Leading the Way
AWF Kicks off 2024 with more milestones to celebrate!
It’s the second half of our 25th year of changing the lives of women and girls in Atlanta, and we are celebrating with new board members, a new Inspire Atlanta class, staff additions, a staff promotion, and a very special anniversary – AWF CEO Kari B. Love’s 10th anniversary with AWF!
Kari B. Love embarks on her 10th year with AWF and seven years as CEO, leading AWF to its fundraising goals year after year. Kari joined as VP of Development & Communications in February 2014 and was later named CEO in July 2017.
Under Kari’s leadership, AWF has seen record growth in revenue generation and grantmaking, with over $11 million invested in grants and programs for women and girls since 2014. Since 2017, as CEO, Kari has more than doubled the organization’s net assets from $2.5 million to $5.3 million today.
To help us celebrate Kari, you can donate here in her honor!
In January, we onboarded eight new Board members to join our existing Board to help lead AWF to new records and continued growth.
Robyn Crittenden, Managing Director, Deloitte
Robyn served as the 28th Georgia Secretary of State and was the first African-American woman to serve as a statewide constitutional officer in Georgia. Prior to her appointment as Secretary of State by Gov. Nathan Deal, she served as commissioner of the Department of Human Services and most recently led the Georgia Department of Revenue. Robyn earned her Bachelor of Arts from Yale University and her Juris Doctor from the University of Michigan Law School.
Meg Garrido, Owner, Compass Realty
Meg and her team have been recognized by the Atlanta Realtors Association every year since their inception as a top 10 team amongst over 30,000 realtors throughout the Metro Atlanta area. With a seventeen-year client service background, Meg has always found passion in creating the highest level of advocacy for her clients. She earned her degree in Psychology from Clemson University.
Susanne Hall, Senior Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer, Coca-Cola Bottling Company UNITED, Inc.
In this role, Susanne oversees Sales and Marketing, Revenue Growth, Planning and Analytics, as well as Digital/E-Commerce. Previously, Susanne served as Vice President of the company’s West Region, and before that, she was Senior Vice President of Region Sales and Operations for Coca-Cola Refreshment, responsible for sales and field operations in 22 states along the East Coast, as well as the U.S. Virgin Islands. Susanne has been with the Coca-Cola system since 1996 and graduated from the University of New Orleans with a degree in accounting.
Lindsay Hill, Senior Vice President of Human Resources, Georgia Power
Lindsay leads Talent Management, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and is Senior Vice President of Human Resources for Georgia Power. She joined Georgia Power’s sales organization in 2001, serving in multiple roles before moving into HR. She holds a Bachelor’s in Business Administration from Valdosta State University and a Master’s in Organizational Leadership from Troy University.
Meredith Moore, Founder & CEO, Artisan Financial Strategies
Meredith Moore has been a financial advisor for 24 years, focusing on financial planning for women in senior leadership in corporate America and women founders of small businesses. As a frequent public speaker, Meredith covers many topics, including adversity, growth, leadership, and finance. She holds a Bachelor of Industrial and Systems Engineering from Georgia Tech.
Monica Nixon, Assistant Director, Corporate Responsibility, Ernst & Young, LLP
Monica leads and supports the strategic execution of community impact projects through charitable giving or grantmaking, corporate volunteer efforts, and general employee engagement. She serves as a liaison between the corporate world and various humanitarian causes aimed at promoting community and cultural change. Monica received her Bachelor of Business Administration from Georgia Southern University and is an alumna of AWF’s Inspire Atlanta Program, Class of 2018.
Kate Pearch, Chief Marketing & Business Development Officer, Morris, Manning & Martin, LLP
In her role, Kate focuses on the firm’s exceptional client service approach to strengthen its brand and position in the marketplace. Her responsibilities include designing and implementing marketing and advertising, communications, public relations, practice growth, strategic development, and leadership succession programs. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Advertising from the University of Florida. Kate was an integral member of the volunteer team to launch Inspire Atlanta.
Meg Stephens, iHeartMedia Senior Vice President Programming, Atlanta;
Program Director WUBL Atlanta
Meg oversees the programming strategy and operations for one of the US’s largest and most influential media and entertainment companies, with over 20 years of experience in the broadcast media industry. Her proven track record includes delivering engaging and innovative content across multiple platforms and formats, including radio, podcasting, video, social media, and live events. Meg received a Bachelor of Science in Television, Radio & Film from Syracuse University.
In addition to new board members, AWF promoted Ali Cobb to Senior Vice President of Development & Communications, hired Vanthan Abernathy as the Events & Communication Specialist, and, later this month, will welcome Amy Hogan as the Vice President of Philanthropic Engagement.
Ali Cobb leads the development and communication efforts of AWF. Ali joined AWF as the Director of Development in 2017. She is most proud of implementing the Inspire Atlanta program in 2018, which has raised $1.8 million to date, with over 190 women receiving life-changing personal, professional, and philanthropic development experiences. During her tenure, she helped direct the Numbers Too Big To Ignore Luncheon to gross over $1 million yearly in support of AWF’s mission.
Before joining AWF in January, Vanthan Abernathy most recently consulted as an events manager, coordinating several events around the Metro Atlanta area. Before that, she managed communications and publicity efforts for animated programming at WarnerMedia. While there, Vanthan was first introduced to AWF as one of the many organizations she enjoyed volunteering for.
Amy Hogan, CFRE, CAP, joins the Atlanta Women’s Foundation as Vice President of Philanthropic Engagement. She most recently served as the Director of Leadership Giving at Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School, where she was a part of the efforts to raise over $30 million for the school’s historic “Our Time” Campaign. Amy has served in various fundraising and strategic roles in the education and nonprofit/public space. She is grateful to serve in a role that matches her passion for advancing women and girls with the relationship-building and gift-planning skill set she’s developed over the last 15 years.
AWF kicked off its 7th year of Inspire Atlanta with the class of 2024, which includes 32 members. Each year, participants are hand-selected to be part of the 4-month program of leadership and learning. Inspire Atlanta is a community impact program and fundraising campaign that supports The Atlanta Women’s Foundation. This year’s class is set to raise at least $10,000 each for programs that enrich the lives of girls impacted by poverty.
Check out the impressive lineup of this year’s class: https://www.atlantawomen.org/inspire-atlanta-participants/
Follow their fundraising journey and donate here: https://p2p.onecause.com/inspireatlanta2024
Through Inspire Atlanta, 32 women are:
- Developing their talents to garner support that affects real change in the community.
- Learning about critical issues facing women and girls in the area.
- Exploring their core values and chart their unique leadership path.
- Building a network of fellow female leaders and doers.
- Championing a fundraising campaign in support of The Atlanta Women’s Foundation.
We are inspired by their efforts and look forward to seeing all they will accomplish throughout their journey. To date, the class has raised over $150,000 and is well on their way to their collective goal of $500,000!
