This members-only program is held two to four times throughout the year. These sessions are meant to be informal conversations that allow young professionals to sit with social sector leaders to ask a few burning questions.

December's Expert: 

Ellen McCarty
President, McCarty & Co., LLC

Ellen McCarty brings over twenty-five years of executive leadership experience in the nonprofit sector. Her company brings the added value of her community board and volunteer involvement and deep relationships on a local, state and national level. These relationships, coupled with years of boots on the ground, have bestowed upon her a collective understanding of Metro Atlanta, key influencers, and the importance of a multi-sector approach when addressing community issues.Clients benefit from her extensive background in nonprofit management and leadership; fundraising; donor cultivation and management; grant writing, reporting and administration; board governance and Best Practice boards of directors; board retreats; facility and program design and implementation; succession planning; evaluation/sustainability and strategic planning. She also assists her clients to identify and capitalize on opportunities to enhance organizational image, create and/or scale client services, and build robust and enduring relationships with external stakeholders. In addition to fundraising and program accomplishments, her approach has demonstrated success in the creation and management of organizational infrastructures that improved productivity, increased efficiency and strengthened overall financial results.

Between 1994 and 2019, Ellen served as:
• Founding Executive Director - Playworks Georgia
• Interim CEO - Prevent Blindness Georgia
• Principal, McCarty & C0., LLC
• President and CEO of the Make-A-Wish Foundation® of Georgia and Alabama
• Executive Director - Jerusalem House
• Executive Director - Center for Children and Young Adults

Past Experts: 

Elyse Hammett, Vice President of Marketing and Communications at the Community Foundation of Greater Atlanta

Kinetra Joseph, Vice President of Integrated Marketing for National 4-H Council

Greg Cole, Director of Development for Emmaus House

Jon West, Vice President of Programs for Atlanta Community Food Bank

Cicely Garrett, Deputy Chief Resilience Officer for City of Atlanta

Tjuan Dogan, Corporate Citizenship & Corporate Affairs Manager for IBM

Alicia Philipp, President for Community Foundation of Greater Atlanta

Ann Cramer, Senior Consultant for Coxe Curry & Associates

Lisa Cremin, Director for Metropolitan Arts Fund