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Trustees
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James B. Williams
Chair Emeritus
James B. Williams spent his entire career with SunTrust (Truist) Bank, serving as chairman and CEO from 1991 to 1998. He served as a director of The Coca-Cola Company from 1979 to 2013, and chaired the board of Emory University’s Woodruff Health Sciences Center for more than 20 years. Mr. Williams has served on numerous boards, including the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Genuine Parts Company, Georgia Pacific Corporation and Rollins, Inc. He is a graduate and trustee emeritus of Emory University.
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E. Jenner Wood III
Chair
Jenner Wood joined the boards of the Robert W. Woodruff Foundation in 2010 and the Joseph B. Whitehead and Lettie Pate Evans Foundations in 2015 and was named chairman of those three Foundations in 2018. He joined the board of the Robert W. Woodruff Health Sciences Center Fund as chairman in 2018. Jenner serves as a director of the Genuine Parts Company, Southern Company and Oxford Industries and is a former director of Crawford & Company. He spent his entire career with SunTrust Bank serving in various corporate executive positions from 1975 to 2017. His civic responsibilities include serving as trustee of the Jesse Parker Williams Foundation and the Sartain Lanier Family Foundation. He is also a trustee of Emory University and Episcopal High School. Jenner has chaired the board of the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce and is a former trustee of the Camp Younts Foundation, the Pitts Foundation, SunTrust Foundation, Agnes Scott College, Atlanta Speech School, Trinity School, Visiting Nurse Health System and Piedmont Healthcare System. He received a bachelor’s degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and an M.B.A. from Georgia State University.
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Lawrence L. Gellerstedt III
Vice Chair
Larry Gellerstedt joined the boards of the Robert W. Woodruff, Joseph B. Whitehead and Lettie Pate Evans Foundations in 2015. He is a partner in Sweetwater Holdings and former executive chairman and CEO of Cousins Properties. He serves as chairman of Grady Health System and is a director of Georgia Power Company, Brown & Brown Insurance and United Distributors. He serves as trustee of the Jesse Parker Williams Foundation and is a member of the Georgia Historical Society’s Board of Curators. Larry has chaired the boards of several leading organizations in Atlanta, including the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, the Georgia Research Alliance, the Atlanta Committee for Progress, the Woodruff Arts Center, the Metro Atlanta YMCA, Midtown Alliance, Fernbank Museum and The Commerce Club. He is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
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Lyons Gray
Lyons Gray formerly served as a commissioner on the North Carolina Utility Commission, Secretary of the North Carolina Department of Revenue, senior advisor to the President of the University of North Carolina system and chief financial officer for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Mr. Gray was also a six-term member of the North Carolina House of Representatives. He has served on the boards of the North Carolina Communities and Business Alliance, Downtown Winston-Salem Partnership and the North Carolina School of the Arts Foundation, among other groups. Mr. Gray attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
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David P. Stockert
Dave Stockert serves as a director of Mid-America Apartment Communities and is a partner in Sweetwater Holdings. He served as CEO of Post Properties from 2002 to 2016. His civic responsibilities include the boards of Grady Health System and the Westside Future Fund. He has chaired Central Atlanta Progress, the YMCA of Metro Atlanta, Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School and the Buckhead Coalition and is a former trustee of the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta and Horizons Atlanta. Dave received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Colorado and an M.B.A from Columbia University.
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Staff
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Dahlia Bell Brown
Program Officer
Dahlia joined the Foundations’ staff in 2020. She previously served for six years the Georgia Division of Family and Children Services (DFCS), most recently as the Deputy Division Director of Strategy, Innovation and Engagement. Prior to DFCS, she led the Family Violence Division at the Georgia Governor’s Office for Children and Families and spent several years doing frontline social work in the nonprofit sector. Dahlia received a B.A. degree in psychology and a correlate sequence in Africana Studies from Vassar College, and earned an M.P.H. degree from Morehouse School of Medicine.
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Carrie Davis Conway
Senior Program Officer
Carrie joined the Foundations’ staff in 2014. She previously served as Executive Director of the Southeast Region for CARE USA, and has 10 years of experience working in development in the higher education sector. Carrie graduated magna cum laude from Duke University with a B.A. degree in history and received an M.A. degree from St. John’s College.
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Stephanie Gaines
Executive Assistant to the President
Stephanie joined the Foundations’ staff in 2020. She previously served as Executive Assistant and Office Manager of the Grady Health Foundation, and has over 30 years of experience working in administration at SunTrust Banks. Stephanie earned her Associate of Applied Science degree from Clayton State University.
