive Officer

Mr. Danny W. Jett is the Chief Executive Officer of Douglas County Bank, located in Douglasville, Georgia. Mr. Jett is a native of Roswell, Georgia and is a graduate of West Georgia College (now the University of West Georgia) and John Marshall Law School. Mr. Jett has been involved in the banking and financial services industry for over 35 years. He and his wife Nina currently reside in Suwanee, Georgia. The Jetts have four grown children and seven grandchildren.

Prior to joining Douglas County Bank, Mr. Jett served in senior executive positions in both community banks as well as a major regional banking company and served as Corporate Operations Director for the full service brokerage subsidiary of a major U S banking company located in London, England. Mr. Jett also held the position of Chief Executive Officer of EastPoint Technologies, LLC, headquartered in Manchester, New Hampshire, a provider of banking software and services to financial institutions nationwide.

Mr. Jett is on the Board of Directors of Main Street Solutions, Inc., a non profit organization focused on providing support to free enterprise activities starting at the individual level and continuing through small business organizations all the way through the public policy making activities of local, state, and national government. A fundamental element of Main Street Solutions’ activities is to support the development of research that may provide information and direction for the formation of solid public policy and an understanding of the impact of that policy on the daily lives of individuals as well as small business and governmental entities. 

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Dr. Brenda Fitzgerald
Georgia Department of Community Health
Director, Division of Public Health & State Health Officer

Dr. Brenda Fitzgerald serves as the Director of the Division of Public Health and State Health Officer for the Georgia Department of Community Health (DCH).  Dr. Fitzgerald, a board-certified Obstetrician-Gynecologist and a Fellow in Anti-Aging Medicine, has practiced medicine for three decades. Her perspective is one of a practicing doctor deeply committed to sound public policy.

Prior to joining DCH, Fitzgerald held numerous leadership positions. Fitzgerald served on the board and as president of the Georgia OB-GYN Society, and she worked as a health care policy advisor with House Speaker Newt Gingrich and Senator Paul Coverdell. She has served as Chairman of the Board for the Georgia Public Policy Foundation and remains a Senior Fellow. Additionally, she served on the Military Academy Selection Boards for Senators Paul Coverdell and Saxby Chambliss, and was a founding board member for the Paul Coverdell Leadership Institute. She also contributed to Leadership Georgia serving as a program chair, served as the 7th District Representative to the Georgia State School Board and held board posts with Voices for Georgia’s Children, the Advanced Academy of West Georgia, the University of West Georgia Foundation and the Carrollton Rotary Club.

Fitzgerald holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Microbiology from Georgia State University and a Doctor of Medicine degree from Emory University School of Medicine. She did her post-graduate training at the Emory-Grady Hospitals in Atlanta and held an assistant clinical professorship at Emory Medical Center. As a Major in the U.S. Air Force, Fitzgerald served at the Wurtsmith Air Force Strategic Air Command (SAC) Base in Michigan and Andrews Air Force Base in Washington, D.C.

John R. Harris
eTelecare Global Solutions
President and Chief Executive Officer

John Harris has more than 30 years of experience in the outsourced business services and information technology industry, with senior executive roles spanning sales, marketing, strategy, business operations and mergers/acquisitions, as well as extensive international experience in Europe, the Middle East and Asia. 

Mr. Harris has been CEO of several private equity backed technology service companies.  He most recently served as President and CEO of eTelecare Global Solutions, a business process outsourcing company delivering technical support, sales, and care services to the Fortune 1000 market. During his tenure the company doubled revenues and expanded operations in the Philippines, Central America and South Africa. He also successfully led the company’s IPO, privatization and ultimate merger in 2009 that created a $1 billion BPO services company.

Mr. Harris spent 25 years with Electronic Data Systems (EDS). Under his leadership, the business grew from $65 million to approximately $1 billion serving clients in 22 countries providing outsourcing, system integration, process management, consulting, and call center services. 

Mr. Harris graduated from the University of West Georgia with a BBA and MBA.  He has held board positions with a number of public and private telecommunications and technology services companies. He has been a long term member of Young Presidents’ Organization and World Presidents’ Organization. Mr. Harris resides in Scottsdale, Arizona. 

Thursday, April 9, 2009

Karen C. Handel
Georgia Secretary of State

Karen Handel was elected in November 2006 and sworn in to office on January 8, 2007 as Georgia's first Republican Secretary of State. Her office oversees elections, corporations, securities, and professional licensing boards, and also controls the state archives and the Capitol museum.

As president and CEO of the North Fulton Chamber of Commerce, Secretary Handel was responsible for working with state, local, national and international organizations to bring job growth to north Fulton County. She has also served as an executive at several Fortune 500 companies

Handel has served in several roles in government, including as a Deputy Chief of Staff for the Bush-Quayle White House, Deputy Chief of Staff to Governor Sonny Perdue, Chairman of the Fulton County Board of Commissioners. As Chief Executive for the state's largest and most populous county, Handel was credited with passing the strongest ethics laws of any local government.

Secretary Handel and her husband Steve live in Roswell.

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

John W. Oxendine
Georgia Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner

In addition to being Georgia's Insurance Commissioner, John W. Oxendine is also the Safety Fire Commissioner, Industrial Loan Commissioner and Comptroller General. His duties include regulating approximately 1,600 insurance companies; licensing 149,000 insurance agents; and regulating over 1,000 industrial loan offices.

Oxendine has been instrumental in passing legislation that made health insurance portable, protected consumers from unlicensed insurance companies, reduced the cost of workers compensation insurance in Georgia, improved the quality of healthcare in rural Georgia, protected citizens from dangerous pyrotechnics, and implemented tough disclosure laws for insurance companies and agents. In 2005 he launched his $126.5 million Rural Health Initiative which includes one of the largest and most comprehensive telemedicine networks in the United States.

He has received many awards for his public service including the Dr. Nathan Davis Award for outstanding statewide elected official from the American Medical Association, the Friend of Housing Award from the Georgia Apartment Association, the Chairman’s Hope Award from Operation Hope, and the Special Presidential Award from the Georgia State Firefighters Association.

Oxendine has served or is serving on numerous boards for non-profit organizations, including the Northeast Georgia Boy Scouts of America, the Board of Directors of Safe Kids of Georgia, and the Gwinnett Neighborhood Leadership Institute He received his undergraduate degree in 1984 and his law degree in 1987, both from Mercer University. He currently resides in Gwinnett County with his wife Ivy and their children J.W., Philip and Caroline.

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

P.J. Younglove Hovey
V.P. of Wealth Management

Ms. Hovey is a Vice President of Wealth Management and a Financial Planning Specialist with Smith Barney. Her work is focused on women of means and intergenerational family clients. Her first career was in retail management, where she spent 15 years as an entrepreneur/owner of stores and as a retail fashion management consultant.

A life long commitment to the non-profit sector, beginning with the Junior League, has been an important parallel career. Ms. Hovey has held positions of leadership in the Junior League, the Capitol Children’s Museum in Washington D.C., the Children’s Defense Fund, and the Washington Ballet. She served as Chairman of the Board of Georgians for Children. Ms. Hovey has been a trustee of the Alliance Theater in Atlanta for over a decade and is the Chair of the Community Foundation of West Georgia.

She was educated at Skidmore College, Dartmouth College, and the George Washington University School of Management. Ms. Hovey has two daughters: Elisabeth, a social worker in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and Hillary, an actor and writer in Atlanta.