Our crew: Community leadership and board representation

One of our greatest assets at the Community Foundation is our staff (we call them our crew) and their deep knowledge base. Team members across our organization are devoted to the Atlanta community, evidenced by a diverse range of board representation and volunteer service responsibilities. These roles are no small task – in many cases, they are nearly a full-time job on top of their position with us. We are proud that they share their expertise with our community and serve as thought leaders in their respective fields, both inside of our office and outside of it. We applaud their invaluable work!

Below are just a few leadership roles of some of our staff members:

“It is imperative that there be strong leadership in Atlanta around charitable planning. By serving on boards and bringing new ideas and knowledge to Atlanta, I am able to ensure that nonprofits and donors are maximizing philanthropic dollars in Atlanta.” – Christy Eckoff, director, gift planning

Christy is president of the Georgia Planned Giving Council and was elected to serve a three-year term on the National Association of Charitable Gift Planners‘ national board of directors as well as a three-year term on the Advancement Network‘s national board of directors.

“A candle loses no flame by lighting another candle – in fact, it creates more light. Serving as the president of the nation’s second largest communications association, with more than 900 members statewide, has helped me illuminate this truth. Sharing, growing, empowering, collaborating, elevating – nurturing leadership. These are the values we work to instill.” – Elyse Hammett, vice president, marketing and communications

Elyse is 2017 president of the Georgia Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America.

“In a sector prone to burnout, we all need support networks to challenge our assumptions, build our confidence, stretch our thought process and recharge. Serving on the YNPN Atlanta board had been an opportunity to collaborate with people working in a variety of different functions and impact areas in the nonprofit sector, helping me stay current and explore areas of opportunities and challenges within the sector, ultimately strengthening my work here at the Foundation.” – Lauren Jeong, program associate

Lauren is the immediate past board chair of the Young Nonprofit Professionals Network’s Georgia chapter.

“Being a chapter leader has really stretched me and been a great learning opportunity. I feel I have really grown over the last year as a professional and as a leader and I could not have done it without the support of my colleagues at CFGA.” – James Tobias, gift planning officer

James is president of the Association of Fundraising Professionals Greater Atlanta Chapter.