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P. Russell Hardin
President
Russ joined the Foundations’ staff as Secretary in 1988, became Treasurer in 1989, Vice President in 1994 and President in 2006. Prior to joining the Foundations, Russ practiced law with King & Spalding and was associated with the Robinson-Humphrey Company. He currently serves as a trustee of the Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company and as a director of the Genuine Parts Company and the Truist Atlanta Advisory Council. He is the former board chair of Candid and the Southeastern Council of Foundations. Russ received his B.A. degree with high distinction from the University of Virginia in 1979, and his J.D. degree with honors from Duke University School of Law in 1982.
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Erik Johnson
Secretary and Vice President
Erik joined the Foundations’ staff in 2006. He previously served as a law clerk to Chief Judge J.L. Edmondson on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. Erik is the former chairman of the Georgia Grantmakers Alliance and serves on the Public Policy Committee of the Council on Foundations. He earned his B.A. degree from Emory University in 1998 and his J.D. degree with high honors from the University of Georgia’s School of Law in 2005.
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Jenny Zhang Morgan
Grants Officer
Jenny joined the Foundations’ staff in 2013. She previously worked as an account executive at the marketing communications firm Jackson Spalding. Jenny is a 2022-23 Education Policy Fellow and serves on the President’s Advisory Council for PEAK Grantmaking. She graduated summa cum laude from the Georgia Institute of Technology with B.S. degrees in psychology and communications.
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Eli Niepoky
Treasurer
Eli joined the Foundation’s staff in 2021. She previously served as Chief Investment Officer (CIO) of Berman Capital Advisors and as CIO and Principal of Diversified Trust Company. Eli started her investment career at Delta Air Lines’ pension fund. She is board chair of the Employees’ Retirement System of Georgia and serves on its investment committee. She received her B.A. degree in economics from Wake Forest University and her M.B.A. degree from Georgia State University. Eli is a CFA Charterholder and a member of the CFA Society Atlanta, where she previously served as president and board member.
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Emily Patteson
Grants Program Administrator
Emily joined the Foundations’ staff in 2019. She previously worked as a client and grants manager with the SunTrust Bank Foundations and Endowments Specialty Practice. Emily graduated cum laude from Vanderbilt University with B.A. degrees in economics and Spanish.
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Litzy Perez
Fellow
Litzy joined the Foundations’ staff in 2023. She previously worked as a legal assistant at Githieya Law and is a recipient of the U.S. Department of State’s Critical Language Scholarship. Litzy graduated summa cum laude from the Georgia State University Honors College with a B.S. degree in criminal justice and a minor in Chinese language and culture.
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Lizzy Smith
Grants Program Director
Lizzy joined the Foundations’ staff as Grants Officer in 2005 and became Grants Program Director in 2011. She previously worked for the fundraising consulting firm of Coxe Curry & Associates for more than seven years, and also served as Director of Special Events for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation in Raleigh, NC. Lizzy serves on the steering committee for the Georgia Grantmakers Alliance. She is a former trustee of the Southeastern Council of Foundations and a past chair of Candid’s Atlanta Advisory Board. She graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a B.A. degree in economics.
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Sarah Tablan
Controller
Sarah joined the Foundations’ staff in 2007. She previously worked in public accounting with Smith & Howard, P.C., and ran her own accounting and tax practice for six years. Sarah graduated summa cum laude with a B.B.A in accounting and received her master’s in taxation from Georgia State University’s Robinson College of Business. She is a certified public accountant.
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Katrina Voegtlin
Assistant Controller
Katrina joined the Foundations’ staff in 2017. She previously served as Vice President of Corporate Accounting at Quadrant Real Estate Advisors and as Tax Manager at Windham Brannon. Katrina earned her master’s degree in taxation from Georgia State University and a B.A. degree in French literature from Emory University. She currently serves as a trustee of the Georgia United Methodist Foundation. She is a certified public accountant and member of the AICPA.
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Tammy Walton
Receptionist
Tammy joined the Foundations’ staff in 2008. She previously worked as an equipment supply coordinator at Coca-Cola Enterprises and as an HR assistant at Emory Healthcare. Tammy earned her B.A. degree in business administration from Talladega College in 1993, and her M.A. degree in Marriage and Family Therapy Counseling from Argosy University in 2016.
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